How to Kill Time at London's Heathrow Airport

London's Heathrow Airport is enormous. If you have landed there and do not have a large enough time window to pop into the city before your connecting flight, check out some of the things you can do at the airport to pass the time.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Money
• Good book
• iPod

1. Pop into Cafe Nero for some of the tastiest gourmet coffee in London. They also have delicious soups they can heat up for you and wonderful pastries. The chain is arguably one of the city's best-kept secrets. Starbucks fans are likely overlook it, which is a shame.

2. Enjoy some of the most delicious food on the go at Pret a Manger. This popular chain, with locations all over London, boasts fresh sandwiches of many varieties, salads, hummus plates, fresh fruit and fantastic soups, including miso and various bisques. Its cappuccinos rival that of the cafe chains.

3. People-watch! Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. People from all over the world travel to London or make connections there. You are likely to see travelers from at least a dozen different cultures in less than an hour.

4. Buy last-minute souvenirs only found in London—various knick-knacks with token British landmarks and symbols on them, such as the Big Ben clock tower, red double-decker buses, the lovable Paddington Bear plush toy and Buckingham Palace. Get a pair of boxer shorts with the Union Jack on them for your husband or boyfriend. British souvenirs are fun, and the motto seems to be: The cheesier, the better!

5. Read a book, listen to music or just relax while lounging in one of Heathrow's newest novelties: easy chairs! But note, it is not that easy to find them. They are located sporadically around the airport's many terminals. If you do manage to score one, try to stay in it as long as you can—they get swiped fast! Take a nap and set your cellphone to go off when you want to make your way to your gate.

Tips & Warnings

• Leave yourself at least 20 minutes to get to your gate, more if you decided to shop or walk around a completely different terminal than the one your gate is located in. Heathrow Airport is huge, and you are going to be doing a lot of walking once you get past security!

[Rockney]

on 5/25/2009 Great advice! 5*!