Originally Posted by
PUCCI GALORE
I thought that I knew Heathrow and its surroundings but you have taken the biscuit! I think that if I was at Premier Inn T5 and had to get to T3 and it was a morning where there is constant moisture in the air as we are enduring here in Brittany; I would take the bus back to T5 and then the train to T3. The train is the nearest to the escalator/lift leading out of the tunnel to get to T3. Once outside there is no avoiding the elements to get to T3 itself but this is a lot less. I have never tried to get into the Virgin Terminal and walk through there, and do not know if one can do that. I may well try the T5 Premier Inn - the Thistle is such and sorry old flop house and the Sofitel is ridiculously priced.
That also works, but it will take a lot longer - not least because buses from Bath Road to Central Bus Station are very frequent, whereas there's less bus options to T5, then Underground trains onwards from there are only every 10 minutes (and Liz line even less frequent). T5, considering the single biggest operator at LHR is primarily based there, really is not at all well-served with public transport compared to T2/T3. There were probably reasons, but it always strikes me as a frustrating oversight that public transport is so poor to and from there given the emphasis that should have been put on it with a new-build terminal. The cynic might say that HAL gets to collect more drop-off fees as a result ...
You can do the journey using one of the two options I gave in about 15-22 minutes depending on which bus you catch (U3 will be quicker). By contrast, going via T5 then Liz Line/Underground will likely roughly double that.