7 hour layover in Heathrow

Hello

We are travelling through Heathrow for the third time in two weeks, all the other times we have had 3 hour stopovers which has allowed plenty of time for the queues and looking at the various retail and overpriced duty free shops.

On Monday we have a 7 hour stopover (flying in and out of Terminal 4) on our way to Bangkok and we are wondering whether we should take the Tube out of Heathrow to one of the many stops towards but not as far as Piccadilly Station.

So, if you wished to get out of Heathrow but not too far, where would you stop on the Tube to waste 3 or 4 hours for a little bit of looking around, having a lunch and a beer or three (and maybe even smoke a cigarette) before jumping back on the Tube to Heathrow.

I have read previous posts along these lines and most people suggest staying in Heathrow itself but as we have a longer time (7 hours rather than 3 or 4) have "done" Heathrow with previous recent stops we are keen to get away from the airport itself.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Shevy

I would take the Piccadilly line to Hammersmith and change there for the District line to Westminster. You'll emerge close by Parliament with several major tourist attractions within easy walkng distance. Print these maps. Buy a one-day, zone 1-6 travelcard to get you from Heathrow to London and back.

Or take a taxi or local bus from Heathrow to Windsor and tour the castle.

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<hr>I would take the Piccadilly line to Hammersmith and change there for the District line to Westminster. <hr></blockquote>

This would take just as long as going to Piccadilly Circus, which the OP said was too far for them.

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<hr>Or take a taxi or local bus from Heathrow to Windsor and tour the castle.<hr></blockquote>

A good suggestion. Windsor has a number of attractions, including the Theatre Royal, and Eton College...

Alternatively, Heathrow has a fully-equipped chapel and prayer rooms in all terminals. In seven hours you could earn a good deal of karma!

You search when you look at the search it refers to people with 3 hour layovers. This isn't true - lots of time differences are mentioned - I think the last I read was 22 hours. Put London layover or London stopover in the search and you will see - and lots of good suggestions are in there - even for layovers of 7 hours or so.

if you are on a short time span pay the extra for hesathrow express and get into central london , the piccadilly line will eat in to your time

Taking the HEX means that you need to take a tube journey to get anywhere that is touristy. For most of the common tourist sights using the HEX / Tube saves 10-15 minutes compared to taking the Tube from LHR - it also costs a LOT more

Thanks Timothy - we followed your advice and it worked a treat - it was great to get out of the airport and have a quick look around rather than hanging around Heathrow.
Shevy