What's the easiest way to get into London from Heathrow?

[icydog]

We are off on our vacation to London on the 31st of October. I had a question and I figured you guys over here on the UK boards would know the answer.
We arrive in London (LHR) from Newark at 20:00, and by the time we get our luggage and go through customs, it will be at least an hour and a half. We have reservations at the Hilton London Kennsington, 179 199 Holland Park Avenue, London. What is the best way to get there at this late hour? Is a taxi our only choice? If it is, do they cost a lot?
We were in London the week after 9/11 our last trip so we hope this one will be a lot nicer. The last time we took the tube to our hotel and I swore we would never do that again. All those steps with luggage almost killed us, and we are not in good shape to begin with. Coming home we took the Express train from Paddington Station to Heathrow.
Is this another alternative at that late hour or is it closed? Can we take a cab from Paddington Station to our hotel that late at night?

Thanks for all your ideas,
Marylyn

 

[Claire L]

Firstly hope you have a lovely time in London and the Heathrow Express runs until just gone 2300 hrs weekdays so should be fine. As for taxi's make sure you get the big black London cabs they run 24/7

Claire

 

[icydog]

Firstly hope you have a lovely time in London and the Heathrow Express runs until just gone 2300 hrs weekdays so should be fine. As for taxi's make sure you get the big black London cabs they run 24/7

Claire

Does anyone know what British Airways terminal is usual for flights in from Newark ?

The express class ticket will cost us $44 each for a round trip ticket. About how much would a Big Black London cab cost to/from Heathrow? And how much tip do you leave cabbies? For that matter how much do we tip anyone?

 

[Claire L]

BA use Terminal 4, they virtually paid for it to be built!! As for price of cab Heathrow to London I am not too sure, but tipping is not as commomplace over here as the US but is still given for some services. For a taxi I would tip 10% and also for a full service restuarant usually about 10 - 15%. To be honest the more I travel to the US the more I am likely to tip here as well!!

Claire

 

[CustardTart]

Cab costs circa £30 (more at night) and we usually tip 10%. HTH.

 

[icydog]

BA use Terminal 4, they virtually paid for it to be built!! As for price of cab Heathrow to London I am not too sure, but tipping is not as commomplace over here as the US but is still given for some services. For a taxi I would tip 10% and also for a full service restuarant usually about 10 - 15%. To be honest the more I travel to the US the more I am likely to tip here as well!!

Claire

If we took the train we would end up in Paddington Station. Can we easily walk from there to our hotel or would a cab be necessary?

Cab costs circa £30 (more at night) and we usually tip 10%. HTH.

Wow that's great! It costs just a little more than a train and I would think it is a lot easier but I reserve judgement until I learn if we can walk from Paddington Station and if it is safe that late at night for two tourists carrying luggage.

 

[Claire L]

Personally I don't like walking around London at night and especially if I had luggage, so for the price of a cab I think it is best to get one to the hotel.

Claire

 

[JanElliott]

I know an earlier post said that the taxi fare would be about £30 but I asked a taxi driver friend of ours and he said that a black cab from Heathrow to central London could be as much as £50 - £60. Didn't want you to get a big shock on the night. Hope you have a brilliant trip to London.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

With an American accent, double the cost of the Cab fare

 

[disneyholic family]

If we took the train we would end up in Paddington Station. Can we easily walk from there to our hotel or would a cab be necessary?

I see that you're staying at the Kensington Hilton. That is a very very very very long walk from Paddington Station (in fact i doubt anyone would walk it).

If you were staying in the Paddington Hilton, then obviously you could walk it, since it's upstairs from the station. Having said that, I personally hate the Paddington Hilton, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Bottom line, yes you would have to take a cab from Paddington Station to the Kensington Hilton.

When I'm in London i take a taxi from Heathrow to my hotel in London. I can't be bothered with the train when i'm lugging luggage. In fact, i even took a taxi when i stayed at the Paddington Hilton for the same reason. I guess i take a morbid sense of pleasure in sitting in parking lot like traffic jams (as seem to be typical on the way to Heathrow).

 

[Crissup]

With an American accent, double the cost of the Cab fare

Can I fool em if I keep referring to him as "Mate"?

 

[NotUrsula]

Not unless you want them to think you're Australian. I find that giving the street address rather than the name of the business (unless it's a train station) makes one sound less like a gullible tourist.

I've pretty much done all the possible ways into London from LHR, and for my money the Express is best after a flight from the US. You'll be in your hotel showering (even with the cab ride from Paddington) before a cab from Heathrow would be halfway to Zone 1.

If you don't already own an A-Z, buy a smallish one before you leave, and study it. I think you rather need it if you are not sure whether Paddington Station is walking distance to Kensington. (Victoria might be, but Paddington would be a pretty long haul.)

 

[Crissup]

Not unless you want them to think you're Australian.

I don't know, that's all my colleagues seem to refer to me by. CarolAnnC laughs everytime she hears one of them tell me "OK Mate!". I keep reassuring her that she's my mate, not them.

 

[icydog]

If you don't already own an A-Z, buy a smallish one before you leave, and study it. I think you rather need it if you are not sure whether Paddington Station is walking distance to Kensington. (Victoria might be, but Paddington would be a pretty long haul.)

What is this you are referring to, a book called London from A-Z? Where does one find this book? And you're right I don't know a thing about London except that last time we were there we left on the high speed train from Paddington Station and we walked there from our hotel. I guess it would be like asking if you could walk from Wall Street in New York City to Penn Station. Sure you could do it, it's about 1 hour walk, but it's crazy to think about doing it carrying luggage, in the middle of the night. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Candy]

With an American accent, double the cost of the Cab fare

It doesnt matter what accent you have a black cab is charged on a metre and what ever the fare states on the black box in red writing just above the driver is the fare you pay no more no less if you want to give a tip that is up to you. my dh is a london taxi driver so any questions ask away.

 

[NotUrsula]

What is this you are referring to, a book called London from A-Z? Where does one find this book?

An A-Z (referred to in the UK as the "A-to-Zed") is a very detailed street atlas. The one for London is the original, and it comes in several sizes and versions, including a large spiral-bound version for drivers, and a tiny version you can carry in your jeans pocket. Even lifelong Londoners usually keep a copy handy in the car, and sometimes a pocket one in a handbag or briefcase, as the city is HUGE, and one never knows when one will have to go somewhere one has never been.

In London, they can be found at airports, train stations, bookstores, newstands, tobacconists, and even convenience stores. Usually the most commonly available sizes are the pocket one (which only includes the more central areas, and does not include the outer suburbs), or the trade paperback size. There is also a map of the tube system on the book's back cover. Ask for an "A-to-Zed" and the shop clerk will point you right to it.

If you want to get one *before* you go, (which I would recommend, as it takes a while to figure out what the codes mean) they can sometimes be found in the travel sections of well-stocked bookstores, or you can order them online. Here is the paperback-sized one on the Amazon site:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0850397529/002-5520687-3440835?v=glance (You can also order it from Amazon UK, which will cost a bit more but will arrive much more quickly, as they have them in stock and can ship them immediately; takes about a week, as opposed to 3 weeks, but as you're leaving so soon, that might not work, either.)

 

[icydog]

Thank you I will pick one up at Heathrow and look at it on the train to London.

 

[disneyholic family]

Thank you I will pick one up at Heathrow and look at it on the train to London.

be forewarned, books in london (both in the airport and the city) are horrifyingly expensive....pretty much twice what you'd pay for the same thing in Borders or Barnes and Noble in the states....
although having said that, when i'm in the UK i tend to go wild since it's so much fun having stores full of books in English, regardless of the exorbitant prices....