Luggage Storage Options?
 

My husband and I are taking my parents to Europe next week. It will be their first time; my husband and I went to Paris 8 years ago but this will be our first time in London, Paris and Florence. We are staying at the Hilton Olympia on Kensington High Street in London for a couple of days before we fly to Paris. Our flight to Paris doesn't leave until the afternoon. Can anyone recommend a place where we can store our luggage so that we can spend the last few hours in London luggage-free? Is is possible to store our luggage at Paddington Station (we will be flying out of LHR)? If so, is is safe and reliable to do so? How much? I also have the same question for Rome. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'll be sure to post my trip report when I return!

Hi

Check with your hotels. Normally they cheerfully will store your luggage for you after checking out. Haven't been knocked back yet! :)

At the hotel. we never had a problem with this, and the hotel does this this free of charge.

Thanks--totally forgot about that option. In Rome, however, we are renting an apartment and we have to be out by 11am (our flight back to London is scheduled to depart at 5:00PM)--MY BAD! Should have clarified!

Left luggage at Paddington is, I believe, £6 per item, so leave it at your hotel. I don't think I've ever come across a hotel that won't do this.
In Roma, there is a manned left luggage ("diposito bagagli") at Roma Termini station, and charges are much lower than in London.

Although I recall reading that it can take an hour to get your luggage in, and an hour to get it out, at Rome Termini. Someone posted a while back about a laundromat nearby that stores luggage.

If your flight to London is at 5 PM, that means (apart from the luggage question) that you will want to be departing for the airport around 2 PM, so a total of 2 hours for luggage management would leave only 1 hour.

Hi again

I would avoid the luggage storage at the Termini. If there is a security alert it's a nightmare! Maybe ask the apartment owner if they could store it.

Thanks everyone for your guidance and advice. I did read somewhere that a laundromat is able to store luggage (seems kind of odd to me). I'll check out that option when we arrive.

Try to have your hotel hold your bags. As Geoff mentioned, storage elsewhere will run you £6 per bag--that was our sticker shock when we arrived in London.