10 hour Layover in Heathrow

[Drwill4]

I have a 10 hour Layover in Heathrow later this month. Any recommendations on places to check out and maybe a pub or two to hit in that timeframe? Also, for folks that are familiar with Heathrow, am I even crazy for thinking I can check out some sights in that time?

Thanks,

Don

[MinusHD]

This won't give you much specific help, but 17 years ago I had an 8 hour layover at Gatwick on my way to Riga Latvia. We took the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. Then we spent several hours on foot (and the tube) walking past some of the major centrally located sites and getting some good pub food before taking the train back to Gatwick. Obviously, this happened back when airport security wasn't quite the chore it is today. I would have liked to have more time, but it was still worth it since I'd never been to London before - or since. If I were you I'd make the effort to get into town for a while. Enjoy!

[cessna152towser]

Heathrow is not a welcoming or friendly place to spend ten hours. You really do want to get away from the airport for a few hours sightseeing. Consider carefully the transport options and make sure you can get back to the airport in good time for your outbound flight.
The last time I stayed overnight in a hotel near Heathrow in 2011, as I had heavy luggage having just arrived back from Canada I tried for a taxi, but was told I would need to have £55 to £60 in cash for the fare. I asked if he could stop at a cash machine as I only had £42 sterling and the rest of my cash was still in $Cdn but he refused to take me on that basis. So I travelled to the hotel by bus which only cost £2.20. You have to sympathise with the cabbie though who has to meet the costs of running and licensing his vehicle, paying the airport for the right to use the rank, and if he has waited an hour or two to reach the head of the rank is obviously going to choose a customer who wants to travel at least as far as central London.
The Heathrow Express train is by far the quickest way into central London, only takes fifteen minutes but is expensive. I've only used it once. I just checked the internet a few minutes ago to see what the cheapest one way ticket for tomorrow would cost and it came up as £22 each way (£44 return). London Underground train is a fraction of the price but will take a lot longer.
You could visit Windsor which is closer to Heathrow than going into central London, do the touristy thing and see the castle. Taxi takes twenty minutes each way or an hour each way by bus. Here's a link to Trip Advisor for Windsor based on a seven hour layover at Heathrow.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...or.Castle.html
While at Heathrow be aware they are very hot on re-cycling, with different coloured bins for different types of waste. I placed an empty foil crisp (chip) packet in a waste paper bin and was pursued by an irate cleaner who insisted in escorting me back to the bin and removing my item to the general waste bin.
Bear in mind it can take a long time to travel between the different terminals at Heathrow. There are free train links between some of the terminals but you could wait twenty minutes for a train.
Heathrow is an airport I prefer to avoid. Amsterdam Schiphol is much more convenient and customer friendly.

[John_Carrick]

The "Tube" into central London takes about an hour each way. I've never used the Express Train but maybe others might recommend it.

If you like a walk and can leave your luggage at the airport you could get off at Green Park on the Piccadilly Tube Line and walk to Buckingham Palace, St James Park, see the Palace of Westminster, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and head to Piccadilly Circus and maybe have tea at Fortnum and Masons.

You could just get a Tube to Knightsbridge, see Harrods and have tea there and head back.

You could take Tube to South Kensington and see a museum or two (Victoria and Albert, Science or Natural History).

A tube to (Russell Square??) and see the British Museum.

You could see St Pauls in the city (change from the Piccadilly line to the Central line). Time to see the Cathedral, cross the river by the footbridge and see quite a bit of the city, including a view of Tower Bridge.

There is a "Hop on Hop Off" tourist bus which goes around the main sites.

Maybe a Riverbus from Westminster to Greenwich.

A few options for spending a few hours.

The weather in January is likely to be 'horrible but you might get a crisp cold sunny day.

John

[O'Callaghan]

I once took the tube to Heathrow when my Algerian friend Ben, who I knew when we were students at uni, was flying home. I believe it took us 45 minutes one way, albeit not from the centre of London, but from Rotherhithe, a lit bit SE of the centre, where I lived at the time, Heathrow being due West of central London. They actually held the plane for him, under the impression that he was some sort of security risk. This is funny because (a) he is quite small and slim; (b) this was long before they got panicked about moslems; and (c) he isn't one anyway.

So, allow 45 minutes each way, but I guess with ten hours that is doable, even allowing ridiculous amounts of time for clearing security when you get back. Also, they have multiple tube stations inside the airport at different terminals, so getting to the right terminal is not a huge problem if you travel that way. The right line is the Piccadilly line, coloured dark blue on the tube maps, although of course in the airport it is the only tube line. South Kensington is on the same line, and there are three museums near that station, Natural History, Science and V&A (Victoria and Albert). If it was me, I wouldn't get any further than that. Do all three of them and you could miss your plane!

[Angstrom]

I had a similar layover a few years ago. I took the train into London, wandered a bit, and ended up at the Victoria & Albert museum which I thoroughly enjoyed.

So yes, you can enjoy a bit of London instead of being trapped in a terminal.

[Drwill4]

Thinking about heading in the other direction towards Windsor primarily because of the assumption that it might be a simpler endeavor. Probably won't actually make the decision till I'm on the ground.