-Tom

The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
@6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
Square but don't want to take a taxi. Can anyone provide instructions
for getting from the airport to the hotel via train and tube? Thanks
in advance!

David Horne

Tom <[email protected]> wrote:

> The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> @6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> Square but don't want to take a taxi. Can anyone provide instructions
> for getting from the airport to the hotel via train and tube? Thanks
> in advance!

Take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station. From there, if it's
several of you, I would actually take a cab. It will not be much more
than the tube tickets, if at all. The closest tube station to your hotel
is Marble Arch, which will include a change of tube lines if you go
there from Victoria. Further away is Green Park station, but that's only
one stop from Victoria. Just take a cab, at least on that first trip
with luggage etc. 5 people can fit comfortably in London black cabs,
depending on luggage.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

David Horne

David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) <[email protected]> wrote:

> Tom <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> > Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> > @6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> > Square but don't want to take a taxi. Can anyone provide instructions
> > for getting from the airport to the hotel via train and tube? Thanks
> > in advance!
>
> Take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station. From there, if it's
> several of you, I would actually take a cab. It will not be much more
> than the tube tickets, if at all. The closest tube station to your hotel
> is Marble Arch, which will include a change of tube lines if you go
> there from Victoria. Further away is Green Park station, but that's only
> one stop from Victoria. Just take a cab, at least on that first trip
> with luggage etc. 5 people can fit comfortably in London black cabs,
> depending on luggage.

Just another thing- there is often a queue for cabs at the station- so
you might have to wait a while for one.

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

-Tom

On Feb 5, 9:57 am, [email protected] (David Horne, _the_ chancellor
(*)) wrote:
> David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Tom <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> > > Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> > > @6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> > > Square but don't want to take a taxi. Can anyone provide instructions
> > > for getting from the airport to the hotel via train and tube? Thanks
> > > in advance!
>
> > Take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station. From there, if it's
> > several of you, I would actually take a cab. It will not be much more
> > than the tube tickets, if at all. The closest tube station to your hotel
> > is Marble Arch, which will include a change of tube lines if you go
> > there from Victoria. Further away is Green Park station, but that's only
> > one stop from Victoria. Just take a cab, at least on that first trip
> > with luggage etc. 5 people can fit comfortably in London black cabs,
> > depending on luggage.
>
> Just another thing- there is often a queue for cabs at the station- so
> you might have to wait a while for one.
>
> --
> (*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
> David Horne-http://www.davidhorne.net
> (don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

David, thanks for your response. There will be 4 of us on the trip.
Is the Gatwick Express train easy to locate and can we purchase
tickets in the station at the airport?

David Horne

Tom <[email protected]> wrote:

[]
> David, thanks for your response. There will be 4 of us on the trip.
> Is the Gatwick Express train easy to locate and can we purchase
> tickets in the station at the airport?

Yes, it's easy to find, and there are ticket desks in the airport near
the station. There are other services into London (and I think the
Gatwick Express might be scrapped at some point) but arriving in the
morning with luggage, you're better off on the Gatwick Express. The
local services heading towards London will be very busy with commuters.
The journey is around 30 minutes to Victoria Station. Check out

http://www.gatwickexpress.com/

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Alan Harrison

"David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1ht2lo1.1s5xd5uq43d21N%[email protected]...
> Tom <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> []
>> David, thanks for your response. There will be 4 of us on the trip.
>> Is the Gatwick Express train easy to locate and can we purchase
>> tickets in the station at the airport?
>
> Yes, it's easy to find, and there are ticket desks in the airport near
> the station. There are other services into London (and I think the
> Gatwick Express might be scrapped at some point) but arriving in the
> morning with luggage, you're better off on the Gatwick Express. The
> local services heading towards London will be very busy with commuters.

Excellent advice, as usual, from David. Since Tom doesn't seem familiar with
using trains, it might just be useful to add that the Gatwick Express is
more convenient because it starts at Gatwick and has space for luggage.
Therefore passengers can board in a relatively leisurely way and stow their
stuff in the luggage storage areas. By contrast, a train intended for
commuters will often stop at Gatwick for less than a minute.

Alan Harrison

David Horne

ALAN HARRISON <[email protected]> wrote:

> Since Tom doesn't seem familiar with
> using trains, it might just be useful to add that the Gatwick Express is
> more convenient because it starts at Gatwick and has space for luggage.
> Therefore passengers can board in a relatively leisurely way and stow their
> stuff in the luggage storage areas. By contrast, a train intended for
> commuters will often stop at Gatwick for less than a minute.

Good to make that clear. I frequently used the 'local' services because
I was usually going to Balham (in south London) with a change at Clapham
Junction or East Croydon, and it was easier that way. However, I
wouldn't advise a family of four to try it- the trains get very crowded.
For similar reasons, using Feltham as a means of getting from Heathrow
to central London during the morning rush hour is a bit of an adventure!

--
(*) ... of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
(don't email yahoo address) usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Patrick Wallace

Expensive and time-consuming to get a car from Gatwick all the way.
Best to get the train to Victoria and a taxi from there. Buses from
Victoria don't go into Mayfair, and in any case you wouldn't be
popular trying to get your luggage on to a bus and get used to the
ticketing system at Victoria at that time of the morning.

PJW

On 5 Feb 2007 07:44:46 -0800, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:

>The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
>Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
>@6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
>Square but don't want to take a taxi. Can anyone provide instructions
>for getting from the airport to the hotel via train and tube? Thanks
>in advance!
>

Congokid

In article <1ht2k9e.xpm9wp1qmgffhN%[email protected]>, "David Horne,
_the_ chancellor (*)" <[email protected]> writes

>Just another thing- there is often a queue for cabs at the station- so
>you might have to wait a while for one.

Victoria station is busy and there is often a queue, but it'll be about
8am when the OP arrives and it should be very well served by taxis then.
I've rarely had to wait as long as 10 minutes. Most times it's a lot
less.

Another thing, you can buy tickets on board Gatwick Express by means of
a credit card, and possibly cash.
--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

-Tom

On Feb 5, 12:49 pm, [email protected] (Patrick
Wallace) wrote:
> Expensive and time-consuming to get a car from Gatwick all the way.
> Best to get the train to Victoria and a taxi from there. Buses from
> Victoria don't go into Mayfair, and in any case you wouldn't be
> popular trying to get your luggage on to a bus and get used to the
> ticketing system at Victoria at that time of the morning.
>
> PJW
>
> On 5 Feb 2007 07:44:46 -0800, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> >The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> >Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> >@6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> >Square but don't want to take a taxi. Can anyone provide instructions
> >for getting from the airport to the hotel via train and tube? Thanks
> >in advance!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks to everyone. I am sure we can make it and your information is
invaluable. We have been to Europe several time, just not to the UK.
We are looking forward to our first trip.

EvelynVogtGamble

Tom wrote:

> The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> @6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> Square but don't want to take a taxi.

Why? True, a taxi is more expensive than other means of
public transport, but I've always considered a taxi from the
airport to my hotel more than worth the cost in terms of
confort and convenience! (If, after arriving in a strange
city after a long flight, you need to ask directions, why
not just put it in the hands of a professional, and relax
until you reach the hotel?)

-Tom

On Feb 5, 1:25 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Tom wrote:
> > The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> > Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> > @6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> > Square but don't want to take a taxi.
>
> Why? True, a taxi is more expensive than other means of
> public transport, but I've always considered a taxi from the
> airport to my hotel more than worth the cost in terms of
> confort and convenience! (If, after arriving in a strange
> city after a long flight, you need to ask directions, why
> not just put it in the hands of a professional, and relax
> until you reach the hotel?)

My understanding was that a taxi from Gatwick to this Marriott may
cost close to $150. Not a problem to afford, but I thought it might
be a bit more adventurous to take the train.

Miss L. Toe

"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> On Feb 5, 1:25 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Tom wrote:
> > > The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> > > Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> > > @6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> > > Square but don't want to take a taxi.
> >
> > Why? True, a taxi is more expensive than other means of
> > public transport, but I've always considered a taxi from the
> > airport to my hotel more than worth the cost in terms of
> > confort and convenience! (If, after arriving in a strange
> > city after a long flight, you need to ask directions, why
> > not just put it in the hands of a professional, and relax
> > until you reach the hotel?)
>
> My understanding was that a taxi from Gatwick to this Marriott may
> cost close to $150. Not a problem to afford, but I thought it might
> be a bit more adventurous to take the train.
>

A pre-booked local taxi would be more like $120 but at that hour of the day
would take 3 hours, a taxi picked up at Gatwick would be more like $200, as
others have said the train and then taxi is the best way.

http://bigbus.co.uk/ is worth looking into for the first day.

Rr1980 5

On 5 Feb, 23:49, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Feb 5, 1:25 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
>
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Tom wrote:
> > > The family and I are taking our first trip to London in March (Spring
> > > Break). We are flying into Gatwick (arriving Continental Airlines) at
> > > @6:50 a.m. from Houston. Need to get to the Marriott Grosvernor
> > > Square but don't want to take a taxi.
>
> > Why? True, a taxi is more expensive than other means of
> > public transport, but I've always considered a taxi from the
> > airport to my hotel more than worth the cost in terms of
> > confort and convenience! (If, after arriving in a strange
> > city after a long flight, you need to ask directions, why
> > not just put it in the hands of a professional, and relax
> > until you reach the hotel?)
>
> My understanding was that a taxi from Gatwick to this Marriott may
> cost close to $150. Not a problem to afford, but I thought it might
> be a bit more adventurous to take the train.

Gatwick express
http://www.gatwickexpress.com/index.asp?SID={E7A8DC8F-89A3-4A4E-A205-AFD89FBCABDC}
is by far the best choice, ( madness to waste a lot of � on a long
taxi fare in heavy morning traffic) then at London victoria use a
black cab to the hotel. without any hassle Once installed at the
hotel you can get your bearings and then use the public transport to
get around . Bear in mind that in central london many of the stations
are very close together and the best way to see it is either up
stairs on a bus or walk.

Alan Harrison

"Tom" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> On Feb 5, 1:25 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> My understanding was that a taxi from Gatwick to this Marriott may
> cost close to $150. Not a problem to afford, but I thought it might
> be a bit more adventurous to take the train.
>
It's a great deal quicker, too, than taking a cab, which would have to
struggle through suburban traffic.

Alan Harrison