Suggestions where to go during 10 hour layover at Heathrow
 

I will be traveling back from Asia next month and have a 10 hour layover at Heathrow, arriving at 6:40am on a Friday and departing that afternoon around 4. I'd like to leave the airport for a little while, but realize I need to be organized if I want to do anything worthwhile. What would you suggest? I've been to London before, but would like to go somewhere for lunch, preferable somewhere close to a tube station as I won't have any warm clothes with me. Does Covent Garden make sense? Or is there somewhere closer that I should look in to?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

I'd head into Windsor - it's an easy bus ride from Heathrow, and there's plenty to do for a few hours.

Anywhere on the Piccadilly Line would be fine. Covent Garden is ok but Knightsbridge is closer. there are also some nice places to eat around Green Park or maybe Piccadilly itself or Leicester Square for Chinatown ( restaurants around Leicester Sq itself are generally pretty dire!)

Windsor. No question. And far closer than Central London.

Windsor is probably best -- but you won't have time to do much since your free hours don't match up too well w/ opening hours.

You'll be through passport control and the queue at Left Luggage for your carry on's by maybe 8AM and in Windsor by 8:30/8:45-ish.

You'll need to be back at LHR by 1PM at the latest in order to retrieve your carry on's (this is assuming they are too large to carry to Windsor and schlepp around)

So The Castle opens at 9:45 and you'd have to exit to start looking/calling for a a cab by noon-ish.

So you can either do a quick visit of the Castle . . . or probably better is to just walk around the town - cross the river to Eton - have a late morning tea or an early lunch and then head back to the airport.

Without warm clothes in November, I might opt to take to tube to Leicester Square and wander around the National Portrait Gallery a bit. The restaurant at the top is good and has a nice London view, but doesn't open until 12 for lunch, so depending on what time you need to be back to LHR you might not have time for that. Alternatively, there is a cafe in the basement which opens earlier.

The bus takes 45 mins from Heathrow to Richmond. There are numerous places for lunch and is a very pretty place to visit.

>>The restaurant at the top is good and has a nice London view, but doesn't open until 12 for lunch, so depending on what time you need to be back to LHR you might not have time for that.<<

There really isn't time for that. They fly out around 4PM and the tube alone takes approx an hour. If they need to be at LHR 3 hours ahead (which some airlines require) - they'd have to leave central London around opening time . . .

This is helpful since we will be in the same boat--a layover without warm clothes. Thanks.

Windsor. We hopped a bus right outside and enjoyed our short stay there roaming around.

Note the easiest buses to use for Windsor depart the T5 bus station, not Heathrow central bus station. Allow around an hour in each direction.

In Windsor get off in the High Street opposite the castle; there's a covered shopping mall right there (Windsor Royal Shopping) that has numerous cafes and restaurants, for a coffee, late breakfast, whatever, before exploring farther.

I think it was more like 25 minutes, gardyloo. We got the return schedule and gave ourselves plenty of time in case we missed one. it was a wonderful day. I'll see if I can find my mini report on this visit

I would advise allowing an hour from Windsor to Heathrow due to the Friday afternoon traffic. It can start building up early and Windsor/Heathrow area is particularly busy.

http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/071Heathrow.htm
http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/077Heathrow.htm

thank you. maybe we got off very early?

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I think we got off as soon as we passed the castle and started walking around..we never went to the end of the line.

I hope your layover goes well!

You can also take a cab to Windsor -- more expensive of course, but faster.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Depending on the weather, we'll take the bus to Windsor, as that seems to make the most sense. Is there a cafe or restaurant that you'd recommend? It doesn't sound like we'll have a lot of time, but it'll be good to get out and get some fresh air before we begin the next leg of our trip home.

We just stopped at a nice pub with flowers outside and the later walked to the river, took a river tour and had a coffee at a riverside café and got the bus back. no rush. plenty of time and very relaxing.