smirzza

On way to Berlin, I am arriving at Heathrow T3 at 6 25 am on Sunday Dec 5 and my flight to Berlin is at 5 25 in the evening from T1

With over 10 tours available, I am thinking of taking tube Picadilly to Green park and then Jubilee to Bond Street - to spend some time at my favorite Selfridges

Is it do-able ? Any advice?

Gordon_R

Be aware that Selfidges doesn't open until 11:30 am on Sundays due to Sunday trading laws (and in fact the period from 11:30 to 12:00 is for "browsing" only - no purchases can be made at this time).

annhig

is your flight to Berlin with a "cheap" airline like easyjet?

in which case they have quite short checking in times. [usually about an hour before you are due to fly]. scheduled airlines may require longer.

in any event do check the time required for you to check in carefully.

travelgourmet

Well, depending upon your situation, it sounds doable. Getting to Selfridges shouldn't be a problem - as noted, the doors don't open until 11:30. You would have at least a couple of hours - leaving at 2:30 would give you 3 hours to get to LHR and checked in, which seems like enough to me.

The only issue, to my mind, is what your luggage situation is. Will you be able to check any bags through? And how big is your carry-on? If you can check your bags through, and you have a smallish carry-on, then it should work. Note that Selfridge's no longer accepts luggage at the bag check.

smirzza

Thank you everyone for your feedback

I am flying Lufthansa (biz class) and am hoping they will check my suitcase through. In case they don't I wonder if I can use any deposit facility because there is no way I can carry that with me on tube and around the city
I am begininig to wonder - if I can't buy anything till noon time, should I be even going to Selfridges? I was hoping they will have better timings nearing Christmas !

Can anyone tell me a better alternative - what to do on Oxford street in the same time frame? I don't remember the location of Marks & Spencer - do they open earlier?

Thanks,

flanneruk

The Sunday six-hour opening limit applies to all shops in England over 3000 sq ft, all year round (except Easter Sunday, when they can't open at all), virtually none open before 1100 and most wait till 1130/1200. Very few smaller shops bother opening much earlier, though obviously there are lots of coffee shops etc.

Museums and art galleries mostly open at 1000 on Sundays, and the major concentration is at South Kensington, whose tube station is on the Piccadilly Line. Parks have no opening hours.

Though the Tube is underground at Heathrow, there's about as much of the system overall above ground as below, and it's currently been getting disruptions early in the morning because of the weather. Forecasts are that the weather will get warmer for the next day or two, so you shouldn't have any probs.

Since you're checked through to Germany (though note that you're NOT travelling on Lufthansa: you're presumably arriving at T3 on Air Canada and leaving from T1) you don't need to be back at the airport till 5-ish. You've got lots of time to shop or whatever even if you don't get into a store till 1130

mztery

RE:you don't need to be back at the airport till 5-ish. You've got lots of time to shop or whatever even if you don't get into a store till 1130





flight leaves at 5:25 and oyu suggest not get to the airport till 5-ish? Surely you jest!

KayF

The Wallace Collection is well worth a look and is only a short walk from Selfridges. Looks like it opens at 10am so you could go there first. It's a wonderful small museum with a really nice cafe/restaurant and free entry too.
http://www.wallacecollection.org/visiting

Kay

flanneruk

"flight leaves at 5:25 and oyu suggest not get to the airport till 5-ish? Surely you jest!"

No. Just listening to the Ashes at the same time as writing. So I remembered the departure time as 6.25.

See where multitasking gets you....

smirzza

Hmmmm . . . you are all so great Thank you for taking out time to write (even if while listening to Ashes

Yes I need to keep enough margin for travel back to terminal 1, security clearance and boarding. I am thiking I should start the journey back at around 1:30 - 2 pm
But then that will leave hardly any time for shoppping - maybe I'll just see the pre-christmas scene in London. Haven't been to big ben for over a decade

Thanks,

TDudette

A terrible "Plan B" but there is a Herrod's annex in Heathrow and quite a few shops. I know, I know, but sometimes you have to work with what you have.

FoFoBT

You could get off at Green Park, have breakfast at The Wolseley (opens at 8 am on Sunday). The Christmas window displays at nearby Fortnum & Mason are worth a peek.
Then windowshop your way through the Burlington Arcade and up Bond Street to Selfridges.
Or, given the cold snap, maybe head over to Somerset House, watch the skaters and visit the beautiful collections in the Courtauld Gallery.
Sometime during your visit, stop and have a drink, toasting your luck that you weren't flying into Gatwick...

travelgourmet

<i>I am thiking I should start the journey back at around 1:30 - 2 pm</i>

I think 2:30 is more than early enough.

nytraveler

The rest of the world doensn;t have the same Christmas selling situation as in the US - where from thanksgiving on major stores may be open from 6 or 7 am until midnight 7 days a week to watch those cash registers ring. In many places stores hours are limited - especially on Sunday - even leading up to the holidays. (Perhaps income is spread out over more of the year - rather than all of the annual profits coming in December.)

danon

"A terrible "Plan B" but there is a Herrod's annex in Heathrow and quite a few shops. I know, I know, but sometimes you have to work with what you have."

True, we flew through T5 and T3... both feel like a mall.
Getting out of the airport is a nice break. If you take HEX ( cost a pretty penny, but it is fast), you can get to town before the stores open and get some fresh air, have breakfast , walk a bit etc.

alanRow

If you get the HEX then you'll have 3 hours to kill before the shops open.

Taking the Tube to Hyde Park Corner then walking up to Oxford Street will give you the fresh air at a quarter of the cost, saving you enough money for a VERY good breakfast

chartley

I wouldn't go to a "Herrod's" annex at Christmas.

smirzza

You all are an unbelievable community ! Thanks a lot, really.

Happy to report that I have now arrived at AirCanada lounge at Heathrow T3. It all seems so doable. Its little early (8ish) Am thinking of leaving at 9:30 - 10ish by tube : Piccadilly for Green Park and on to Bond St. Hopefully reach there by 11ish and leave back at 2-230 ish

Will write later how it was.
Thanks for all the great tips

tarquin

If I were going to only one shop, it would be Liberty on Regent Street. It's near the Burlington Arcade and other places far more pleasant than Oxford Street.

stokebailey

Do they skate in that pool in Somerset House courtyard?

Let us know how it goes, smirzza. I have contemplated a similar maneuver, minus the shopping.