Heathrow to London Hotel during rush hour
 

After a long flight and all of the normal arrival activity, what is the best (easiest) way to get to our London hotel with 4 rolling suitcases (3 med, 1 smaller) and 4 people during morning rush hour? 2 adults and 2 kids, 10 and 14. I got a quote from minicab - 43GBP for a 6 man car due to luggage. Regent's Park area. Someone told me Uber, but I don't currently have an account. The tube? Memories of the two of us struggling with 2 bags up steep Paris metro stairs years ago kind of made me think again since now we'll have kids with us. The tube during rush hour might not be ideal anyway. It's late. I'm tired. Any good suggestions to get our trip started off on the right foot is very much appreciated.

I've never worked with "minicab" but 43 pounds sounds pretty reasonable for 4 people/luggage during rush hour. I've used "Just Airports" (recommended here) which was a bit more expensive than your quote, but with good results, if you want to get a different quote.

Last year we had a car service take us from Heathrow to the Savoy hotel. It was definitely "rush hour" and the trip, because of traffic, took 1.5 hours! I'm happy we had paid a set price in advance. However, I wish we had taken the Heathrow Express or something similar and waited in a cab line or taken the Tube IN London.

What time does your flight actually arrive?

The Heathrow Express is pretty fast and then you can take a quick cab ride to your hotel. Check on the website to see if they have any family discounts or 2 for 1 prices. The last time we used it we were able to get a good discount.

Other options are likely cheaper but, after a long flight, I just want easy and convenient.

"The Heathrow Express is pretty fast and then you can take a quick cab ride to your hotel."

You can't. At morning rush hours, the queues at Paddington for taxis (up an escalator from the main platform) can take forever. And there's no such thing as a "quick ride" in any vehicle at 0900.

Either get the tube from the airport (at morning rush hour the fastest way to most central London destinations) or prebook a minicab, and simply live with the fact that it might take 90 minutes at that time.

The complexity of the London Tube system usually means it's possible, with a bit of planning, to devise a journey that doesn't involve stairs. The stair-free guide is at https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/do...tube-guide.pdf

Greater detail at https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/do...-guide-map.pdf

a mini cab and a car service are the same thing. The HEX makes no sense. Whether the tube does depends almost entirely on where your hotel is . . . the "Regents Park area" could be anywhere from Camden Town to St Johns Wood to Marylebone to Euston to a few other places . . . so <i>which</i> hotel is it/where?

get a quote from justairports.com then decide.

The tube will be fastest at that time of day but could involve multiple transfers depending on where you are going.

I'm surprised with the replies about the HEX as it seemed pretty quick the last time we did it. The taxi queue at first looked long, but went very quickly. Perhaps we were lucky.

KTtravel: The HEX is only fast/convenient as far as Paddington . . . unless one us staying walking distance from the station it simply doesn't make sense 95% of the time.

By the time one adds taxi time/cost (or a tube or bus ride form Paddington) just taking the tube all the way in from LHR is faster for a fraction the cost.

It doesn't sound (depending on what you mean by medium) as though your luggage is going to be that much of an encumbrance, and it isn't rush hour on the tube at Heathrow itself - you should be able to sit down. Numbers will build up nearer the centre, so you'd need to be ready to move towards the door before your train actually gets to your station.

There are plenty of escalators and lifts in most central London tube stations, though often there may a dozen or so stairs up from the platforms themselves - depending on exactly which station we're talking about.

As others have said what hotel and/or what station? That way you can work out stairs , escalators , lifts, need to change trains. You can use the TFL website ie Transport for London website to plan a journey as well.
We paid €60 from Soho to LHR last week and consider it well worth it but we are in our 70s , had 4 pieces of luggage and get picked up at a set time.
I remember our 1st trip to London from LHR to Russell Square in 1980 on tube with 3 children under 11 , 5 cases and lots of stairs - not sure how we did it !!!!!

I'd take the hire car, with the kids and after a long flight. The rush hour is getting longer all the time and while you may well find yourselves stuck in traffic at least you can doze.

Wow! Thanks for all of the useful info. Our flight arrives at 7:00 a.m., but anticipate having to get some cash, a SIM card in addition to retrieving luggage/customs. So assume we will be leaving around 8:30. And, to some, my medium suitcase may be more like LARGE. Ha! Definitely 3 checked bags and 1 of standard carry-on roller. Hotel is Marriot Regents Park (north of park so a bit further away) so tube station would be Swiss Cottage, "a 5 min walk". I like the stairless tube guide info provided by flanneruk! I am all for fast and convenient. Minicab had several rates, but 43GBP was the lowest. Again thank you all!

Can your kids handle 2 of the suitcases? If so then taking the tube is possible. If the adults have to handle all 4 suitcases (since kids have their own carry-ons or whatever) then there is no way I would do anything but car service.

IMHO sitting in a cab with luggage in the trunk and leaving everything to the driver - even for a longer time - is much less stressful after an overnight flight than keeping track of luggage and kids through a variety of tubes and then cabs.

I agree with Flanner about that taxi wait at Paddington; we've done that and it can take what seems like a long time.

As to taking the Tube "all the way" that's fine I'm sure depending on what you do with any luggage.

After any flight it is nice to have it "easy" but sometimes I think London, on a weekday morning, doesn't always fit into that description. BUT we keep going there!!!!!

For Swiss Cottage, you'd change at Green Park. This will be busy in the rush hour, with quite a long walk through corridors, but there is lift (elevator) access to the platforms.

I don't know Swiss Cottage station. It has escalators, but there might also be some steps up from the platform level to the escalators.

I believe in the Tube, tired or not.

I watched a US family on the tube last year, they were so tired they almost left one child behind and I had to throw a stuffed rabbit through the closing door to them.

I like the little luxury of being able relax on the way in to town. Having a set price by using a car service also puts the mind at ease so you don't have to keep watching the meter. Since there are four passengers, it will cost around 20 pounds to take the tube. (More for the Heathrow Express.) It's worth the extra money for a car service that takes you door to door, convenience of dealing with luggage, ease of keeping track of everyone in your party, etc. imo. I wouldn't go any other way.

while the tube is flat easy <i><u>once you get used to it</u></i> . . .

. . . after an overnight flight, w/ children, w/ luggage, w/ an awfully long walk at Green Park station - a first timer trying to figure out the signs and directions when transferring and just general exhaustion it can be a dreadful introduction to London.

Book a car service.