Motumotu

I along with my wife would be going to London in March this year. We would be staying near Earls Court Station. Please guide how to reach Earls Court from Standsted Airport. Similarly how to reach Stansted Airport from Earls Court in the early morning (we will leave our hotel between 3.30 and 4.00 am). How much time will it take? Our flight is at 7 am.

Cholmondley_Warner

“London Stanstead” should actually be called “Ben Nevis Stanstead” as it is closer to Inverness than it is to London.

Having said that it is well linked by train. There is a dedicated train called the Stanstead Express which is quick and takes you to Liverpool St. From there it’s a direct trek on the circle line to Earls Court.

I have no idea how you would get there in the middle of the night. I would almost certainly stay at an airport hotel.

PatrickLondon

Your best bet is to take a bus:
http://tinyurl.com/kqlxl9

There is a train service to London, but it stops to the east of the centre, where you want to go west. The total journey time is likely to be comparable, but the bus will be cheaper.

Of the buses, the A60 sounds interesting since it offers the chance of taking you all the way to Earls Court, but you may well find yourself stopping off at every other hotel in between, and I don't know how early it runs for your return journey. You will need to ask them.

Otherwise, the buses to Baker St and Victoria are closest to where you want to go. From Baker St, you could take the tube to Edgware Road and change there for a train to Earls Court, or if you don't have a lot of luggage, bus 74 to Earls Court (but you'll need to check which side of Earls Court station your hotel is - if it's to the west, it would be more convenient to go by train, because of the one-way system that runs round the station). From Victoria, you'll likely have to walk a few hundred yards to get the tube to Earls Court, so you might want to take a taxi instead - all depends on how much luggage you've got.

For the return journey, you'll need to check with the airline when you need to be at the airport. Easybus and National Express do run during the night. I'd allow a good 2 hours from your hotel to the time you have to be at the airport, and you'll need to take a taxi to wherever you pick up the bus.

PatrickLondon

CW has slightly misremembered, I think. If you did get the train, you'd have to take the Circle Line from Liverpool St and change later on to the District Line (anywhere between Cannon St and Gloucester Road - just wait on the same platform). My only worry about taking the tube from Liverpool St is that I can't remember whether you have a lot of stairs to hoick your luggage up. Possibly not.

For your return, it may well make more sense to stay an airport hotel for the previous night.

Cholmondley_Warner

Patrick is right on the tube – mea culpa. However I can remember the journey from the train to the tube – you walk across the station concourse and it’s just a few steps – about 10 from memory - but there’s no escalator. (There is to the Central Line but not the Circle Line).

RM67

If you're travelling clockwise on the Circle, Metropolitan or Hammersmith and City lines at Liverpool St, then there's one shallow flight of steps leading down into the tube station entrance, and then it's a very short, level walk to the platform.

When going anti-clockwise you have to cross a (small) bridge, involving steps both up and down.

But both directions are doable with luggage, because there aren't that many stairs, and you don't have to walk any great distance from your arriving 'overground' train. Outside of rush hour it's a very 'doable' journey.

The only deep level line at Liverpool St is the Central, which is also generally quite a bit busier, with not much chance of a seat. Carrying luggage on that line is a lot less fun.

alanRow

If the flight is at 7:00am then there won't be any Tube services.

And as they are staying at Earls Court it would be better for them to take one of the several coach services that run from Victoria - including some that run through the night.

Getting to Earls Court from Victoria is easy - get on a west bound District Line Tube and get off at Earls Court

Going to Victoria at some ungodly hour of the morning is more difficult, it will require either a taxi or two night buses

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk will tell you what to do on the date you want to travel

Details of coach services are to be found on the Stansted Airport (please note spelling) website under the cunningly named "to and from Stansted" section

RM67

For a 7:00am flight I'd be looking to stay at the airport (or environs) the night before....

BTW an East Anglian gold star to Alan for being the first person to spell 'Stansted' correctly...........