MSPeconomist

With luggage, you should also check which stations have elevators/escalators vs being forced to walk up and down staircases. It can make a big difference, even if it means not using the closest station.

ralph4878

If you're staying near the Westminster Tube, you can take the Elizabeth, which has elevators at every station, I believe, to Bond Street and then transfer to the Jubilee which gets you to Westminster in 2 stops...the Piccadilly is going to require a transfer as well, and a lot of its stations do not have lifts - if you take it and have a lot of baggage, make sure to get out at Green Park and jump on the Jubilee for one stop as Green Park has lifts!

southlondonphil

The interchange between Picadilly and District Lines at Hammersmith or Baron's Court is just a matter of getting off one tube train and getting on one at the adjacent platform, no lifts, no stairs, all on one level and much easier than going via Bond Street or Green Park

mridley2

Yeah. it really depends on where you are going. for me the Elizabeth line is out of the way and I believe costs more than the Zone 5 fare from LHR on the Piccadilly.

third_wave

It's true. Elizabeth Line costs an absurd £12.80 to or from the airport. Picadilly Line is a much more reasonable £5.60.

MSPeconomist

HEX is about 26 pounds IIRC, although they do some revenue management and offer discounts for RTs, inflexible tickets, and tickets purchased far in advance. Certain days and times can be cheaper too,

ND76

The tube from LHR is IMO dreadful and takes a full 60 minutes to go from the T2-3 station to Kings Cross/St. Pancras. I liken it to the Chicago CTA Blue Line from ORD to the Loop.

The Elizabeth Line is a vast improvement. First, the train cars are much bigger; virtually identical to commuter trains that run in the UK (the Tube cars are somewhat like sitting inside a barrel with windows). Second, it does a better job of getting one into central London (you reach Paddington in just over 20 minutes from LHR T2-3 using the same route as the Heathrow Express (but making four or five local stops), then basically running in close proximity to Oxford Street, calling at Bond Street (which is the hub of shopping in London), then Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and then Liverpool Street railway station.

On my last trip to London with Mrs. ND76, we stayed in Stratford, which is served by the Elizabeth Line, and the service was great. On our way home, it only took 40 minutes to go all the way from Stratford to LHR T2-3. Stratford is where the Olympic Stadium is (now used by West Ham United FC) and what is claimed to be the largest shopping mall in Europe. The Elizabeth Line continues out the railway between Liverpool Street and Norwich, ending at Shenfield.

You pay for the Elizabeth Line with an Oyster card (the fare is something like GBP12 one way). The Oyster card is not accepted on the Heathrow Express, which is something like GBP25 and ends at Paddington.

As far as the VS Revivals Lounge is concerned, the staff there is great and the food is tasty and the tea is invigorating (I've been in there several times and didn't realize they served Champagne). I've used the shower suites they have in there and they are nice. I wouldn't describe this lounge as being in the "bowels" of LHR; rather, you have to take an elevator up one level to access it. As you leave customs, the lounge is accessed by traversing the large hall in front of you, going past the downward ramp that leads to the tube and Heathrow Express/Elizabeth Line to a bank of elevators at the end of the large hall on your right. Once up one level, you are looking for frosted glass doors with a purplish hue, which are within 30 feet of the elevators.

Enjoy!

ND76

When I go to the UK, it is strictly for sporting events or specific sightseeing destinations (on my most recent trip, I went to two spectacular pre-reformation cathedrals at Lichfield and Hereford in the mornings before heading off to sporting events in the afternoon. Therefore, I buy a Britrailpass, which is great value, and now is even more convenient as it is a mobile ticket that works with most of the faregate systems used at many UK rail stations (the one exception is the Great Western Railway, where their ticket scanners for some reason don't recognize the Britrailpass and you have to get the help of a gate attendant to get through). On my most recent trip I got an 8 consecutive day First Class pass good throughout England (but not Scotland or Wales) for US $352 (the standard class pass was $252). This pass works on the Heathrow Express (but not the tube). You can buy higher priced passes that are good throughout the island of Britain, or a lowest cost pass good in greater London and some routes in southeast England.

ijgordon

Oyster is obsolete IMO, you can just use a contactless credit card (physical card or phone wallet) for the Elizabeth line, the tube, and the bus, and you get the same fare capping. HEX does require a ticket purchase, which you can do pretty easily on the app, or else from machines at the stations.

ecaarch

Any contactless card works...BUT....you must remember to use the same card every time. For many tourists, an Oyster card is still simpler.

WannabePBA

But if you don't already have a card, getting a new card costs 7 pounds...and if there are multiple people, that's per person. That 7 pounds is enough for almost 3 Zone 1 journeys. Then you need to worry about how much money you put on it. Put too little and you might inadvertently run out mid vacation and have to detour to top up on a machine. Put too much and you have money sitting on the card you may never use if you never return to London. I think it would be much easier to remember which card I used 10 minutes ago to get on the tube.

ND76

The Oyster technology is almost identical to that used by the Washington Metro. If you start your land trip in the UK at the train station between T2 and T3 at LHR, there is a bank of machines where you can buy a card or top one up. If you are returning to London, you can tap your card on the reader and get your balance. You can also register your card at the TfL website and buy transit on the internet. I think they make you buy in GBP 5.00 increments.

If you think you'll never return to London but will be there 7 days, you can always buy a Travelcard before you go; there are a number of websites that sell these. You can select how many zones you want; if you are staying in an airport hotel and using rail to go back and forth, you will want the card good in zones 1-6. If you are staying in or near the center of the city, you might be able to get by with zones 1-2.

I've been to London enough times where I have gotten familiar with some of the bus routes. Before the Elizabeth Line opened, I found that Route 205 was my friend, as I needed to go between Paddington Station and variously Euston, Kings Cross/St. Pancras and Liverpool Street. The 205 connects all of them. The 59 from Euston to Camden Town is a relatively short but fun trip. On my most recent trip I used the 68 from Waterloo Station to Euston. On the underground, you can't see much of London except for some stretches in the suburbs east of LHR. On the buses, you can see the city, and by going upstairs and sitting in the front row you can do it in style.

I can't recall who said it (possibly Shakespeare), but if you get tired of London, you are tired of life.

mridley2

agreed. and many tourists visiting LONDON are accustomed to dealing with transit cards for mass transit. credit card tapping is good and all but leaves a lot to be desired with transparency and convenience. plus each person must have their own contactless card. For a family of 4 does each "teenager" get a credit card? Transit cards are still a clearer way to proceed.
yes it requires research on fare zones, cost, etc. yes you have to pay attention. welcome to traveling to a foreign country.

Yes the cards cost 7 GBP but last forever. I had an "OG" oyster card from 2004 I believe. When I was there in 2012 for the Olympics the station agent offered me a free exchange to the new "olympics" oyster card which I still use to this day. I'm taking that oyster card to the grave with me! =)

MSPeconomist

Most people have one card that they prefer to use abroad because it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, doesn't do dynamic currency conversion, or generally has good foreign exchange fees. It's not hard to remember to consistently use this card when overseas, even if you prefer a different card for airfare, hotels, dining etc. or have a different card associated with your Uber/Lyft app. It's not hard.

MichaelLAX

When we are in London, I give my son (he´s 11) just one of my credit cards when we're using the Tube (only for the moment he needs it to tap). So if the family in this example has 4 credit cards in total, they're good to go.

I find the credit card tapping super convenient (same in NYC), and it is shown very transparent on my credit card statement.