Sheila_Smith

We will be four adults and a baby, four largish suitcases,hand luggage and LOTS of baby gear trying to get from Paddington Station to an apartment 5 minutes walk from Waterloo Station during the Olympics.We have already decided we won't fit into the regular cabs and the tube is out of the question.Thrifty suggestions please and how long should this take?

mztery

we have had good luck with addison lee car service.
https://www.addisonlee.com/

flanneruk

The Olympics are irrelevant in any of this.

First, you're just wrong to delude yourselves four people plus luggage plus baby won't fit into a black cab from the rank at Paddington. That's precisely what black cabs are designed to do (are you perhaps confusing them with the awful taxis people have to put up with in provincial pseudo-cities like New York?)

BUT: if you're getting a train from the west of England, just change at Reading to a train to Waterloo. If you're silly enough to contemplate getting a train from Heathrow, don't. Just order a large vehicle to collect you at LHR and take you to your flat from any of the dozens of companies (like justairports) endlessly recommended here for less than half the price of two adult train fares from Heathrow to Paddington.

Olympics or no Olympics.

LJ

Having just returned from London this week, I concur with Flanneruk on the taxi point. They are far more spacious than most North American cabs. And easily available.

With the degree of detail that London is putting into the organization for the Olympics to ensure their guests have an easy time of it, I cannot imagine you would need to do more than line-up briefly for a taxi at the rank outside the station.

janisj

Please clarify - are you flying into London Heathrow and taking the train to Paddington - - or --are you taking a train in from some other part of the UK?

If the former, <B>DON'T</B>. The Heathrow Express is MASSIVELY expensive and you end up at Paddington which of no use to you, at all. A pre-booked car service from LHR to your flat will be easier (MUCH) and cheaper (MUCH)

If the latter, then follow flanner's advice to change trains at Reading.

And you all would fit in a Cab -- but w/ a car service no need . . .

janisj

Oh -meant to add, whichever you choose, the Olympics won't have any effect.

Sheila_Smith

Thanks for all the info.We will be arriving from the west of England so will take flanneruk's advice and change trains at Reading.
Glad to hear that the Olympics will be irrelevant.
Re. the black cabs:we had dismissed them as a possibility based mostly on information gleaned from this forum plus distant memories of when we grew up in England.
Sorry you don't like New York , flanneruk.We just returned from there and thought it had quite a bit to offer.

PatrickLondon

>>Sorry you don't like New York , flanneruk<<

I bet he likes it really. It's just that he enjoys channelling Joan Collins a bit more.

Sheila_Smith

Got it!

loncall

Hi

I'm not so confident that Olympics will not be relevant

If you are travelling around London during Olympic period I would definitely check for both road closures and the 'hot spot' times when public transport in particular areas is going to be under huge pressure. This will vary from day to day depending on events calender and will impact on whole of London not just in area immediately in vicinity of Olympic park. If you know in advance you can navigate around them and work out best time of day to travel etc.

Can get this info from http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/

On positive side there will be a lot of free events along South Bank near Waterloo that you will be able to enjoy.

Sheila_Smith

Thanks loncall for the great link.We'll certainly use it!

flpab

Just returned from London and good luck with traveling anywhere during the Olympics. I live in a tourist area and we are use to seeing our city have 1/2 million come in for a week several times a year for events. We couldn't squeeze on the tube twice. It was very cozy when we were able to get on and the panic of waiting for what platform your train arrives on was worst than Penn Station any day. I hope they improve signs, directions and transportation before the big event. We talked to some underground workers and asked how London was going to handle it all and they joked that they planned to take a holiday. I know there is a big upset over bonus pay right now over the workers. Maybe most locals will do what we do and stay home or leave the city for big events. I have to work those events so deal with the extra hour of traffic. Love the black cabs and there is plenty of room. We did go see the Olympic venue from John Lewis, very nice.

flpab

Ioncall. that is a great link.

PatrickLondon

>>the panic of waiting for what platform your train arrives on was worst than Penn Station any day. <<

I can't think of any tube station where this is an issue or where you need panic about it - or where signage is a problem. Check the map to know which line you want and which direction it's going in, follow the (colour-coded) signs for that line and direction: works for millions every day.

jamikins

Agree with Patrick...very good signage at all tube stations. And no need to panic, there will be another train within mins if you do miss it. I imagine the times you couldn't get on were during rush hour and I agree the tube can definitely be busy at those times!!

Kate

>>We couldn't squeeze on the tube twice.<<

Haha, only twice? Try commuting on the Central line in rush hour.

Considering trains arrive very two minutes, not being able to squeeze on one train is hardly a problem. And with all the Londoners I know (including myself) either planning to work from home cycle to work or go on holiday, plus non-Olympic tourists avoiding London til afterwards, I think we all might be pleasantly surprised by the transport 'problems'. The tube typically carries 4 million journeys PER DAY, I think it will cope with olympic spectators.

BigRuss

<<provincial pseudo-cities like New York?>>

As usual, Flanner speaks the mind of an ignorant fool. Considering the mounds of provinciality and idiocy that characterizes much of London (like the stereotypical cockneys were citizens of the world), calling the most international of all American cities provincial is just the usual anti-American witlessness from Flanner.

Look: Two people plus luggage in those London cabs can be tricky - the boot (trunk) is laughingly small so the cabbie jams the bags in the passenger section with you. The car service option is a good one for convenience considering the lack of direct Tube connection from Paddington to Waterloo (unless you take the Circle Line to Embankment and walk . . .)