I may have to make a powertrip out to Coventry next month for a couple of days. Since I won’t be sightseeing around England, I won’t need a car. What is the best way to get there from London (either Heathrow or Gatwick, take your pick)and what would I do to get from Coventry down to the University of Warwick?
Coventry to the University of Warwick: take the 12 bus from Coventry City Centre.
London to Coventry you can do by bus or train. Bus is pretty fast because it’s on the M1 most of the way.
My impression, as an Amrican who has not been to England, is that most intra-city travel is done by train or bus, not by air, as it is objectivly faster. An American paralll would be somone in Manhattan making a day trip to Philadelphia. Certainly he could go fly there, but th train is actually quicker, given the issues of getting to and from the airports, etc.
Yes, that’s true. I didn’t give a specific recommendation for London Heathrow or London Gatwick to Coventry, because there will be many alternatives, including direct bus services from those airports to the Midlands, and possibilities involving changing modes of transport in central London. I last travelled between Coventry and London about 50 years ago, so I don’t know the best choices, but having travelled much more recently between London and Leicester, one choice might involve travelling by Tube to Golders Green Station, and catching a long-distance bus there, to avoid traffic congestion in central London.
Another complicating factor is that (both for bus and train), it’s often cheaper to book in advance, and to take services which avoid peak periods. Again, people with recent experience will be able to give better detailed advice that I can.
Doesn’t “intra city” mean “within city”? Anyway, most inter-city travel is done by car, not train. One only has to look at the motorways. Stressful, occasionally slower, usually faster, always cheaper.
What awful thing have you done to cause you to be sent to Coventry? 
It is true that most trips are by car. However, I’m not sure that once you factor in all the costs, including the high price of petrol, that it’s “always cheaper”. Certainly, for a visitor travelling on his own, who would have to rent a car, going by bus or train is likely to be cheaper, if a little slower and less convenient.
Trains for Coventry leave London from Euston station. From Gatwick you can get a train to Victoria station, then the Victoria Line tube to Euston. From Heathrow you can either take the Piccadilly Line tube into central London, changing on to the Victoria Line at Green Park, or you can get the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, travel to Euston Square by either Circle Line or Hammersmith & City Line tube (both share the same track) and then a short but mildly irritating walk from Euston Square to Euston station. You can check train details here.
National Express buses leave from Victoria Coach Station next to Victoria Station.
I wouldn’t recommend the Heathrow Express, as it costs a lot more than the Tube, and goes to Paddington Station, where you have to walk a fair distance to get to the Circle or the Hammersmith & City Line. From Heathrow to Euston, I’d go by Tube all the way.
My parents in law live in Coventry, and I live in Australia. I have experience. Ignore all of the above about trains into London. Heathrow is on the outskirts of London and in approximately the right direction out from London (West) if you are going to Coventry (North West). Going into London in order to catch a train to come back out the same way is madness. You’ll lose an hour, by the time you’ve mucked about with changes, and by then you could have been half way to Coventry on one of the coaches that runs direct from LHR to Coventry.
Don’t go to Gatwick: it’s south of London and basically means putting the whole of Greater London between you and your destination.
Another off the wall option: I don’t know where you are coming from but if it is a major hub you just might be able to fly direct into Birmingham rather than London. This would save you quite a bit of time, because Birmingham is much closer to Coventry than London. However, direct flights into Brum are limited and if you have to change somewhere (like Frankfurt or Schipol) to get to Brum, you’d lose on the change anything you’d otherwise save.
This poster speaks the most sense. Ignore gatwick. Ignore going into London if you don’t want to go sightseeing. Get a flight direct to Birmingham or a National Express coach from Heathrow direct to Coventry (www.nationalexpress.com)