thatflyer

SFO777

If you want to spend a more relaxing day in London, just dump your LHR-CDG flight. After the Arrivals Lounge, take HEX into the city, enjoy a solid 3-4 hours, then taxi/Uber over to St-Pancras and Eurostar to Gare du Nord. Much more relaxing IMO than round 2 at LHR followed by CDG.

mnhusker

I am doing something similar with my wife in December, arriving from ORD at 0630 and then departing on to TLV at 2200.

Getting a day room at Hilton T4 so that if tired can nap otherwise shower, breakfast and on into Land via HEX as most things in London open at 1000.

I have done this kind of quick stop in London at least a dozen times on my way to meetings on the continent, but never with flights that left before 3-4 PM in the afternoon.

Irregularities in HEX, the Tube and traffic jams going back to Heathrow are vary common so tight timing is something that should NOT be counted on. Plus I always wanted to arrive at least two hours prior to departure as clearing security and passport control can also be much slower than "normal".

So, if you really want a stop over visit, which I think is worth doing, London is a neat city, I would:

A) Look into a later flight to CDG

B) As a poster suggested look into taking Eurostar later from Central London to Paris in the evening instead of flying.

C) Look into a layover on the way back from Paris when you transit London. Maybe you can change your reservations so that you get into London from Paris say Sat. night and then fly out Sunday afternoon for example.

Hope you work it out!

Admiral Ackbar

Have 10 hour layover (switched to JAL F LHR-HND instead of the earlier BA one), quick visit to Imperial War Museum should be doable correct? I am OK getting around London, seems to be 30 minute tube from Paddington direct.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, though another option, since you are arriving into T3, is to take the bus 285 to Feltham station, get off at Vauxhall, and walk 1 mile from there. Or stay on to Waterloo and it's 0.5 mile walk from there.

corporate-wage-slave

There are no passport checks departing the UK in normal circumstances. People sometimes complain in this forum that the 35 minutes conformance minimum for security is too long (and actually they have a point at least for domestic service since these can only depart from T5A). Two hours is - in my opinion - way too long to be advocating as a minimum, security from landside these days rarely takes 10 minutes even without fast track, it has greatly improved in recent years, and for the late TLV flight it won't take 5 minutes. One hour is generous.

mec72

I'd take the HEX and then wander around Notting Hill, grab some food and coffee there, and then head back to the airport. No landmarks, but beautiful streets and a very "London-esque" experience.

mnhusker

Yes, but the IWM deserves a good long visit it's one of my favorites along with the RAF Museum at Duxford (on the Northern Line).

Take HEX to Paddigton Station then the Bakerloo line to Waterloo Station. IWM is a short walk from there.

Coming back on the Bakerloo you can get off at Charing Cross station and:
1. Trafalgar Square
2. Quick lunch and shopping in Covent Garden
3. Down Pall Mall to Cabinet War Rooms (Where Churchill Ran the war during the Blitz)
4. Time now is short, walk north to the Green Park station, take the Piccadilly Line back to Charing Cross and then Bakerloo line to Paddington Station.

Great historical day in London

mnhusker

Two hours is the "security blanket" approach that I advocate so that if Heathrow has any kind of melt down, you are covered to still make your flight.

This time includes arriving at HEX, climbing out of the "basement", clearing security, and then walking to whatever appropriate gate, and a possible late gate change. I am sure that all could be done in 60- 90 minutes but I add another 30 minutes for my OCD .

All the best.

John

BOBAD

[QUOTE=Yoshi212;30990351..... from the top floor of the double decker than in the tube while not taking much longer as morning rush hour will be over..........
[/QUOTE]

There is no such thing as a rush hour in London.

There is, however, London traffic.

Admiral Ackbar

Thank you for that, I have spent many days at IWM so mostly just a refresher visit

KeaneJohn

HIDDY

I'd relax in T5 especially if the weather outside is inclement.

However I say that as someone who's not a fan of whirlwind sightseeing in places I'm not familiar with. I've never found it to be worth the hassle or expense.

boerne

Our best experiences in a layover in LHR is on the return. There are a lot of options that get back to LHR in the early afternoon leaving from EU locations. You have a "free" 24 hours to do stuff before catching the home flight. We typically get in to LHR somewhere between 2-4 pm. We get a room at the Hilton in T4, throw the bags in there, and head to the city. We have had some marvelous early dinners and have seen Wicked, The Commitments, 39 steps, and The Play that Goes Wrong, to name a few. You can hit a lot of landmarks just getting to the above.

However, if doing the traditional London stuff is important, and on the inbound, be aware as others have posted upthread, there can be hitches in getting out of, and back in to LHR. Galleries lounges are not the worst places to spend 6 hours after a short east bound TATL.

NJFlyer_HOHO

You folks are awesome!!! FTers once again pulled through with some amazing suggestions.

To answer some of your questions... We are flying Club World over the pond from PHL. So we will have access to fast track at immigration. Also flying F LHR-CDG (I guess we can use the fast track lane when we re-enter to airside after our side trip outside the airport, right?). We won't be able to change our flight as we have dinner plan set up in Paris that night. Actually (hush hush), I am planning to propose to my GF. That's why... But that's off-topic from this post.

So what I gathered from your responses is that Windsor is a great alternate option for me. Uber it over from T5. It is a short ride. Also, no need to deal with HEX and the tube and walking up and down the stairs, etc. And Windsor is beautiful. Everything there is about England. I should love it there (actually, I haven't been to Windsor myself either, so it will be a treat!) Central London will have to wait and we will have to stay longer than 6 hours to really appreciate everything London has to offer and to give it the right justice.

I will write back with a trip report upon my return!

Thanks much all!