Spacehead

Good Morning, All,

I am having some problems figuring out transportation for the five days we will be in London next week. We arrive at Heathrow next Tuesday. We have figured out that we can take the train to Paddington and then a taxi to where we are staying about 5 miles away from Paddington. However, the next day we are heading to Windsor to take the kids to Legoland. We are staying in Windsor/Ascot that night and going to Windsor castle on Thursday morning. So, I suppose renting a car would be the easist solution. My question is WHERE should we rent the car? Should we take the train out to Windsor and rent the car there or rent it in London?

Also, can someone please explain to me how the "travel cards" work? Can you buy them at the airport?

Any advice would be welcome!

Cheers!

PatrickLondon

All about travelcards at www.tfl.gov.uk.

A lot might depend on where within the London Transport area your "5 miles from Paddington" is, and which forms of public transport service it.

Trains to Windsor run from Waterloo and Paddington (but would not be covered by London Transport travelcards, as Windsor is not part of London). There are buses from Windsor to Legoland, and the Castle is in the centre of Windsor, so you could probably do without a car:
http://www.windsor.gov.uk/transport/park_and_ride.htm

Unless there's a particular reason why you need to come into London and then out to a suburb and then back to go out in the same direction to Windsor, why not just go straight from Heathrow to stay in Windsor for your first night and then take the train into London once you've done Legoland and the Castle?

Spacehead

Patrick,

That's probably a good idea. Is it easy to get to Windsor from Heathrow. I hadn't thought of that yet...

Should we hire a car and then drop it at the train station when we head to London?

Thanks!

alanRow

"Is it easy to get to Windsor from Heathrow"

It's under 15 miles & there's a regular bus service.

As for "we are staying 5 miles away from Paddington", that covers most of central London & a lot further. In fact if it is 5 miles from Paddington it's likely you aren't staying anywhere near central London

Care to mention where you are staying so we can comment

nona1

It's simple to get to Windsor from Heathrow, the castle is in the centre, and Legoland is not far out by bus.

You won't need a car (and it'll just be sitting in a car-park most of the time) but you might want to compare costs.

PatrickLondon

Heathrow to Windsor - taxis, given that you have a family and luggage, but there are local buses.

http://www.windsor.gov.uk/transport/transport_index.htm
http://royalwindsor.org.uk/travel.htm
http://www.royal-windsor.com/buses.htm

Even with a family, I don't think you need a car.

janisj

Everyone is handling the Windsor transport issue for you -- my question is WHERE are you staying in London? 5 miles from Paddington would put you VERY far out.

Tell us where you are staying and we can give you better advice.

TimS

Do NOT rent a car. Public transportion will be faster, easier, and cheaper. Take the train from Paddington to Windsor. 7.00 GBP for adults and 3.50 GBP for children 5-15. Take the bus between Windsor and Legoland.

BTilke

For comparison with bus fares and times, a local van taxi that could accommodate 4 or 5 people and their luggage will meet you at Heathrow and take you directly to pretty much anywhere in Windsor for £30. On another thread, I posted the name and number of the van taxi; can repost it here if you like. I agree with PatrickLondon it makes more sense to start off in Windsor, do your things there, and then head into London by train.
Renting a car is the wrong option for this itinerary, IMHO.

TimS

From the PDF fare guide at the Transport for London Web site (www.tfl.gov.uk):

Anyone under the age of 16 years can travel free, on buses and trams. You can do this at any time across the entire London bus network, including sections outside Greater London. Under-5s can also travel free on the Tube and
DLR at anytime. Under-11s travelling with an adult can travel free on the Tube and DLR during the Off-Peak.
Some under-16s need a Child Oyster photocard to get free or child rate travel. See page 43 for details.

Kids for a quid: Under-16s travelling Off-Peak on the Tube or DLR and using Oyster to pay as they go will pay no more than £1 a day.

Families, under-18s and 18+ Students: Up to four 11-15 year olds travelling with an adult who has a valid Travelcard can buy all Zones Off-Peak Day Travelcards for just £1 each.

Spacehead

Okay. Sorry for the delay in answering everyone. I actually wasn't exactly sure where we are staying in London. A friend is loaning us her apartment for our trip. So, I found out we are staying right near Baker Street Station tube station (supposedly near Madame Tussauds). Does this change anyone's advice?

I still am trying to get my mind around how we get from London to Legoland in Windsor to the the Berystede hotel in Ascot (5 miles from Legoland) and then back to London. That is why I was thinking of hiring a car.

My sons are 5 and 10 years old. We will be travelling as lightly as possible. Meaning we will probably just each have a small backpack and roll-on bag.

So, my friends, I am open to suggestions.

TimS

The Baker Street tube station and Paddington Station are a five-minute tube ride apart on either the Bakerloo line or the Hammersmith & City line.

TimS

Adding to my previous post: Visit www.tfl.gov.uk to download and print a tube map (or bus maps).

highledge

There is NO need to rent a car. It would be a waste of time and money.

Take the train from Paddington to Windsor. Call your hotel and ask them to book (or give you the number to book) a minicab/ car service from the Windsor train to the hotel.
FYI bus service from windor to legoland is well marked and on the train station side of the castle.

or take train to Windor and pack very lightly and bring bags with you to legoland and use locker storage there. Have car service (get number from hotel) pick you up from legoland. Check into hotel after legoland.

The park can get crowded on school holidays. try and get there as early as possible!!
Sorry to repeat myself, but I thik your best bet is to call the windsor/ascot hotel and ask them the easiest way to get to the hotel using car service.
If you're still set on renting a car, remember that your luggage will be sitting unattended all day in a parking lot. And there are about 10 round abouts to get through driving from windsor to the park. Not a place I'd want to start learning to drive on the other side of the road!!

BTilke

If you take the train to Windsor from Paddington, I think you have to change in Slough. Not a big deal, but it can be a bit hectic at Slough sometimes.

Since they're near the Baker Street tube stop, they could also take the Bakerloo line to Waterloo and catch a train there to Windsor with no changes. Pick your choose, at the PA Dutch say.

Spacehead

Happy Monday, All!

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their input. You all have helped me tremendously.

I have one last question. Is of a website where I can see information regarding train schedules and fares for the trip from London to Windsor?

Thanks!

PatrickLondon

www.nationalrail.co.uk
www.thetrainline.com

PatrickLondon

Windsor is close enough to London to be a commuter line with no need to buy tickets in advance (other than avoiding queues on the day you want to travel).