Possible LHR Layover

There is a "Heathrow Express" train service from Heathrow Terminals into Paddington station. every 15 mins and  takes 15 mins. There is a slower, stopping train, takes about 30 mins.

Alternatively the Picadilly Tube line runs from Heathrow into the heart of the city. Takes about an hour.

Cost are reasonable. You could take a taxi (Black Cab) but gets expensive.

For one evening, you could take in a show (just) most start at about 7:30, or you could simply walk the streets and look at the sights along the River Thames.

Whatever you do, it'll be better than staying at the airport. But assumes you actually book an hotel in the city (Westminster etc)

If you are staying overnight in one of the airport hotels, you would find it a bit tight to take in a show. By the time you transfer LHR to Hotel then back to LHR and train/tube you will have used up a few hours. But still worth a jaunt into the City to sight-see.

To catch a flight at 10:00 am you will need to check in at say 08:00 latest. Perfectly feasible from either the city or airport hotels. The trains/tube start really early c. 05:00

The most efficient way, time-wise and easiest is to take the Heathrow Express, then stay at the Hilton which is right at Paddington Station where the train terminates. Super convenient to drop your gear and get the tube into town for a show, or sightseeing, and then straight on the Express again in the morning to get to the airport. That hotel location perfectly blends the convenience of an airport hotel, with the convenience of a city hotel.

Prices at the said Hilton are £200 - £250 mid Feb at the moment. Good seats for a show hover around £75, Walking is free, and despite rumours to the contrarty, safe.

In mid Feb, it will be dark for most of your overnight.

Inasmuch as I will be traveling solo, I think I would opt for walking and looking, since once inside a theater you don't see much of the city. Although as you point out, it will be dark so my sightseeing may also be limited as well. Further, I would be arriving from the Russian Federation, so I may require more time than usual to clear customs. (I will have an EU passport, but my Russian visa is in my US passport.)

I may not even end up doing this, but I had a flight option from Charlotte to St Petersburg for around $700 round trip with this layover and thought to ask in case I chose that option.

Don Atkinson posted:

Prices at the said Hilton are £200 - £250 mid Feb at the moment. Good seats for a show hover around £75, Walking is free, and despite rumours to the contrarty, safe.

In mid Feb, it will be dark for most of your overnight.

Walking central London on a dark, misty evening is one of the great travel experiences, in my view. It's not hard to find yourself "back in time" in a cobbled laneway or residential mew, and then a few minutes later, emerge into the modern bright world of somewhere like Piccadilly Circus.

As you walk across a London, just keep an eye out for the London Underground signs which give you a clue that you are heading in the right direction. More fun and more informative than the very convenient tube.

I totally agree... walking off the beaten track in central London is a great experience.. you tend to get away from the traffic and noise.. also you find everything is a lot closer than it otherwise seems if you look at a tube map... 

If you take the walking option, which is what I would do, for sure pick a route that includes residential mews and cobbled streets just as suggested by winky, but also include the river and its bridges, eg Hungerford bridge along to say Blackfriars or even Tower Bridge.

Anyway, as you say, it's all just an option at the moment, but nothing quite like having a plan in mind.

There are less expensive hotels in London than the Hilton at Paddington, but as winky say, it's incredibly convenient.

Maybe go for an overnight stay in Windsor instead. Near the airport, hotels and restaurants much cheaper, and plenty to see and do.

Or you could go to Bray and have your choice of extremely expensive 3*Michelin dining experiences (or a wonderful pub dinner at the Hind’s Head).

My choice would be to head for central London on the Tube. You’re never far from a Tube station, so wherever you end up, you can easily find your way back to the hotel/airport. Just avoid rush hour travel, which unsurprisingly, is thoroughly unpleasant. 

Walking along the South Bank gives you good views of central London, with plenty to do and see nearby....Westminster, the Festival Hall, Tate Modern, Borough Market, etc. etc. Always have a plan B for bad weather, though. If you need to run for cover, there are plenty of good pubs. One of my favourite boltholes is the Everyman cinema on Baker Street, where you can relax, watch a film in a comfy armchair, have a glass of wine and a snack. 

I’ve never used Heathrow Express because the frequency of the Underground negates the wait, especially if not going near to Paddington, and it is cheaper - but best bet is search out what you want to see/do, check timetables for Heathrow Exress against Underground frequency and plan around ease of getting specifically to that venue. As for accommodation, probably best sited to suit your return rather than the venue - e.g. close to Paddington station if using Heathrow express. If your intended entertainment  ends in time to get the last train/tube back to Heathrow you could even stay at an airport hotel, quickly dump your overnight bag there before going into London, and avoid any worries in the morning.

I use Triago.co.uk to find hotels near any given location.  TFL.gov.uk for Underground info.  Heathrowexpress.com for that.  There

Useful iPhone apps, these all useable offline: Tube Map (does what it says on the tin!).  Transit by Navitime (train and Underground maps, also route planning - useful for people unfamiliar with the Underground).  City Walks London (has an offline map with GOS -great if you don’t know where you are!) 

if you decide  not to go into London, there is a Cineworkd multiplex cinema about 2 miles from the airport in Feltham, an easy taxi ride away, which I have used when killing time at Heathrow.

As for things to do in London, if you want entertainment rather than walking around, there are a huge number of theatres, plus all sorts of music venues. A good resource is Timeout.com/London, and there are numerous theatre search sites . But if you decide on a play/show, try booking direct from the theatre’s own box office - many sell direct, significantly cheaper than the same tickets bought through one if the generic ticket sites.

In February the weather could hinder your arrival so stay local to the airport.

If you are llikely to be suffering from jet lag hangover from your journey to Russia and you have had a hectic time in Russia then a quiet spell close to LHR could be the optimum solution.

I missed something before my previous posts: if the 17:30 arrival time given is the nominal flight arrival time you could be up to perhaps half an hour early or any amount of time late, then if not just carry-on luggage, baggage reclaim and passport control will add at least half an hour before getting out of the terminal - and could be an hour. That does make booking a theatre risky - however if timing dies work in the day, and perhaps weather not conducive to walking, it is possible to buy at the last minute online, while there is a ticket booth in Leicester Square that sells up to 7pm on the day, often discounted, but only in person (though they have a website with info: officiallondonthestre.com/tkts

Hi Mark ,

I've lived in West London for 20 years and without doubt the easiest way into London from Heathrow is on the Underground , forget about the Heathrow Express as its a rip off at £27 one way or £42 return and I wouldn't really recommend Paddington for a night stroll unless you know it well . The Piccadilly tube line (Dark Blue) runs straight from heathrow into Central London and costs about £6 one way , its very regular and quick taking about 45 minutes to South Kensington . Once it gets to Acton town or hammersmith it joins the District (green) Line (same platform) and your options increase . 

Where to stay ? As you say you'd like to walk , I'd stay around South Kensington . There a lots of hotels and eateries of all levels , its also a very nice safe area . There are lots of nice landmarks within easy walking distance such as the Natural History museum , the Royal Albert Hall , Hyde Park , Kensington High Street , the Kings road etc .You'll really feel like you've been to London . 

Further along the Piccadilly line it gets more touristy as you get to Piccadilly circus , Leicester Square and Covent Garden but they wouldn't be my choice to be honest given your time scale . A quieter and closer option could be Chiswick (Turnham Green tube station on district line ) which has a really nice high road with lots of restaurants etc . 

The best smartphone navigation app to use in London is Citymapper which combines tube , bus , train , cycle , taxi and walking . Its a great app that I use all the time even though I know my way around as its live and up to date .

Hope this helps and if you need any more info for pubs or restaurants  etc just ask .

Peter .

Thanks to all for the info - a different question:

If I arrive at LHR Terminal 3 on Finnair arriving from Helsinki), and have 1 hour and 5 minutes between flights (also departing from Terminal 3 allegedly), will that be enough time to make the connection?

Quite the opposite question from that which I asked above...

 And I would say no. If you only have carry-on baggage it could be enough, but only if your departure is indeed T3 and you go through the ‘connecting flights’ link, and your flight is not delayed at all, and disembarkation is quick. Overall a significant risk. 

DrMark posted:

Thanks to all for the info - a different question:

If I arrive at LHR Terminal 3 on Finnair arriving from Helsinki), and have 1 hour and 5 minutes between flights (also departing from Terminal 3 allegedly), will that be enough time to make the connection?

Quite the opposite question from that which I asked above...

This should be in the brain teaser section?

Innocent Bystander posted:

 And I would say no. If you only have carry-on baggage it could be enough, but only if your departure is indeed T3 and you go through the ‘connecting flights’ link, and your flight is not delayed at all, and disembarkation is quick. Overall a significant risk. 

I would concur. Making connections at LHR is one of the worst. I'm nervous if I have less than 2 hours. 3 hours if I have to change terminals.

Thanks guys - I kind of thought so - I have made a terminal change connection there in just under 2 hours, but it was special ops timing all the way...thought that damn bus to the second terminal would never get moving.

Given that is the case it seems ridiculous that the airlines are offering those as an option for the route I am looking at. There was another 1:05 connection in Helsinki Vantaa before getting to LHR, but that is a very small facility.

Hmmm, that’s not much time to travel into and explore much of London.

In reality by the time you get out of the airport, journey in to town, find and check into a hotel and step out, that’s about 8’ish I reckon.

You’ll be able to grab some dinner and take a stroll around the locality and that’s it. The museums etc. will be shut. You’re also going to have to leave your hotel very early next day to make check in and then run the risk of travel chaos too, tube strikes etc.

Me, I’d book a hotel at Heathrow, get a sandwich and cab/tube into town and go to Covent Garden/Leicester Square/Trafalgar Square/Embankment area. Lots of touristy and walky bits in a relatively small area which I guess is what you want if you want to be able to feel you’ve now seen London. Or a bit of it at least.  And then get back to Heathrow hotel that night to avoid potential and not unlikely travel misfortune in the morning! 

A warning that in February the odds are that it’s likely to be wet and still chilly, so a stroll along the Thames may not be so charming.

winkyincanada posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

 And I would say no. If you only have carry-on baggage it could be enough, but only if your departure is indeed T3 and you go through the ‘connecting flights’ link, and your flight is not delayed at all, and disembarkation is quick. Overall a significant risk. 

I would concur. Making connections at LHR is one of the worst. I'm nervous if I have less than 2 hours. 3 hours if I have to change terminals.

Back in Sept/Oct we had a Westjet Kelowna -Calgary-Gatwick flight with a time-tabled 55 minute transfer at Calgary.

Luggage was checked right through from Kelowna to LGW but with the new arrangements at Calgary, I thought 55 minutes were a bit tight.

Local flight Kelowna - Calgary departed just over 20 minutes late, reducing transfer time to just over 30 minutes. That includes getting off the plane and walking/using the shuttle cars to transfer terminals.

We made the connection easily.

Pity we can't emulate this at Heathrow ! yes I know it's much bigger......but.....Terminal3 - Terminal 3, come on !