Can you tour London during a layover?
Yes! Firstly, the UK Government call this a landside layover where you go through passport control and return, typically within a period of 24 hours. Your layover (London Stopover) may vary in length, but here is our advice…
If you have a layover of at least 8 hours, then a tour is the perfect thing to do. A layover tour can be the perfect way to visit London on your way to your primary (2nd) destination. But before going over the benefits, you have to bear in mind that:
- we aim to get you back to the airport 3 hours before your next flight.
- it can take an hour to get the first place on the tour after pickup (allowing for another hour before that to get through the airport)
- it can take up to an hour to get back to the airport
So, you need to budget for around 4-5 hours during your layover for transportation and airport time (3 hour period before your flight). So, realistically, you get the benefit of a layover tour, you want to have at least 4-6 hours in London.
Crucially, it depends on the duration of your layover
Is a 6 hour layover in London enough time to leave the airport?
In short, no. As mentioned above. If you only have 6 hours between arriving and departure, working on the assumption you journey into London:
1 hour to get through the airport from landing
1 hour to get into London
1 hour to get back from London
3 hours suggested time of arrival before flight
There’s no time in between to do anything…
So, realistically, you need at least 8 hours…
What to do on a long layover in London Heathrow?
Our London Taxi Layover Tours allow for 8 hours from pickup to drop-off (aiming that a maximum of 2 hours of which is transportation from and to Heathrow Airport (other airports vary), but it means that you can have up to 6 hours in London. This is ideal, 6 hours means that you should see that you see all the primary sights and a lot of secret London hidden gems, meaning that you’d have seen a great deal of London. Of course, you have the opportunity to customise how you see fit, but your tour guide will advise you on what is best based on the time you have.
London is of course a big city, but fortunately, most of its landmarks and history is within a range that 4-6 hours should allow you to see as much of it as possible! This isn’t to say there is no reason to come back after, but you’d have achieved a great deal! The layover can end up behind a real highlight of your entire trip, rather than a secondary thought!
So, you wouldn’t be spending money on accommodation, extra flights another time, but really experiencing London as part of a larger trip! Private London Sightseeing Tours in an iconic London Black Cab. Transportation and a private sightseeing tour of London.
Why not check out our private sightseeing tours, London Black Cab Tours conducted by local cabbies qualified as tour guides, London History Taxi Tours www.londonhistorytaxitours.com