Heathrow to St. Paul's to Southampton - HELP

We're arriving at Heathrow at 7:00 AM on Friday, Aug. 29. Can we purchase an Oyster card in any of the terminals? Tentative plan is to take the Blue Piccadilly Line to Holborn Station and then change to the Red Central Line to St. Paul's. Is the change done in the same station? Is this a good plan/bad plan? (We're staying at the Club Quarters, St. Paul's) The following day we plan to take the train from Waterloo Station to Southampton for a cruise. What's the best way to get from St. Paul's to Waterloo Station? Thanks in advance for any help.

Yes, both journeys are slightly awkward.

You've obviously done your homework, you can purchase an Oyster Card at Heathrow and get it immediately. The Piccadilly/Central Line option is good, my only comment is there is a long interconnection at Holborn using escalators and corridors. Especially if you have significant luggage, my personal inclination would be to take the Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith, then the District Line to Blackfriars. At Hammersmith the interconnection is from the same platform and Blackfriars is about the same distance as St Paul's from the hotel.

 

From Club Quarters to Waterloo is a short distance, just across the other side of the river - I'd take a taxi

We have recently returned from a stay at Club Quarter's St. Paul's. I highly recommend the advice of DorncyBoy - take the tube to Hammersmith, transfer to the District line and get off at Blackfriars. It is not a long walk to the hotel and there are minimal steps at the tube station (a bit of up and down).

You should like Club Quarters. We had a great view of St. Pauls, there is a Marks & Spencer food store beside and the front desk was very accommodating. Enjoy your holiday!! As an aside, when walking over the bridge from the Tate Modern towards St. Pauls, you will see a sign for a 4.99 pound breakfast. This was exceptional (too bad I am unable remember the name!). However, it seems the sign is always out. Enjoy! :)

DorneyBoy and JMLH, Thank you so much for helping us refine our travel plans. The route we had originally planned looked good on paper, but we needed someone who had actually been/there done that. We were also happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Club Quarters, St. Paul's.

Either I'm reading something wrong, or google maps is WAY off...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=club+quarters+st+pauls+london&ie=UTF8&ll=51.513069,-0.086174&spn=0.016078,0.04549&z=15

 

Wouldn't it be (a lot) closer to Monument station (District Line)?

Either I'm reading something wrong, or google maps is WAY off...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=club+quarters+st+pauls+london&ie=UTF8&ll=51.513069,-0.086174&spn=0.016078,0.04549&z=15

 

Wouldn't it be (a lot) closer to Monument station (District Line)?

Yup: That map is way off! (It's the wrong Club Quarters.)

 

This map shows where the St Paul's one is.

 

BTW, I agree with every word of DorneyBoy's advice, hence I didn't post earlier.

I am thinking of going about this backwards- Southampton to Club Quarters St. Pauls then to Heathrow. What exactly would be the best train route for this? We will each have one large piece of luggage and perhaps a small carry on sized shoulder bag.

Exactly what DorneyBoy says, only in reverse.

Either I'm reading something wrong, or google maps is WAY off...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=club+quarters+st+pauls+london&ie=UTF8&ll=51.513069,-0.086174&spn=0.016078,0.04549&z=15

 

Wouldn't it be (a lot) closer to Monument station (District Line)?

 

There are 2 Club Quarters.

 

One is in Gracechurch Street in the City (marked A on your map)

 

The other is in Ludgate Hill (marked D on your map). This is Club Quarters St Pauls.

Exactly what DorneyBoy says, only in reverse.

Sorry, I have just realised one thing.

 

Blackfriars Tube station closes in March for a long-term refurbishment project. The nearest Tube stations on the Circle and District Lines will then be Temple and Mansion House, but if you have luggage then to be realistic both of those will require a short taxi journey to the Club Quarters St Paul's.

Can recommend Club Quarters St Pauls - its lovely and in a very nice spot, excellent for a bit of sight seeing. I think I am right in saying that the £4.99 breakfast is on the left hand side, just before you start to cross the Millennium Bridge and its based in the building which belongs to the Salvation Army!. However, it's very modern and very clean and very popular with tourists. Of course your small purchase will even go in part, to a very good cause! We can also recommend the restaurant/bar across the road from Club Quarters which is called Cafe Rouge - very pleasant and comfortable. Also there is an excellent cafe/restaurant underneath St. Paul's itself (in the Crypt) which offers plenty of tasty snacks etc. There is also a brilliant gift shop there. You have chosen an excellent area in which to stay, one which sometimes gets overlooked by many toursts meaning that it is not generally too hectic. Personally, if you have lots of luggage i would be tempted to take the Heathrow Express train into Paddington station and then a taxi to the door of the hotel, then a taxi to Waterloo the next day from the hotel. Enjoy your your brief stay!

Blackfriars Tube station closes in March for a long-term refurbishment project.

Just to give a few more details: Blackfriars Tube closes on 2 March 2009, and is planned to re-open in late 2011.

We can also recommend the restaurant/bar across the road from Club Quarters which is called Cafe Rouge - very pleasant and comfortable.

While on this subject: There is a series of chain restaurants along the other side of the road which are all pretty reliable: Cafe Rouge is one of them, but there is also (from memory) a Strada (pizza/pasta/etc Italian), a Gourmet Burger Kitchen, and an Apostrophe (cafe/sandwich bar with a French accent). On the same side as the Club Quarters, there's a posher Italian called Perc%nto.

 

There are also quite a few eating/drinking places in the Paternoster Square development north of St Paul's, including the Paternoster Chop House.

 

If you walk down the hill to Ludgate Circus and continue straight on into Fleet Street, there is a branch of Wagamama (Japanese-inspired noodle bar) on the north side, just before Boots. And if you bear right at Ludgate Circus and go up St Bride Street, there's a branch of Pizza Express (one of the better chain pizzas).

 

And if you turn left at Ludgate Circus and go to the Crowne Plaza, there's a very good posh Italian called Refettorio in there.

Can also recommend a Restaurant on Royal Mint Street (short taxi ride away) called Rosemary Lane. Super food - ( very tasty) in an old fashioned London building - creaky wooden floorboards etc. Well worth a google!!

We are taking the National Express from Southampton into London. We are staying at the Club Quarters. Which stop should we have the bus drop us off at to make our journey easiest? Thanks!

You'll probably find that there is only one: Victoria Coach Station at the end of the route. It looks like coaches also stop at Hammersmith, but that's further away and the website suggests that you can only get off there if you have hand luggage only.

So from the victoria coach station, do we taxi over or take a train?

If you've got luggage, take a taxi. You really don't want to be struggling on the Tube with lots of heavy luggage. And that's before taking into account either the long walk from Victoria coach station to Victoria Tube station, or the fact that Blackfriars Tube station has now closed for rebuilding.