Stay near LHR or in Cantral London for 1 night?

I will be visiting London for one night as a stopover between flights. We will arrive in London at 9:15pm on June 21st. We will fly home at 3:00 pm on the 22nd. So my question is should I stay near LHR, and just taxi or train into Central London in the morning for 4 or 5 hours. Or would I be better off getting a hotel in Central London so we can get a quick start in the morning, then go back to the airport. With such a short time frame, I want to try and make the most of it.

I had pretty much the same itinerary as you a couple of years ago - arrived at LHR in the evening, flight out the next day at 3 pm. There's absolutely no advantage to staying near the airport, especially if you want to come into Central London anyways. In our case, we had Marriott points so stayed at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, travelling to and from LHR via the Heathrow Express, however hotel-wise there are several options in and around Paddington Station (where the HEX departs from). Hilton Paddington is right in the station, so the most convenient, but there is also a Mercure I believe right across the street, plus other smaller hotels and B&Bs in the area.

For a 3 pm flight you probably need to be at airport around noon. That means leaving Central London around 11. Not much time to sightsee. If you just have to see London, go there the night you arrive. Get up early and see whatever you need to see then get yourself to airport. Frankly, i'd skip London.

For a 3 pm flight you probably need to be at airport around noon. That means leaving Central London around 11. Not much time to sightsee. If you just have to see London, go there the night you arrive. Get up early and see whatever you need to see then get yourself to airport. Frankly, i'd skip London.

I was thinkin' the same thing.

A 9pm flight arrival means being in the Arrivals Hall about 10.30, and even taking the fastest transportation to central London (Heathrow Express, travel time 15 minutes) and a hotel at / near Paddington station, the OP is unlikely to check-in before 11pm.

A check-in for the onward flight at about 12.30 next day means a departure for the airport from Paddington by noon at the latest.

I truly don't think it worthwhile.

Visiting central London for a morning from a Heathrow hotel would be nonsensical.

JB :)

For a 3 pm flight you probably need to be at airport around noon. That means leaving Central London around 11. Not much time to sightsee. If you just have to see London, go there the night you arrive. Get up early and see whatever you need to see then get yourself to airport. Frankly, i'd skip London.

Not necessarily. If this is a connection, rather than 2 separate flights, the OP will already be checked in, with their boarding passes in hand and checked luggage overnighting at LHR. All they'll have to do then is to clear security and make their way to the gate. When we did this, we only took a tote bag each as a carry-on, and probably arrived at LHR around 1:30 for our 3:30 flight, but you could probably cut it a bit closer than that.

These flights are connecting flights. Are you sure we will not receive our luggage in LHR from ATH? That is something I had not considered. We overnighted in Berlin once before and did have to collect our luggage.

Would it be possible to arrange a private tour to pick us up at an airport hotel early in the am, about 7, for a 4-5 hour tour. We would like to see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and what ever else is nearby.

How long and how much would a taxi cost into central London in comparison to the train?

We will be arriving at Terminal 5 and departing from Terminal 3. Also there are four of us traveling so I would want a hotel that can accommodate us.

I know I am asking for miracles here.

These flights are connecting flights. Are you sure we will not receive our luggage in LHR from ATH? That is something I had not considered. We overnighted in Berlin once before and did have to collect our luggage.

We had a BA - BA connection, all at T5, and our luggage was checked through, didn't see it until we arrived at YUL the next day. Now, as you are departing from T3, that makes me think you might be doing a BA-AA connection, which might change things, however I still think there's a good chance you won't need to collect your luggage at LHR - still confirm this when checking in, or call in advance.

Now that I think about it, I do recall we had to stop at the counter at LHR to collect our boarding passes, as our departure from FCO was beyond the 24-hour check-in window for our LHR-YUL flight. We were able to check in online at the hotel, however, and collecting our boarding passes was quickly done.

Would it be possible to arrange a private tour to pick us up at an airport hotel early in the am, about 7, for a 4-5 hour tour. We would like to see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and what ever else is nearby.

 

How long and how much would a taxi cost into central London in comparison to the train?

You'd need to allow at least 45-60 minutes each way for road transportation from LHR to Central London. Honestly, this really only makes sense if you take the train - and if you book 90 days in advance, you can get HEX tickets for as little as 6.99/person, which makes it cheaper than any private transport you can arrange. And trust me when I say this is the easy option, with a capital ease.:D We've been travelling to London for over 30 years, and have used pretty much every method out there for travelling between LHR and Central London, and we're pretty much HEX devotees at this point.

If you're worried about your arrival being too late, by the time you find your transport to an airport hotel, the total travel time will probably be the same as taking the HEX - and the next day you'll be stuck at LHR, rather than in Central London, ready for sightseeing. Really, you're biggest problem is probably...

Also there are four of us traveling so I would want a hotel that can accommodate us.

That's a challenge in London, but actually just ran a search and the Hilton Paddington does have rooms that accommodate 4 - you have to pay more, of course, but it's still cheaper than 2 rooms.

So if I book the Hilton Paddington, when I arrive at LHR and clear security, I would take the HEX to central London. Can I walk to the hotel from there or will I need to take a taxi?

Finally is the Hilton Paddington within walking distance of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace or would I need to get transportation there in the morning?

So if I book the Hilton Paddington, when I arrive at LHR and clear security, I would take the HEX to central London. Can I walk to the hotel from there or will I need to take a taxi?

The hotel is part of the station building - when you arrive at Paddington, just follow the signs to the hotel. Don't even have to go outside.

(Note that Google Street View has covered the inside of Paddington, so you can 'walk' the station before travelling there)

Finally is the Hilton Paddington within walking distance of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace or would I need to get transportation there in the morning?

A bit far to walk it, but Paddington is a bit of a transport hub - lots of buses and underground lines that will get you there.

ETA: I also think there's a hop-on hop-off bus stop at Paddington, which might work best for your short timeframe.

Any less expensive hotels within walking distance of the station? The Hilton is quite high for that night.

Do you really want to be walking around London, possibly with luggage, at midnight?

How expensive is it to get in and out of London city center? Several years ago there was a significant premium to go to center city to battle air pollution from cars. I may also be just LHR shy but I would never assume that I could "cheat" on the time to clear security and other officials -- I want at least 2 or 3 hours in the AIRPORT not from Paddington Station or other place. Also factor in that the "take off" time and the start loading the plane time can be 90 minutes difference on large jets. Finally how fast do you walk -- LHR IS HUGE and you may have to take bus etc to boarding gate.

Personally I would not go to the center of London for 2-3 hours max sightseeing -- just not long enough for the expense of city hotel, transportation to town center (hard to take luggage on public transportation and especially late night after a tiring day!).

Your decision but think of what it will cost in terms of hotel, transportation and physical effort and then what could you really see? Opening times is another factor -- you might be up and roaring to go but is the museum open or the tour bus running?

Good Luck. In the planning stage all is possible but reality is sometimes a different look all together.

How expensive is it to get in and out of London city center? Several years ago there was a significant premium to go to center city to battle air pollution from cars. I may also be just LHR shy but I would never assume that I could "cheat" on the time to clear security and other officials -- I want at least 2 or 3 hours in the AIRPORT not from Paddington Station or other place. Also factor in that the "take off" time and the start loading the plane time can be 90 minutes difference on large jets. Finally how fast do you walk -- LHR IS HUGE and you may have to take bus etc to boarding gate.

 

Personally I would not go to the center of London for 2-3 hours max sightseeing -- just not long enough for the expense of city hotel, transportation to town center (hard to take luggage on public transportation and especially late night after a tiring day!).

 

Your decision but think of what it will cost in terms of hotel, transportation and physical effort and then what could you really see? Opening times is another factor -- you might be up and roaring to go but is the museum open or the tour bus running?

 

Good Luck. In the planning stage all is possible but reality is sometimes a different look all together.

I have to agree - at best you'll have half a morning in London, part of which will be during the rush-hour.

Why not stay at Heathrow and arrange a private trip to Windsor for the morning [there are lots of recommendations as to who to use]. Better to have a full 3-4 hours in Windsor than 2 hours in London.

I was wanting to fit in a few hours in London as my daughter really wants to see Big Ben. Are there other sights in this area to visit? How far is Heathrow from Windsor?

I had originally thought that we would get an airport hotel, then book a private tour for the morning, just to see some of the sights on a drive by/photo stop basis. I know that we can't enter any museums or things like that.

Does anyone have any recommendations for private tour companies that we could use?

I had planned to get only 5-6 hours sleep that night, then get up by 6 am and do quick tour either on our own or through a company. We really just want to walk around and get a very small taste of London.

When I booked the flights (using miles) I did not realize the distance involved. I may be able to change my fights to arrive at LHR early, if an earlier flight opens up with miles. I do want to have a plan of some type if I can't get an earlier flight.

If you are thinking of changing your flight anyway, why not delay Until the following day. Then you can enjoy a full day in n London. Otherwise there just isn't enough time to really see anything.

I am on a layover in my flights. There can only be a 24 hour time period between the time my flight from ATH lands in LHR and the time my departing flight takes off.

If you are really wanting to see a bit of London then the easiest way, given your time frame, is as Twickenham suggests - get the Heathrow Express into Paddington (buy and print tickets in advance if you can) and book a hotel at/opposite the station. Get up early the next morning, leaving luggage at the hotel,and perhaps do the HoHo bus tour (about 2 hours) or even a taxi driver would give you a quick short tour. Back to hotel to collect luggage and then get the Heathrow Express back to the airport ready for your flight. The journey takes 15 mins but of course is never that quick when adding on finding platforms etc etc. This plan is doable (just) but just be aware it is not the cheapest option plus you won't have a great deal of time. But it is the quickest option given your requirements. A car service into town from the airport will take upto an hour each way which eats into your time and wouldn't really be feasible.

The HOHO bus does not start until 9am and takes about a hour or more depending the the traffic.

The HOHO bus does not start until 9am and takes about a hour or more depending the the traffic.

Main tour routes actually start at 8.30.

And there's a feeder route which collects from Paddington station at about 8.15 & takes passengers to a tour starting point at Marble Arch for 8.30.

Ho-ho is a slow way to travel, a tour route is about 2 1/2 hours long but is very comprehensive for an over-view.

You would need to hop off at Buckingham Gate to see Buckingham Palace - tour buses aren't allowed past the Palace so you hop off, walk round the corner to the Palace, then walk back to catch the next ho-ho. That's likely to extend a round-trip by at least half an hour. If everything fell into place you'd be back at Paddington around 11.30, collect your bags & take the Heathrow Express back to Heathrow.

So it's possible in the time-frame. And if it didn't you could jump off at any stop & beeline by tube back to Paddington.

The alternative is a car to collect you from your hotel, with or without luggage, drive you past your chosen sights, & return you to Paddington hotel to collect luggage or direct to Paddington station.

Needs to be Heathrow Express both ways, needs to be a hotel very close to Paddington station, needs careful research of times and costs and the acceptance that plans may have to change if you fall behind the clock.

Most, including myself, rate it not worth the grief & cost for such a limited time frame.

But if you're very keen, yes it can be done.

JB :)

I recommend staying at the airport.

Have stayed at Sofitel Terminal 5 and Hilton T4 before, & both are very good.

HEX will take you to T5.

HEX is a must to get to/from London. Plenty of room for lots of luggage.

The cheapest fares are available with a 90 day advance online purchase.

http://www.heathrowexpress.com

Once you reach Paddington Station, I recommend using the Tube to go wherever you wish as the fastest & most efficient method.

HoHo is much too slow for such limited time, & I would avoid as much bus travel as possible due to traffic. Hoho costs about 26-30 GBP.

There is a one day Travelcard for 12 GBP, or an oyster card. Or, you may pay as you go.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk has all the fare, route, & map info you will need.

Having been researching London for ourselves, & this is very recent info.

Good luck!