London Tube expert advice needed

My family of 5 (with three daughters 12,14,16) will be flying into Heathrow the morning of Thursday August 11th. I bought Megatrain tickets to Southampton (thanks Cruise Critic!) out of the Waterloo train station around 2:40. We plan to leave the airport some time between 10 and 12 to have plenty of time to get to the train station. I am looking for the smoothest way to get there on the Tube.

Options:

1)Piccadilly to Hammersmith easy transfer to District to Westminster and

a) walk across the river to Waterloo Station (how long is walk?)

b) transfer again to Jubilee line to Waterloo (a pain?)

2) Picadilly to Green Park, transfer to Jubilee (managing lifts and platform changes) to Waterloo. The transfer sounds more challenging, but its only one transfer.

*of note*

We plan to buy Oyster cards for everyone at the airport to take advantage of off-peak pricing. If the trip doesn't kill us, we may reverse the trip back to the airport after our post cruise stay in London. (Also near the Waterloo Station.)

Also, we will each be pulling one pilot bag (fits in plane's overhead bin) and carrying one backpack. The kids are pretty good travelers and can all manage their own luggage.

Does one of the above options sound like a reasonable plan? Thoughts? Tips?

I may be kicking myself later for not doing National Express Coach from Heathrow to Southampton, but I think we are up for the adventure!

Thanks for the advice ;)

Its a long walk from Westminster tube to Waterloo. Personally I'd have used the National Express coach direct from LHR to Southampton. You are basically travelling across London, just to come back again, but you've made your bed....

Although it is an easy change at Hammersmith, with one pilot bag and rucksack each, I would be inclined to stay on the Piccadilly to Green Park and change on to the Jubilee straight to Waterloo. You have to allow at least an hour, probably 1hr 15mins, for this journey. Don't know how that affects your Megatrain time.

Simon

I do not know how much you have invested in the Megatrain tickets as they can be really cheap at times but I would consider eating that cost if it is minimal and redirecting yourselves onto National express from H to Southampton. While going via London works it adds a lot of extra effort and time to your trip. Look at a good map to see how you are routing yourselves.

If you are up for it the walk from Westminster Tube to Waterloo is not all that far. You say you won't have any heavy checked luggage, so as long as the pilot bags have wheels you could manage.

It looks to be a little over half a mile and takes you over Westminster Bridge and along the river behind The London Eye where you turn your back on the river. That would be a little under half way - the rest is fairly boring city pavement.

I do not know how much you have invested in the Megatrain tickets as they can be really cheap at times but I would consider eating that cost if it is minimal and redirecting yourselves onto National express from H to Southampton. While going via London works it adds a lot of extra effort and time to your trip. Look at a good map to see how you are routing yourselves.

My thoughts exactly.

Megatrain is a great choice from central London, but not if you're starting from Heathrow. So the wheezer's suggestion of burning those tickets (currently showing at only £40 total for 5) & booking the Nat Express coach direct from Heathrow to Southampton is worth considering.

But if you do choose the tube, it's an easy change to the District line at somewhere like Barons Court. Then it's a simple level 15 minute walk, just over half a mile) from Westminster tube station over Westminster Bridge & up York Road to Waterloo station. Might not be so simple if bad weather plays a hand, the bridge is quite exposed.

Your other options are to change to the Jubilee line at Green Park, or to the Bakerloo line at Piccadilly Circus or the Northern line at Leicester Square - they'll all take you to Waterloo. But yes, you need an expert to suggest the easiest of those - for instance, although I know that the main Piccadilly Circus concourse can be quite fraught, for switching from the Piccadilly line to the Bakerloo line it might be easy.

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

I'm a little concerned that you mention your booked Megatrain from Waterloo at about 2.40. The 2.39pm gets to Southampton around 4.15pm. So you'll be at your ship no earlier than 4.30pm & that's long after latest registration time for most ships. :eek:

Or are you sailing next day?

BTW, there's no Megatrain tickets for morning trains in the Southampton to Waterloo direction, the earliest - costing around £7 pp - leaves Southampton at 12.55pm. That's because the Megatrain website is used to sell cheap tickets for under-utilised trains, and there's plenty of commuters & business folk who want to travel to London in the mornings.

But "off peak" tickets purchased in advance for trains leaving Southampton at 9am or 9.30am (ideal for cruisers) cost £16 for adults or £3 for under-16s. Purchase through the regular rail website

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

JB :)

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful replies.

I believe I will take your advice and end up eating the cost of the Megatrain tickets (only 25GBP total), and take the National Express Coach direct to Southampton. (And thanks for the concerns JB-we do sail out the next day ;) )

I'll chalk it up to over-exuberance at cheap train fares (without looking at exactly what is involved in getting to the station). But, I think simple and direct is probably the best choice after an overnight flight.

Thanks again-looking forward to our first trip to Great Britain.

If you are up for it the walk from Westminster Tube to Waterloo is not all that far. You say you won't have any heavy checked luggage, so as long as the pilot bags have wheels you could manage.

 

It looks to be a little over half a mile and takes you over Westminster Bridge and along the river behind The London Eye where you turn your back on the river. That would be a little under half way - the rest is fairly boring city pavement.

I'd personally agree with this. I did the same walk a few weeks ago and it's took about 30 minutes. Westminster tube station literally pops you up above ground right next to Big Ben - so if your kids are into Instagram there's a whole host of London photo opportunities along the walk.

From the other side of the river it's pleasant walk past the London eye and then just follow the signs to Waterloo. There's a few steps (down) at Royal festival hall, and then steps back up again to Waterloo... But if you're up for a quick adventure en route, stick with plan A [emoji3]

The easiest way to change at Green Park is to take the escalator up to the ticket hall and down again, otherwise it is a looong walk underground from Piccadilly to Jubilee line.

At Westminster, the change from District to Jubilee line is all escalator so is easy (I used to do it every day in the rush hour). There is also a lift which is usually working.

Another vote here for:-

1. Junk the Megatrain tickets and go straight from Heathrow to Southampton. Taking the train from Waterloo to Southampton is only sensible if you're starting from central London rather than having just arrived at Heathrow.
2. However, if you do decide to come into town to take the train from Waterloo, I would forget the walk. Do the cross-platform change to the District Line at Barons Court, and then change again at Westminster to the Jubilee Line. I do this from time to time if I'm going home directly from the airport, and it is distinctly easier than trying to change at Green Park.

There's actually a 1-change way of going from LHR to Waterloo: take the 490 bus to Feltham train station, then train to Waterloo. I'm actually doing this in reverse tomorrow to pick up a rental car at LHR.

The easiest way to change at Green Park is to take the escalator up to the ticket hall and down again, otherwise it is a looong walk underground from Piccadilly to Jubilee line.

 

You are, of course, correct in normal circumstances, but the escalator down to the Jubilee level is out of action at Green Park until November - when I was there last week the signed access was via the Piccadilly line platform and that long walk underground!

It's irrelevant to the OP now, but if I was on the District/Circle and heading to Waterloo, I'd go through Westminster, get off at Embankment, even with the steps to street level, and walk over the Golden Jubilee Bridges (Hungerford Bridge as I still call it!). Much closer to Waterloo station once the other side of the river.

There's actually a 1-change way of going from LHR to Waterloo: take the 490 bus to Feltham train station, then train to Waterloo. I'm actually doing this in reverse tomorrow to pick up a rental car at LHR.

Or HEX to Paddington and straight on to the Bakerloo line, which reopened there yesterday, hurrah!

Much more expensive, of course, but good value advance tickets now available.

My family of 5 (with three daughters 12,14,16) will be flying into Heathrow the morning of Thursday August 11th...Does one of the above options sound like a reasonable plan? Thoughts? Tips?...

Thanks for the advice ;)

As a Chicago Blue Line 'survivor', surprised no one has mentioned a chauffeured car from Heathrow to Southampton. A number of companies to chose from. We have used aquacars.co.uk. Door to door service. Last year the trip was GBP75. Enjoy...

As a Chicago Blue Line 'survivor', surprised no one has mentioned a chauffeured car from Heathrow to Southampton. A number of companies to chose from. We have used aquacars.co.uk. Door to door service. Last year the trip was GBP75. Enjoy...

I get the impression that the OP wants to take the kids to London, just for the experience. A Private car is certainly the easiest (and would be more costly with five people) but pretty boring. Coach would be cheaper and probably more interesting and taking the tube all the way to Waterloo would be even more adventurous, but you don't see anything from inside a tunnel.

I still say the walk is the best option, provided that they are fit enough for it.