U.K. and Ireland - Heathrow to London Euston

What is the easiest way to get from Heathrow to London Euston around 8am on weekdays? How much time it takes?

I was told to consider using Heathrow Express and then take cab. The other option is use the tube....

Any tips???

Easiest? Take a cab the whole way, no thinking required. It will take a while and not be cheap as it's morning rush hour; if it were me, I'd plan for 90 minutes.

The Heathrow Express would be much faster. There will be a long cab queue at Paddington at that time, although there is a shared cab scheme operating then that might make things a bit better. You can also take the tube from Paddington to Euston. It will be crowded during rush hour, of course.

What is the easiest way to get from Heathrow to London Euston around 8am on weekdays? How much time it takes?

I was told to consider using Heathrow Express and then take cab. The other option is use the tube....

Any tips???

There are a host of variables here including are you in a hurry, are you cost concious, will you have large bags? I think it has to be the Black Cab the whole way for the easiest option, but that means rush hour traffic so possibly not the quickest or the cheapest. The Tube might be busier at 8am (you'll have to change at Green Park) the HEX probably less so. The TFL Journey Planner (http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en) suggests Hex and then Hammersmith and City Tube which requires no changes unlike the Circle and District Line where you will have to change trains at Edgeware Road. Someone else who has done it more recently than me at that time will be along to explain it better.

The TfL journeyplanner defaults to the fastest, not the best route. If you are coming into London at 8:00am on a weekday then one of the last places you want to be with luggage is in the middle of Paddington station trying to get a taxi / bus / Tube train as there are tens of thousands of commuters doing exactly the same.

Same applies for any routing that involves a Tube change within central London.

The simplest & cheapest method however is to take the Tube from Heathrow to Kings Cross and walk the 10 minutes to Euston.

Black cab BTW would be around £80-£100

A cab would be a nightmare, getting stuck in the worst rush hour traffic. Also, you risk a heart attack watching the meter ratcheting up incessantly while you are stationary.

I would recommend taking the HEX and, at Paddington, changing onto the Hammersmith & City line, which goes straight to Euston. Most commuters head for the Circle / District lines whereas the Ham & City runs from a different part of the station and is (relatively) less crowded. This will be the easiest and least stressful way of handling the trip - and probably the fastest.

I would recommend taking the HEX and, at Paddington, changing onto the Hammersmith & City line, which goes straight to Euston.
The Hammersmith & City line does not go to Euston, but goes to Euston Square. I believe there are new(ish) lifts linking the westbound platform and the street level entrance at Euston Square but am not sure if there are lifts from the eastbound platform. If the OP has a lot of luggage this could be a problem.

I wonder if the OP should perhaps let us know what the final destination is, incase there are some smart work-arounds.

(I'm assuming he's getting a train somewhere out of Euston).

I am needing to catch a train to Wales.

I'd use the tube to King's Cross and change to Victoria or Northern Line to Euston. I can't remember which line was easier to change to as it was some time since I travelled on this route last but someone more familiar with King's Cross tube station may be able to comment.

This diagram (http://parkinginstevenage.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/king-cross-upgrade-map1.gif) might help.

Another option is to change at Green Park but it involves a very long walk.

What is the easiest way to get from Heathrow to London Euston around 8am on weekdays? How much time it takes?

I was told to consider using Heathrow Express and then take cab. The other option is use the tube....

Any tips???

If you don't have loads of luggage I'd take the tube to Leicester Square then change to the Northern Line to go up to Euston. If you get in the rearmost carriage at Heathrow it's a quick 30 second walk up 2 very short flights of stairs at Leicester Square and you're on the northern line platforms. Far less walking than changing at Green Park or King's Cross

I am needing to catch a train to Wales.

my original home.

i have done this ooh about one million zillion times.

the advice above of taking heathrow express to paddington and then hammersmith city line to euston square is the best. it is a very short walk from euston square to the train station.

i would not recommend a taxi along any part of the route.

You might want to consider this, depending on luggage and the time vs hassle factor.

http://www.greenline.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Services/South_East/SEHA724_160411_110411.pdf

So you get a bus from Heathrow to Watford Junction, then pick up the train North there.

I reckon even taking the Heathrow Express then tube, you're not going to get much change out of an hour at that time of day and if you can avoid the city centre during rush hour(s) then all the better. Risk is you might have to wait an hour for this bus :td:

So you get a bus from Heathrow to Watford Junction, then pick up the train North there.
Trains from Euston going to Wales don't stop at Watford Junction.

Yup, most Watford Junction calls have been cut. The Chester/Holyhead trains do call at Milton Keynes Central, however, but it's a bit of a faff transferring from the coachway to the railway station.

A cab would be a nightmare, getting stuck in the worst rush hour traffic. Also, you risk a heart attack watching the meter ratcheting up incessantly while you are stationary.

I would recommend taking the HEX and, at Paddington, changing onto the Hammersmith & City line, which goes straight to Euston. Most commuters head for the Circle / District lines whereas the Ham & City runs from a different part of the station and is (relatively) less crowded. This will be the easiest and least stressful way of handling the trip - and probably the fastest.

Don't you have to hike up a rather longish staircase to transfer to the Hammersmith and City?

Yup, most Watford Junction calls have been cut. The Chester/Holyhead trains do call at Milton Keynes Central, however, but it's a bit of a faff transferring from the coachway to the railway station.

yes indeed, making it a real nice fast journey. only 3 hours to bangor and short ride thereafter to end of the line at holyhead

back in the day i tried the watford junction switch and usually ended up a bit of a nightmare

to repeat, heathrow express, H&c to euston square is definitely the best way to do this

Don't you have to hike up a rather longish staircase to transfer to the Hammersmith and City?

If you go directly to the bridge from platform 6/7 then there is a 26-step staircase.
If you walk around to platform 8, then there is a ramp.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/sjp/PAD/plan.html
But you will still need to get down the stairs on to the H&C line platforms, and to get up the stairs again at Euston Square. (Probably a similar size)

Assuming that the stairs aren't a big problem, then this is easier than the other underground options.

Although, personally, I would consider taking the underground to Kings Cross and walking from there. It will get busy, but you will already have a seat. (Assuming not much luggage).

You can get a coach from LHR central bus station to Reading ....and then a train onwards to Wales ....(if South Wales : Cardiff ,Swansea etc are the destination.)....

yes indeed, making it a real nice fast journey. only 3 hours to bangor and short ride thereafter to end of the line at holyhead

You must be an optimist. :p Only one train takes 3 hrs 6 mins to Bangor officially and others take between 3 hrs 15 mins and 25 mins during the day and early evenings at least. But I agree it's much better than it used to be when through trains which had to change engines in Crewe took longer than some connecting trains. And there are hourly services (mostly thanks to Chester as a business destination) throughout the day with half-hourly trains in early evenings. ^

You can get a coach from LHR central bus station to Reading ....and then a train onwards to Wales ....(if South Wales : Cardiff ,Swansea etc are the destination.)....
Since the OP asked about going to Euston, I doubt if the destination is in South Wales.

You must be an optimist. :p Only one train takes 3 hrs 6 mins to Bangor officially and others take between 3 hrs 15 mins and 25 mins during the day and early evenings at least. But I agree it's much better than it used to be when through trains which had to change engines in Crewe took longer than some connecting trains. And there are hourly services (mostly thanks to Chester as a business destination) throughout the day with half-hourly trains in early evenings. ^


Since the OP asked about going to Euston, I doubt if the destination is in South Wales.

actually i did the trip about 2 weeks ago for the first time in many, many years. we left euston 9:15am and i got off at bangor at 12:15 exactly. i was very impressed! i used to do this all the time in the early 90s (grew up in anglesey, went to uni in london). spent many a long hour doing the crawl crewe stoke nuneaton blah blah! of course my one recent experience may not be typical but compared to what it used to it was breath of fresh air!

think the last time i did the trip it was like 1996. what i did find remarkable is euston did not appear to have changed at all right down to the burger king and wh smiths being in the exact same spot!

and yes nobody goesco south wales from euston. if they are going south wales they can go straight from paddington.

newbierunner i just made the connection. i did this trip in between my lh rdu-lhr f trip and ba man-rdu trip! took the train up to wales to see family who then drove me to man to set off home. small world here on ft lol

actually i did the trip about 2 weeks ago for the first time in many, many years. we left euston 9:15am and i got off at bangor at 12:15 exactly. i was very impressed! i used to do this all the time in the early 90s (grew up in anglesey, went to uni in london). spent many a long hour doing the crawl crewe stoke nuneaton blah blah! of course my one recent experience may not be typical but compared to what it used to it was breath of fresh air!

think the last time i did the trip it was like 1996. what i did find remarkable is euston did not appear to have changed at all right down to the burger king and wh smiths being in the exact same spot!

and yes nobody goesco south wales from euston. if they are going south wales they can go straight from paddington.
Yes, that's the train I had in mind. Leave Euston at 9:10, arrive Bangor at 12:16. Although it left Euston a few minutes later than schedule there's plenty of opportunity to catch up. ;) All the other trains are scheduled to take slightly longer, but I agree it's a vast improvement on what it used to be.

BTW after that almost live chat in another forum a couple of weeks ago you could have dropped in to say hello. :)

newbierunner i just made the connection. i did this trip in between my lh rdu-lhr f trip and ba man-rdu trip! took the train up to wales to see family who then drove me to man to set off home. small world here on ft lol
Haha... and do you know how long it takes to travel to MAN by train? Twice as long as driving! :td:

You must be an optimist. :p Only one train takes 3 hrs 6 mins to Bangor officially and others take between 3 hrs 15 mins and 25 mins during the day and early evenings at least. But I agree it's much better than it used to be when through trains which had to change engines in Crewe took longer than some connecting trains. And there are hourly services (mostly thanks to Chester as a business destination) throughout the day with half-hourly trains in early evenings. ^


Since the OP asked about going to Euston, I doubt if the destination is in South Wales.

Good point : still that handy LHR central coach station goes virtually anywhere ( providing the Op can abide that type of transportation :) )

Good point : still that handy LHR central coach station goes virtually anywhere ( providing the Op can abide that type of transportation :) )
And in case anybody not familiar with the geography of Great Britain and Wales in particular is reading this, travelling between north and south Wales by train (if at all possible) takes longer than between north Wales and London and you can only travel via England. ;)

p.s. Since this is FT I'd better add I have flown between north and south Wales a few times. :)

think the last time i did the trip it was like 1996. what i did find remarkable is euston did not appear to have changed at all right down to the burger king and wh smiths being in the exact same spot!

Changes you may not have noticed include M&S Simply Food, various food outlets on the piazza facing the station, Body Shop, Sock Shop, etc.

Changes you may not have noticed include M&S Simply Food, various food outlets on the piazza facing the station, Body Shop, Sock Shop, etc.

M&S I will give you but I can assure you sock shop, body shop and tie rack have been staples of Euston since the late 80s!

Haha... and do you know how long it takes to travel to MAN by train? Twice as long as driving! :td:

this I am also aware of! that said i remember in my childhood the a55 being single lane all the way. conway castle in particular was a nightmare. could take 3-4 hours to drive along the peninsula.

even here there have been improvements with no more masses of roundabouts to get from m56 to a55. all good progress!

M&S I will give you but I can assure you sock shop, body shop and tie rack have been staples of Euston since the late 80s!
Possibly. After all I seem to be in Tokyo, Chicago or Frankfurt more often than I'm in London in recent years. ;)

even here there have been improvements with no more masses of roundabouts to get from m56 to a55. all good progress!
There are two roundabouts on the A55 and the one east of Penmaenmawr is said to be the first roundabout lorry drivers come across after leaving Poland on the way to Dublin. :D

M&S I will give you but I can assure you sock shop, body shop and tie rack have been staples of Euston since the late 80s!
As one that has made the LHR-EUS connection MANY times, I can advise that Boots moved a while back and Tie Rack moved from a stall to the former Boots location.

As for the OP, if lots of luggage, I'd take the Piccadilly all the way to King's Cross and black cab or walk the short distance to Euston.

If traveling light, I'd just take the Piccadilly line with the connection to the Victoria line at Green Park. I travel light and this is my preferred option. My personal record: after a late arriving flight, I made it from arrival at LHR to immigration to tube to Green Park to Euston, collected my ticket at the Fast Ticket machine, bought a meal deal at Boots, and made my train - in 1hr 55min total. I don't know how many people I knocked over in the process, but I did remember to say "Sorry" to each of them. :D

And in case anybody not familiar with the geography of Great Britain and Wales in particular is reading this, travelling between north and south Wales by train (if at all possible) takes longer than between north Wales and London and you can only travel via England. ;)


http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/PremierService/

Not only is is possible, you can also do it 1) in style and 2) heavily subsidised by the taxpayer...

It does go via Chester...

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/PremierService/

Not only is is possible, you can also do it 1) in style and 2) heavily subsidised by the taxpayer...

wow that looks nice. last time i did that trek (to go to a week long summer school at cardiff uni) took 8-9 hours on a national express bus going via aberystwyth. this looks nice!

though flying from raf valley to cardiff would be cool too :)

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/PremierService/

Not only is is possible, you can also do it 1) in style and 2) heavily subsidised by the taxpayer...
It looks nice but it still has to travel on the same single track line through Hereford and Shropshire countryside and my track record (pun unintended) travelling that route isn't very encouraging.

wow that looks nice. last time i did that trek (to go to a week long summer school at cardiff uni) took 8-9 hours on a national express bus going via aberystwyth. this looks nice!

though flying from raf valley to cardiff would be cool too :)
With a German aircraft (Dornier 228) and German crew. :D Last time I flew back from Cardiff the pilot decided to entertain/frighten drivers on the A55 by flying very low following the road across Anglesey . In adverse weather you could be diverted to Hawarden near Chester.

Thanks for all the advice.

Didn't want to carry my heavy luggage in the Tube. Ended up taking Heathrow Express to Paddington and taken a cab (£10) to Euston!

Thanks for all the advice.

Didn't want to carry my heavy luggage in the Tube. Ended up taking Heathrow Express to Paddington and taken a cab (£10) to Euston!
Thanks for posting the follow-up info. I would have guessed the cab would have been more. Glad that it all worked out for you.

Thanks for all the advice.

Didn't want to carry my heavy luggage in the Tube. Ended up taking Heathrow Express to Paddington and taken a cab (£10) to Euston!

Very pleased it all worked out for you.