Heathrow Express - expensive but quick? and other London, United Kingdom Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: This is really a "tourist trap" tip but I imagine it will be easier to find under "transport" :-)

The Heathrow Express train from London's Heathrow Airport to London Paddington Station is, in my view, expensive and over-hyped. Yes, if you need to be in the centre very quickly (20 minutes) and you do not mind paying the £13 one-way fare, go for it!

But, if you are on a budget and don't mind taking a bit longer to travel, catch the London Underground Piccadilly Line to the centre of the city instead. The Underground ("Tube") trains depart every few minutes from Heathrow. Cost £3.80. They take 40-45 minutes to get to London's 'inner zone'. And you may need to interpret the London Underground and change trains/Lines at some point. Change at Earls Court for the 'Circle Line' to Paddington.

One word of advice would be to avoid the Tube during the 'rush-hour' when Londoners are going to/from work i.e. 8-9am, 5-6pm.

But the Tube is part of the London experience. Why not start it at the airport!?

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Website: http://www.airwise.com/airports/europe/LHR/LHRtube1.html

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: The traditional London Bus - the red double-decker Routemaster - is a famous symbol of London!

The Routemaster is distinct for having a platform on the back and no door. You jump on and hold tight. A conductor comes around and collects your fare. The Routemaster has been going strong in London for over 50 years. The sound of its diesel roar is part of London, like the rattle of the London taxi, or the whine of the Tube.

These buses are rapidly being replaced because they are 'dangerous'. Instead you will have a modern single-decker, or a European style 'bendy' bus. OK, it is true that it is difficult for pushchairs and impossible for wheelchairs to get on the old double-deckers. The new buses solve that problem.

Forget the Underground and catch a bus while you are in London. You will see where you are going and where you have gone. Slowly, I admit! The day bus-pass for the whole of London is only about 3 GBP and can be bought at newsagents.

STOP PRESS: Its all over! The last Routemaster ran its final route in November 2005. Luckily there are a few 'Heritage Routes' which run the Routemaster through the centre of the city. And hey, with no conductors it is now easier to fare-dodge ;-)

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Website: http://www.routemaster.org.uk/

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: 'London' Stansted Airport is the point of departure/arrival for several of the new cut-price airlines and their flights to/from mainland Europe.

To call Stansted a 'London' airport is a slight distortion of the truth. It is a good 45 minute train ride from the airport to London Liverpool Street station. But the Stansted Express train is regular, fast and only stops at one or two stations on the way.

And the airport not a bad place to begin or end your visit. It is modern, airy, spacious and simply designed. The architect was Manchester-born Sir Norman Foster, who is well-known for the Berlin Reichstag redesign and London's 'Gherkin' tower. The airport was completed in 1991.

There is a national coach service to the airport that continues through the night. But the trains to Stansted stop, the last one arriving at about midnight. If you plan to sleep in the airport, the seating at the airport has arms so it is difficult to find a place to lie down - you may have to use the floor :-)

Stansted Express website

National Express Airport website

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Website: http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/stansted/