Going to be passing through Heathrow from US while going/coming from Italy. It's been 25+ years since I've been through Heathrow, so a couple of questions:

1. We need to stay at a hotel one night at the airport. Just a place to lay our head, so nothing fancy. Recommendations?

2. Coming in from Rome, our flight back to the states out of Heathrow is at 11:30 am leaving from Terminal 3. It looks like most flights from Rome to Heathrow arrive at Terminal 5. What would you recommend for time spent getting from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3, considering getting bags, traveling between terminals, going through security and customs (I guess, from Rome-London??). It looks like the earliest flight arrives at Terminal 5 at 9:50 am - 1 hour 40 minutes before the US flight. Too tight?

Thanks.

If your departure flight is out of T-3 I would not stay at T-5 - they are practically in different counties. There are MANY hotels in all price ranges along the north perimeter of the Airport (the Bat Road and A$ are within a very short Hotel Hoppa bus or taxi of T-3.

I'd book a hotel there and take either the Hoppa or a taxi from T-5 to your hotel near T-3 -- in fact I did just that in late December. My BA flight from FRA landed at T-5 and my AA flight went out of T-3 the next day.

OOPS - mis-read the whole thing You are trying to fly in the same morning as your flight home.

Yes that's way, WAAAY too tight on separate tickets. If you are on sep. tickets you really do want to be at LHR the night before. If you do fly in the night before, then follow the advice I struck out . . .

What Janisj and Odin say; if your flight to the US is at 11:30 am, you really need to be at LHR the night before. I certainly wouldn't attempt this if your flight is on different tickets.

Thanks everyone. I should have explained I already bought my US-London tickets on points (at an extremely good price) because, um, we're going to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio tour before heading to Italy (please don't tour-shame me). So we've got a night at Heathrow on arrival and based on the consensus, we'll just fly into London the night before our return flight. Now if I can figure out how to take public transportation to the studio tour . . .

Bests, Terry.

There are National Express coaches from LHR to Watford Junction, approx hourly. Then there is a shuttle bus apparently from Watford Jnc to the studios.

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/getting-here

>>we're going to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio tour before heading to Italy (please don't tour-shame me).<<

Why would anyone shame you??? The WB HP studio is really terrific. And as Odin says there is a coach. You can either leave your bags at Left Luggage and head straight to Watford Junction, retrieve the bags when you return and head to the hotel . . . or . . . go to the hotel first, check in and leave the luggage then take the coach. It partly depends on the times.

Thanks Janisj - I was sort of joking. You know travel all that way and then go to HP Studios. But we read all the books, both with and without our son (we had to steal his copies) and of course saw all the movies. So really looking forward to it!

Perfect - just checked and they have buses for about 30 pounds roundtrip. Thanks Odin!

Just a suggestion - we've had great experiences with using Priceline for Heathrow-area hotels. Like you, I usually only want a "place to put my head" and Priceline delivers good pricing at many of the airport hotels. Give it a try!

That's good information, janisj. We haven't tried to book near Heathrow for a number of years, so it's good to know that other services are meeting the prices. Thanks!