Whistle-stop Tour of London

Q: I will be in transit at Heathrow Airport on two days, April 28 and May 5, for approximately six hours. I will apply for a transit land visa. Please can you advise us on a good four-hour of London as I have never been there before? - Tintswalo

A: If your layover is only six hours, you will not have much time for a tour of London. You need to allow 30-40 minutes to get through customs and immigration on arrival and have to be back at the airport well before your scheduled departure time. Heathrow Airport officials advise passenger departing on long-haul flights to be at the airport three hours before the departure time and those on European flights to be there two hours in advance (www.heathrowairport.com). You can get away with less than that as you will have checked in already and won't have luggage with you, but don't cut it too fine. There are no organised tours that would suit your schedule. You can do it yourself by catching the Heathrow Express Train to Paddington (15 minutes) or the underground to central London (55 minutes), but your best bet may be to organise a private tour. London Layover Tours specialises in trips from the airport and can advise you what is feasible. They advertise a one-hour tour that gives you an overview of central London. If you have three hours to spare, they will add in a visit to one of five attractions (The British Museum, The National Art Gallery, St Paul's Cathedral, The Tower of London or Westminster Abbey). Alternatively, you could opt to skip London and visit Oxford and Windsor Castle. The company (www.londonmagicaltours.com) will get you back to the airport two hours before a long-haul flight and 90 minutes for European routes. Prices start at around 65 British pounds per person. Other private tours from the airport can be found on the www.londontoolkit.com website. (12/2/12)