London Heathrow Airport Car Rental
Like many airports in Europe, Heathrow was began before World War II, but was used in the cause in the early 40's. Within 25 - 30 years the airport was servicing nearly 5 million passengers and currently (2011) services about 65 - 70 million passengers per year. This number puts the airport Heathrow in the top five in the world right behind Atlanta-Hartsfield, Beijing and O'Hare. The numbers have been fairly flat over the last two or three years. The airport is actually a little less than 30 km from the London City Centre, just between Hounslow and Windsor. 
There are currently eight airport car rental companies with services offered at Heathrow. Sixt, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo, National, Europcar, Avis and Hertz each occupy space at the facility. Actually, Thrifty (not included in the previous list) and Sixt help put passengers in rental cars "off-airport". This term means that car rental companies do not occupy desks within the terminal. Instead for example, they may meet customers within the terminal and then shuttle them to the rental car off the airport facility. Often, off-airport car rental companies will be cheaper as they have less overhead tied up in their business model. Eurocar Rental offers both prices as you run your booking request thru out booking engine.
After picking up your rental car, you will exit the facility via the Tunnel Rd West. Of course, London is very broad in its layout. However, if traveling to the London City Centre, you travel out of the facility on Tunnel Rd until you approach the Motorway M4, traveling East. The roads will be marked with paint directing you. Also, watch for overhead blue signage directing you to Central London as well. Stay in the right-hand lane as you travel around the traffic circle. Veer left to travel Eastward to London. Again, notice the blue signs that point with arrows towards the city Centre. Also notice that the A4 parallels with the M4 Motorway all the way to London.
When returning your rental car back to the airport from London, you will essentially travel the same way, only in reverse. As you travel back to the airport on M4, you will need to know what terminal you are exiting to. One good filling station near the airport is off of exit A312. Use the roundabout and reverse course back on M4, and then take the Heston Service Station. Gas filling station will be near a Burger King at the exit. 
There are plenty of places to eat, drink and shop in the Heathrow Airport - both before and after security. Wi-Fi is available at Heathrow - for a fee. Every terminal offers the service, which is ultimately provided by a company called Boingo. You may pay via a minute by minute charge, or you may pay by the month. Monthly subscriptions to Boingo offer service at multiple locations, so it may make sense for some travelers - especially those who might use the service quite a bit. The Wi-Fi speeds will generally be regarded as quite a bit faster than the 3G or 4G network. With Boingo, there aren't any subscription cancellation fees or contracts.
Another nice feature in the Heathrow Airport is the Yotel. Inside the T4, before the security checkpoint, there is a Yotel with 32 cabins. Each cabin offers bathrooms, beds and entertainment systems for relaxation. These work very nicely for early morning departures or unexpected delays in travel. You can book for right around £25 for a 4-hour stay or about twice that for an overnight stay at the Yotel. The phone number for the Yotel at the Heathrow Airport is +44 (0)20 7100 1100.
The Hilton at the Heathrow Airport is basically the only full-size (not counting the Yotel mentioned above) hotel with direct terminal access. To get to the hotel via the T4, you may walk via a covered walkway (a little secret here - you can even get a golf cart ride if you're bold enough to ask for one). From T5 you can access the Hilton via a Hilton hotel shuttle. Be warned - the hotel is not cheap. You will most likely be looking at nearly £200 for a basic room. Consider what the convenience is worth to you. 
Most folks traveling into Heathrow will travel directly into London. Some folks however will have a different destination in mind. For those, we have compiled some car rental driving distances to help you better manage your journey. We have listed some other destinations and the distance needed to get to them below. All distances are from the Heathrow Airport.
Southampton, United Kingdom 108 km.
Bristol, UK 168 km.
Oxford, UK 73 km
Birmingham, UK 186 km.
Gillingham, United Kingdom 115 km.
Colchester, United Kingdom 150 km.
Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom 124 km.
Just about any type of vehicle is available at the airport. SUV's, luxury cars, economy cars and minivans are generally available 365 days of the year here. Don't forget the add-ons. Various children's seats and GPS's may be added on to the reservation for all of our rentals. Also, note the type of transmission of the rental car - especially in Europe. Often manual transmissions are favored by renters over the automatic counterpart. Thank you for shopping with Eurocar Rental and enjoy your Heathrow Airport Car Rental!!
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Heathrow Airport Basics.....
Like many airports in Europe, Heathrow was began before World War II, but was used in the cause in the early 40's. Within 25 - 30 years the airport was servicing nearly 5 million passengers and currently (2011) services about 65 - 70 million passengers per year. This number puts the airport Heathrow in the top five in the world right behind Atlanta-Hartsfield, Beijing and O'Hare. The numbers have been fairly flat over the last two or three years. The airport is actually a little less than 30 km from the London City Centre, just between Hounslow and Windsor.
Heathrow Airport Car Rental.....
There are currently eight airport car rental companies with services offered at Heathrow. Sixt, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo, National, Europcar, Avis and Hertz each occupy space at the facility. Actually, Thrifty (not included in the previous list) and Sixt help put passengers in rental cars "off-airport". This term means that car rental companies do not occupy desks within the terminal. Instead for example, they may meet customers within the terminal and then shuttle them to the rental car off the airport facility. Often, off-airport car rental companies will be cheaper as they have less overhead tied up in their business model. Eurocar Rental offers both prices as you run your booking request thru out booking engine.
After picking up your rental car, you will exit the facility via the Tunnel Rd West. Of course, London is very broad in its layout. However, if traveling to the London City Centre, you travel out of the facility on Tunnel Rd until you approach the Motorway M4, traveling East. The roads will be marked with paint directing you. Also, watch for overhead blue signage directing you to Central London as well. Stay in the right-hand lane as you travel around the traffic circle. Veer left to travel Eastward to London. Again, notice the blue signs that point with arrows towards the city Centre. Also notice that the A4 parallels with the M4 Motorway all the way to London.
When returning your rental car back to the airport from London, you will essentially travel the same way, only in reverse. As you travel back to the airport on M4, you will need to know what terminal you are exiting to. One good filling station near the airport is off of exit A312. Use the roundabout and reverse course back on M4, and then take the Heston Service Station. Gas filling station will be near a Burger King at the exit.
Airport Amenities.....
There are plenty of places to eat, drink and shop in the Heathrow Airport - both before and after security. Wi-Fi is available at Heathrow - for a fee. Every terminal offers the service, which is ultimately provided by a company called Boingo. You may pay via a minute by minute charge, or you may pay by the month. Monthly subscriptions to Boingo offer service at multiple locations, so it may make sense for some travelers - especially those who might use the service quite a bit. The Wi-Fi speeds will generally be regarded as quite a bit faster than the 3G or 4G network. With Boingo, there aren't any subscription cancellation fees or contracts.
Another nice feature in the Heathrow Airport is the Yotel. Inside the T4, before the security checkpoint, there is a Yotel with 32 cabins. Each cabin offers bathrooms, beds and entertainment systems for relaxation. These work very nicely for early morning departures or unexpected delays in travel. You can book for right around £25 for a 4-hour stay or about twice that for an overnight stay at the Yotel. The phone number for the Yotel at the Heathrow Airport is +44 (0)20 7100 1100.
Heathrow Airport Hotel.....
The Hilton at the Heathrow Airport is basically the only full-size (not counting the Yotel mentioned above) hotel with direct terminal access. To get to the hotel via the T4, you may walk via a covered walkway (a little secret here - you can even get a golf cart ride if you're bold enough to ask for one). From T5 you can access the Hilton via a Hilton hotel shuttle. Be warned - the hotel is not cheap. You will most likely be looking at nearly £200 for a basic room. Consider what the convenience is worth to you.
Car Rental Driving Distances.....
Most folks traveling into Heathrow will travel directly into London. Some folks however will have a different destination in mind. For those, we have compiled some car rental driving distances to help you better manage your journey. We have listed some other destinations and the distance needed to get to them below. All distances are from the Heathrow Airport.
Southampton, United Kingdom 108 km.
Bristol, UK 168 km.
Oxford, UK 73 km
Birmingham, UK 186 km.
Gillingham, United Kingdom 115 km.
Colchester, United Kingdom 150 km.
Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom 124 km.
Vehicle Types Available at the Heathrow Airport.....
Just about any type of vehicle is available at the airport. SUV's, luxury cars, economy cars and minivans are generally available 365 days of the year here. Don't forget the add-ons. Various children's seats and GPS's may be added on to the reservation for all of our rentals. Also, note the type of transmission of the rental car - especially in Europe. Often manual transmissions are favored by renters over the automatic counterpart. Thank you for shopping with Eurocar Rental and enjoy your Heathrow Airport Car Rental!!