My hotel is near the Gloucester Road tube station. Will it be easier/faster to just take the Tube straight from Heathrow since it's on the Picadilly Line? Or is it better to take the Heathrow Express then transfer to the Tube at Paddington and continue on to Gloucester Road?<BR><BR>I know taking the Tube will be considerably cheaper, but if there's a significant time difference (more than 30 minutes) it would be worth it to take the Heathrow Express.<BR><BR>Thanks!

Allow at least 65 minutes on the Tube from Heathrow. The Express takes 15 minutes from Heathrow to Paddington.

I live near the Gloucester Road tube and use the station on a daily basis. When travelling to LHR, my trips are probably split evenly between the tube and the Heathrow Express. It mainly depends on whether or not I am travelling for business.<BR><BR>I timed the trip from LHR to Gloucester Road two weeks ago and it took 45 minutes. It should never be much more than that. <BR><BR>The Heathrow Express will take 15 minutes to get to Paddington. Count on another 15-20 minutes in the cab depending on congestion at Paddington and traffic. If you take the tube from Paddington to Gloucester Road, it can take up to 30 minutes. <BR><BR>I say go with the tube. It's cheap and efficient and the time difference betwen the two modes of transport is less than your 30 minute threshhold.

I agree that between the two, you won't save much time with the Express. John's figures I'm sure are right, but he has left one other point out. The one time I took the Express, we stood in line for a taxi for at least 20 minutes at Paddington. Add in that possible time (assuming you don't beat the crowd off the Express to get to the front of the line) and the total trip with Express, taxi wait, and taxi ride will probably take you even longer.

Thanks John. <BR><BR>It seemed like the Tube was probably a better option - less expensive, no train changes, and maybe even faster in some cases given our destination.<BR><BR>Great to get advice from somebody who has done both options.

The advantage of the Heathrow Express over the tube is vastly overrated unless you have an aversion to rubbing elbows with common people.<BR><BR>If your hotel is right at Paddington station, you might save a significant enough amount of time by taking the express but you're talking about &pound;11.50 vs. &pound;3.70....and even the &pound;3.70 can be much less because if it is after 9:30 you buy an all day zone 1-6 travelcard which is like only &pound;1.10 more expensive than the zone 1-2 all day travelcard which in effect makes your trip cost &pound;1.10 on the tube.<BR><BR>The point is on the tube it take about 35 minutes to get to Earl's Court where I switch to the District line. Since the Heathrow Express take 15 minutes to get to Paddington I would have to switch to the District line anyway so the difference in time is at best 20 minuytes.<BR><BR>Of course there are tourists who come in with the pre conceived notion that they are there to throw their money around and don't want to have anything to do with locals.

Agree with the others - If I am staying near any Picadilly line station I always take the tube. When I stay elsewhere I consider the Paddington Express, a car service or AirBus. Changing tube lines with luggage can be really difficult. But for any place along the Picadilly line, the tube is terrific and faster door to door than most other options. Do try to pack light though.

If you have a lot of luggage, please avoid the tube. It just inconveniences everyone else.

It depends on your definition of a lot of luggage...if there are 5 of us and each has a suitcase....the carriages after all were made with provision for luggage.....

TTT

I'm a bit tired of hearing people get testy about those of us who take the Tube into the city. Why then does the Tube go to and from the airport?

I think the Tube is great for your location, as long as you don't have lots of luggage as Esh mentioned. It's a hassle trying to get off if you're not near the door, and I'd never want to leave bags by the door but sit apart from them. <BR><BR>Heathrow Express is nice on the way home, since some airlines allow you to check in your luggage at the train station and not worry about lines at the airport. Check with your airline.

The tube is very easy from the airport, if you are staying on the Piccadilly line and your hotel is not too far from the tube stop. And don't worry about your luggage. Everyone else getting on at the airport will have luggage too, so we all just manage. You may have to walk up a short flight of stairs when you get off at your destination, but if you have just one or two bags that you can lift yourself you should be able to manage that just fine. I have taken the tube from Heathrow to Gloucester Rd. and it took about 35-40 minutes.