GoSimply Guide to Heathrow Terminal 3

Heathrow is one of Britain’s biggest and most popular international air travel hubs. It’s an absolutely vast place, so we thought it’d be useful to take you on a brief tour of terminal number 3 and provide you with flight information, directions, public transport options, car parking at Heathrow Terminal 3, the airlines using it, the destinations it handles and the services and facilities on offer.

All about Heathrow Terminal 3 – Shopping

Heathrow’s terminal 3 alone gives travellers a huge choice of retail outlets, an impressive collection of 43 shops and 18 restaurants. Click the link to find the full list on the airport’s official website.

The terminal includes a wealth of high class retail brands including a Bally, Gucci, Harrods, Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier and Chanel. But there are also plenty of everyday shops for people without enormous bank accounts, including a Boots, Sunglass Hut, a Post Office, Dixons Travel, WH Smith, Jack Wills and an M&S Food outlet.

Heathrow airport terminal 3 restaurants

Heathrow’s third terminal is also generous on the eating and drinking front with 18 eateries to choose from:

1. Bite
2. Bridge Bar and Eating House
3. Caffe Italia
4. Caffe Italia Pronto
5. Caffe Nero
6. Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar
7. Caviar House Oyster Bar
8. Costa
9. EAT
10. Leon
11. M&S Simply Food
12. Oriel French Restaurant and Bar
13. Pret A Manger
14. Rhubarb British Restaurant and Bar
15. Strada
16. The Globe
17. The Three Bells
18. YO! Sushi

Picking up and setting down at terminal 3 Heathrow

Setting people down – You’ll find special set-down areas with their own lanes for cars outside each terminal. You can’t wait there but you’re allowed to unload. If you try to wait the airport police or Heathrow car parks staff will move you on.

Picking people up – If you’re picking someone up you have to do it from the short stay car park. Alternatively, if it’s really crowded try the long stay car park, where you can park free for up to two hours. Just bear in mind you’re not supposd to return to the long stay car park within 24 hours, presumably to stop people taking advantage of several free two hour parking stints in a row. You’re not allowed to wait outside the terminal on the forecourt, either.

Unattended vehicles

No matter which option you pick for airport parking, London Heathrow is reassuringly strict about unattended vehicles. If you leave yours outside the terminal for any reason whatsoever, or leave it anywhere else you shouldn’t, it’ll be taken away by the police. And they’ll charge you to get it back as well as handing over a parking ticket. If you don’t pick it up the same day, you’ll be charged a daily fee for every day it stays with the police.

Motorbike and car parking at Heathrow terminal 3

• The airport’s short stay car parks are clearly signposted whichever route you take in. They’re also really close to check-in, a convenient short walk away
• If you’re after valet parking at London Heathrow, there are special drop-off points at the terminal forecourt
• Heathrow long stay parking and the business car park at Heathrow are also pretty close by, a short and comfy ride by courtesy coach
• Motorcyclists park free in the airport’s special bike parks, not the regular parking bays. You’ll find terminal 3 motorbike parking at the rear of short stay, in park 1A/5, to the right of the exit, accessible via Chester Road. If you park your bike anywhere else it’ll be removed by the police or airport parking staff

Heathrow Airport location – Getting there

You’ll find the airport just 15 miles west of London. Luckily all five terminals are located right in the centre of the site, which means Terminal 3 is easy to find.  To get to it by road, simply exit the M4 motorway at junction 4 or the M25 at junction 15 and follow the signs for Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3. If you want to plumb the postcode into your SatNav just in case, terminal 3 is at TW6 1QG.

To and from Heathrow by train and tube

• The fastest way to get to all Heathrow terminals from London is by train. The Heathrow Express service runs non-stop trains every quarter of an hour, which is super-convenient and removes the risk of traffic jams and delays. It takes just 15 minutes to get to and from central London’s Paddington station from Terminal 3
• From Paddington rail station, you can grab a train direct to the south or west. Alternatively the underground takes you to all the other mainline train stations for travel to stations across the north and east
• Heathrow Connect’s special stopping service to London Paddington cleverly links you with a load of local railway stations across west London. These are seriously smart, modern trains and they run every half an hour, taking around 25 minutes to get to and from terminal 3
• London Underground’s Piccadilly Line is as cheap as chips and gets you to Heathrow Airport in less than an hour, with a train every ten minutes or so. There’s a dedicated Underground station at terminal 3 and it falls within Travelcard Zone 6

Travelling by bus and coach

There are regular bus and coach services to and from London and Heathrow, offering travel to more than 500 destinations right across Britain, plus an excellent local bus service to numerous west London destinations.

What about airport hotel buses? If you’re staying at the airport on your outward or return journey, there are direct buses between many of the local hotels and the airport.

Taxis and cabs

There’s a good choice of Heathrow taxis and minicab firms, three of which are endorsed by the airport itself. You’ll find the nation’s iconic black London cabs waiting at taxi ranks at every terminal and they all provide wheelchair access. Private hire minicabs are another option, with a fixed price ride. You need to pre-book your ride online or over the phone, and they’ll meet you at Arrivals.

Travelling posh… 

If you fancy a spot of luxury, why not treat yourself to a Heathrow Personal Chauffeur Service? As the airport website says:

You will be driven by an industry-leading, experienced chauffeur in one of the safest and most comfortable vehicles available in the United Kingdom. Arrange your service from any UK address to Heathrow and then have a chauffeur waiting to greet you when you land at Heathrow for your return journey.

What about cycling to and from Heathrow?

The airport, like all major hubs these days, tends to encourage travel by public transport. And these days it’s actually possible to cycle a series of attractive, safe cycle paths into and out of central London from the airport. Use the excellent Transport for London journey planner to sort out your route, much of which winds along the banks of the historic Grand Union Canal. It only takes 90 minutes.

Once you arrive, bicycle parking is free at terminal 3. Look for the Cycle Hub, Heathrow Academy, Newall Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW6 2AP. If you want to stash you bike while you’re away, you can store it safely in Left Luggage for a generous maximum of 90 days. On the downside, leave your bike anywhere you’re not supposed to and it’ll be removed by security staff.

Hotels with parking – Heathrow

You might want to forget Heathrow terminal 3 parking altogether and park at your hotel. If so you can book them both on our site, which makes it convenient and easy as well as excellent value for money.  Here’s a short list of the numerous airport hotels with parking on our books:

• The Sofitel hotel Heathrow
• The Holiday Inn M4
• Renaissance Hotel
• Marriott Hotel Heathrow
• Sheraton Skyline Hotel

Heathrow airlines and destinations

The official airport website includes an excellent resource, a list of every destination and airline servicing terminal three.

Tags: car parking Heathrow terminal 3, Heathrow airport terminal 3, Heathrow car parks, Heathrow terminal 3 parking

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2015 at 1:02 pm and is filed under Heathrow Airport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.