Agreed. But the transition at Paddington to the well-supplied taxi rank is easy and all at ground level.
The Heathrow Express is designed around people with luggage, while the tube is very much not, both in terms of space in the train and access to and from the train. If you’re a family of four arriving in town with luggage, and you’re staying within a few miles of Paddington, I think the Heathrow Express and the easy transition into a taxi is a much better experience than the tube. And aside from comfort, the taxi to final destination obviates navigation problems when you least want to deal with them.
Once you’re settled in and traveling light, the tube is superb (outside rush hour).
My wife and I took the HEX and then a taxi when we were in London last year and found it very easy. With the kids and possibly a mother-in-law in tow I will likely avoid the Underground.
We used this private car company on our last 2 London trips and it was wonderful. Probably cheaper than the HE for a family About Us - Atlas Cars Of London
From Gatwick, it would make sense to take a train as near as you can get to where you want to go, and then a taxi (if it’s Camden, you can get a train direct from Gatwick to St Pancras).
I’ll echo that a taxi or minicab from the airport to your hotel may actually be cheaper.
Something else to consider: Icelandair fly to Scotland so you could spend a day or two up here and then take an overnight train to London. Book cabins, not sleeper seats.
How long do you need to wait between tube trains outside of rush hour? I waited far too long at Green Park once to get to Paddington and I could have definitely walked that distance in that time, except I was running later that day and wanted to conserve my energy.
(I ask because if I go back to London then it will be to see the many city and/or historical parks and if there were one I particularly wanted to see it may or may not be worth it to take the tube if I wanted to save time. But in most cases I could simply walk to the next park which is why I’d like to go back since compared to the next biggest park concentration in the US, D.C., London is around an order of magnitude thicker so I can basically just walk down the street from park to park (as long as they are public: Google sometimes marks as “green” private parks or parks under constructions.))
Got to disagree with this. If you enjoy walking and are even just a tiny bit adventurous it is a truly excellent way to spend a day. The tube map is notoriously bad at giving a sense of scale and it is surprising, even to some Londoners, how close many attractions are to each other. I have several times guided visiting friends on a day’s walking tour and they always enjoy it. You always see things along the way you would probably miss otherwise. In fact walking in London is probably one of my favourite pastimes and now I think of it I shall probably go for a wander somewhere tomorrow just because I can.
The OP, however, did specify 11 and 8 year olds, who, no matter what their physical fitness, might not be up for 6+ miles a day walking. I mean, I personally would be: I’m even considering walking from Heathrow since there’s so much to see between Heathrow and Zone 1.
Then again, if the children have experienced multiple, long, days walking at Disney, which can be 6+ miles each, then I’d say they are probably physically ready for walking once they get to the city.
We were in Montreal last month and probably walked 10 km in a day, but it was HOT. My 11 yo was fine, the little one was a bit grumpy. I’m not sure if an English winter/spring would be better or worse that 35°C. I’d rather take the tube somewhere and walk around at the destination.
I used to cycle from where I live (zone 3/ zone 4 border) to work near Heathrow daily. Honestly, unless you have a passion for 1930s dormitory towns and light industrial units, the interesting bits are too widely dispersed to make this an enjoyable enterprise IMHO. The exception would be the Thames which has some great walking, but meanders itself well away from Heathrow, almost as if there were some repulsive force keeping it away.
This being the UK you’ll need to be prepped for any sort of weather but I’ll pretty much guarantee that it’ll be a more comfortable stroll than in 35C heat.
To give an idea of scale, the walk down the south bank from Westminster to the Tower of London is about 3 miles and if the weather is pleasant that is a wonderful hour’s stroll but there is also much along the way to see and do. I find London generally to be great city to walk in for leisure, so much better than the tedious gridded nature of such as New York
I’d tend to agree with your own preference for getting a tube and exploring at your destination but one of the great pleasures of London is also uncovering some of the hidden parts that are off the typical tourist trail. If you are at all interested in architecture then taking a back-street short-cut route can throw up all sorts of interesting scenes. I think particularly of the mish-mash of old and modern around Southwark Cathedral and borough Market or the developments of the old warehouses on the walk down to Tower Bridge.
Apologies to the OP for horning in on the topic. I am also a planning a trip to London and didn’t want to open another thread on the subject.
Question for any of our UK dopers or frequent visitors:
Are you familiar with the AvisPrestige(.com) car rental agency? It’s not entirely clear to me if they are part of the Avis international car rental company. Their booking system seems very different. In any case, planning to get a car and leave London to travel to other destinations so I’m wondering if they are reputable. I googled by can’t find much in the way of reviews. As the name suggests, they have a selection of higher end cars and if they are not crooks, I’d love to take advantage of the opportunity while visiting the UK.
As per the ad, the area is fine and it is central in the new sense of not being near the west end but still interesting and lively. Kind of TriBeca.
Too busy for me but I’d be in different mode as a tourist so I’m sure you’ll like it
Fwiw, I still think Greenwich is a pretty good choice for a multi-generational family gig; aside from Cutty Sark the tube into the centre is very fast, the old Naval Academy buildings, the market, the Meridian, great range of little local eateries, fab open spaces, etc. It’s great to walk around as well as there is plenty of 18th century housing stock remaining with historic associations.
I also quite like the foot tunnel under the Thames to Docklands - still got a crack in it from a German WW bomb
That area is fine, I have a current contract in area around Old Street. The only quibble I’d have from the indicated map is that you aren’t right next to a tube station but if a ten-minute walk to the tube or grabbing a nearby bus isn’t a problem then sure, not a bad area at all.
You’ll certainly have plenty of food choices on your doorstep so you won’t go hungry.
What you will notice is that it is hipster central. You won’t be able to move for beards, checked shirts, sleeve tattoos and adult scooters.
