Holburn Station Area flying to AMS
Aug 22, 2012, 9:14 pm
#1
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Holburn Station Area flying to AMS
Mrs jacknyoc and I are staying in London in the Holburn Station area and then continuing on to Amsterdam for a few days. We could take the Eurostar/Thayles or fly either from Gatwick or Heathrow. Gatwick seems to have a better schedule and fares..and would cut two hours off of travel time compared to the rail option (although it would be a nice tour of the countryside). I'm trying to figure out travel options and times from Holburn area to Gatwick...never having traveled into or out of Gatwish...and was hoping for some assistance.
Our BA flight departs Gatwick on a Friday morning at 9:20 AM. Are we safe arriving at the airport by 7:50 (1 1/2 hrs ahead of the flight...without any status on BA)? We would plan to take the tube from Holburn Station to King's Cross/St. Pancras Station and catch the First Capital Connect train to Gatwick. I believe the train takes about 45 minutes and am factoring another 15-20 minutes for the tube ride and connection time to the train. We could always take a taxi to St. Pancras instead of the tube since we'll have baggage.
Anyway, given the various travel and connection times, as well as time at the airport, I'm estimating leaving our hotel around 6:30-6:40? Is that safe, too early, too late? Is there a better option than the First Capital/St. Pancras option to get to Gatwick? All things considered, would it still be a better option to take the Eurostar/Thayles option?
Thank you very much for your assistance.
Our BA flight departs Gatwick on a Friday morning at 9:20 AM. Are we safe arriving at the airport by 7:50 (1 1/2 hrs ahead of the flight...without any status on BA)? We would plan to take the tube from Holburn Station to King's Cross/St. Pancras Station and catch the First Capital Connect train to Gatwick. I believe the train takes about 45 minutes and am factoring another 15-20 minutes for the tube ride and connection time to the train. We could always take a taxi to St. Pancras instead of the tube since we'll have baggage.
Anyway, given the various travel and connection times, as well as time at the airport, I'm estimating leaving our hotel around 6:30-6:40? Is that safe, too early, too late? Is there a better option than the First Capital/St. Pancras option to get to Gatwick? All things considered, would it still be a better option to take the Eurostar/Thayles option?
Thank you very much for your assistance.
Aug 22, 2012, 11:50 pm
#2
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That First Capital Connect service is painfully slow on the bit through central London!
Also, when you arrive at Gatwick you'll need to get on the shuttle train to the North Terminal. This adds another 5 mins or so to your journey.
Given Holborn is on the Piccadilly line, you'd probably find it easier (and at that time of the day maybe Ł5 or Ł10 per person cheaper if you're using an Oyster Card) to get to Heathrow.
Remember that with Eurostar you end up bang in the middle of Amsterdam so that saves 30 mins as it's some walk from the plane to the station, then another 15 mins IIRC into town. I would however suggest going 1st class as it's a lot more comfortable.
Also, when you arrive at Gatwick you'll need to get on the shuttle train to the North Terminal. This adds another 5 mins or so to your journey.
Given Holborn is on the Piccadilly line, you'd probably find it easier (and at that time of the day maybe Ł5 or Ł10 per person cheaper if you're using an Oyster Card) to get to Heathrow.
Remember that with Eurostar you end up bang in the middle of Amsterdam so that saves 30 mins as it's some walk from the plane to the station, then another 15 mins IIRC into town. I would however suggest going 1st class as it's a lot more comfortable.
Aug 23, 2012, 12:20 am
#3
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: UK
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is there any reason for limiting yourselves to LHR and LGW? You're very conveniently placed for LCY - which has the added advantage of being a much smaller airport with considerably shorter check-in times.
Another option you may wish to look into (unless you're doing something in London on the Thursday night) is to travel on the overnight ferry from Harwich. It's a very easy journey - train from Liverpool Street (four stops from Holborn) directly to the ferry terminal... comfortable overnight crossing to Hoek van Holland... then a short walk to the train the other side. You can buy a through ticket at www.dutchflyer.co.uk which covers the ferry and both train journeys; last time I looked it was GBP 39 one way plus the cost of your cabin. No airport stress, no crack-of-dawn departure from your hotel, and you arrive in Amsterdam well-rested and relaxed.
Another option you may wish to look into (unless you're doing something in London on the Thursday night) is to travel on the overnight ferry from Harwich. It's a very easy journey - train from Liverpool Street (four stops from Holborn) directly to the ferry terminal... comfortable overnight crossing to Hoek van Holland... then a short walk to the train the other side. You can buy a through ticket at www.dutchflyer.co.uk which covers the ferry and both train journeys; last time I looked it was GBP 39 one way plus the cost of your cabin. No airport stress, no crack-of-dawn departure from your hotel, and you arrive in Amsterdam well-rested and relaxed.
Aug 23, 2012, 2:49 am
#4
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I am another fan of the overnight ferry - brand new, very comfortable ships; a really lovely way to reach the Netherlands.
If you do want to fly from LGW from Holborn, I would travel from City Thameslink station, which is a direct hop on First Capital Connect to Gatwick. It's about a 15-minute walk from Holborn Tube to the entrance on High Holborn, so a couple of minutes in a cab (and probably no more than the combined Tube fares to St Pancras).
If you do go this way, don't wait at the Holborn end of the platform at City Thameslink - walk down towards the other end!
90 minutes is fine IME, but I wouldn't like to do any less than that - the North Terminal (that BA use at LGW) is a short people mover ride from the railway station.
If you do want to fly from LGW from Holborn, I would travel from City Thameslink station, which is a direct hop on First Capital Connect to Gatwick. It's about a 15-minute walk from Holborn Tube to the entrance on High Holborn, so a couple of minutes in a cab (and probably no more than the combined Tube fares to St Pancras).
If you do go this way, don't wait at the Holborn end of the platform at City Thameslink - walk down towards the other end!
90 minutes is fine IME, but I wouldn't like to do any less than that - the North Terminal (that BA use at LGW) is a short people mover ride from the railway station.
Aug 23, 2012, 3:11 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London
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It's definitely worth considering flying out of LCY. It's quick to get to from Holborn on the Central Line + DLR. There's several flights daily to AMS on both BA and CityFlyer (AF).
The Eurostar + Thalys train is also a great option. You'll see the countryside along the way and arrive right in the city centre.
The Eurostar + Thalys train is also a great option. You'll see the countryside along the way and arrive right in the city centre.
Aug 23, 2012, 4:31 am
#6
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Perhaps just a couple more points to add...
1) If cost is a huge driver then check the fares on easyjet as well (although the ferry probably wins out here as you save a night in a hotel)
2) If you go by train, you're probably best buying from eurostar's website, rather than something like Brit Rail (I think it's called) - try to get your PC to look at the UK one, and maybe a European one as well. Likely to be cheaper than the international sites.
1) If cost is a huge driver then check the fares on easyjet as well (although the ferry probably wins out here as you save a night in a hotel)
2) If you go by train, you're probably best buying from eurostar's website, rather than something like Brit Rail (I think it's called) - try to get your PC to look at the UK one, and maybe a European one as well. Likely to be cheaper than the international sites.
Aug 23, 2012, 6:05 am
#7
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Holburn Station Area flying to AMS
RailEurope is the supplement-happy site that US IP addresses seem to get drawn into.
Another option is the nshispeed.nl website, which also allows you to book on Eurostar + non-Thalys services between BE and NL, saving money and (possibly - you'd need to check) allowing break of journey. The Thalys through fares are often cheaper then the €* site too.
Another option is the nshispeed.nl website, which also allows you to book on Eurostar + non-Thalys services between BE and NL, saving money and (possibly - you'd need to check) allowing break of journey. The Thalys through fares are often cheaper then the €* site too.
Aug 23, 2012, 6:39 pm
#8
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Thank you, all. This is very helpful...as always.
Stut, thank you for the tip about using City Thameslink Station...and the helpful logistics at LGW. I'm presuming 90 minutes at LHR for a BA flight to AMS is also acceptable...or not?
Aviatrix & Reason077, LCY would be a great option, but I don't see any morning flights to AMS. I'll keep looking; perhaps I'm missing something.
RE: the ferry, I'm not sure that's a good option for us for various reasons...although interesting.
RE: cost, that's not a huge factor in my planning and not a key factor that would cause me to use one option or another.
All things considered, we may still opt for the Eurostar/Thayles option. The LHR flight, with the easy tube connection from where we're staying, is also looking more and more appealing if we go that route. We don't want to over-complicate this with various stops and steps in the process. The LGW option, given the early flight and various steps, is just seeming more complicated than I want. Maybe it's just that I've not flown into and out of LGW before and it seems more complicated than it really is.
If there are other options or additional input, I certainly would appreciate it. thank you very much.
Stut, thank you for the tip about using City Thameslink Station...and the helpful logistics at LGW. I'm presuming 90 minutes at LHR for a BA flight to AMS is also acceptable...or not?
Aviatrix & Reason077, LCY would be a great option, but I don't see any morning flights to AMS. I'll keep looking; perhaps I'm missing something.
RE: the ferry, I'm not sure that's a good option for us for various reasons...although interesting.
RE: cost, that's not a huge factor in my planning and not a key factor that would cause me to use one option or another.
All things considered, we may still opt for the Eurostar/Thayles option. The LHR flight, with the easy tube connection from where we're staying, is also looking more and more appealing if we go that route. We don't want to over-complicate this with various stops and steps in the process. The LGW option, given the early flight and various steps, is just seeming more complicated than I want. Maybe it's just that I've not flown into and out of LGW before and it seems more complicated than it really is.
If there are other options or additional input, I certainly would appreciate it. thank you very much.
Last edited by jacknyoc; Aug 23, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Aug 24, 2012, 2:45 pm
#9
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As you're staying in Holborn I'd opt for a flight from LCY (or even LHR, if you'd rather fly from an airport you're more familiar with), or the Eurostar if you can add a detour to Bruges to your travel plans. Buy an Eurostar ticket from London to all stations in Belgium, you'd need to change trains in Brussels Midi. Bruges is an hour from Brussels by train, explore Bruges, stay overnight then continue to Amsterdam the following day. Of course, whether Bruges is doable really depends on how long you have in London and Amsterdam. Adding Bruges to your travel plans if you're taking the train might be worth considering.
Aug 26, 2012, 10:23 am
#11
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Brilliant...many thanks.
I was only finding BA's LCY flights initially and all of them were afternoon flights. The AF Cityjet flights were not showing up on my system initially...but I finally found the site.
Scheduled travel time from Hoburn to LCY is 37 min. Based on earlier posts, I'll need less than 1 1/2 hours for check-in, etc. at LCY. Less than 2 hours max sounds safe.
Thank you, all. Sounds like a great plan. I'll still have to decide if saving the 2 hours travel time is worth missing the countryside tour via the train.
Thank you
I was only finding BA's LCY flights initially and all of them were afternoon flights. The AF Cityjet flights were not showing up on my system initially...but I finally found the site.
Scheduled travel time from Hoburn to LCY is 37 min. Based on earlier posts, I'll need less than 1 1/2 hours for check-in, etc. at LCY. Less than 2 hours max sounds safe.
Thank you, all. Sounds like a great plan. I'll still have to decide if saving the 2 hours travel time is worth missing the countryside tour via the train.
Thank you
Aug 26, 2012, 1:36 pm
#13
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you're a braver person than am I. perhaps I'll shoot for closer to one hour.
the information I have says to take the tube from Holborn Station and connect at Bank Station to the DLR...total 37 minutes. sounds good.
Thank you.
the information I have says to take the tube from Holborn Station and connect at Bank Station to the DLR...total 37 minutes. sounds good.
Thank you.
Aug 27, 2012, 1:18 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: London
Posts: 1,546
LCY check in. Yes - you need some contingency time, so planning to arrive 30 minutes ahead is living on the edge.
But the whole ethos of LCY is to get you through quickly - they are different from other London airports. Minimum check in - even with bags - is 20 minutes before departure.
But the whole ethos of LCY is to get you through quickly - they are different from other London airports. Minimum check in - even with bags - is 20 minutes before departure.