London looks like a wonderful place. It’s historic, clean, and I can appreciate a good cup of tea.
London is also an expensive place. The British pound costs 2.05 Canadian dollars today. Just writing that out made me so sad. But it’s expensive even without the currency issue. I wanted to visit, but I’m a student. (Post-Brexit it's 1.71 CAD dollars)
And that’s where most stories end.
A solution appeared: flying back from Prague, I had 8 hours of waiting in Heathrow until I was supposed to cross the Atlantic to Montreal. Instead of passing out on an airport bench, I decided to buy a Tube ticket and see the city.
TLDR: It's more than possible to do a day-trip to London from LHR during a layover! Read on.
Honestly, I was super nervous. I had never left the airport during a layover before, especially one I’d never been to before. Not to mention, I already get serious anxiety about missing planes (I’ve heard too many stories, like a friend who had their watch set back for daylight savings time and missed their flight since they were looking at the wrong hour).
But it was either a) seeing an amazing city or b) getting back pain from sleeping in a chair. If you're going to do it too, here's what you need to know:
Length of time from Airport to Downtown London
Once you go through customs/immigration, it is very easy to find the tube station. Don't worry, there are clear signs everywhere.
The trains start running from Heathrow at about 5am and run until about 11:45pm. If you are travelling super late, throughout the night the N9 night bus runs every 20 minutes between downtown London and Heathrow.
The ride is about 45 minutes, but it’s great because it’s consistent. I knew that if it took 45 minutes to get into London, it would take about 45 minutes to get back because the Tube has no traffic and always stops in the same spots for the same amount of time. It doesn't sound like a huge deal, but in Panama when I did the same thing a few months later, it took about 40 minutes to get into the city and 1.5 hours to get back. #MAJOR #ANXIETY
Fares
I suggest you get a one-day travel card. It gives you tube access the whole day for all 6 zones for£17.20. I suggest waiting until 9am, where you can get the discounted travel card for £12.10 since it's off-peak hours...saved me about $10 CAD which I put toward a delicious breakfast.
One-way fares are £6 from the airport to downtown London.
If you want more information on the Tube fares, click here to go to the official Heathrow transit webpage.
How to Get Downtown/What Trains To Take
You'll want to write this down: To get downtown, I went to Terminal 4 and took the Piccadilly Line to Leicester Square. You can also get off at Piccadilly Circus if you prefer to start your mini-trip there - it's only one stop earlier.
Also I'm pretty sure it's basically impossible to take the tube the wrong way from the airport, but just in case, look for the direction that says "King's Cross" - that's the last stop on the Piccadilly line.
When you are buying your passes from the friendly guys behind the counter at the station, you can also tell them which station you want to get off at and they will kindly tell you exactly where you need to go.
Want to see the relevant tube lines yourself? Click here to see the map provided by the Heathrow website.
Where To Go - Suggested Walking Map
If you want to make use of your LHR layover, here is a walking map of the route I took. I got off at the tube at Leicester Square station.
This is not a map of every single step I took. I let myself wander some of the streets around Trafalgar Square and had breakfast somewhere in Convent Garden, so don't be afraid to explore a bit.
Overall though, I wanted to maximize the amount of must-see sights for the least amount of time. I got to the city with about 6 hours left of my 8-hour layover, and planned for about 2 hours of touristing, just to make sure I had PLENTY of time to get back. But, I could have stayed double the amount of time and it still would have worked out. Not to mention, it was easy to keep track of the time with Big Ben sticking out in the background :)
Probably the most famous landmark in the world. Ok, maybe top 3. Could make a pretty strong case for Pisa and Eiffel.
Overall, I got to see all the big stuff: Big Ben, London Eye, Westminster Bridge, and the PM's house. The other stuff were bonuses, and I could have added on more...I wish I did but the anxiety in me just didn't allow for it. Next time perhaps...layovers in LHR are aplenty.
Not going to lie, I was pretty happy with myself. After enjoying a beautiful Eggs Benedict at some random café (approx £7), I got to see so many things I didn’t really think I’d get to see, at least not for many years.
My above map is a 45-minute walking tour and it served me quite well. You can easily expand it to go see Buckingham Palace (or whatever else takes your fancy that's nearby). When I realized I had tons of time left on my 8-hour layover, I stopped to see the Horse Guards (just by 10 Downing) and sat down to have a coffee somewhere. I was by no means rushed.
Enjoy! Take charge of your layover! Explore! I now embrace layovers because they're just another chance for me to enjoy a city I probably wouldn't make a standalone trip to go to.
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Note: just because I did it, doesn't mean your circumstances will be exactly the same. Always be mindful of your time and only do what you're comfortable with! Pleeease don't miss your flight!!