London Travel Tips

Unless you are being met by someone with a car, it is advisable to travel to the conference hotel/venue via the London Underground (Tube) or the Heathrow Express. The Tube involves a slightly longer journey, but it is less expensive than the Heathrow Express option. A Taxi from Heathrow is not advisable as it will be a long and expensive journey (approximately £50). There are bus services into London from Heathrow Airport, but they involve a long journey, and they do not deposit you anywhere near the conference venue/hotel, and so this option will require an additional Tube journey.

London Underground (or Tube) There are 4 terminals at Heathrow. Unfortunately, there will be no Tube service from Terminal 4 during the conference, owing to engineering works. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 will continue to be served by the Tube’s Piccadilly Line, which will take you very close to the conference venue/hotel. If you arrive at Terminal 4, and wish to take the Tube, you are strongly advised to take the Heathrow Express (for free) to the next stop, which is ‘Terminals 1, 2, and 3’. Once there, you can transfer onto the Piccadilly Line (after buying a ticket). (From Terminal 4, you can also take a free bus to Hatton Cross Tube station and join the Piccadilly Line there, but this inconvenient route is not advisable.) The advantage of taking the Tube from Heathrow is that the Piccadilly Line runs direct to Russell Square Tube station, which is a short walk from the conference venue/hotel. The disadvantage is that the Tube journey is approximately 1 hour, but it is the cheapest and most direct option from Heathrow. Here's a great map of the conference & hotel area (including the location of the Russel Square Tube station): Institute of Education Heathrow Express The Heathrow Express will get you into Central London’s Paddington Station in 15 minutes (one way, £15; return/round trip, £23). From Paddington, the conference venue is a mere 10 minute taxi ride away (which costs approximately £10 - £15, depending upon traffic). From Paddington, you could also take a Tube to Euston Square, but this is not advised as you would then have a 10 – 15 minute walk from the Tube station to the conference venue/hotel.) If you are willing to pay approximately £30 to get to the hotel/venue, then this is the most pleasant, and quickest, way to do so.

Unless you are being met by someone with a car, a train from Gatwick Airport into London is the only advisable mode of transport. Any type of taxi is prohibitively expensive from Gatwick, and the journey time to the conference venue/hotel will be approximately 1.5 hours (if the traffic is not bad, which it typically is). Accordingly, the bus service into London is slow, yet cheap, but it is not especially pleasant and you will not end up anywhere that is convenient to the conference’s location. Go train.

Trains to London King’s Cross from Gatwick airport THIS IS THE ADVISABLE TRAIN OPTION FROM GATWICK, if you are staying in accommodation that is recommended on this website (or anywhere near the conference venue). From Gatwick Airport there are frequent trains direct to King’s Cross station, which is well situated for the conference and associated hotels. The conference hotel is a longish walk from King’s Cross station, a very short taxi ride, or one stop (to Russell Square station) on the Tube. Trains to London Victoria Station (including the Gatwick Express) THIS OPTION IS NOT RECOMMENDED if you are staying at the conference hotel or are going directly to the conference venue. If you are staying in West London (which is not near the conference), then this is the fastest way to get into London.

The ONLY way that you will want to travel from Stanstead to London is via train. The Stanstead Express train service takes you into London’s Liverpool Street Station. Once there, people can take either a taxi or the Tube to the conference venue/hotel. The nearest Tube station to the conference venue/hotel is Russell Square.

The ONLY way that you will want to travel from Luton to London is via train. From Luton, there are trains that go to different London railway stations. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, you will only want to take a train to London King’s Cross station which is well situated for the conference and associated hotels. The conference hotel is a longish walk from King’s Cross station, a very short taxi ride, or one stop (to Russell Square station) on the London Underground (i.e., Tube). Please email Tony Balazs (tony@balazs.co.uk) if you require further travel advice.