jedikiah

Bus 205 direct from Kings Cross to Paddington (Praed St). Should not require any stairs and take 35-40 minutes normally depending on traffic. Still with 3 bags may be too much to negotiate.

alanR

Why don't you just get the Tube to LHR. It won't be any more of a hassle than getting Tube / bus to Paddington then HEX

Keyser

i agree....

Reason077

Convenient in the sense that you don't have to change trains Kings Cross -> LHR. But much slower, and a less comfortable ride than taking the HEX. Unless you're looking to save money, the best way is surely a cab to Paddington then HEX.

sam33

If anyone in Toronto will be going to LHR before next Friday (7/29) and would like 2 free first-class r/t's on the HEX, just let me know (they expire on 7/29 and I won't be there before then).

metallim

going to london for first time next week for 4 days and will probably be taking the tubes/buses quite a bit. what's the best way to do it? is there one card that works for everything, or different cards for different areas? day cards? i've been looking around a bit but it seems there are many different types and am a bit confused.

Keyser

get the oyster card....that will work both on the tube & bus....

From NYC

With the Oyster card, you'll also pay a deposit on the card itself. Not sure what it is now; when I got it, it was 3 pounds.

Depending on how you're organizing your trip, you can also just buy a 3-day pass for zone 1 or zone 1 & 2 (know where you're going to go during your stay so that you know if you need zone 2, which you might not; then again, you might have to get zone 2 for a 3-day). There's no deposit and you just use the card they'll give you for tube and buses. You could then just buy an all-in one-day pass for the 4th dayl you might have to avoid rush hours on the one-day.

You should only get the oyster card if you're going to be going back to London sometime soon, or if you need a card for a much longer stay.

If you're taking the tube from/to LHR, you can just pay the extra fee for including it on your pass.

gtownguy

HEX summer 50% discount code

Receive an email today with the code HEXA2P, which gives a 50% discount on Express Class (2nd class) return tickets for two or more people travelling together. For two people, this means £32 instead of the usual £64. The offer is valid for outbound travel between 28th June and 5th September.

There was a blurb about this in the travel section of today's Washington Post. Here's the link to all the info on this offer: www.heathrowexpress.com/summer

Reason077

Nah, just get the Oyster card. It's better for almost everyone - the only time you'd want a Travelcard is for a stay of 5+ days, where a 7-day Travel card can save you money, and in that case you can load the 7-day Travelcard onto your Oyster card anyway.

Oyster is also worthwhile for the fact that its much more difficult to lose or damage it than a flimsy paper ticket!

The £3 deposit, plus any unused balance, is easily refunded when you leave - you can do it at LHR or any other Tube station.

metallim

where do i purchase an oyster card? also, i'm going to have a couple kids/carseats/a bunch of luggage when i leave the airport. i'm going first to the sheraton skyline which is right near the airport, but i think one cab won't fit us. do you know if the bus/hoppa will be a problem with all that stuff? i read that the local free bus goes right from lhr to the sheraton skyline, but will they get upset if i start piling on with all my stuff?

n198ua

Were landing Sep 8 at Heathrow so the 50% code isn't working for me. Anyone know of any other discounts ?

Keyser

you can get the oyster card at any tube station....

there will be a lot of people with luggage so i don't think anyone will be upset with you....

Raffles

Tickets remain in the system for 6 months from date of booking. You should be able to book for a date in August and still get the tickets out OK on Sep 8th, and they will be dated that day. I have done this in the past with promo deals albeit not for a couple of years.

oslogutt999

Free first class upgrade on HEX returns booked before 30th August.

http://www.heathrowexpress.com/bmifriday1

Quote:
Exclusively for bmifriday, Heathrow Express is offering customers a First Class upgrade on all return journeys booked between the 30th July 2010 and 30th August 2010.

Travel in comfort on modern air-conditioned trains, with plenty of baggage space, free onboard Wi-Fi, full mobile phone coverage throughout your journey and Express TV for up-to-date world news and weather.

This offer is exclusive to online bookings only. Terms and conditions apply.

Terms & Conditions
1.Offer valid for booking made between 00.01am 30th July 2010 and 11.59 pm 30th August 2010.i
2.Offer valid for online return bookings only.
3.Bookings and outward journey must be made before 11:59pm 30th August 2010, with return journey valid one month from outward journey.
4.Offer not available at Heathrow Express ticket offices, onboard the train or at our station ticket machines.
5.Children must be accompanied by one or more adults.