Heathrow to St Pancras
 

What would be the best, easiest and/or quickest way to get from LHW to St Pancras? We will have 2 carryons and 1 rolling suitcase.

Tube direct to Kings Cross / St Pancras (it's the same Tube station). Takes about an hour

£4 per person if you don't have a Travelcard or Oystercard

Pointless taking the HEX or the HEC to Paddington as you then still have to get from Paddington to St Pancras

If you are considering Eurostar, I'd seriously consider getting a flight from LHR to your final destination

Assuming this is to catch a Eurostar - how much time do you have for the connection?

Flying might be a better option if you haven't already bought Eurostar tix.

1. Don't even think of going via Paddington. The taxi queue there at peak times, and traffic along the Euston Rd, between them can take as long as the tube from the airport

2. KX/St Pancras is the busiest and most complicated tube station on the system. Just look out, as you get off the tube train, for the St Pancras signs. Follow them, and you come out of the tube station straight into the international check in area.

Given that most of us have mental maps in which St Pancras is a bit out on a limb and on the wrong side of a busy road, it's actually now astonishingly painless to get into from the tube.

Many Thanks. We are/were considering the Eurostar to Paris. We arrive at LHR at 8:50am on Virgin. Though that we would use their revival lounge and then proceed on to Paris.

We thought that we would be through imm/customs by 9:50 and out of the lounge by 11:00, at the latest.

The suggestions here appear to be a flight to CDG. If we arrive at Term 3, how, and how much time, would be involved in getting to term 5?

Hello flanneruk, it is good to hear from you again. Your input on our Cornwall/Devon trip 2 years ago was priceless. Hope all is well with you.

I'm not sure any of us know how long it's going to take to T5, because I don't think they've yet announced details of how often the train's going to go.

I'd guess it's an 8-min journey every 15 mins from the station, which is five mins (the slowcoaches argue 10) from getting out of customs.

But you can probably through-check your bags if you use bmi - currently from T1, rather than BA from T5. And AF (currrently from T2, but it all starts going wonky after T5 opens) is also nearer T3.

The BMI site no longer lists LHR-CDG flights. The OP probably would have to fly on either Air France or British Airways.

Recent experience with BMI suggests that the baggage restrictions and fees make an advance purchase fare with AF or BA an attractive alternative to BMI or any other of the budget carriers.

Note that with effect from January 7, 2008, the UK government will no longer enforce a one item carry on limit for departing flights. The bad news part of this is that each airport must apply for a certificate that it has sufficient security arrangements to screen additional carry on bags. There is no indication of how long such a certification will take or when BAA will make the application for LHR. Nonetheless, if your plans are for this summer, there is a good chance you will be able to carry on all the bags listed in the original post.

Many Thanks to all of you. We decided to take the BA flight from LHR to Paris. From the posting it appears that a flight will be the easiest way to Paris. The fare from LHR to Paris on BA was less than $100 USD per person.

Just one note: your luggage is unlikely to be transferred from VS to BA, so you'll need to pick it up (ie go thru immigration) and re-check it on T5.

Also, don't expect your flight to land on time. Average "circle-over-London" time is around 20min. Plus you might have a long walk depending on which gate you arrive. Assuming 2-2.5hr from scheduled landing time seems prudent to figure our when you actually clear.