National Express Bus station at Victoria Station

[dottiedef]

I have given up the idea of renting a car(on a Sunday) and would like to take the bus to Victoria bus station from Southampton and then do something before taking a bus to Heathrow. Have a hotel there before flying home to USA the next day.

 

Was hoping some of you wonderful Brits could tell me if there were facilities at the bus station to store our luggage while we did something in London for the rest of the day. Then we would get another bus to the airport. Know it is a cheap way to travel.

 

Thanks for any help. We could take the bus right to the airport. Check in to our hotel and then use the underground to do something. That would be an option too. Maybe I am making this too complicated and we will just have to go to the hotel and veg out for the rest of the day, but would love to do SOMETHING!!!

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

Dottie

[Twickenham]

There are various scenarios:

 

-Take the bus to LHR, drop luggage at hotel, then tube it to Central London: not the most efficient time-wise, but probably the simplest and most straightforward;

 

-Stay in Central London, getting there by bus or train, then Heathrow Express the next morning: depending on the time of your flight back in the morning, this is probably the most efficient, and there are several hotel choices in a variety of price brackets near Paddington;

 

-Go to LHR hotel, then local bus: you could visit Windsor, or possibly Kew or Hampton Court;

 

-Rent a car: I still don't hate this idea, the one hiccup is having to pick it up at the airport but it does give you tremendous freedom (and the roundabouts really aren't that bad - just remember 'right-of-way' becomes quite literal in the UK and you'll be fine).

[John Bull]

I'll agree with Twickenham that if you want to see central London, best to switch to a hotel in Victoria - popular budget hotels, handy to bus station, handy to tube, handy to Buck Palace, ten to fifteen minute walk to Big Ben / Westminster Abbey / War Rooms & on to London Eye or up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. Or even closer to the sights, such as Premier Inn County Hall. A hotel switch would give you so much more time in London, including the evening & mebbe the morning depending on flight time.

Nat Express tickets to Victoria are regularly sold at "funfare" prices, just a couple of pounds. But I don't think funfares are offered on airport journeys, usually around £20 pp

Or if you stay near London Eye, catch the train from Southampton to London Waterloo.

 

If you stick with the airport hotel, then Twicker's suggestions of nearby Windsor Castle or Hampton Court are spot-on. But Kew Gardens only if you're into tropical plants & such.

 

Veg-out at an airport hotel? :eek::eek::eek:

 

JB

[SteveH2508]

To answer OPs original question - there are very few left luggage facilities in London (nasty people have been known to leave bombs in them). I don't know where any are 'cos I live here!:D

[LHT28]

There is " Left Luggage " at Victoria coach station according to this site

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1216.aspx#left