uclacolumbiaunc

Going from Heathrow T3 to Conrad St James in a Sunday early afternoon shortly after VX arrival lounge closes.... Heathrow Express or Uber or taxi?

Going from Conrad St James to Heathrow T4 in a Friday morning 10am..... Heathrow Express or Uber or taxi?

FYI, if I book Heathrow Express now, I can get an early-bird price of 5.50 pounds in coach (or 7.50 pounds in first) for two of us each.

Wapping Flyer

I used to live in Victoria so this was pretty much my regular commute, it really depends on what your priorities are.

This is actually not bad by Tube as you are right next to St James' Park Tube station and can do a cross-platform transfer from District to Piccadilly at Baron's Court or Hammersmith, it will be £3.10 off peak with an Oyster or contactless and should be under an hour

Heathrow Express is quick to Paddington and my recommendation for the Tube-phobic, but getting there on public transport is not the quickest (crawl around the Circle Line or take the bus), so will not be much if any quicker than the full Tube option (you can also walk in about 45 mins and it is quite pleasant through the parks!)

A taxi from Paddington to St James' will take under 15 mins at that time of day, so if you time it right, end to end in about 40 mins

A taxi all the way from Heathrow should be about the same as the Tube/HEX option, and around £50 if you are lucky

WorldLux

Heathrow -> Conrad: Piccadilly line to Hammersmith/Baron's Court, cross the platform and take a District line to Upminister, Barking or Tower Hill. Get out off the train at St James's Park. The Conrad is across the street from the Broadway Street exit.

Conrad -> Heathrow: Make sure to take a District line towards Richmond or Ealing Broadway, do the cross-platform change to the Piccadilly Line at Hammersmith/Baron's Court. Getting to/from Paddington to/from the Conrad will eliminate pretty much any time savings of the Heathrow Express.

catcher1

We do Heathrow Express to Paddington, take elevator up to taxi stand, take taxi to Conrad. Piece of cake, and taxi ride takes you through interesting neighborhoods.

uclacolumbiaunc

what is the taxi fare from Paddington to Conrad (approximately)...?

catcher1

L10 or so.

dddc

At that price for the HEX, it's worth it. But that £5.50 fare is only valid on the weekends, booked 90 days+ in advance.Tube it back on the Friday. Is 10am your hotel departure time or flight? Good if it's your hotel as you'll avoid the morning peak.

Don't bother with First. It's only a 15 minute journey.

uclacolumbiaunc

10am is the time we plan to leave Conrad for 2:15pm departure in LHR T4. I believe L5.5 on a friday because it's a bank holiday in UK.

I am just curious for two people at L11 plus taxi from Conrad to Paddington, will the total cost exceed a taxi or uber fare from Conrad to LHR? Plus we will be carrying a medium-size luggage each. So I wonder if HEX fare plus Taxi fare (conrad to paddington) plus the hassle of twice carrying luggage around (there is also a train change at LHR to T4 if I am not mistaken) is worth it comparing to door-to-door uber or taxi ride.

Agneisse

You are correct that HEx does not call at T4 and so there is an additional transfer involved.

It's about £30 from SW1 to LHR on my regular minicab company (their rates are pretty similar to UberX - increase these numbers accordingly if you like fancier cars). So unless Uber's surge pricing is horrendous or there is chaos on the roads on the day itself - check Google Maps before leaving - I think it is much easier to get a car.

WorldLux

I doubt that taxi will be cheaper. If price and speed are your sole criteria, then nothing beats the combo District/Piccadilly Line. It's £3.1 off-peak/£5.1 on-peak and takes about 45 to 50 minutes. St James's Park involves taking stairs. The change at Hammersmith/Earl's Court is across the platform. Stations at Heathrow are step-free. Only one change as opposed to two changes on the HEX.

britenbsas

Hammersmith or Baron's Court. The change from District to Piccadilly at Earl's Court involves steps/escalators

mad_rich

Heathrow Express is very comfortable and quick, and a bargain at £5.50 - for somebody who wants to go between Paddington and T2/3/5! But you don't.

With its easy, cross-platform change, it would take a lot to persuade me away from the Tube for your journey. Taxi only if the tubes are disripted, or you really can't face it on the morning of departure.

You can get fare estimates for Uber on Google Maps Directions - at least I do on my mobile version. And black cab prices here.

WorldLux

Correct. I don't know how Earl's Court snuck in there.

IAN-UK

I'm so used to using the tube to/from LHR I wouldn't dream of making the journey any other way unless I was heading to/from somewhere tube-awkward, or close to Paddington, or I had unmanageable amounts of luggage/companions.

Coming from the airport you're pretty certain to get a seat on the tube. Going to the airport finding a seat can take a measure of ingenuity, time and good fortune.

dddc

Talking to a friend tonight about his experience on the tube Ex T5. He arrived back at LHR late on Thursday night and had to wait 15 minutes for the tube. Opted to wait for the next one that was 3 minutes later as the first one was standing room only by the time it left! Just something a lot of tourists don't realise is that there is often (but not always) one a few minutes later that will be less packed after a gap.