Hey, guys. First time traveling abroad, and it's approaching fast.

Anyway, my wife and I are flying into London (Heathrow) and flying out to Rome via Ryanair in Luton the following morning. How far is Luton from London? What would be the best way to get there?

Similar thing on the return trip. We're flying from Pisa into Stansted, then flying home the next day from Heathrow. Best way to get from one to the other?

Also, we're on a strict budget. Any suggestions on affordable accommodations in Luton or London?

Thanks in advance!

You don't believe in making life easy for yourself, do you?

National Express run hourly direct buses from Heathrow to Luton, which they claim take about an hour. Stansted to Heathrow buses run roughly every 40 minutes and take about 1h30 to 2 hrs, apparently. You could do it by combinations of trains, but I'm not sure you would save much time, and it would be more expensive and troublesome.

www,nationalexpress.com

On the other hand, if you're staying overnight anyway, will the timings allow you to stay in central London? For a relatively inexpensive overnight in the centre, try www.lsevacations.co.uk.

Best way from central London to Luton is by train

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/luton_rail.htm

this takes you to Luton Parkway station. A shuttle bus plies between the station & the terminal at Luton Airport - five minutes away.


Stanstead the only sensible way to do it is the train into London (every 30 minutes or so) leaves from the railway station conveniently placed underneath the terminal.

Heathrow can be reached from central London by bus, taxi, tube or train depending on time and cost considerations.

Thanks, guys. Having never been to London, I made the mistake of thinking that Ryanair's London flights were actually somewhere in the vicinity of London. Big mistake. Now I'm stuck with the tickets. But you have been very helpful, and I appreciate it.

Brad, one thing that's going to make a big difference is when the flights are arriving and departing. This will have a lot to do with whether you should come into central London for the night, where you should stay, etc.

Maybe if you could give that information, we can let you know what kind of timing you're looking at.

Flying into Heathrow at 11am, then out from Luton at 6:30 the next morning. On the return leg, we're flying into Stansted at noon and out from Heathrow at 11 the next morning.

Here are my budget-oriented suggestions:
When you arrive at Heathrow and leave the airport:
Go into central London (I suggest tube), and store your bags somewhere (like Victoria Coach Station, possibly, if they still have this service).
Enjoy London.
Have an early dinner, stop by the grocery store and get water and enough supplies for an unrefrigerated breakfast.
Take the EasyBus to Luton airport. You can either spend the night in the airport (not recommended by me) or go to a hotel located by the airport like the Holiday Inn Express, using the hotel shuttle. You may have to spend more money on the hotel than you want, but I think it's important to have a good place to rest after your flight, and be able to get to such an early flight without having to leave at 3 AM.http://www.easybus.co.uk
Take the hotel shuttle bus to the airport around 4 AM, and get in line. (Some might suggest later, but this is Ryanair, and I'd not want to chance it.)

When you arrive at Stansted:
Take the EasyBus to a location near your hotel in central London. LSE is a good budget choice, as mentioned above.
Enjoy your last night in London.
At about 7 AM, start heading to the airport by tube or your preferred method.

You were smart to give yourself the overnight stays. The logistics are not that difficult, and you can enjoy seeing "regular" London from the bus windows. I've done variations on all of this, except sleeping at the airport.

luton is 28 miles in a straight line from London.
There are many ways to get to London
http://www.milesfaster.co.uk/information/luton-airport/...london-transfers.htm

then stansted to Heathrow
http://www.milesfaster.co.uk/information/stansted-airpo...athrow-transfers.htm
and as for cheap accommodation if you want central London see
http://www.milesfaster.co.uk/cheap-london-hotels.htm

but the further from the center you go the cheaper it will be.

If you're scheduled to take off from Luton at 0630, you'll need to be at the airport in the middle of the night, so you'll need to find somewhere near there to sleep for a while. Coming back, you could easily go into central London for the evening, but again, you'll have to be on your way pretty early to check in for an 1100 flight.

Check the required check-in times carefully - the cheapo airlines (and Ryanair especially) take no prisoners.

Brad, I am only familar with the trip back and forth from central London to Heathrow, but this takes considerable time on the Tube and I would plan on at least an hour for this journey. There are also two stops at Heathrow, one for Terminal 4 and one for all the other terminals. The Tube trains do a loop through the airport and it can take about 10 mins or more between these two stops (so you think you have arrived, but it's really 10 more mins to your terminal!). As you may have heard, Tube trains also like to stop for no reason whatsoever from time to time, and just sit there. So with Heathrow and with the Tube, it's best to allow yourself plenty of extra time! One other budget tip is to buy Oyster Cards for the Tube. These cards can also be used on London buses (although not the National Express bus for the airports), and if you are traveling around the city at all, the Oyster Cards make it really easy, and the use of the card reduces your fare on all forms of transportation by more than 50%, which at the current $$-to-pounds exchange rate is very significant. You can get your Oyster Cards right at the Tube stop in Heathrow when you arrive, and the Tube people are helpful about how much to add to the card, based on where and when you will be traveling. As far as other budget tips, I have none - we stay with family when we are visiting, so we have not had to face the horror of London hotel prices with American money. Finally, not sure if you have been to London before, but if not, my "one night in London" recommendation would to visit Trafalgar Square (with a great view of Big Ben down the hill) and then wander around Covent Garden where there is a lot happpening on the street and many places to eat and drink (at all different price ranges). Soho is also right nearby and is a pretty lively place! Alternatively, you can start at the Big Ben/London Eye area on the Thames, and walk up to Trafalgar and into Covent Garden. Have a great trip!

TimWayne

Knowing the times, I agree with Will -- play in London, then stay in Luton. On the reverse, for an 11 a.m. flight, you'll need to be at Heathrow for 9, leaving London somewhere in the vicinity of 7:30-8:00. Play in London, stay out by Heathrow, or stay near the coach/tube station to get your early transport to Heathrow. Getting up and out by 7:30-8:00 shouldn't be difficult.

All of this info is a Godsend. Thank you guys soooo much.

You can always take the last train to Heathrow and stay at the Yotel

http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/6/9/111446/0030/...n_s_Layover_Hot_Spot

inside the airport terminal 4.