The first phase of London Heathrow’s £2.5 billion new terminal will open in 2014, and will be able to handle up to 20 million passengers a year.

The new terminal, which is part of a larger initiative of an over  £4 million package, which will connect London Heathrow with European and Asian hubs.

The new terminal will increase the amount of passengers who spend layovers at London Heathrow, which is one of the top stopover destinations.  Travelers are able to take advantage of Heathrow’s top notch facilities during their layovers including lounges, restaurants, and Heathrow airport hotels.

The new Terminal 2 will be rolled out in two stages – the first, will be the re-building of the previous terminal 2, which is scheduled to open in 2014.

The second stage will be an extension of the previous terminal, including new facilities and an additional satellite building, which will increase the amount of passengers by another 10 million a year. Completion date for this stage has not been announced.

Click here for the full Layover Guide to London Heathrow!

Stuck on a London layover at Heathrow International airport? London’s Heathrow airport is one of the busiest airports in the world and is located roughly 15 miles from London’s city center, making it an accessible destination for those who are stuck on long layovers. If you’re trying to decide whether you can leave the airport on your Heathrow layover, click here for useful tips.

If you’re stuck inside the airport during your London layover, Heathrow provides a number of services and activities that can help your layover become a short vacation in itself. Here are some of the various shops and facilities available, listed by terminal, to keep you busy during your wait. To aid with shopping, passengers can hire Personal Shopping Consultants, who can be distinguished by their green uniforms (to book a shopping consultant, call 0870 850 2825 (UK) or +44 (0)121 410 5105). In addition to duty free and regular shopping, there are also many restaurants ranging from fine dining to quick snacks to choose from during your Heathrow layover. Here are the various bars and restaurants options at the airport.

CLICK HERE for London Layover Tours (straight from the airport)!

A number of executive lounges are available at the Heathrow airport (at Terminal 1,3,4,5). The lounges offer a range of beers, complimentary Wi-Fi and other standard facilities. You can book these lounges from here. The price starts from £17.95. In case you need special care assistance, contact +44 (0)844 335 1801 for general advice and information.

The Molton Brown Travel Spa is located in British Airways Terminal 1 and Terminal 4 Departures Lounges at Heathrow Airport. The spa offers a variety of services including massages, hydrotherapy showers, circulation and reflex therapies, and is an ideal way to relax during your Heathrow layover.

If you are looking to exchange the currency, Foreign Exchanges and ATMs are available at all the terminals (click here for their locations). In addition, the airport has many prayer rooms available including Catholic, Free Church, Anglican, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh chaplains. They can all be contacted through the airport information desks within the terminals and you can find more information here.

For passengers who arrive at night or are looking to relax, the Hilton London Heathrow Airport hotel is located across the covered walkway linked to Terminal Four, and the Sofitel London Heathrow is also connected via a covered walkway to Terminal Five. In addition there are many hotels near the Heathrow airport. Click here for London hotels at varying price points.

CLICK HERE for London’s Best Restaurants!

A number of companies offer Layover Tours that can pick you up directly from the airport, hassle free, take you where you’re interested in visiting and return you to the airport in time to catch your connecting flight. Find out more information on these London Layover Tours here.

If you’re looking to ditch your luggage during your Heathrow layover, Left Luggage facilities are available at all the terminals. The Left Luggage service charges £4 per item for 24 hours. For their hours of operation and location, click here.

Taxis are available outside the airport for quick transport, and there are also car rental companies onsite. Direct booking can be found here. Heathrow airport is also well connected with public transportation. While taking the London Underground is the cheapest way to get into London, it can take up to an hour each way. If you’re strapped for time, the London Heathrow Express train can get you into London for as little as 15 minutes. Click here to figure out the best way to travel into the city during your London layover.

LayoverGuide.com’s Suggestions Of Things To Do On A Heathrow Layover:

Sightseeing Bus

The hop-on, hop-off bus gives a commentary of the sights as you pass them. Tickets can be purchased right on the bus or online. You can “hop on” at Paddington station, and “hop off” wherever you choose. It swings back around to Paddington, if that’s all the time you have, to get back to the airport.

Tower of London

At The Tower of London, you’ll find torture exhibits as well as the famous Crown Jewels which including 530 carat Star at the Jewel House. Beefeaters, who are the walking tour guides, lead the hour-long tours every hour until 3:30p.m.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace, home to the British monarch, is another favorite sightseeing spot for those with only a short time in London. Victoria, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner are the closest Tube stations. Also, you can catch the changing of the guard, but should check ahead for the schedule as it does not happen every day.

Westminster Abbey and Big Ben

Exit the tube at the Westminster stop. You will first see Big Ben and further down the street Westminster Abbey, where Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson, Browning, and Dickens are all buried here.

Cabinet War Rooms

Close to the Abby, you can see the actual underground bunker Winston Churchill used during World War II. Everything there from the wall maps, to Churchill’s cot are authentic.

Windsor Castle

Take a taxi or bus 77 from Heathrow to Windsor Castle in about 40 minutes. The 900-year-old castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world.

Thorpe Palace

Thorpe Park is London’s most popular attractions and theme parks. It opened as a water park in 1970 however more thrill rides were added later. The park is around 5.1 miles from the airport and thus, close for a quick trip during a London layover.

None of these activities interest you? Here’s a list of more suggestions of places you can visit during London layover at the Heathrow airport.

Have a suggestion for a London Heathrow layover? Leave a comment below!

T-Mobile’s Life’s For Sharing brought us a welcome home to remember.

The video, which has already gotten over 3.5 million hits on YouTube, features a group of singers serenading passengers coming home at London’s Heathrow Terminal 5.

The musical video has also caught on in the celebrity realm.

Actress Olivia Wilde Tweeted the video out to her followers.  “My dream airport experience,” she wrote.

And English actor Stephen Frye Tweeted, “I’m sure you’ve seen it but still: if your heart has cockles this will surely warm them.”

If you haven’t seen the musical airport number, check out the video below.

For updates, exclusive content and more info on T-Mobile’s talented cast, visit their new Facebook group.

London offers a number of Layover Tours from Heathrow and Gatwick for passengers stuck on long layovers, to help you see some sights in a hassle free manner.

Customized tours can be personally arranged to pick you up from the airport on your London layover, see the places that most interest you around, and then return you to the airport with plenty of time to catch your next flight. For those who have limited time and might not be familiar with London, it can be the easiest and most efficient way to spend a limited amount of time. If you’re trying to figure out if you can leave the airport during your London layover, click here for useful tips.

Below are some of the Layover Tours available that will pick you up directly from the airport. For our full write-up on tips and suggestions for things you can do (both inside and outside the airport) on a Heathrow layover, click here.  For Gatwick, click here.

London Layover Tours:

London Magical Tours
With customized tours that can pick you up from both Heathrow and Gatwick airports, London Magical Tours will arrive at the airport carrying a sign with your name and will chauffeur you on your tour. Choose from tours to London, Windsor, Hampton Court and Oxford and opt for the layover option!

London Taxi Tour
London Taxi Tour also offers private layover tours to passengers from Heathrow or Gatwick. With a number of tours to choose from including a Harry Potter Tour and a James Bond Tour, you can make sure you see the places that most interest you.

London’s Tours
A comfortable car and your own guide can help you catch London’s sights in this layover tour. London’s Tours will “meet you at the airport and whisk you away to see the lovely countryside and places tour buses never reach! How about including lunch at an olde worlde pub before more delightful exploring en route back to the airport?”

London Sightseeing Tours
With a huge list of tours to choose from, London Sightseeing Tours offers virtually every tour possible in London (even tours from London to Paris). If you’re looking for an airport pickup, however, make sure to check the brochure page of the tour’s web site to find out the specifics on where they can pick up and drop off (tour customization at this site greatly varies depending on the tour).

CLICK HERE For the full Layover Guide to Heathrow, London

With cheap car hire usa you can visit the places you want to experience. Make up your own mind and your own itinerary and see how much fun you will have.

On your London layover, check out the world’s smallest airport hotel room, the YOTEL!

For those looking to ditch their extra luggage to venture out for a London layover, here is a quick guide to the Left Luggage facilities in both Heathrow and Gatwick airports:

Heathrow Left Luggage is available in each terminal:

• Terminal 1 Mezzanine Floor, 6am-11pm
• Terminal 2 departures near Lufthansa, 6am-11pm
• Terminal 3 arrivals area, 5:30am-11:30pm
• Terminal 4 arrivals area, 6am-11pm

Rates are £6 per item per 24 hours, or less depending on the time. You can contact the Excess Baggage Company at +44 (0)20 8745 4599 with any additional questions.

London Gatwick Left Luggage is available in both the North and South Terminals:

• North Terminal departures near British Airways, 6am-10pm
• South Terminal arrivals, open 24 hours

Rates are £5.50 per item, per day. You can visit the Excess Baggage Company’s North Terminal desk, open from 6am-10pm daily or, for the South Terminal, the 24hr desk located in arrivals, or call: 01293 502013 (North Terminal) or 01293 502014 (South Terminal) with any additional questions.

London layovers in Heathrow and Gatwick are common stopovers for many travelers, and sometimes it can be a lengthy stay. Instead of spending half a day in the airport, there’s tons to do and see in London that can keep you greatly entertained. However, keep in mind that Heathrow is a big airport, with two security check points, so you want to leave yourself with more than enough time to make your connection.

For the full Layover Guide To Heathrow, CLICK HERE.

While taking the London Underground is the cheapest way to get into London, it can take up to an hour each way. If you’re strapped for time, the London Heathrow Express train can get you into London for as little as 15 minutes. The trip from Gatwick on the London Gatwick Express will take 30 minutes trip and runs every 15 minutes.

When you get into London, if you’re planning on taking the tube around for the day, look into buying the Oyster Card, which for a small fee will get you unlimited rides on the tube, buses, and riverboat discounts.

If you want the sightseeing to start straight from the airport, the London Magical Tours will pick you up from either Heathrow or Gatwick, and offers three and seven hour-tours of London starting at $60.

For more London layover tours that will pick you up directly from the airport, click here.

Sightseeing Bus

The hop-on, hop-off bus gives a commentary of the sights as you pass them. Tickets can be purchased right on the bus or online. You can “hop on” at Paddington station, and “hop off” wherever you choose. It swings back around to Paddington, if that’s all the time you have, to get back to the airport.

Tower of London

At The Tower of London, you’ll find torture exhibits as well as the famous Crown Jewels which including 530 carat Star at the Jewel House. Beefeaters, who are the walking tour guides, lead the hour-long tours every hour until 3:30p.m.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace, home to the British monarch, is another favorite sightseeing spot for those with only a short time in London. Victoria, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner are the closest Tube stations. Also, you can catch the changing of the guard, but should check ahead for the schedule as it does not happen every day.

Westminster Abbey and Big Ben

Exit the tube at the Westminster stop. You will first see Big Ben and further down the street Westminster Abbey, where Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson, Browning, and Dickens are all buried here.

Cabinet War Rooms

Close to the Abby, you can see the actual underground bunker Winston Churchill used during World War II. Everything there from the wall maps, to Churchill’s cot are authentic.

Windsor Castle

Take a taxi or bus 77 from Heathrow to Windsor Castle in about 40 minutes. The 900-year-old castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world.