immigration & custom

I will be arriving at London Heathrow at 4.30pm in March 2010 and planned to continue my journey to Paris on Eurostar on the same day.

How long does it takes to get through immigration at Heathrow %26amp; St Pancras Station?

Thanks

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Have a look on the Trip Advisor London Forum, where this is a regular query, and there are several posters with detailed knowledge of the likely timings. I know that Euurostar check-in closes 30 minutes in advance, and I%26#39;ve always assumed this allows enough time to clear passport control (British and French) and baggage security scanning, as well as the route march along the platform.

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Actually we arrived at the Eurostar about fifteen minutes before departure, after a nightmare train (not tube) delay, which meant our 8 minute trip from West Hampstead took one and a half hours. We finally were able to change to the tube (were stuck between stations and at stations locked in for ages) and then had to run like crazy. There were five of us travelling; three of us delayed; and rebooking would have been very expensive.

When we arrived, I was quite upset as I have a painful injured knee and it was all very distressing. Everyone was most sympathetic, checked us in straight away, assisted us through customs and we made it.

But no way would I recommend cutting it that fine by choice!

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It takes about an hour direct from Heathrow to Kings Cross/St Pancras by Tube. You can shave some of the time off this by catching the Heathrow Express train to Paddington and then a taxi to St Pancras. Assuming your flight arrives more or less on time you should be able to make a Eurostar leaving at about 7.30pm. Although I am a fan of Eurostar, this is a case where you could consider taking a connecting flight. Only about a quarter of journeys between London and Paris are now by air, but most of those are by people who originate at Heathrow.