Heathrow Airport Hotels to City Center

We will be on a Med cruise in Summer 2017 out of Rome. Here is our plan:

 

1. Flight from US and stay 2 nights in London.

2. Take flight from London to Rome.

3. Stay 2 nights in Rome.

 

We plan to take a cruise out of Rome in July 2017. We have some relatives who want to want to have a stopover in London on the way to Rome from US. I found hotels in Heathrow Airport. Is it doable to stay the 2 nights at the airport and then take the train in for those two days to sightsee? Or is this option cost prohibitive or a waste of time spent on train rides? I do not know how far the airport is to city center. Additionally, we have an early flight out to Rome. TIA.

Edited August 29, 2016 by jen70

The subway...(The "Tube") with a quick connection, is about 50 minutes to Westminster, as a general center area. 6 pounds, per person, each way, although might be higher during rush periods. Just did it 10 days ago.

 

It's doable, and the hotels at the airport will be cheaper. But the one we stayed in was a small room. It seems they are really just functional rooms for short stays.

I found hotels in Heathrow Airport. Is it doable to stay the 2 nights at the airport and then take the train in for those two days to sightsee? Or is this option cost prohibitive or a waste of time spent on train rides? I do not know how far the airport is to city center. Additionally, we have an early flight out to Rome.

It's theoretically possible, but it's a waste of your time, for three main reasons.

 

First, to get from a Heathrow hotel to the city centre will generally take 1½ to 2 hours each way - unless you throw a lot of money at it, in which case you might get the trip down to about 45 minutes each way if you're lucky.

 

Second, part of being in London is being out in the evenings. But if you go to the theatre and then linger for a drink afterwards, you would have a tedious and (by then) probably expensive journey back to your hotel. So you'd be likely find yourself missing out on a lot that London has to offer.

 

Third, if you're sightseeing, you may want to be able to pop back to your hotel at some stage during the day to drop bags/shopping, take a shower and change before going out in the evening. If you're 1½ hours away from your hotel, you simply cannot do that. So you will find yourself constrained in what you can do, and miss out on things that you might otherwise have enjoyed.

 

What I would do in your situation (given that the timing of your London-Rome flight is not critical) is stay in central London, and then fly from London City Airport to Rome on the day that you do that, not from Heathrow. It's a much more convenient way of doing that trip if you're starting in central London.

I just did St James Park Tube Station ( a few blocks from Westminister and Buckingham Palace) to LHR Terminal 4 by tube, with one connection in 55 minutes. No where near 90-120 minutes. It wasn't hard.

 

I agree staying in closer is much better. But the 90-120 minutes on the tube each way isn't correct.

Edited August 29, 2016 by CruiserBruce

Thanks for the feedback! Given the length of time to get from airport to city centre, I agree it is easier to just stay in the city. This makes more sense given we will have (2) children, (1) teen and (2) seniors in our group. Having a hotel in the city allows the flexibility to go back to the hotel, etc.

 

I didn't know about London City Airport and checked the flights. It is double that of Heathrow. There are 9 of us in our group so I will need to factor that into the planning.

 

With 9 people in our group, train, cab or shuttle to Heathrow?

 

TIA!

But the 90-120 minutes on the tube each way isn't correct.

It is correct. In 55 minutes, you had only got to Heathrow. You had not yet got to a Heathrow hotel.

 

In addition, you're measuring the time from the Tube station. But Tube stations are generally not tourist destinations in their own right. If you start from Buckingham Palace, there's 10-15 minutes of walking just to get to that Tube station. Other London sights like the Tower are another 10-15 minutes of Tube travel time further from St James's Park.

 

So 1½ to 2 hours from Heathrow hotel to city centre is much more realistic.

I didn't know about London City Airport and checked the flights. It is double that of Heathrow.

Depending on the absolute numbers, it could be well worth the extra money. Much closer to the city centre, plus the ability to check-in and drop bags as little as 30 minutes before departure, and security screening designed to cater for those deadlines. Without bags, we routinely walk through the terminal doors 20 minutes before departure without worrying about whether we might miss the flight. That sort of time saving is worth some extra money.

Depending on the absolute numbers, it could be well worth the extra money. Much closer to the city centre, plus the ability to check-in and drop bags as little as 30 minutes before departure, and security screening designed to cater for those deadlines. Without bags, we routinely walk through the terminal doors 20 minutes before departure without worrying about whether we might miss the flight. That sort of time saving is worth some extra money.

 

Great info! Thank you!