Paddington to hotel transportation
 

We'll be coming into Paddington station mid-day from Heathrow by train, then will need to get to our hotel on Rathbone Street. The nearest Tube station is Goodge Street and it looks like to get there we'd take the Northern Line to Charing Cross, then up to Goodge Street station. Is that the best way, or is there a bus route that would be better? And how would a bus be with luggage?

IMO "the best" way is for you to go outside and get into a taxi.

I've taken luggage on the tube and it's a major PIA, especially if you have to change lines. I would take a taxi.

If you are taking the Heathrow Express from the airport please consider a car service instead. A fave of mine is called Just Airports. They will pick you up and take you directly to your hotel. If you do the math you will see that the cost of the train plus the cost of the taxi is about the same as the cost of the car service. Of course the convenience has value too.

I would <B>NOT</B> ever take the train to Paddington to get to Goodge Street. Makes no sense at all.

The best option would be a pre-booked car service like justairports.com from LHR to your hotel. It would be cheaper and MUCH easier/less schlepping.

<<IMO "the best" way is for you to go outside and get into a taxi.>>

That will cost more than a car service.

To the OP: why are you taking the H'EX to Paddington when your lodging is halfway across the city? Smarten up: take the advice of P_M and Janis.

Take the direct Tube from Heathrow to Holborn, then get a taxi for the rest of the way

Lately, I have had some horrible taxi experiences. My advice would be to use a car service.They'll meet you as you exit customs in the arrival hall, help with your luggage and take you directly to your hotel. It'll be easier and cheaper and you'll avoid any possibility of taxi trauma. ;)

Thanks. Car service is extremely expensive - 48 pounds. Since there were two pitches for the same service, I wonder .... But the Tube to Holborn and taxi the rest of the way would be a fourth of that. Works for me.

I've used Just Airports based on recommendations here, and had a good experience. They're not shilling for the company, just suggesting, and the car service is probably roughly the same or cheaper than HEX + cab for two people and certainly easier.

That said, the Tube is of course more economical, *if* you can handle the luggage. I pack carryon-size only and had no problems back in May; I'm in my early 30s, able to carry my own bags easily and perfectly content walking a lot. If you have more luggage than that, have mobility issues, etc, you might regret that choice. Even taking the Tube direct to Holborn, you'll have to deal with getting from the platform to the street, and I don't know how accessible the lifts are at Holborn. I stayed near there on my last trip, and remember a couple of sets of stairs and a long escalator.

If you go with the Tube, you could take it to Leicester Square and either get a bus up Charing Cross Road from there (looks like the 14, 24 and 29 all go that direction) or transfer to the Northern line at Leicester Square, get off at Tottenham Court Road, and walk less than half a mile from there (best I can tell), no taxi needed. Again, though, that could be a bad idea if you have a lot of luggage - changing lines or dealing with transfers to buses is no fun with bags. Really, it's a matter of whether your priority is saving the money or getting where you need to be with a minimum of hassle (perhaps while jet-lagged).

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms...rsquare-a4.pdf

Yes, if you want to save money, skip the Heathrow Express and take the tube the whole way. Shouldn't be too difficult midday. But do pack light.

<i>Car service is extremely expensive - 48 pounds.</i>

How is that more expensive than the cost of 2 tickets on the HEX plus the cost of getting from Paddington to Rathbone Street?

<i>Since there were two pitches for the same service, I wonder</i>

No, totally legit, it could have been expressways or any of several other services that have recommended for the past several years

Always use just airports and they are great. Of course the tube will be the cheapest.

So, Piccadilly Line to King's Cross (some mobility issues and there's a lift) and then a taxi to the hotel, at an estimated 6 pounds 30. What do you think?

Be aware that the estimated taxi rate is calculated with little or no traffic problems or diversions. A £6 fare can easily run you twice that. I estimated my rates with the online taxi estimator and one fare was twice the estimate they gave the other 3times the estimate.. I think the cheapest HEX rate runs about £ 18 per person but there may be reduced rates if bought early. You do mention some mobility issues. The tube even with lifts is not always easy as jent103 pointed out and can be uncomfortable and crowded if carrying luggage.

If you have mobility problems DO NOT take the tube. Honest. And we ain't schilling for anyone.

At LHR you will have a looooooong walk to the tube station, then at Kings Cross/St Pancras you will have more long walks and have to navigate the transfer to the Northern Line. Or if you take the tube to Holborn and taxi from there you will have more steps.

How many are you and just how much luggage do you have? If there are two of you, justairports should not cost £48 to Goodge Street unless you have a LOT of luggage. But if you have that much luggage -- good luck on the tube!

Justairports should be about £35 for 2 w/ moderate luggage and paying cash.

If there are more than 2 of you - yes it could cost a bit more if you all have fuels sized suitcases.

My mobility issue is limited to carrying luggage up stairs. Walking, even dragging a bag, is not a problem. We arrive to Terminal 2 and then would take the free shuttle to Terminal 5. Have done that before, not an issue.
I got the justairports price from their website.

Just checked again with justairports, and it gave me 32 pounds if paid in cash. Big difference from credit, and maybe enough to sway me.

OK -- what sort of car did you ask for? I just this second plugged in WC1 in their website and clicked saloon and it came up £38.

>>My mobility issue is limited to carrying luggage up stairs.<< which is exactly what you'll have to do on the tube.

And - of course you'll do what you want . . . It just seems you got suspicious of the advice from the get go, but we are just trying to make things easier for you.

I don't expect condescending lectures here, but I guess that's the nature of anonymous forums.

whoa - what was condescending? I seriously did not mean anything AT ALL condescending or snarky. If that is what you thought, sorry.

I honestly meant . . . you of course will do what you decide is best, but all of us are trying to help you.

You posted >>Since there were two pitches for the same service, I wonder ….<< . . . so it seems you feel some of us are schilling for justairports. Nothing could be farther from the case. It is just that they are about the most well known car service, are VERY reliable, and are usually the cheapest. And w/ your self-stated mobility issues, IMO you <i>really</i> should at least consider them.

But again -- you will do what you decide is best.

(Yes, a few Fodorites do post snarky 'non-advice', but none of those have posted to your thread)

Hey, were are here to offer advice, and I imagine all of us here have done the various options available concerning transport from LHR to London. Over the years I have taken taxis, the various shuttle options, the tube, various car services and years ago there was a double decker bus that went into London. If you choose not to follow the advice of all most every poster here that's fine but to be called our advice condescending is unfair.

>>If you have mobility problems DO NOT take the tube. <<

That was my instinct, since as someone who isn't mobility-impaired I haven't looked at it in any detail, and only know how stairs can crop up all over the place. But I did a bit of checking, and found this very detailed guide to precisely how to avoid stairs at King's Cross, complete with actual distances on the level, and the like
http://tinyurl.com/n38wc5n

Looks to be as though that site would be a useful resource for anyone else with similar issues:
http://www.directenquiries.com

Alan, you have gotten some great advice here. Otherwise you may have taken the HEX and tube to Goodge Street, and would have been faced with many stairs and long walks.

This may be helpful:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms...tube-guide.pdf

You're welcome.

Taking the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow, change at Leicester Square for the Northern Line and get off at Tottenham Court Rd or Goodge Street.

It won't be too much longer till Heathrow enjoys the same direct rail access to central London that Gatwick does now, http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/maps It's worth paying a little more to fly to Gatwick for the rail service which runs practically under the terminal to 6+ stops in central London.

Tube: the cars are noticeably smaller than say a similar metro system in DC, with claustrophobic passages to and from some platforms. The cars are often quite hot (any time of year) as well. Not good for rush times with baggage, or any time with too much baggage.

BTW: A lot of London is "extremely expensive" so get used to it.

Alan_CT, everyone's just trying to help you.

janis, are you bringing gas on your trips to save money these days? "fuels sized suitcases."

I know, I know, I shouldn't make fun of auto-correction, but sometimes I can't resist.

:D

Sometimes I see what autocorrect has done to me and I want to cringe.

Thanks for all the advice and assistance, it is appreciated. Just remember that expecting people to follow your advice leads to resentment when they don't. So feel good about offering it, and let the chips fall where they may, which looks like King's Cross Station!

>>Just remember that expecting people to follow your advice leads to resentment when they don't. <<

OMG -- you really think that???

Those who have posted either live in London or visit several times a year and are only trying to help you. None of has any 'ownership' of your decisions . . .