Getting about

The Royal Lancaster Hotel and central London are accessible via five international airports, in addition to the Eurostar train service:

  • City Airport
  • Eurostar (Kings Cross train station)
  • Gatwick Airport
  • Heathrow Airport
  • Luton Airport
  • Stansted Airport

For most participants, Heathrow Airport and Eurostar will be most convenient, but that will depend on where you are travelling from.

City or West End

For those who have not familiar with London, note that there is an area towards the East of London known as the ‘the City of London’, ‘the City’ or ‘the ‘Square Mile’. The Royal Lancaster, where the conference will be held, is not in ‘the City’. It is in the ‘West End’, at the top of Oxford St and adjacent to Hyde Park. Also do be aware that travelling times do not always correspond to distance, and that at some times of day taxis can be slow. There are always lots of options: it is usually easiest to use googlemaps to help you choose. Here is the tube map that Londoners refer to for getting about London https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf. Most routes to airports are marked.

From City Airport

City Airport is a small, efficient, mainly business-focused, airport close to the Canary Wharf business district. Getting in and out of the airport itself tends to be quicker than Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted. From City Airport you can take the docklands light railway/central line tube fairly quickly and cheaply to the Royal Lancaster Hotel at Lancaster Gate tube station. This could be a good option if you are landing early in the morning for City-based meetings before travelling to your hotel. Note that the Royal Lancaster is in the West End not ‘the City’ and the journey from the airport to Royal Lancaster is likely to be easier from Heathrow.

From Gatwick Airport

Trains run from Gatwick Airport into London. There are two routes:

Take care with timing as connections between Victoria and Lancaster Gate can be awkward. Generally, you should allow much more time to take planes to / from the UK.

From Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Express (https://www.heathrowexpress.com/) train services normally run every 15 minutes with a journey time of approximately 15 minutes between Heathrow and London Paddington Station. Paddington train station is only 8 minutes’ walk from the Royal Lancaster Hotel. There is a black cab rank outside Paddington Station if your luggage is heavy.

For more information on Paddington Station please click here.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/london-paddington

From Kings Cross Station (EUROSTAR)

The London Eurostar terminal is at Kings Cross Station, a short taxi ride to the Royal Lancaster Hotel. Black cabs are available at the taxi rank outside the station. Travel by underground from Kings Cross is possible but not direct to the Royal Lancaster. Outside rush hour taxis are likely to be quicker. Buses are also available. https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en

From Luton Airport

Take the free shuttle bus in front of the airport to Luton Airport Parkway train station (10 min journey). Shuttle buses normally operate between the railway station and Airport 24 hours a day, every 20 minutes. From there you can take the ‘Thameslink’ train service into central London (32 mins every half hour). https://www.london-luton.co.uk/luton-airport-express. It’s probably easiest to get off the train at Kings Cross station and take a taxi to the Royal Lancaster from there. (If you are travelling to meetings in the City before going to your hotel you may prefer to get off the train at Farringdon, City Thameslink or Blackfriars and take a taxi or walk from there to your destination.)

From Stansted Airport

From Stansted you can either take a taxi or take the Stansted Express train into Liverpool St Station (in the City) https://www.stanstedexpress.com/ . From Liverpool St you can take the central (red) tube line directly to Lancaster Gate tube station.

By Underground to Lancaster Gate (taking the ‘Tube’)

The nearest underground station to the Royal Lancaster Hotel is Lancaster Gate (Central/red Line) which is next to the Royal Lancaster. The nearest step-free underground station is Bond Street (Central Line) and Green Park (Piccadilly and Victoria Lines). (https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf)

To/from Westminster Abbey College Garden

We hope that the majority of participants will join us for the free guided walking tour from the Royal Lancaster to Westminster Abbey (next to the Houses of Parliament) before our Welcome Drinks. Coaches will not be convenient at that time of day but there will be some limited coach provision from the Royal Lancaster to Westminster Abbey for those who cannot join the tour (detail to be confirmed nearer the time).

The nearest tube station to Westminster Abbey’s College Garden is Westminster Station. But note that there are no direct tube lines between Lancaster Gate and Westminster tube stations, you would need to change lines. The distance between Lancaster Gate and Westminster Abbey by taxi is short but may be slow in the early evening.

Note that it may be difficult to secure a black cab on the street on a Friday night close to the College Garden. You can pre-book a taxi but will need to arrange pick up locations carefully: it will not be possible to pick up at the College Garden entrance due to restrictions. Depending on where you are heading after the Welcome Drinks, you may wish to walk down towards the Southbank, where catching a cab, and prolonging the night, is likely to be easier. It is not safe to walk back across Hyde Park alone at night.

To the Guildhall

You are likely to find it more enjoyable to take the guided, air-conditioned coaches provided from The Royal Lancaster hotel to the gala dinner at the Guildhall (in the City) and there will be limited time to return to hotel rooms to change. (For convenience, basic changing space for those who are not staying there will be provided at the Royal Lancaster).

Back to Lancaster Gate: There is a direct tube service between Lancaster Gate tube and Bank (central, red line) which will be more comfortable later in the evening. Late at night tubes and black cabs are also convenient options.

Safety

Like all big cities London is not always a safe place, especially at night. Generally, Londoners travelling alone at night take the tube comfortably and if taking a taxi will opt for a licensed black cab rather than a mini-cab. Note that licensed minicabs must be pre-booked. Don’t get into a car picking up from a London street without a booking unless it is a black cab. (Londoners will not normally take black cabs to or from airports. If you would like to travel by taxi to or from an airport it’s best to pre-book.)

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