Londoners: What's the best public transport option from Heathrow to Kings Cross?

[blackrat]

Piccadilly takes forever. The correct answer is Lizzie line to Farringdon then change to circle etc to kings X. This will be much quicker. The Lizzie line train itself is lovely, air con, spacious, newer and cleaner. No Londoner would take the Piccadilly by choice any more.

Only issue is Lizzie line is often shut for engineering at weekends or has issues at the Heathrow end if the line.

Do not get the Heathrow express. It’s pointless, expensive and drops you off in the arse end of London. It’s main draw is unwitting tourists who think it’s any good.

There is also the consideration of taking a bike. Heathrow X will allow before 9 but Lizzie will not - on weekdays.

 

[blackrat]

If you do manage to get a BritRail pass, then the Elizabeth Line to Farringdon and Thameslink to KGX/StP would be included. The Piccadilly tube would not. But it's understandable if you still prefer the fairly cheap slower but direct tube.

Use the exit near the back of the platform at Kings Cross if you do. On the platform I think it's signed as the route to the circle line only but don't worry as there's more signs to the National Rail station upstairs. The route signed from platform level may be good for crowd control but it's a flipping long walk!


Better than what, though? Most of England is a transport disaster zone, so simply still having a functioning network means the cities are better.

Just as an aside: With the Ember bus service in Scotland adding new routes, public transport in Scotland is looking up - and they do take bikes.

 

[blackrat]

I noticed that in Montreal. By the time you'd made your way down to the underground, waited, travelled, and made your way back up you'd have been quicker walking if less than 2 miles. Made much more sense in the winter though. 😉

I used to like Montreal, but now it seems just like any other North American City with vast shopping malls and garish American fast food outlets.

 

[Pblakeney]

I used to like Montreal, but now it seems just like any other North American City with vast shopping malls and garish American fast food outlets.

I've not been in 20 years, and the entire city was under construction/roadworks then. Apparently it is even worse now.
It was huge fun in the 80s.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Tap and go with a credit card is good. Make sure you tap out too!!

My concern was that last time, the "Tap in" machines on the bus in York didn't always accept my card, Usually I'd be fine three or four times and then have problems on the fourth or fifth. If the "Tap in" machine took my card, but the "Tap out" machine didn't, I could have a problem.

If the ticket didn't accept my card, I could just use cash, and still travel.

 

[sungod]

if you'll be going through london again, *always* check https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/ for your travel date, especially weekend or public holidays

there're often partial/full line closures on these days for engineering works/testing, the piccadilly line has been effectively closed several sundays over the last few months, and the elizabeth line is often hit by the endless works/issues on the lines at paddington

 

[mjr]

My concern was that last time, the "Tap in" machines on the bus in York didn't always accept my card, Usually I'd be fine three or four times and then have problems on the fourth or fifth. If the "Tap in" machine took my card, but the "Tap out" machine didn't, I could have a problem.

If the ticket didn't accept my card, I could just use cash, and still travel.

There are technical reasons why proper public transport like London's Underground is much more likely to work with a card than the rest of England's crappy buses, but I'll summarise it as the readers use the card in a different mode (as a transit card, not a typical payment card) and are tested a lot more. If a gate stops taking cards, there's another next to it and always a worker to help or a call button (unlike some cities, Paris!).

 

[Andy in Germany]

There are technical reasons why proper public transport like London's Underground is much more likely to work with a card than the rest of England's crappy buses, but I'll summarise it as the readers use the card in a different mode (as a transit card, not a typical payment card) and are tested a lot more. If a gate stops taking cards, there's another next to it and always a worker to help or a call button (unlike some cities, Paris!).

I'd noticed the assistants: they were very helpful in Heathrow. I also expect that they hear "I tapped in, but I can't tap out" from fare dodgers several times a day and aren't likely to be sympathetic, so I took the safe option.

 

[mjr]

I'd noticed the assistants: they were very helpful in Heathrow. I also expect that they hear "I tapped in, but I can't tap out" from fare dodgers several times a day and aren't likely to be sympathetic, so I took the safe option.

No, the fare dodgers typically either force the barriers or follow someone through, or use a dud card (for example a prepaid card with no funds) to open the barrier, then get abusive to staff, who are basically told not to risk injury. Ordinary gateline workers are not revenue inspectors and it would be pretty brazen and stupid dodgers who approached staff. Inspectors mostly want those who don't tap in or those who abuse staff and will lay in wait at problem stations, as seen on reality-doc TV shows.

Also, if you genuinely can't tap out at an unbarriered station, they charge you a maximum fare, but you can appeal and ask for correction online, which I've done in the past. It's less of a nuisance than if you have a problem with a bike hire trying to keep your deposit! However, fail to tap out too often and they block your card so you can't even tap in, red light and beeps at the barrier.

I wouldn't travel in London on a paper ticket because you pay more and if you drop the ticket or damage it, then you really are travelling unticketed.

 

[Solocle]

There is also the consideration of taking a bike. Heathrow X will allow before 9 but Lizzie will not - on weekdays.

Generally peak hours around London here are restrictions, i didn't realise Heathrow Express was different.

I have taken a bike on the Elizabeth line before, was a weekend though.

No, the fare dodgers typically either force the barriers or follow someone through, or use a dud card (for example a prepaid card with no funds) to open the barrier, then get abusive to staff, who are basically told not to risk injury. Ordinary gateline workers are not revenue inspectors and it would be pretty brazen and stupid dodgers who approached staff. Inspectors mostly want those who don't tap in or those who abuse staff and will lay in wait at problem stations, as seen on reality-doc TV shows.

Also, if you genuinely can't tap out at an unbarriered station, they charge you a maximum fare, but you can appeal and ask for correction online, which I've done in the past. It's less of a nuisance than if you have a problem with a bike hire trying to keep your deposit! However, fail to tap out too often and they block your card so you can't even tap in, red light and beeps at the barrier.

I wouldn't travel in London on a paper ticket because you pay more and if you drop the ticket or damage it, then you really are travelling unticketed.

The plus side of paper tickets is if it's a travelcard (valid for busses too). However, I have had issues where the barriers refuse it - once there were no staff to be seen, so I lifted my bike and forced the barrier!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Heathrow express will whizz you into Paddington for a premium price. Heathrow Connect will trundle you slowly into Paddington more cheaply.

Maybe I should put this into the "admit your ignorance" thread

Heathrow Connect doesn't exist any more. It was absorbed by TfL in 2018 and has now been replaced by the Elizabeth line. I last regularly commuted via Paddington in 2014. It shows.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathrow_Connect

 

[mjr]

The plus side of paper tickets is if it's a travelcard (valid for busses too). However, I have had issues where the barriers refuse it - once there were no staff to be seen, so I lifted my bike and forced the barrier!
View attachment 790680

The main time a paper travelcard makes sense is if you want zones 3-6 and it's combined with a national rail ticket, as in your example, or some off-peak ones combined with a railcard discount. Most of the exceptions are listed on the unofficial https://oysterfares.com/information-pages/when-not-to-use-oyster/

In general, the paper day travelcards are priced from £16 up but the tap-in tap-out daily caps are from about £9 up, so they're now bad value and on their way out. Even if you have no bank card and have to buy a new £7 Oyster card, you'll save a little after the first day. See https://oysterfares.com/information-pages/daily-caps-and-travelcards-2025/

Edit to add: if there are no staff to be seen, always press the help button. Forcing the barriers is probably an offence even if you've paid; check the TfL bylaws. It's pretty rare for barriers to be closed and totally unstaffed, as that's considered a safety risk.

Bank cards are valid on buses and trams too. Tap on each one, no tap off. Only one bus/tram fare charged for taps in the same hour, roughly, to allow changes.

 

[Solocle]

The main time a paper travelcard makes sense is if you want zones 3-6 and it's combined with a national rail ticket, as in your example, or some off-peak ones combined with a railcard discount. Most of the exceptions are listed on the unofficial https://oysterfares.com/information-pages/when-not-to-use-oyster/

In general, the paper day travelcards are priced from £16 up but the tap-in tap-out daily caps are from about £9 up, so they're now bad value and on their way out. Even if you have no bank card and have to buy a new £7 Oyster card, you'll save a little after the first day. See https://oysterfares.com/information-pages/daily-caps-and-travelcards-2025/

Edit to add: if there are no staff to be seen, always press the help button. Forcing the barriers is probably an offence even if you've paid; check the TfL bylaws. It's pretty rare for barriers to be closed and totally unstaffed, as that's considered a safety risk.

Bank cards are valid on buses and trams too. Tap on each one, no tap off. Only one bus/tram fare charged for taps in the same hour, roughly, to allow changes.

In my case, having a railcard discount, and doing a number of trips to outer London...

N.b. the station was West Hampstead Thameslink, but I ended up at the North entrance. I didn't see any obvious way to get attention, and I had a train to catch!

It's an odd entrance, not a typical TfL one.

 

[Pblakeney]

In my case, having a railcard discount, and doing a number of trips to outer London...

N.b. the station was West Hampstead Thameslink, but I ended up at the North entrance. I didn't see any obvious way to get attention, and I had a train to catch!
View attachment 790683
It's an odd entrance, not a typical TfL one.

If you can't get anyone's attention then nobody is going to stop you going under the barriers. 😉

 

[Paulus]

Tap and go with a credit card is good. Make sure you tap out too!!

Make sure you tap out with the same card you tapped in with.
Some people make the mistake of using different cards, the barriers will open but you will be charged the maximum fare for an all zones journey as the system doesn't know where you started from.