Heathrow Airport (London)

Last Updated: Nov. 29, 2008

Tags: airports, europe, getting places, london, travel and tour advice

More Tour and Travel Advice for Europe

The Royal National Hotel is used as the London base for most Contiki Tours starting and finishing in London, England.

A great many clients choose to stay at either the Royal National Hotel or just down the road at the Imperial Hotel. The Royal National Hotel is also home to the Contiki Basement, the meeting point for tours starting in London and Contiki’s London travel base.

Directions from Heathrow to the Royal National Hotel and Imperial Hotels

When flying into London Heathrow there are cash machines available but it is advisable to have some British money (Pound Sterling £) on you for transport costs into central London.

Easiest

  • The easiest, cheapest and best way to get to the hotels is take the Piccadilly line underground train that runs directly from all Heathrow airport terminals to Russell Square Station (only a short walk from both hotels). The cost is roughly £4.
  • There are signs for the ‘Underground’ in the arrival terminals at Heathrow and the trains normally take about 45 minutes to get into Russell Square.
  • The London Underground usually opens at about 5am Monday to Saturday and runs through until about midnight every night. Please Note: On Sundays the underground often opens around 7am. Times and as with all public transport in London, this may vary. If you are travelling to Heathrow for a flight on a Sunday you may have to take this into consideration.

For the Imperial Hotel:

Turn left as you exit the Russell Square Station at the street level. Take the second left along the main street. You will see the park that is Russell Square on your right hand side. The Imperial Hotel is on your left just before the end of Russell Square roughly 150 meters (500 feet) along the road. The ‘Day and Night’ pub is part of the hotel.

For the Royal National Hotel:

Turn left as you exit the Russell Square Station at the street level Take the second right and follow the road for roughly 100 meters (300 feet) and the Royal National Hotel will be on your left hand side on the opposite side of the road. The ‘London Pub’ is part of the hotel building.

Fastest

The fastest way to get from Heathrow Airport to central London and the Royal National or Imperial Hotel is to take the Heathrow Express Train from Heathrow to Paddington Station in London. From there take a taxi to either hotel at a cost of roughly £10.

Early Morning, Late Night and Public Holiday Flights

The British are generally quite traditional when it comes to public holidays (particularly big ones like Christmas and New Year) and the public transport services listed above may sometimes also take the day off. Likewise, if you need to get to Heathrow for an early morning flight public transport may not be open in time.

There are however other options available.
Transport for London has alternative public transport routes while Hotel Link and dot to dot offer door to door services for very reasonable prices on public holidays and early mornings.

A taxi from Heathrow to or from central London is reasonably expensive and should be used as a last resort.

Hotel Addresses

Royal National Hotel

Bedford Way, London WC1H 0DG

Tel: + 44 (0)20 7637 2488

or

Imperial Hotel

Russell Square, London WC1B 5BB

Tel: +44 (0)20 7837 3655

Add a Comment Comments (10)

  1. Do you need to get to London a day before your tour? what time do they usually start?

    Default_avatarExplorer1117204 posted 18 days ago Flag as Inappropriate

  2. The Royal National is really easy to get to from Russell Square station. the elevators up to the top are a bit weird at first, but convenient. when you come out, turn left and walk up that road. then turn right at the first major intersection and up ahead you will see the Royal National. it is huge you can’t miss it! Don’t forget to check out the good pub food downstairs at the London Pub!

    NatalieNatalie posted on Aug. 29, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  3. Surprisingly, for a city of it’s size, London is a very safe city….it’s very safe to walk form the tube station to the hotels, it’s also very safe to walk around most parts of the city at any time of day or night, even at 3 in the morning there are other people out and about so you’re never really alone.

    mattyvcontikimattyvcontiki posted on Jul. 31, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  4. How safe is it to walk from Russel square to the hotels?

    Default_avatarmich31 posted on Jul. 30, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  5. Kitty, comment below, don’t worry I’m feaking out as well.

    That’s interesting about how much it costs, i got a quote from a taxi company from Heathrow to my hotel and it was like 60 pounds…..

    sorry if i was interupting a conversation…

    but thanks

    Bella AshleighBella Ashleigh posted on Jun. 14, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  6. Thanks so much for this, I’m coming from Australia and was freaking out about how to get to the hotel. Ta for the tip about the stairs too

    Kitty KatKitty Kat posted on Jun. 12, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  7. I made a huge mistake when arriving at Russell Square station, I saw the queue for the 2 elevators to the ground level and was impatient so I took the stairs… DON’T make the same mistake. It’s about 8 or 10 stories underground!!! Take the time and ride up it will be worth it after a long flight.

    Default_avatarNicktaz posted on Apr. 23, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  8. If you want something speedy from Heathrow, take the Heathrow Express to Paddington. It is more expensive, but gets you to Paddington station in 15-20 minutes. The cost is 15 pounds. A cab from there to the hotel is about 10 pounds.

    Default_avatarMike Contiki posted on Apr. 07, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  9. Map → http://connect.contiki.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/496105522/m/611102582?r=622102682#622102682

    ptoomaptooma posted on Mar. 08, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  10. The underground was super easy to take! But be ready to carry your bag – there are quite a bit of stairs going to the train and when exiting the station

    SteftacularSteftacular posted on Feb. 12, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

Related Tours

Contikipedia Articles By Region

See all

Most Saved Articles

  1. Suggested packing list - Europe - Summer
  2. Dress code - Europe
  3. How much spending money should I bring? - Europe
  4. Suitcase Vs Backpack
  5. Suggested packing list - Europe - Winter

See all

Featured Travel Photos

  1. Sebasti4_mid_thumb
    Related: Related article: Amsterdam
  2. Europe_233_mid_thumb
    Related: Related tour: European Explorer plus Mykonos Island
  3. 052_52_mid_thumb
    Photo by Now or Never
    Related: Related article: Helicopter Flight, Grand Canyon

Recent Tips

For ladies I would definitely recommend finding some slightly nicer than normal black flats... I bought some in Prague for super cheap and still wear them all the time!

Default_avatar Explorer1080592 Article on Shoes and Footwear

The lodge that was stayed in was beyond my expectations! Beautiful! Make sure you check out the lodge's hot tub (breathtaking view) and the ice bar!

Default_avatar Anita Article on Queenstown

German beer is all organic so you cant get hang overs - I dare you to test it! ;D FYI - make sure you have cash ahead of time because they don't take plastic and there isn't an ATM in sight!

Steftacular Steftacular Article on Bavarian Beerhall, Munich

Popular Tags

accommodation airports all countries asia australia austria canada cities countries europe food france germany getting places greece italy london money new zealand nightlife north america optional excursions paris regions shopping sydney tours travel and tour advice usa what to pack

See all