Tube woes in London- Worth it?
 

Hello all!
Gonna use this thread for queries I have for my London leg.

Me and two of my family will reach Heathrow at 7am on a Friday.
I convinced them to change our flight from Saturday to Friday thinking the busy period would be on a weekend but I found out that is a mistake.

Anywho, we would be staying at Ibis Whitechapel. Abit far off but we love Bricklane and East London alot. Is tube still worth taking for the price? Would the ride be unpleasant since it will be 1.5 hours and we have to change from Picaddily to District line over at Gloucester Road station and continue to Whitechapel?


Secondly, on our last day we are heading to St Pancreas, this is way more convenient since there is no change but will going into the tube at Whitechapel on a Tuesday morning be a bad idea? Should we just take a cab with our luggage since it is not that far? If not, around which part of the morning should I leave? I have not booked ticket to Paris yet so I can still be a little bit flexible now.


Am I worrying too much about the crowd?

Thanks!

All things good,
Isk

The tube's a great deal cheaper than the alternatives. You can minimise the inconvenience with luggage by changing to the eastbound District Line at Hammersmith (just walk a few steps across the platform). It will indeed be long, and you can't guarantee you'll get a seat once you change, but I don't think the District Line is usually jam-packed.

A lot depends on how much luggage you're bringing with you. Likewise, for the journey from Whitechapel to St Pancras (NB: no "e"): in my experience, that station isn't too mobbed even in the rush hour, but if you're trying to carry a couple of steamer trunks as well as hand luggage, it would be a problem (NB: Whitechapel has a couple of dozen stairs down to the platform).

Personally, I prefer to change to the District line already at Acton Town. It adds the few stations that the Piccadilly line leaves out till Hammersmith. But the District line runs wider, more spacious trains (now often the most modern trains with A/C!), which I like better than the "real tube" rolling stock of the Piccadilly line.
And you may find the trains a bit more empty (though that would be a rather relative term during the weekday rush hout) than at Hammersmith or even Gloucester Road.
Also easy interchange across platform at Acton Town.

For some people the joy of travel is driving down the costs of transportation so they can spend on shopping and other consumables, for others the joy is traveling in comfort. I'd opt for a pre-booked car shuttle service from the airport to hotel, unless I was arriving on a short-hop flight and carrying no more than a weekend-tote and a computer. You can find a variety of choices reviewed on Tripadvisor.

You should price the car service. It will be less expensive than a taxi. There should be services available to St. Pancras because of how popular the Eurostar has become.

And it's St. Pancras, who is the patron saint of children, not pancrEas. St. PancrEas is the patron saint of insulin and glucagon production.

7am on a friday (i'd avoid the car unless you think you will want to sleep)

I have stayed at the Ibis Whitechapel and I would exit at Aldgate East, exit 4. This is on the same side of the street as the hotel. You will be walking against the flow of traffic towards the hotel.

No edit feature!

We took the tube to St Pancras at around 6 am. We got on at Aldgate East and it seemed like it took forever for the Hammersmith and City line to come by. I would take a taxi to St. Pancras or walk down to Aldgate station and catch a tube from there.

We just stayed at the Holiday Inn Commercial Rd in June - a few blocks from the Ibis & the Whitechapel Tube. The area is slightly sketchy but OK imho. The 'high vehicular crime area' signs don't help.

Do use the tube for Heathrow. My colleagues convinced me to share a taxi for £55. It was Sunday mid-morning & we allowed 1 /1/2 hours for the usual 2 hours before. The Hammersmith Flyover (?) was lane-reduced & we were in a jam with no exits for an excruciating 90 minutes. It was tense. I got to my gate just as they were starting to board.

Ian

Just back from London. The city was super busy, lines for every attraction and the tube was mobbed. At the suggestion of other fodorites we took a a car service to airport and it was convenient.