Skip to main content

Visitors ride the London Eye.Emilio Morenatti/The Associated Press

One of the world's busiest airline hubs, Heathrow is routinely crammed with passengers milling between extended transfers. But although Terminal 2 – the slickly upgraded new home of Air Canada flights – has a Gordon Ramsay eatery, John Lewis store and free WiFi (for 45 minutes), you don't have to stick around.

Just remember: whichever terminal you're arriving at, an "eight-hour layover" really isn't that long.

Deplaning, speed-walking through the airport and clearing immigration will take more than an hour. While your luggage will likely be transferred to your next flight (check this with your airline), you should get back to airport two hours before reboarding. Add travel time to and from the city and "eight hours" becomes a three- or four-hour window.

The way to make it work? Avoid laundry-list scrambles around postcard London sights – unless breathless Buckingham Palace selfies are essential – and zero in on one or two carefully selected attractions.

Heathrow Express trains (heathrowexpress.com) take 15 minutes to whizz to London's Paddington Station for £34 return ($61). From there, you can walk to the fascinating, medical-themed Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum or connect to one of the station's four Underground lines.

It's three Bakerloo Line stops from here to Baker Street's Sherlock Holmes Museum (sherlock-holmes.co.uk) and one more to the evergreen, bird-studded Regent's Park. Alternatively, three stops on the Circle or District Lines brings you to High Street Kensington, a vibrant shopping strip superior to overcrowded Oxford Street.

If you're balking at those Heathrow Express fares, the Underground's Piccadilly Line also connects to the airport: one-day Travelcard transit passes covering most of London from here start at £8.90 ($16). See tfl.gov.uk for fare information, plus a trip-planner tool for gauging travel times to specific destinations.

You can expect a 45-minute Piccadilly Line trundle to central London. But you don't have to go all the way: there are closer attractions to consider on this side of the city.

It's five stops to Osterley, then a 15-minute walk to the heritage mansion at Osterley Park and House (nationaltrust.org.uk/osterley-park). A few stops later is Hammersmith and the delightful arts and crafts museum 7 Hammersmith Terrace (emerywalker.org.uk) or – via an additional 10-minute bus ride – the wildlife-hugging London Wetland Centre (wwt.org.uk/london), home to ducks and otters.

An even more celebrated green space is also less than an hour from Heathrow, via a switch to the District Line. Kew Gardens (kew.org) is a major lure for flora fans, but if it's raining continue to South Kensington instead for the free-entry Science Museum (sciencemuseum.org.uk), Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk) or Victoria and Albert Museum (vam.ac.uk). Just don't try covering them all in one visit.

Rather than blundering around on your own, though, guided tours can also maximize short London stopovers.

Peruse the good-value strolls hosted by London Walks (walks.com) and, while visiting bookworms love stroking the stacks at the huge new Foyles bookstore (foyles.co.uk), they can also join behind-the-scenes tours at the British Library (bl.uk).

Alternatively, peek behind the curtains with a National Theatre Backstage Tour (nationaltheatre.org.uk/tours) – or squeeze in a matinee performance. Visit officiallondontheatre.co.uk for London theatrical offerings.

But if tight theatre legroom seems too close to your space-deficient airline seat, stretch your calves at a street market instead. Among the closest to Heathrow via the Underground are the antiques-oriented Portobello Road Market (portobelloroad.co.uk) and the cheap and cheerful Shepherd's Bush Market (shepherdsbushmarket.co.uk).

Finally, if beer is the only way to face that upcoming connection, London has more traditional pubs than a jar full of pickled eggs (avoid these if you see them). But rather than aimless bar-crawling, take a tour – with generous samples – at Fuller's Griffin Brewery (fullers.co.uk), a five-minute cab ride from Turnham Green Station. Just don't forget which direction the airport is in.

OUR READERS WRITE

  • See all the sights from 300m at the top of the Shard. It’s the number one must-do for me. @jurassicjay
  • Head to Harrods department store in central London for a quick browse (don’t miss the tea room as well as the chocolate room) then cross over to beautiful Hyde Park. Shannon Koby
  • Leave the airport on the Piccadilly Line and go. Piccadilly Circus would be my first stop for sure. I would then switch to the District Line to see Westminster and Tower Hill. @AllyYepsen23
  • Just eat a chicken and stuffing sandwich then get outta there. @HeckticTravels
  • We had Tamesis Dock [a boat-pub] as our start and finish. We walked along the river to see the London Eye, Hungerford Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Ministry of Defence, then along St James’ Park to Downing Street, Parliament Square and Big Ben. And of course the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abby. It was the most impressive 90 minutes of my husband’s English experience. @elisabetheats
  • I was in precisely this situation a few years ago. My advice: Head to the Tate Modern on the Underground. You will have enough time to get a good look at the museum, explore the neighbourhood on foot (the Globe Theatre and the Millennium Bridge are nearby), and have a relaxed lunch at a riverside cafe. Marlise Horst
  • Everything in downtown London, and everything at Heathrow, takes longer (and costs more) than you can imagine. Just buy a pass for the Air Canada airport lounge and relax. Carol Bradley
  • I would definitely include the city bus tours. Seeing the wonderful city from the top of a double decker bus with a guide on board is great. Patricia Wilkes
  • From Victoria consider one “visit” such as Tate Britain (tube to Pimlico), Natural History Museum (tube to Kensington), Westminster area (tube to Westminster) walking around and possibly Westminster Abbey or the London “Eye”. You really do not have time for much else. John P Nightingale.
  • Visit Sir John Soane’s Museum to see a sarcophagus and some Hogarth art. And drink cider at Borough Market @katienanton
  • Visit Kew Gardens. It’s a great place to walk and it’s easy to get to @margymaclibrary
  • The Museum of London and the Emirates Air Line [a cable car over the Thames]. For food: Dishoom and Prawn on the Lawn. Also, have a pint in the Craft Beer Company – and a late-night kebab on a night bus @MrStuartLodge
  • Go to Ottolenghi’s Islington location. Best meal you could possibly have @LostNCheeseland
  • The Natural History Museum – for the specimens (naturally) and the architecture: there is a reason it’s called a cathedral of nature. @beatymuseum
  • Head straight to the Tate followed by the Only Running Footman pub for a pint (or several) @MissusHeatherM
  • Take the train to Paddington and head to the Wallace Collection for paintings and furnishings from the French aristocracy @FollowsummerGG
  • Visit Cambridgeshire. The Ye Old Mitre Tavern (www.yeoldemitreholborn.co.uk) in central London is not officially part of London. Also, there’s so much to do in London it’s hard to think of only having eight hours @iTimBracken
  • I’d go for inspiration at the Tate Modern, then Tube-it to Portobello Road for vintage browsing and a bite from a cool café @candicebest
  • Oh yes. Head to Euston and fit in a trip to the British Library and then lunch or dinner in Bloomsbury @karamina
  • Eight hours? You'd barely be able to get into the city and back. From Heathrow, sights on the Piccadilly Line might work @CarolineClapham
  • The Victoria & Albert Museum @aladyinlondon
  • No trip to London is complete without a Samuel Smith’s pub break: decent, cheap beer in city centre pubs that are full of character. Try the Chandos for meeting friends who aren’t locals; the Cock for a shopping pitstop near Oxford Circus; and the John Snow for the after-work crowd @LP_Lorna
  • For eight high-octane hours in London, we’d suggest starting with the Heathrow Express to Paddington. Then, stroll through Hyde Park to Kensington and check out the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum (free). Next, take the District Line to Embankment and walk to Trafalgar Square’s National Gallery (also free) for the Caravaggios and Joseph Wright of Derby paintings. Then, walk over Hungerford Bridge to the South Bank. Stroll along the river until you reach the Tate Modern (still free) or the Globe Theatre. Walk back over the Millennium Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral. Finally, take the Central and Piccadilly Lines back to Heathrow @EspressinoTrav
  • Take a Heathrow Express return to Paddington. From there, there’s so much to do. You can enjoy free access to museums and art galleries or visit the various areas (Shoreditch, Camden Town, Kensington, the South Bank etc.) It also depends on the day you’re there: markets abound on the weekend and perhaps a special event may occur. Visit a proper pub and have a roast. Perhaps catch an afternoon performance in the West End or shop on Carnaby Street. You can go all touristy with Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, Buckingham Palace, Westminster etc. but if you’ve been before, London has fantastic and unique neighbourhoods worth walking, immersing and observing @Chiqee
  • Try and find a bottle of raspberry Sambuca to bring home @AirbnbSuperhost
  • Sleep @WayneDHansen

Send your travel questions to concierge@globeandmail.com.

Follow me on Twitter:

Interact with The Globe