Travel to and from London Airports

Planning a trip to London can be tricky based on the number of Airports serving the city as a destination. There are 5 main airports at varying distances from the centre:

Most low cost airlines service London Gatwick, London Luton and London Stansted airports. The more traditional carriers will stick to London Heathrow airport and occasionally London Gatwick airport. Whereas London City airport is a small airport and caters for a much more business orientated traveller, with a limited number of airlines and often much smaller planes.

How to get from Heathrow Airport to London

Getting to London from London Heathrow is not difficult. The easiest route to the centre is probably on the piccadilly line. The service runs between all services and central London, very couple of minutes between 5am and 23:40am. The journey takes approximately 50 minutes to the centre of London (eg Leicester Square). Further details can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk

The quickest way from London Heathrow Airport into London is the Heathrow Express, which is a convenient and frequent fast service that travels between London Heathrow and London’s Paddington Station.

The service takes only 15 minutes and trains run regularly between 5am and up to close to midnight depending on the day of travel. There is wifi onboard and multiple journey carnet/ group save options are also available.

How much does the Heathrow Express Cost?

Ticket prices for the Heathrow Express for Adults start at £16.50 for a single journey and £8.50 for Children. The prices for a return journey are cheaper than 2 singles and the price is cheapest if booked online in advance and most expensive if bought onboard the train. Full fare details for the Heathrow Express can be found here

The Heathrow Connect train service also runs between Heathrow airport  and Paddington, albeit less frequently and with stops along the way. This is considered to be a much cheaper alternative to the Heathrow Express if you are not in a rush to get to the aiport, the journey can take between 25 and 30 minutes.

How to get to Heathrow Airport from London – for the opposite journey to the one’s described above it is best to evaluate how much you want to spend versus time taken to get to the airport. If you decide to take the London Underground option, first check which terminal your flight departs from to ensure you get off at the correct stop on the Piccadilly line.

How to get from Gatwick Airport to Central London

Getting from London Gatwick to central London is also fairly straight forward. The best option is by train, either on the Gatwick Express or the standard train service.

The Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes to travel between London Victoria and London Gatwick airport and trains run every 15 minutes between 3.30am and midnight. Fares start at £16.90 for an Adult single and £8.45 for child tickets. It is cheaper to buy a return ticket than 2 singles and group rates are available from the ticket office.

The standard train service operated by Southern Trains takes between 36 and 50 minutes from London Victoria to Gatwick, but can be significantly cheaper than the Express train. Click here for fare and timetable information.

First Capital Connect operates a train service between London Bridge and London Gatwick airport that usually takes just over half an hour. Fares and timetable information can be found here.

How to get from Stansted Airport to London

Stansted airport is the furthest airport form the centre of London. Consequently the best way to get to and from Stansted Aiport is to take the Stansted Express train service. The journey takes 46 minutes from Liverpool Street (minus 11 minutes for journey from Tottenham Hale) and the service runs every 15 minutes during peak times. The service starts from 3.30am on weekdays, 4.10am on weekends and runs till 23.25 at night.

Tickets for the Stansted Express start at £18 one way for adults, £9 for children. Returns are cheaper than 2 singles bought separately.

How to get from Luton Airport to London

There are regular trains from London St. Pancras station to Luton Airport Parkway station which is connected to Luton Airport via a regular shuttle bus (frequent, 5 minute journey to departure check in desks).

Trains operated by East Midlands Trains take from as little as 21 minutes and those operated by First Capital Connect take 25 minutes or more depending on the number of stops. Tickets can be purchased in advance from RailEasy or thetrainline.com

How to get from London City Airport to London

London City Airport is the smallest of the 5 airports and is located in the Docklands, East London. It is popular with business travellers due to it’s proximity to the business centres of Canary Wharf, and the City of London itself. It also provides easy access to the ExCel London Conference Centre and The O2 Arena, formerly known as the Millennium Dome.

To get to the centre of London from London City Airport it is best to take either a bus or the DLR (from the airports own DLR station, zone 3) to Canning Town where you can catch the Jubilee Line into the centre.

Alternatively if travelling to Bank, you can take the DLR all the way, journey time approximately 22 minutes.

If travelling to Canary Wharf you could also consider the Pre-Bookable Shuttle Bus. Tickets cost £7 one way or £10 return.

Alternative ways to get into London from London Aiports

Taxi’s and buses are also an option to get into London from your arrival airport.

Taxis can be quite expensive but work out price comparable to other options if there are multiple passengers sharing a taxi.

Buses are a cheap option, however can often take a longtime, due to traffic congestion especially during popular commuting times. Both National Express and Easyjet, via Easybus offer the bus as an option.