8 Hour Heathrow Layover Dining Options

greetings from New Orleans..we will be flying British Airways new non stop service New Orleans to London Heathrow (beginning march 2017) in May with an 8 hour layover connecting flight to Venice...we will leave New Orleans at 2130 arv Heathrow at Noon...leave Heathrow at 2130 and arv Venice at 2335..a long flying day...not sure which terminal we will arv and depart from...can anyone recommend a place to dine in the terminal and an idea of airport prices to help me plan a budget..we will be flying coach on BA (1st time) can anyone give us insight into what BA serves in economy....thanks

I'm sure that may on Heathrow web page --they would have a list of places to eat. I think maybe Gordon Ramsey has a place somewhere in the airport.

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9 Hours is a long time.

Most BA flights come into terminal 5.

There is a pay for lounge you might want to use

http://www.executivelounges.com/airport-lounges/london-heathrow-terminal-5-aspire-airport-lounge

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Budget for about £15-20pp (meal & drink) or even £30 if your thinking of having a meal + several coffee/tea/ cokes during that long transit.

Have you considered taking the tube into the WestEnd. You'll have enough time.

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thanks for your prompt responses, I discovered Gordon Ramsey's Plane Food venue in terminal #5 doing some online research..I neglected to state in my OP that we are headed to Venice for a Dave Koz Jazz Charter Cruise on HAL Westerdam. I'm always cautious about airport food (I try to eat where airport employees patronize) and try to eat healthy and in a timely fashion because of the medication that I am on. With your input I will budget $50 USD (for 2 of us) which should cover it

As much as we are tempted to try to go "off airport" my gut instinct is to stay at the airport and avoid the "stress" of trying to take "the tube" to the West End (sort of like taking a cab to the French Quarter and finding out that there is a big accident blocking traffic on I-10 on the way back to the airport ) to see a taste of London in such a short window and have something happen. I usually walk 5 miles per day so I will pace off a walking route( in the terminal) with my pedometer while my GF reads/cat naps...

New Orleans is very Blessed to have both British Airways and Condor Air introduce non stop service (next Spring) to Europe for the first time since the early 80's

If the weather is nice it might be worth it to take the Piccadilly line to the West End.

But I'm like you. I would budget 1.5 hrs to get there and 1.5 hrs to get back. So probably 3 hours in town. But a great place to get your 5 miles in.

I find the tube reliable (as long as there is not a strike) and for back up you have the Heathrow Express or a taxi/uber.

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If the weather is nice it might be worth it to take the Piccadilly line to the West End.

 

But I'm like you. I would budget 1.5 hrs to get there and 1.5 hrs to get back. So probably 3 hours in town. But a great place to get your 5 miles in.

 

I find the tube reliable (as long as there is not a strike) and for back up you have the Heathrow Express or a taxi/uber.

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i would recommend Heathrow Express both ways. It is more expensive than the tube, but the trip is only 15 minutes

You could always try the Vivre Restaurant in the Sofitel hotel which is connected to Terminal 5 via a walkway. Just to get out of the airport for a while.:)

You could always try the Vivre Restaurant in the Sofitel hotel which is connected to Terminal 5 via a walkway. Just to get out of the airport for a while.:)

We stayed there one night. It was quite a hike from the terminal into the hotel, to a point where you almost needed a cab!

We really liked the lounge in the Sofitel! There is also an interesting Japanese restaurant upstairs in terminal 5.

One thought is that if you leave the airport you will need to clear customs rather than just connecting. That can take sometimes quite awhile. Also some pretty good shopping now that the pound is a little lower.

Is there any earlier flight?

BA food is ok, nothing spectacular. Drinks are free. We flew premium economy the last few times and you got a little better food and bigger seat with more legroom. Might be worth looking at upgrades. They sometimes sell them at the airport. Also allows two suitcases each which can be nice with a cruise.

sadly BA only has 2 flights a day Heathrow to Venice...we arrive at Noon which misconnects with their morning departure so we have to wait around until 2130

the price of the Jazz Charter (even an interior cabin) is much more than a normal cruise out of Venice (which is ok because of the quality of the artists), so it precludes doing an upgrade on the international leg from New Orleans to London (Heathrow)...we are leaving on a Thursday night (right after attending the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival so we should not be hungry) so I'm hoping our flight is not packed but thanks for the suggestion I will look into the price difference and see if I can cut elsewhere in our budget...ironically, we also have the option of flying Condor Air to Frankfort with a connection to Venice where it would be almost a wash in premium upgrade being equal to BA economy...Condor Air is twice per week, BA is four times per week plus Condor Air does not fly out of Milan where BA does

One other option depending on when your cruise leaves is to overnight in London near terminal 5 and take the flight the next morning. You could then visit Windsor by bus for example.

Not sure if I missed something about Milan?

Haven't flown Condor but I think it is Lufthansa. Lufthansa is great, not sure if condor has different standards?

hmmmmm..that's an option that never entered my mind..will price it to see if it breaks the thru fare...wanted to do a side trip to Milan when we dock in Venice upon our return but not a must do...cruise leaves on a Tuesday so we do have a few days in Venice pre cruise so we could do an overnight train trip to Milan

Usually if you depart in under 24 hours it shouldn't count as a stop. It will also make the jet lag easier. There is a Sofitel right in terminal 5 if flight is really early. Also a premier inn very close by that is less expensive, unless you are lucky on Hotwire.

Or you could do a multi city fly into Venice and home from Frankfurt and use a cheap carrier or train from Milan to Frankfurt.

I am always happy to spend extra time in Venice, my fave!

Happy planning!

We stayed there one night. It was quite a hike from the terminal into the hotel, to a point where you almost needed a cab!

Really? We've stayed many times. The walk is not onerous.

Bennybear..I think my GF owes you a big hug ,,,I will check directly with BA to make sure it does not count as a stopover and if not, we will begin the planning process...I had kissed off our 1st day in Venice due to jet lag, but a stopover in London cures that ill...plus I understand there is a famous London Jazz & Blues Club not far from where the "Tube" lets us off...I am thinking that a Milan stopover on the way back might be a bit of a stretch because coming off a cruise after being away from New Orleans (home) for more than 12 days stretches anyone's patience and I think we will just want to come home...plus Milan is a very expensive side trip

thanks for planting that option in our mind

hattack, I can tell you that I have done the overnight stop, in reverse - Rome-London-Montreal on the way home from a cruise out of Civitavecchia. The itinerary was actually given as an option online by the BA website - flew from FCO to LHR at 3pm, arriving around 6ish I think, then leaving for YUL the next day at 3:45pm. As long as there is less than 24 hours between your arrival and departure from LHR, there shouldn't be a break in the fare. Had a lovely evening and morning in London, and was at LHR in plenty of time for our onward flight.

Milan doesn't have to be that expensive a side trip - if I remember correctly the train between Venice and Milan isn't that expensive (and an easy, pretty comfortable journey). Also, you might end up saving by flying home from MXP - I do know a couple of years ago it was one of the cheapest trans-Atlantic flight destinations from the US, due to some aggressive pricing from Emirates I believe, not sure what the pricing is like now but certainly worth it to check.

I did have to chuckle at the 'over 12 days away' - my last European vacation was 5 weeks, and I had no desire to come home...:D

Twickenham, lol! We must be cut from the same cloth. Usually we are gone 5 or 6 weeks. Makes the jet lag worthwhile😉

Hattack, But I too am usually ready to head home after a cruise.

So one other thought.... a multi city open jaw. overnight in London, Fly direct to Milan. Train or cheap flight to Venice. Home from Venice.

With BA flights are usually similar in cost into one city and out of another. I have Been practicing this for awhile to not backtrack and make things easier with less travel days! Also make sure you join their frequent flyer program, as the flights in Europe are easy to get.

If you decide to go in to London by tube, earls court area is good with elevators and no change of trains and there is a good Premier inn there as well.

so true...of course I could fly New Orleans to Washington National on Southwest, spend 2 days visiting the Smithsonian complex (African American Museum, Air & Space) and going to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (stay with family), then fly Icelandair to Milan (out of IAD) , take the train to Venice to catch our cruise and back and then take advantage of the free stopover in Reykjavik, back to Washington Dulles then home to New Orleans for the same number of total days and cheaper air fare than rt on BA to Venice :eek

Life is so much easier (and cheaper) to take a cruise out of Florida :D....I've lived in over 10 cities in my working life but there is something about coming home to New Orleans (as the song goes "Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans), that I can't stay away for very long

Lol! Even the thought is exhausting! In my earlier days I travelled like this! I once thought a Venice, London, DC, Toronto, home flight was a good idea! Course did the smithsonian and it was on points. Now I try to limit those changes!

Visited New Orleans once, and it is pretty amazing!

Just a heads up - from January, BA will not be serving free snacks or drinks on flights of less than 5 hours, which your Venice flight will be.

You can pre-order Marks and Spencer sandwiches online if you are feeling a bit peckish. By the way, M and S produce some great food and their sandwiches will be 1000 times better than most airline food.;)

Elle1145...thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much...will add your suggestion to my checklist...have a Blessed Day

Benniebear...my rule of thumb is to keep my travel (A to B back to A) as simple as possible and only schedule one activity per day (excursion, museum etc, to leave room for unexpected and unplanned surprises) and stay at locally owned B&B's and eat where the Innkeeper recommends ....this trip is special with my GF (her first international cruise and one of our ports of call is Santorini) so I am breaking my own rule , trying to figure out how to make the most of it...it took me 15 years to get back to Venice & the Greek Islands and to be able to do it on a Dave Koz Jazz Cruise with all my favorite Smooth Jazz Artists is like a dream come true...I'll be eating PB&J sandwiches between now and May so I can pay for it:cool: Venice is my most favorite & romantic City on Earth and Santorini is the same Island wise

Elle1145...thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much...will add your suggestion to my checklist...have a Blessed Day

 

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Here is a sample of what BA will have on offer. Of course you could just visit the Simply M and S Food shop in Terminal 5 before you go through security where you will find a huge range of snacks etc. probably a lot cheaper than BA will charge.

'M&S on board' sample menu

Enjoy delicious sweet and savoury treats from British food favourite Marks & Spencer when travelling in our short haul economy cabins, Euro Traveller and UK Domestic, to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick.

Here are just some of the exciting food options you can look forward to on board.

Fresh food

Classic Fruit Salad £3.10

Includes pineapple, melon, mango, apple, kiwi and blueberries.

Yogurt with Summer Berry Compote and Crunchy Granola - £1.95

Reduced-fat Greek-style yogurt, blackberry and blackcurrant compote and granola.

Mature Cheddar Cheese Ploughman's - £3.00

Farmhouse cheddar cheese with vine-ripened tomatoes, pickle and lettuce on malted brown bread.

Aberdeen Angus Beef and Red Onion Chutney Bloomer - £4.75

Soft onion bloomer with Aberdeen Angus beef, red onion chutney and tangy mustard.

Bacon Roll - £4.75

A soft white, buttered roll filled with succulent smoked British bacon. Served hot.

Mozzarella and Tomato Focaccia - £4.75

Buffalo mozzarella, juicy vine-ripened tomatoes and fragrant basil pesto dressing on pesto focaccia. Served hot.

Spiced Chicken with Quinoa and Rice - £4.95

Spiced chicken with quinoa, rice and a smoky tomato salsa.

Savoury snacks

Hand Cooked Crisps - £1.00

Salt and Vinegar, or Lightly Sea Salted.

Wasabi Peas - £1.60

Roasted green peas with a punchy wasabi flavoured coating.

Nut Assortment - £1.60

A selection of almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts and hazelnuts.

Oriental Snack Mix - £2.00

Sesame-coated roasted cashew nuts, edamame soybeans, and roasted corn with puffed brown rice all with a soy and five-spice seasoning.

Something sweet

Percy Pig - £1.85

Soft fruit-flavoured gums made with fruit juice…an M&S classic.

Salted Caramel Hazelnut Millionaire Biscuit - £1.45

Made without wheat and deliciously gluten free.

Chocolate Pretzels and Candy Popcorn - £2.45

Milk chocolate-covered toffee popcorn with popping candy pieces.

Super Nut Fruit and Seed Flapjack - £1.45

Soft, chewy all-butter flapjack.

Elle1145...thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much...will add your suggestion to my checklist...have a Blessed Day

 

Benniebear...my rule of thumb is to keep my travel (A to B back to A) as simple as possible and only schedule one activity per day (excursion, museum etc, to leave room for unexpected and unplanned surprises) and stay at locally owned B&B's and eat where the Innkeeper recommends ....this trip is special with my GF (her first international cruise and one of our ports of call is Santorini) so I am breaking my own rule , trying to figure out how to make the most of it...it took me 15 years to get back to Venice & the Greek Islands and to be able to do it on a Dave Koz Jazz Cruise with all my favorite Smooth Jazz Artists is like a dream come true...I'll be eating PB&J sandwiches between now and May so I can pay for it:cool: Venice is my most favorite & romantic City on Earth and Santorini is the same Island wise

You will have a great time! Love Venice and the town of Oia is wonderful on Santorini! It will make the Pb&J worthwhile, though I prefer PB&🍌! I too like local recommendations! Enjoy!

thanks everyone..if we decide to do the less than 24 hour layover at Heathrow, I will come back closer to departure for recommendations where to have dinner in the West End...I like the salads on the menu you posted, so it will work for us to carry on our 0900 am flight to Venice

we sail out of Santorini at 5pm on Saturday in May...because we are a charter we probably won't show up on the websites that show what ships are in port when we are...I already have a request from my neighbor to bring back a small bottle of Santorini Wine