Eme

Hi,

I've searched the archives and gotten a lot of opinions on whether to take the express or thameslink from Gatwick to Victoria Station but I was wondering if anyone can tell me if going to Kings Cross it would be better to take the Thameslink since it goes straight there and not have to take the express then change to the tube. My destinattion is the Thistle Euston and so I would also like to know which underground station it is next to, is it the Euston or Euston Square. Is it close enough to walk to or will we have to take the tube from Kings Cross to either the Euston or Euston Square. I am confused about there being two tube stops so close so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

GeoffHamer

There are at least three train services from Gatwick to London. For Victoria, there's the Gatwick Express or South Central which takes five minutes longer but is cheaper. For Kings Cross, take the Thameslink train. Euston Square station is just round the corner westwards from Euston; Kings Cross is about ten minutes' walk eastwards from Euston with St Pancras station and the British Library in between. I think the Thistle is the hotel next to the British library, so you might as well walk from Kings Cross station.

david_west

The Gatwick express is just that - an express. The thameslink has many stops on the way, and is not the most reliable of trains.

The Euston Thistle is nearer Euston tna Euston Square, but not by much so either stop would be OK. It is fine to walk to, although Kings Cross to Euston is a bracing 10 minute stroll.

Eme

Thanks Geoffhamer and David. That is exactly the info I needed. I don't mind walking, we will only have one suitcase each with wheels. We'll get to see something of the area we are staying in and avoid the morning (8:00am) rush hour in the tube. Thanks again

JJ127

Eme - We stayed at the Thistle Euston in December. It was very simple to take the Gatwick Express to Victoria station and then catch a taxi to the hotel.

Eme

JJ127,

What did you think of the Thistle Euston? I understand the breakfast is brought to your room but not exactly what it consist of. Any tips on the best room to request or are they all about the same?

Thanks,
Eme

ben_haines_london

The Thameslink will be better. It can be up to ten minutes late, but that will not much trouble you. There are five stops between Gatwick and Kings Cross Thameslink, and you take 40 minutes: the Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes to Victoria. Business people work ever earlier, and the train may become a little crowded, but you will have seats. You take it to Kings Cross Thameslink station, ignore the exit signs, find the stairs down to the Piccadilly line, go down, cross under the railway lines, and at the news kiosk you buy Time Out magazine and take the escalator straight up to street kevel. You step through the glass door to the pavement, do not cross the road, have a pound each ready to pay the bus driver, and take bus number 30 or 73 five minutes to the bus area in front of Euston station. There you are 400 yards from your hotel, reached by walking straight through the station. You can walk it or pick up a luggage trolley for a pound and walk it. The transfer from rail to road at Kings Ctoss Thameslink is as easy as taking a taxi at Victoria, faster (for a taxi you join a line or queue) and a deal cheaper.

The hotel is nearer to Euston Square than to Euston, but I do not recommend you to go to Euston Square station with bags: too many steps up. The hotel is on Cardington Street, and is not next to the British Library.

Please write if I can help further. Welcome to London.

[email protected]

Eme

Ben thank you so much for the great directions. We leave next week and I was a bit concerned about the best way to reach my hotel. I do have one more question that I hope you can answer. When booking my vacation I thought it would be better to arrive and depart out of Heathrow as it would be closer. That option wasn't available for arrival but we do depart from there. Is the tube the best bet for two people with two pieces of luggage each at around 11:00 am or would the airbus be better? I appreciate your help.

Thanks,
Eme

nigel

Now that the congestion charge has kicked in, bus services are reporting journey times that have been reduced by up to 60%, so the Airbus might well be a lot quicker than it would have been in the past. However, I would still promote the Tube, unless you have lots of luggage without wheels. It'll take about 1 hour or so from Victoria and you will almost certainly get a seat all the way at that time. Cheap too, at about £4 or so.

marty

Eme: We stayed at the Euston Thistle at Thanksgiving and liked it. Our room was plenty big, and the bathroom was nice. We requested a twin, rather than a double, because I read they were larger. The breakfast was continental, but it was prompt according to the time we requested. Walking out of the hotel, the Euston station is to the right about a block and across the street from the hotel. Right at the station are a number of cafes and bakeries that are open during the day. Inside the station are fast food places. That worked great for us, because we had teenagers with us. The Euston Square stop is to the right to the 3rd street(which is Euston Road, not Euston Street which you will pass) and turn right. You will see it. The Euston stop is closer by about a block, but taking the Euston Square means fewer changes to most places. We hired two cars, because there were 9 of us. Had we not had two older people with us, we would have just taken the tube from Heathrow.

marty

Eme: As I look at the tube map, I think we used both stops a lot. The Northern Line (Euston)is way down in the ground, but we got used to it! I love the tube; it is so easy and efficient.

JJ127

Eme - We liked the Thistle Euston fine. I didn't see any rooms other than ours, so I can't give you any tips on that. The breakfast is brought to your room, which I enjoyed. It's continental - rolls, cereal, fruit, milk, coffee, tea.
We used the Northern line from Euston station everytime except when we went to Paddington for our train to Bath - then we used Euston Square.
As someone else noted, there are several places to eat in Euston Station. We got sandwiches several times from the Upper Crust on our way back to the hotel from the theatre late at night. If you would like to email me direct for more info: [email protected].

Eme

Thanks everyone for your help. I've been able to plan much better than I thought with all the replies I've gotten. We leave next Wednesday and I can't wait.

ben_haines_london

You can take the Piccadilly line from Kings Cross tube station to Heathrow. You will have bags, but you are going downstairs, and down escalators, so will find it easy enough.

Ben Haines