Can anyone help re travel from Heathrow

[ClinicallyProven]

I am the exact opposite of a seasoned traveller, it's a looong time since I've been on a plane.

However, I have bitten the bullet and booked a trip out of Heathrow in the summer.

Travel to Heathrow from here is a reasonably easy trip by train, so that's what I shall do on the outwards journey, for an afternoon flight.

However, the return trip isn't due back to Heatrow until 8:30pm and with likely flight or security delays, I won't be able to catch the last train out of London back home.

So, what are my options?

I could take the car and arrange parking, but that seems complex and expensive

Or book a hotel at the airport. Which ones are most convenient? Is it a question of getting a cab to the hotel or do the hotels provided transport?

Or actually, maybe I should get the Heathrow Express back to London and book a hotel there? Have the next day in London.

Basically, I need step by step instructions!

I would keep it simple and stay at Heathrow. That way if you are delayed on the way back in, you haven't got to hoof it into London before you can go to sleep.

There are hotels in the terminal itself, so no need to worry about shuttle buses, but these will come at a premium. Alternatively it looks like there's a shuttle bus service that goes to loads of nearby hotels. It doesn't run past midnight.

Which terminal are you coming into? That will affect detailed advice but your broad choices are
*close to the terminal but £££
*further from the terminal but £

Obviously theres options on getting to further away but I have used Uber and local buses which have actually been straightforward to use (from Thistle London Heathrow T5/ Premier Inn London London Heathrow) to get to T5 even when suitcase wrangling.

Where are you trying to get to?

It used to be the case that airport hotels would do deals including parking. Not sure if that's still the case.

Heathrow Express (or tube) back into London is easy

Yes, I've has parking included with an airport hotel, very handy and cheap.

Hotel with parking

Tubes run for hours after 8-30, you should be fine

where do you need to get back to?

Essex, last train leaving London c. 11:30. It will take an hour to get across London, so if there's much of a delay and/or it takes time to clear security, we'll be cutting things fine.

I just don't like the idea of standing in a queue stressing about the last train.

It's terminal 2

Honestly you should be fine. You could stay near Ealing though, not far from Heathrow and then can get Central line east the next day

It won't take an hour if you manage to get the Heathrow express - look it up on Citymapper. H Ex 15 mins then Paddington to liverpool st is 10 mins.

Normal train/tube will take an hour

Why not just pre book a taxi home?

You'll only be cutting it fine if your flight is delayed by an hour +.
You should easily make it through the airport to the train within an hr. Heathrow express to Paddington then Elizabeth line to Liverpool St I would have thought youd make the by 11.30pm.

It would be a long trip home though and a late night so could just do a cheap hotel in Paddington and head out to Essex the next morning.

I could take the car and arrange parking, but that seems complex and expensive

How long are you away for? Depending on this answer parking may be the cheaper option. It's not complicated to book at all.

Also your best option might depend on what terminal you are flying into/out of

IF terminal 4 is open by then (I've heard it might re-open this week), then you could go to the Premier Inn or one of the others attached to that, as you can get the free train from terminal 2 to terminal 4, and then there's a walkway. It was closed when the terminal was closed and you had to get a shuttle bus, which was both more expensive and much less convenient as it only went every so often. But the walk way and train/underground meant that you could get from hotel to airport and vice versa under your own steam. The rooms can be quite cheap, too (£29) and they're perfectly adequate for their purpose.

But I'm not sure how to find out if the terminal has reopened.

Can you give a specific station rather than just “Essex”?

The new Elizabeth line runs from Heathrow into Paddington and takes ~35 minutes, running every 15 minutes. Paddington to Liverpool Street then takes 15 minutes. The last departure is 0046 (weekdays!) so you’ll have to really be delayed to miss the last train.

If you decide to get the Heathrow Express there is a hotel attached to Paddington Station. You do not have to leave the actual station to enter.

This is what I would do. By the time you've bought train tickets and a hotel room you could have paid for a pre-booked taxi to meet you. Ask your local taxi firms for a quote.

Terminal 4 is open (according to the over-excited retweet I saw this morning anyway!)

That would make a big difference if it is - or more importantly, if the fact that it's open means that the walkway and train/underground are also open, and at the normal frequency, which I suppose could take a little while to get going, if it's only just reopening.

But the terminal 4 premier inn was always really useful just for the fact you could get yourself to and from the airport without buses and timetables etc! So I hope it is.

We use Purple Parking, & can recommend them.
Book online, drive to their off-site car park, shuttle buses run 24/7.
They want your flight details, so will know if your flight is delayed, & will still be available when you arrive. They're cheap & reliable.
The M25 shouldn't be too bad at those timings for both journeys.