The idea of a traditional breakfast at a British country inn or just watching the planes land from the viewing area is quite appealing to me, but if you wanted to do some sightseeing, then you can use this as a guide...

Last Sunday, I arrived at LHR T3 (deplaned at 6:23am and cleared immigration at 6:42am -- it took an extra minute longer as I had to explain to the nice woman why I had just flown to London for 10 hours). I was sitting towards the middle of the UA B777 and the flight was fairly full. There were at least 10 other widebodies arriving at T3 at the same time as our flight (which was scheduled for 6:20am). As I walked by the baggage claim carousels, I could hear from the loudspeakers that the bags were not coming off the belt that quickly. I guess that may be why there were no customs officers at the custom declaration area. NO ONE.

From the pax greeting area at T3, it's another 5-10 mins or so to the tube stop. I suspect it would have probably been another 5 mins or so to the Heathrow Express Station. The tube takes about 50 minutes to get to most City destinations (including the Tate Modern or the British Museum stops -- HIGHLY recommended -- then it's another 10 minute walk from the station to the museums).

There is also a left luggage area outside the T3 pax greeting area for 3 pounds up to 6 hours. They seemed fairly efficient, but you will need to have your bags X-rayed.

You can change money before or after baggage claim. The rates are still the same. I would use an ATM personally.

A 6-Zone One Day Travelcard that will allow you to use any Tube or bus service will cost 7.70 pounds for adults and 3.30 pounds for children aged 5-15 (price increase as of 1/1/01 already reflected). The return Heathrow Express fare was 17 pounds or 10 pounds one way as of last week. A taxi to the city is 35 pounds for up to 5 people (call 44171-20-8745-5325 to make a reservation or email them at [email protected]), ride should take 30-45 minutes according to their brochure. I personally would take the Tube or a taxi since the Heathrow Express leaves you off at Paddington Station on the Circle Tube Line and you will still have to navigate to your next destination. The Heathrow express is also not cost effective.

If your flight is on time and you do not stop at the Internet Exchange to surf (with about 10 computer terminals) or linger too long by the newstands, you could be out of LHR and in the City center by 8:15am, just in time for the sun to rise.

What you decide to do in the City is up to you. If you are with your family, I would grab breakfast (you could even do this at the airport first) and then visit the newly-opened glass-enclosed Great Court at the British Museum. It is home to an incredible Reading Room and is spectacular. The Courtyard opens at 9am and the Museum galleries open at 10am. There are two small "cafes" serving drinks at the edges of the courtyard. There is also a "Gladiator" special exhibit at the museum right now. Admission is 6 pounds I think. You could easily spend entire days at the British Museum. Anyway, the British Museum has a very nice Web site that you can check out at The British Museum. The galleries at the Tate Modern open up at 10:15am, but the ground-floor cafe and the bookshop open at around 9am I think. I got there at 9:45am-ish and the cafe was already packed with rain-drenched tourists. (yes, agree with lalala's comment below, bring an umbrella at a minimum)

Just one caution though. Even if you already have your boarding pass, you must plan to step off a TRAIN/TAXI/TUBE at LHR by 12:30pm if you flight is at 1:45pm. This means you need to be on the subway or taxi by about 11:45am at the latest (this should afford a sufficient cushion of time). LHR has one of the S L O W E S T security checkpoints I have ever come across. In addition, the gates are spread so far apart that you could run the risk of missing your flight. If you get to the airport earlier, then you can always do some duty free shopping, which is quite reasonable compared to the High Street shops in the City.

I realize that a quick detour to the city from LHR seems rushed (and it certainly is), but I think the NEW British Museum (or the Tate Modern) is worth it if you aren't planning a return trip to London anytime soon. If you choose either musuem, get there early when the open. I went on a Sunday, so it's not the greatest example, but the Tate was packed by 11:30am and the British Museum was wall-to-wall people during the afternoon -- there was no line for the Gladiator exhibit though...Oh yeah, both the British Museum and the Tate Modern are free entry, although donations are requested)

[edited to fix British Museum link and to add more info on the Tate Modern]


[This message has been edited by fallinasleep (edited 12-15-2000).]