boppiess

Am arriving London Saturday around 13:00 - taxis seems so expensive - need to get to Hotel near Marble Arch - how do I do that from Heathrow taking the tube? I see several possibilities but am not sure where to switch trains and onto what line? Any help? Thanks so much!

Sheilab

I forget which line, but there is a train that goes directly to Marble Arch. Ask the person in the booth when you buy your ticket they will point you in the right direction. There is also a bus that goes directly to Marble Arch. The Tube is the better deal.

janis

There is no tube line connecting LHR to Marble arch w/o changing lines.

And unless you travel all the way to Holburn, you would have to change lines twice. This is certainly doable if you know you way around - but with luggage and jet lag it will NOT be a fun journey.

Your best bets are the Airbus which goes right by Marble arch -

OR

a car service which would be about £20 less than a cab.

bluefan

My preference (if you forgo a taxi or paid transfer) would be to take the Heathrow Express (13GBP) to Paddington and taxi to hotel (~8GBP). The Express is only a 15min ride. Believe me, after a long flight, the convenience is well worth the cost. If you still rather tube it, you could take the Piccadilly line to Earl's Court, switch to the north-bound District or Circle line, exit at Notting Hill Gate and switch to the east-bound Central line to get to Marble Arch. I don't know if their's a direct train from Heathrow to Marble Arch, but if Sheilab's right, I'd opt for that.

One advice when you arrive at the Marble Arch underground station, make sure to look at the exit maps to check which exit to take. Passing the turnstiles should put you near Exit 2, which is the SE corner of the Park Lane and Oxford St intersection. Hope this helps!!!

Sheilab

In response to Janis. I can only tell you that when I was there in 99 I took the tube from Marble Arch to Heathrow and I don't recall having to switch trains.

AAFrequentFlyer

Posted by Sheilab:
"In response to Janis. I can only tell you that when I was there in 99 I took the tube from Marble Arch to Heathrow and I don't recall having to switch trains."

That's impossible. Unless you walked over to Hyde Park Corner station on the Piccadilly line. It's actually not a long walk from Marble Arch. If you take into an account all the walking and stairs to change the trains twice as suggested above(and BTW, it's a good suggestion), this is also a good option if all you have is a small roller suitcase and you know your way around Hyde Park.
But if you actually want to get to Marble Arch station from Heathrow, you do have to change twice, unless you go all the way to Holborn and track BACK on the Central line. That would add at least another 1/2 hour to your journey.
Have a great trip!

garrick

Piccadilly line(DARK BLUE) from LHR to Holborn,Central Line(RED) from Holborn to Marble Arch (3 Stops,5 Mins).Or Airbus from LHR to Marble Arch. Use WWW.Streetmap.co.uk to find exactly where you are staying.No big drama.

AAFrequentFlyer

garrick,
You are correct, it's no bid deal whatever they decide to do, but if they go to Holborn, it's also another 9 stops on Piccadilly line east of Marble Arch, because then you have to go back west on Central line, so in effect one is doing a little circle. So getting off at Earl's Court and changing twice as opposed to once when going to Holborn, but you only have 5 stops total to get to Marble Arch, as opposed to 13 stops when going through Holborn. So I will stick to my original guess of 1/2 hour longer trip going through Holborn.

boppiess - check out www.thetube.com - the official Underground website. It will tell you everything and anything you want to know, and also it has a map, and I'm not sure, but it may have a travel planner as well.

Have a great trip!

AAFrequentFlyer

I was correct. The site does have a trip planner, so here is the answer to your original question:

From: HEATHROW TERMINALS 123
To: MARBLE ARCH

Station Duration Action
Heathrow Terminals 123 Wait for PICCADILLY LINE train
Heathrow Terminals 123 5 mins. Get on train to any of:
COCKFOSTERS or
ARNOS GROVE or
OAKWOOD or
KINGS CROSS ST PANCRAS
Earls Court 45 mins. Walk to DISTRICT LINE
Earls Court 46 mins. Wait for DISTRICT LINE train
Earls Court 51 mins. Get on train to EDGWARE ROAD
Notting Hill Gate 57 mins. Walk to CENTRAL LINE
Notting Hill Gate 58 mins. Wait for CENTRAL LINE train
Notting Hill Gate 63 mins. Get on train to any of:
EPPING or
HAINAULT or
DEBDEN or
LOUGHTON or
NEWBURY PARK or
LEYTONSTONE or
LIVERPOOL STREET or
WOODFORD or
GRANGE HILL or
BETHNAL GREEN
Marble Arch 68 mins. Arrival

Journey Duration: 68 mins.

Zones Used: 1,2,3,4,5,6 Adult: 3.70 Child: 1.50

NOTES:
The Piccadilly Line to Heathrow always visits terminal 4 first
Journeys between Edgware Road and High Street Kensington can be made on Circle or District Lines

GeoffHamer

The last answer will involve stairs and escalators at Earl's Court. It is actually easier to make an additional change. Take the Piccadilly Line (any eastbound train) from Heathrow to Hammersmith, then alight and walk two yards to the other side of the same platform to get a District Line train to Earl's Court; at Earl's Court, alight and wait on the same platform for an Edgware Road train, then change at Notting Hill Gate as above.

garrick

The easiest way by tube is as I described above,but get the Airbus to
Marble Arch.

garrick

Total Journey time around 75mins and far less hassle.

garrick

Total Journey time around 75mins and far less hassle (by tube).

boppiess

You are all amazing! Thank you. There are 4 of us - 2 adults, 2 teens - guess I'll have to study what all of you said, but I really appreciate your help. Wish me luck!

garrick

Good Luck !

richardab

I was just in London a few weeks ago and took the Heathrow Express Train from the airport to Paddington Station. Its only a 15 min trip and FAST! It was a nice day so from there I walked with my rolly luggage in tow to my hotel in Mayfair, near Marble Arch. If you choose not to walk there is a shared taxi service from Paddington which chrges a flat rate to any location within a select zone. I agree that the Airbus to Marble Arch may be direct but if there is traffic it could take forever! Also on your return if you are traveling with one of the big airlines you can go to Paddington for the Heathrow Express and check in and check you luggage IN THE PADDINGTON STATION. Very convenient and short lines! You just need to check in within 2 hours of your flight.

Heathrow Express runs every 15 minutes andf takes 15 minutes. Fare is L11.70 o/w or L22.50r/t. A great deal.

www.heathrowexpress.com

jsmith

The Airbus is convenient to Marble Arch and inexpensive. A round trip for 4 is approximately $55 (12 pounds for adults and 6 pounds for children 5-15 and students under 26). You put your luggage in a rack when you get on and take it out when you get off. No stairs, no escalators, no long walks to platforms with luggage and the ride on the top of the double decker is a good intro to London for your teenagers.

garrick

You can of course take the Heathrow Express Train to Paddington and then catch a number 15 or 23 to Marble Arch (5-10 min Journey).Get the Airbus & Good Luck !

Anonymous

For 4 people, I'd hire a car from Swiss Cottage or Ray's London Transfers www.london-transfers.com. About the same price as the Airbus for 4 (since the cars charge by trip not per person) and much more service -- they meet you right at the gate, shepherd your luggage, and go straight to the hotel. No tickets, no transfers, no other travelers to share your ride with. An excellent investment for jet-lagged families, IMHO. Since you'll be traveling on a Saturday afternoon, traffic probably won't be an issue.

jsmith

According to Ray Skinner's website (www.london-transfers.com) the 2003 rates are a minmum of 34 pounds plus 5 pounds waiting charge at LHR. I say minimum because that is for 3 people with 3 regular cases, 4 or more is 49 pounds. By my calcs that is minumum 73 pounds for a round trip, double the Airbus roundtrip of 36 pounds with 2 adults and 2 teenagers.

If the two teenagers are counted so as to make 4 passengers, the charge jumps to 103 pounds - 67 pounds more than the Airbus.

Please let me know if my calcs are wrong.