medicus

Mods, if you think this needs to be moved to a more appropriate forum please do so.

My request is for advice on the best way to get from the City to T5.

On a Thursday in Sept I have a 9.30am appt (lasting about an hour) near Westminster Abbey, and a 2pm departure from T5 (BA 287).

My options seem to be from Westminster tube station :

1) D&C tube to sth kensington & change for picadilly tube to T5
2) jubilee to baker st, change to bakerloo or D&C to paddington and then HEX
3) circle line to paddington and then HEX

(The cost of HEX is not an issue.)

Which of these do those more knowledgeable than me think would be the best (least stressful, most efficient and quickest)? It's the transfers which I'm wondering about...

I will have a backpack and a rollaboard and I have normal mobility (for a 50 yo!).

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Medicus

corporate-wage-slave

Definitely option 2. The reason being is that Jubilee and Bakerloo lines at Baker Street are almost next to each other, there is a short connecting corridor, so the usual interchange hassle is close to zero there.

Having said that, option 1 is a lot cheaper, especially with an Oyster, and though it feels tedious it's not much slower than option 2.

The other option I would vaguely consider at the weekends or late at night is a taxi to Paddington from Westminster Abbey.

I allow at least 90 minutes from Westminster to T5 departure time, bearing in mind that with hand luggage you need to be at the start of security 35 minutes before departure, 21 minutes for HEX, allow a worst case scenario of just missing a HEX on a 15 minute service interval, 15 minutes for the tube.

db7

Outside of rush hour I find a private car transfer the easiest and as quick as messing around withe the underground, especially with luggage. Just google Heathrow car transfer to get list of companies. Have found Hummingbird to be reliable.

SWISSBOBBY

I would go option 1 as has been said earlier while the HEX is quick... it is not that much quicker if you are not at Paddington

If you get a District line train I would change at Baron's Court or Hammersmith rather than South Ken... Transfer across platform.

If Circle line train then change either South Ken of Gloucester Road..

shorthauldad

We did a journey by minicab from Tower Hill to T5 on Tuesday at lunchtime-ish, 2 pax, fare was £38, journey time 50 mins.

Betteronacamel

That's pretty good value IMHO; taxi definitely makes sense if there is more than 1 travelling given the cost of the HEX. It takes 22 minutes to get from Tower Hill to South Ken on the tube alone, so that was a quick run.

I take it that was a fixed fare. Did you book the cab - which company did you use?

Probably makes sense in the summer when traffic is light.

Barnaby100

I do Westminster (road behind abbey) to t3 regularly. I either pre book a car at about £40 or do jubilee to green park and then tube. I have gone to paddington by both taxi and tube and then hex but in my experience it is the longest way.

silonic

Probably not the done thing here, but bus 159, leaves every 6 minutes. Direct to Paddington station from Westminster. Takes 35 minutes.

Bus stop A from Parliament Street. Sit upstairs and have a free tour of London

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...nster-2298.pdf

Arsey00

If it were me, I'd probably cab it to a Piccadilly line station (Green Park, or any you fancy) and take the tube from there. Minimise traffic headaches and interchanges in one fell swoop.

BOH

But from Westminster it's surely easier to just take the Jubilee to Green park - it's the next stop IIRC

choirgirl

If your bags not too heav, youj're mobile, and it's a nice day, you could also walk to Green Park Station (through St James Park and Green Park) and tube from there. If you're heading to Paddington to the HEX, I second the suggestion of the bus - I find it more direct and less hassle then the tube between those destinations. I regularly do Pimlico to T5 by cab, and at that time of day would expect it to be a 40 min trip, and I'd add on an extra 5 mins from Westminster.

lorcancoyle

You'll do option 1 in about an hour (double check TFL site) - I go from southwark in just over an hour, 2 stops before Westminster on jubilee line)

If your appointment finishes at 10.30 / 11.00 that seems plenty of time for a 2 pm departure

NeverFirst

My vote would be;

District line from Westminster, changing at Hammersmith to the Piccadilly line.

Once you get on the tube at Westminster you only ever need to cross over platforms so there is no traipsing up and down stairs.

(Note: you might need to change trains at Earls Court as well, check the destination of the District line train. This still involves no stairs and you stay on the same pair of platforms).

It should take 45 minutes to an hour.

blackstone82

option 1 my vote. i regularly use this route for work and its an easy journey

Barnaby100

It is 5 min walk to tube (longer if there are lots of brides) . Cabs are easy to get from the small road in front of Methodist central hall- Where tothill road meets storeys gate- it is a cabbie shortcut and so although it looks like the main road is a better bet for cabs it rarely is.