Heathrow to Greenwich

[MELSMOM47]

I see many on these boards recommend prearranging for a car from the airport. When I look at the difference between a car service and a Bolt for example the car service appears to be considerably more. What am I missing? Thanks.

[John Bull]

Check out a map - Greenwich is 26 congested urban miles from LHR west of London to Greenwich east of London.- that shortest route goes right thro central London.

 

Googlemaps actually shows a 64-mile !!!!! route around the M25 London orbital road as being quicker - 1hr 15mins vs almost 2 hours. -

As an Irish friend of mine would say,, the easiest way to get to Greenwich is not to start at Heathrow.

 

Cheapest & simplest route that I can figure is Elizabeth Line of the Tube (London's metro) from any LHR terminal to Woolwich station (about an hour) then a 4-mile taxi ride to the cruise pier in Greenwich.

The Elizabeth Line is new, a Londoner can hopefully advise if this is the best public transport option and whether you can now take a thru tube-train or have to change.

The tube isn't great with luggage, but you start at its terminus, so should have no problem getting seats and keeping your luggage close.

 

I have no idea what is a "Bolt" in your post 🤔

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

[Globaliser]

Just now, John Bull said:

Cheapest & simplest route that I can figure is Elizabeth Line of the Tube (London's metro) from any LHR terminal to Woolwich station (about an hour) then a 4-mile taxi ride to the cruise pier in Greenwich.

The Elizabeth Line is new, a Londoner can hopefully advise if this is the best public transport option and whether you can now take a thru tube-train or have to change.

The tube isn't great with luggage, but you start at its terminus, so should have no problem getting seats and keeping your luggage close.

 

Technically, the Elizabeth Line isn't part of the Tube (= London Underground), but a different railway service that's also operated for Transport for London. That's normally just a geek's complaint about nomenclature, but Elizabeth Line rolling stock is very different from Tube trains and much more like surface commuter trains. (It even has a British Rail Class number: Class 345.) For passengers, it's more comfortable and more luggage-friendly than the Piccadilly Line trains that form the Tube service to Heathrow.

 

Normally, all Elizabeth Line trains departing from Heathrow will be heading to Abbey Wood and will therefore call at Woolwich. However, I don't know whether taxis are readily available at or near Woolwich Elizabeth Line station.

 

However, for anyone who's prepared to head to Greenwich by rail and wants to start with the Elizabeth Line, another option is Elizabeth Line to Canary Wharf, then DLR to either Cutty Sark or Greenwich (depending on where in Greenwich you want). The change at Canary Wharf is best done by a short walk to West India Quay DLR, then taking a southbound train one stop to Canary Wharf DLR, then a cross-platform change to a Lewisham train. (In the weekday morning peak there are now a few trains direct from WIQ to Lewisham, but usually you need to do that very simple change at CW.)

 

Back to the OP's original question: I think that Bolt is a competitor to Uber, and therefore probably suffers from many of the same problems as Uber. You want cheap, you'll get cheap. In contrast, the car service "usual suspects" are specialists in airport transfers and most of the drivers know the relevant roads really well, including where the usual problems are and how to get around them.

[MICHE99]

If one is in their 70’s and feels that navigating the train system with luggage after an overnight flight would be terribly difficult……. What are the alternatives? Taxi? Car service? Shuttle? Uber? 

[gumshoe958]

31 minutes ago, MICHE99 said:

If one is in their 70’s and feels that navigating the train system with luggage after an overnight flight would be terribly difficult……. What are the alternatives? Taxi? Car service? Shuttle? Uber? 

Uber or Bolt will probably be cheapest. They pick up in a designated place in one of the short stay car parks opposite the terminal.
 

Taxis (or black cabs, as they’re known in London) and pre-booked limos will be more expensive but may be more convenient.

[John Bull]

19 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Uber or Bolt will probably be cheapest. They pick up in a designated place in one of the short stay car parks opposite the terminal.
 

Taxis (or black cabs, as they’re known in London) will be vastly more expensive but may be more convenient.

 

 

You missed out a word, Gumshoe.

I've corrected it for you 😏

 

JB 🙂

[MICHE99]

30 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Uber or Bolt will probably be cheapest. They pick up in a designated place in one of the short stay car parks opposite the terminal.
 

Taxis (or black cabs, as they’re known in London) and pre-booked limos will be more expensive but may be more convenient.

Thank you. Can I assume there are designated areas for each terminal?

[gumshoe958]

2 minutes ago, MICHE99 said:

Thank you. Can I assume there are designated areas for each terminal?

Yes. Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 all have their own car parks so make sure when you book your Uber you specify the right terminal. The Uber app should tell you where the pick-up is but it can be confusing finding the right level and zone so do ask a staff member if necessary.

 

I believe Uber drivers have to wait somewhere off airport until they accept a job so don’t expect one to arrive instantly. Black cabs, however, can line up right outside arrivals.

[MELSMOM47]

Thanks everyone 👍🏻 We used black cabs, a car service, the tube and Uber to get around town on our last visit. I’m pretty sure we took an Uber from the airport and didn’t have a problem and a hired car to go back when we left. Just wondering why Uber and taxis aren’t often mentioned. 

[MELSMOM47]

5 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Yes. Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 all have their own car parks so make sure when you book your Uber you specify the right terminal. The Uber app should tell you where the pick-up is but it can be confusing finding the right level and zone so do ask a staff member if necessary.

 

I believe Uber drivers have to wait somewhere off airport until they accept a job so don’t expect one to arrive instantly. Black cabs, however, can line up right outside arrivals.

Is there a way to get a quote for a Black Cab?

[gumshoe958]

18 minutes ago, MELSMOM47 said:

Is there a way to get a quote for a Black Cab?

Yes, you can book them in advance via several apps.

 

Eg: https://www.gett.com/uk/city/london/ which is the one we use at work (although this is not an endorsement: Google will throw up many more!)

 

If you don’t book and just jump in a cab at the airport it will be metered and the price will vary according to time of day, traffic etc. But Transport for London, which sets the fares, suggests £52 to £97 for central London. By comparison at this moment Uber is quoting £52.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by gumshoe958

[Island2Dweller]

Traffic around Greenwich varies between just about OK (3am on a Sunday morning) and can get to gridlock (any trouble at the nearby Blackwall tunnel river crossing causes gridlock for miles).  Car service or taxi is easier for those unfamiliar with London transport network but won't be quicker than public transport and will cost much much more.

A compromise is to take the Elizabeth line to Canary Wharf, and take a taxi from there.  The Elizabeth line starts at Heathrow so you have no trouble getting a seat, they are full size trains with air con, it's swift.  There are always loads of taxis available at Canary Wharf.

As mentioned above, you can switch from the Elizabeth line to the DLR at Canary Wharf (and it's what I would do) but the stations are not side by side and you might prefer to just grab the taxi at this point.

[MELSMOM47]

5 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Yes, you can book them in advance via several apps.

 

Eg: https://www.gett.com/uk/city/london/ which is the one we use at work (although this is not an endorsement: Google will throw up many more!)

 

If you don’t book and just jump in a cab at the airport it will be metered and the price will vary according to time of day, traffic etc. But Transport for London, which sets the fares, suggests £52 to £97 for central London. By comparison at this moment Uber is quoting £52.

 

 

Thank you 👍

[MELSMOM47]

4 hours ago, Island2Dweller said:

Traffic around Greenwich varies between just about OK (3am on a Sunday morning) and can get to gridlock (any trouble at the nearby Blackwall tunnel river crossing causes gridlock for miles).  Car service or taxi is easier for those unfamiliar with London transport network but won't be quicker than public transport and will cost much much more.

A compromise is to take the Elizabeth line to Canary Wharf, and take a taxi from there.  The Elizabeth line starts at Heathrow so you have no trouble getting a seat, they are full size trains with air con, it's swift.  There are always loads of taxis available at Canary Wharf.

As mentioned above, you can switch from the Elizabeth line to the DLR at Canary Wharf (and it's what I would do) but the stations are not side by side and you might prefer to just grab the taxi at this point.

Thank you. We were supposed to arrive on the day of the Coronation but decided there were too many unknowns. We arrive Monday the 8th at 10:30am which I know is a holiday. I was hoping that would make traffic a little more manageable.