Heathrow to Hotel
 

Ok, leaving tomorrow - so my questions will stop for 2 weeks ;-)

Looking at the hotel website, and confused on how to get from Aiport to hotel.

Want to get to Thistle Kensington Gardens. They give the option of using the Tube, but thinking that is probably going to be hectic with the luggage.

Does anyone know the best way? Is taxi over the top expensive?

Many thanks,
E&E

Depends on your idea of expensive, how many people and how much luggage you have. You can use one of the services mentioned here on Fodors (Swiss Cottage, Ray Skinner, Just Airports) and probably pay around 30 GBP or more, but this is usually less than a taxi. The Tube IS a hassle if you have a lot of luggage. You can also take the Heathrow Express but that will only take you to Paddington and then you'd have to take a taxi to your hotel. If there are more than 2 people, then it could end up costing as much as one of the car services.

This website runs down the options (most mentioned by bettyk) and will also link you to the official Heathrow website.
http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow.htm

People were reporting justairports.com were the cheapest and reliable. I haven't seen any recent reports here on car services to contradict that. The nice thing is they'll wait with a sign with your name as you exit so you don't have to wait on the line. The only downside is if your plane is late/delayed there may be an extra waiting charge.

Thanks BettyK & mclaurie!
It is just 2 of us traveling.
Expensive - not 100USD...

I just looked at the Heathrow Express, and it looks like that is an option...our hotel is .75 miles from Paddington station -- so a taxi from there should be cheep.

I am also going to look in to the others that the 2 of you mentioned above...

Thanks for your help.

ps
we will have 3 pieces of luggage...not a lot for 2 weeks.
on our return, proably will be 4...i have a duffle packed to take stuff home :-)

A relatively inexpensive and not unenjoyable alternative is the Airbus to Notting Hill Gate and a taxi to your hotel.

We are either going to do the Heathrow Express and taxi to our airport.
Or
Just taxi from the airport.
Would anyone have a general idea of how much from LHR to Bayswater?

I would take the Heathrow express every time. The traffic on the motorway into London can be horrendous if you're arriving in daylight hours whereas the Heathrow express is quick and easy. Also to anywhere in west London from Paddington is easy in a cab (and there are always lots at Paddington station). I used to live in West Hampstead in northwest London and taking the Heathrow express I could be at home within an hour of landing (hand luggage only of course...).

An added benefit to the Heathrow Express-Paddington train is that, on some airlines, you can check in for you flight at Paddington's Air Terminal. At least this was the plan, similar to one at Victoria Station for the Gatwick Express, until 9/11 and now airlines like BritishAir no longer do it, but last August when I was there some do so check on your airline as this can simplify things greatly, then you just take the train to the plane.

If you've got more than one person and luggage, I might suggest:

http://www.airport-cars.co.uk/index.shtml

They have excellent drivers and very nice cars. I had 4 people, so it was very affordable.

I'm embarrassed, you won't need a taxi if you use the Airbus. I had the wrong Thistle. The Thistle Kensington Gardens is within one block of the Leinster Terrace Airbus stop. You can do a roundtrip for 15 pounds each (adults) and the trip time is about one hour and 10 minutes.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/lhr_airbus.htm

I concur with Grenelle. The Heathrow Express to Paddington is easily the fastest way into London, particularly if you're staying west. I do this trip regularly through work (I live here) and always take the Express over a cab all the way, unless it's at, like, 5am before the trains start running.

Cool!
Thanks for setting our transportation in stone -- Heathrow Express it is...

Recent threads on various ways to get to London from Heathrow:
http://www.fodors.com/forums_reg/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

http://www.fodors.com/forums_reg/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

You say you're considering a cab... don't. If you want to take a car, book with a car service.
Cab fare would be roughly £50. Car service about half that.

We used justairports.com for round trip service to and from Heathrow/So. Kensington for a fmaily of 4. The cash option is less epxensive than credit card. OVerall it was great value and very easy. They were exactly where they said they'd be at exactly the time given. This service is quite a bit less than a taxi.

I just checked and we paid 53GBP for roundtrip service from justairports.

Check the justairports.com website to see what their private car service costs to your hotel location. You may find that it's cheaper than the Heathrow Express + taxi for two people. Go to their online booking section. There's quite a difference between their cash and credit card rates so select cash if you want to save money. We paid 43GBP roundtrip from Heathrow to W1 and back.

I was just in London in June. Took the Heathrow express to Paddington and walked to my Bayswater hotel....had a suitcase on wheels and a backpack, no problem at all. Dead easy and hassle free!

Enjoy your trip

Travelmouse

Well, even though you say your decision is cast in concrete, I would suggest you have another look at the Heathrow Airbus (A2) option suggested by jsmith.

I used it recently and it was exactly as advertised on this website. http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/lhr_airbus.htm.

You will be dropped off, and picked up, virtually at the doorstep of your hotel.

That could be less hassle than transferring from a train to a taxi, as well as less expensive.

You could buy a one-way ticket if you think that you will have too many bags to make this a feasible option for your return trip.

I take the Tube from Heathrow all the time and find it quiet easy. I personally don't find the Heathrow Express to be worth the expense, but if you can walk from Paddington it could be worth it. I also live in NYC, so I am very used to taking the subway everyone, so that might be part of the reason that I don't mind taking the Tube. And most times of the day, the Heathrow traffic is lousy. And the car service horribly expensive. I guess I feel that London is so pricey (especially with the exchange rate) right now that I'd rather spend the $$$ elsewhere.... How much is the tube now from Heathrow to Central London, about 5 - 6 quid?

I like the airbus as well, although since they've cancelled the route that goes to South Kensington it's no longer useful to me.

Rachele, if you have much luggage then the Tube can be a nightmare, especially in the stations where there are no lifts. Trust me, I found that out the hard way just recently.

I would NOT recommend the tube if you're going to have 3-4 pieces of luggage. From a cost standpoint, I've never found the Heathrow Express to make much sense if you have more than one person.

I don't think there is an Airbus anymore - look at the routes NationalExpress.com offers. Flanneruk may know of other services.

I hear you. I just always travel with one rolling back and a day backpack that is very easy to carry. I do agree if you have a lot of luggage that it would be difficult, but 3 pieces for 2 people didn't sound too bad to me.

We just returned from 2 weeks in London and want to pass on a tip to those going to and from all 3 airports into the city.
If you purchase TimeOut Magazine you will find a 2for1 coupon for the Express Trains(Heathrow,Gatwick and Stanstead).
One restriction...you cannot buy your ticket on the train. You need to use the coupon @ the ticket window.
For the Gatwick Express we paid 12 pounds for 2 people.

Roomeic,
That is a great deal (2 for 1).
Q1 - Where do you get the TimeOutMagazie?
Q2 - At the airport, are there ticket booths for the Heathrom Express?

Hey! Get excited!! You're gonna have a great trip.

You can get TimeOut (it's published every Wed.) at any newsagent/newsstand. If you're arriving at Terminal 3, there's a WH Smith or somethingorother just past the 'meeting point' near the Metro cafe. Guaranteed, everywhere that sells newspapers will have TimeOut.

Then head back downstairs to Heathrow Express train station -- follow the signs.

Ooooooh you're gonna have a good trip!

WillTravel, if the Airbus service was canceeled it must have been very recent as it is still advertised today on the LHR website. I used the service in June. Where did you hear the service was cancelled ?

Someone may have said this but I have to log off in a minute. We took the Tube from Heathrow to Gloucester Tube station and walked up to Thistle Kensington Palace (next to your hotel). It was about a 15 minute walk and we had rolling carryons. You could simply take a taxi from the Gloucester Tube station.
((@))

curiousx, I should have been clearer. I'm not sure how the buses are labeled now at Heathrow, but if you go to www.airbus.co.uk, it redirects you to the NationalExpress.com site, and I think there was a buyout a year or so ago. You can check on that site to see what bus service there is from airports.

Yes, there was a buyout a couple of years ago. National Express already has some sort of route to Victoria, so that's no longer an Airbus route. As far as I know (as of summer 2003, when I last traveled to London), there is one Airbus route. It's the northern route that extends out to Euston and Russell Square.

which is the one that goes more or less past the door of truppi's hotel..
http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/h...rbus_page.html

We are a group of 15 - 4 moms, 11 16-17 yos. Just Airports gave us a price of $156GBP for transport from Heathrow to our hotel near King's Cross. We thought it would be the easiest option so we didn't have to navigate the tube w/ our luggage and jet lagged selves. Though we are only taking one suitcase and 1 backpack per person because of using Ryan Air later in our trip. That works out to $10.4GBP per person and that wasn't much more than the express train. What do you guys think? Good idea?

Getting to Kings Cross is pretty easy by tube from Heathrow - it's just a ride with no changes on the Piccadilly Line. You could get a TravelCard pass for use on both the ride to the hotel and later in the day, so the actual cost of the tube ride to the hotel would only be very slight. 10.4 pounds is not a bad price, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the tube is a quicker option and it's easy. Still, with 15 people there is likely to be one who gets waylaid or lost, so maybe it's best to take the car service.

We are purchasing the central zone London transport card, but also the hop on/hop off bus tour. We figured it was cheaper to buy the central zone and then pay for Heathrow separate or use it toward a limo transport. I had heard that there were several stairs to navigate in the tube station. Is this not so? If anyone knows for sure how many stairs we have from Heathrow Picadilly line tube to King's Cross tube, then that would help us decide. Thanks!