Anonymous wrote:How long does it take to get from Heathrow into the city? We’re staying near St Paul’s cathedral.

New Elizabeth Line makes it a lot easier/faster. Take it to Tottenham Court Road (about 35 minutes), transfer to Central Line, then 5 minutes to St Paul's stop (if that's the closest Tube Station).

How long does it take to get from Heathrow into the city? We’re staying near St Paul’s cathedral.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you for all the feedback. Our hotel is a Hilton property with check in at 3pm. Do they tend to allow early check-in in London at Hilton properties?

Also our flight gets in at 11am, about how long does immigration take at Heathrow?

I like that idea to drop the bags and do a HOHO bus, we might grab lunch and do that

11am! You’re going to have barely enough time to go through immigration and customs, get lunch, and get to where you’re going. By the time you’re at the hotel it’ll be an hour before you check in. They’ll accommodate you. I would never book a room an extra day with this time gap.

We like smaller towns so we always arrive, grab coffee and something to eat, and drive 2-3 hours. When we arrive we check in (it’s 2ish by then), rest, get early dinner, and go to bed. Works well for us. Kids are teens.

OP here, thank you for all the feedback. Our hotel is a Hilton property with check in at 3pm. Do they tend to allow early check-in in London at Hilton properties?

Also our flight gets in at 11am, about how long does immigration take at Heathrow?

I like that idea to drop the bags and do a HOHO bus, we might grab lunch and do that

Some hotels will let you book for an early arrival - I've noticed this is more common than it use to be. For us, we typically either take a later flight so we arrive closer to check-in time, or we drop our bags at the hotel and walk around until we can get into the hotel - grabbing meals at local time. When I am travel planning I check the hotel's check-in/check-out policy.

During my recent trip - walking was exactly what I needed - spent the entire day walking - outside in the sunshine, and fresh air and so much to see and do really helped keep me awake. We checked into the hotel at 3 pm, showered, napped for 30 minutes ate an early dinner, and went to bed by 8 pm. Woke up the next morning refreshed and on local time.

Take the latest departure you can -- easier to sleep on a flight that leaves at 11pm than one that leaves at 7pm.

Drop bags. Walk around, get lunch, check in, nap 2-4. Go out for dinner and stay up as late as possible.

The other thing I do is shift my wake up time early before I leave.

I don’t sleep well on planes. Last Europe trip I dropped the bags at the hotel and hopped a ho on, hop off bus. It was a 2.5 hour loop with an audio tour so I got to get a preview of the city.

Drop off bags, then I go sight see. Typically it's lazy sightseeing, not a hectic tour.

If you book the night before, won't they give it away when you don't show? I've had that happen to me actually.

We try to take the 10 PM non stop from Dulles, so you land later in the morning - by the time you get out of heathrow and to your hotel it's early afternoon and we've been able to check in

Anonymous wrote:Do you go ahead and book your accommodation to begin the night before, so you can go straight there? Or do you wander the city until afternoon check in time?

This is our first family trip to London and I’m trying to determine the best plan for arrival. I know we’ll likely be tired but wondering if it’s worth the cost of am additional hotel night to be able to rest when we get there.

Also do the European hotels allow you to check in during the morning, if you reserved for the night before? Or do they give your room away if you don’t show up?

We booked the room for the night before. We were able to check in right away, grab breakfast at the hotel, and then go back to the room to rest. If you can swing it I highly recommend it. I personally could have just plunged through the day and gone to bed early that night but other family members were wiped out and needed to rest.

Anonymous wrote:A few hotels will provide early check in for a fee. We did that last time we were in London. I think it was for 11 am, which worked well. I try to take the later flights to avoid getting in at 7 am. When I fly for work I go business class and then use the arrivals lounge with a shower and a nice breakfast.

This. Being able to shower is key -- I feel so gross after a transatlantic flight, and don't want to check into my hotel early because I'll just fall asleep and mess myself up with regard to jet lag.

A few hotels will provide early check in for a fee. We did that last time we were in London. I think it was for 11 am, which worked well. I try to take the later flights to avoid getting in at 7 am. When I fly for work I go business class and then use the arrivals lounge with a shower and a nice breakfast.

take a nap for 2 hours if possible (set alarm) and then get out into the sun and try to stay up until 11 pm europe time!

I recently went and considered booking the place the night before so I could check in when I got there, but it was already booked. I emailed the airbnb and asked if I could pay early to check in when we arrive - and she luckily said - you can just get here when your flight gets in and I'll make sure it's ready. YAY - I was so happy.

Book hotel for the night before.

Make sure to let the hotel know that you will be a late arrival, i.e. showing up at 9:00 am so they don't rent the room.