CLAIRE WRIGHT & TOREY WEISS
GETTING AROUND
So much to see, so much to do!
GETTING TO LONDON
Touchdown!
FROM HEATHROW AIRPORT
You'll likely be flying into London Heathrow, so you'll have 3 options to get into the city: the Elizabeth Line (Tube), the Heathrow Express, or a $100+ cab.
DIRECTIONS ON ELIZABETH LINE:
If you're carrying a lot of luggage, the Elizabeth Line is your best bet. On arrival, follow the signs for Heathrow Express. (The Elizabeth Line picks up at the same platform.) The signage is great and the platform staff are very helpful, so you can always ask them for directions. Use Google Pay, Apple Pay, or a credit card that lets you tap at the entrance of the station, or purchase a ticket from one of the machines at the station. Each person will need either their own debit/credit card to tap to pay or their own ticket.
The Elizabeth Line leaves from Terminal 5 every 30 minutes, and Terminals 2, 3, & 4 every 15 minutes.
Take the Elizabeth Line for ~38 minutes straight to London Liverpool Street Station, and call an Uber or hail a taxi from there. The taxi stand is in front of the McDonalds, and it should take them only ~5 minutes to get to your hotel. If you feel like stretching your legs, Liverpool Street Station is only ~11 minutes walk to the hotels.
Link to Elizabeth Line Information & Timetables
DIRECTIONS ON HEATHROW EXPRESS:
On arrival, follow the signs for the Heathrow Express, which leaves every 15 minutes to Paddington Station. From Paddington, take the Circle Line towards Edgeware Road for 11 stops (~23 mins) and get off at Tower Hill Station. The hotels are a 5 min. walk from Tower Hill Station.
FROM GATWICK AIRPORT
If you don't have your heart set on a non-stop flight from the US, you can find lots of cheap 1- & 2- stop flights through Europe (Dublin, Lisbon, Paris, Denmark, Iceland, etc.) that'll fly you into Gatwick Airport. Getting into London from Gatwick is much easier than it was a few years ago.
Catch the Thameslink towards Peterborough for 7 stops (~47 mins) to London Blackfriars and transfer to the Tube. Take the Circle Line via Liverpool Street or the District Line towards Upminster (both run on the same track, so either will work) for 4 stops (6 mins.) to Tower Hill Station.
GETTING TO SUGGESTED HOTELS
From Tower Hill Station
Travelodge London Central Tower Bridge (Lloyds Court Business Centre, 1 Goodman's Yard, London E1 8AT)
When you get off the train, follow the “Way Out” signs.
You’ll go up a set of stairs and will have to tap out; we recommend using the wide gate as it closes slower and you won’t get stuck with your bags! Trust us, it happens.
Once you’re through the gate there will be a large exit on your left, take that and turn to the left.
Follow the walkway, don’t go down the stairs to the right, just go forward.
You’ll walk by a park on the right and a light up Jaguar on the left.
Follow this to the street.
Cross the street here, remember cars are coming from the other side! Fortunately the street tells you which way to look.
Turn left and pass “The Minories”
Take your next right onto “Goodman’s Yard” and the hotel will be half a block up on your right.
The Chamberlain Hotel, Tower Bridge (132-135 Minories, London EC3N 1NU)
When you get off the train, follow the “Way Out” signs.
You’ll go up a set of stairs and will have to tap out; we recommend using the wide gate as it closes slower and you won’t get stuck with your bags! Trust us, it happens.
Once you’re through the gate there will be a large exit on your left, take that and turn to the left.
Follow the walkway, don’t go down the stairs to the right, just go forward.
You’ll walk by a park on the right and a light up Jaguar on the left.
Follow this to the street.
Take a left at the light (don’t cross the street).
The hotel will be a block and a half up on the left.
Hotel Motel One London Tower Hill (24-26 Minories, London EC3N 1BQ)
When you get off the train, follow the “Way Out” signs.
You’ll go up a set of stairs and will have to tap out; we recommend using the wide gate as it closes slower and you won’t get stuck with your bags! Trust us, it happens.
Once you’re through the gate there will be a large exit on your left, take that and turn to the left.
Follow the walkway, don’t go down the stairs to the right, just go forward.
You’ll walk by a park on the right and a light up Jaguar on the left.
Follow this to the street.
Take a left at the light (don’t cross the street).
Walk two blocks up to India Street.
The hotel will be across the street on your right.
AROUND LONDON
Walking
It's probably safe to say that you'll be walking a whole lot more than usual. It's nothing to hit 7 miles in a day, so don't forget your comfy shoes, and especially don't forget that cars drive on the other side of the road, so always look both ways!
In case you get lost, we recommend downloading an offline Google Map of London before getting on the plane (instructions in link below). If you do have data in the UK, but want to save some of it and your battery, you can set your phone to use offline maps even while data is on.
AROUND LONDON
The Tube
Londoners call their subway the "Tube," and it's by far the best way to get around the city. It's nothing like the Boston T, in that it runs efficiently and often. An Uber or taxi is always an option, but traffic is a nightmare, so the Tube is often the quickest way to get around (even if you have to change trains)! It's also easy to pay by tapping with your phone. Instructions on how to set up tap-to-pay are linked below.
TO CHELMSFORD IN ESSEX
Wednesday Afternoon
The Chelmsford hotel is conveniently located ~30 mins. from London. To get there, walk 10 mins to Liverpool Street Station and take the Greater Anglia Rail towards Harwich International for 2 stops (~30 mins) and get off at Chelmsford. The hotel is a 2-min. walk from the station.
Because you won't be able to check into the Chelmsford hotel before the shuttle comes to pick you up for the wedding, spending Wednesday night in London might make for a very long day on Thursday!
TO/FROM THE VENUE
Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married!
We have a bus set up to pick guests up from the hotel in Chelmsford and take them to the wedding at 1pm. Return trips will leave at 10pm, 11pm, and 12am. There are plenty of taxi companies in the area if you miss the bus. There's also parking onsite.
TO HEATHROW
Until next time!
If you're not joining us in Portugal, we'd still caution against flying home on the 22nd, because Chelmsford is 2+ hours from Gatwick & Heathrow airports (both driving and by train).
By train from Chelmsford Station, you can take the Greater Anglia Rail for 2 stops (~35 mins.) to Liverpool Street Station. Transfer to the Circle Line towards Hammersmith and ride it for 9 stops (~25 mins.) to Paddington Station, where you can catch the 15-min. Heathrow Express to the airport. The Heathrow Express leaves every 30-mins. Make sure to budget time for transfers and waiting for the next train to come along. (If you're joining us for breakfast on Friday morning, remember that Chelmsford Station is ~25 mins. from the venue by taxi/shuttle.)
A cheaper option would be the National Express Coach, which takes you straight from Chelmsford to Heathrow in ~2.5 hours for ~£10.