ARRIVING IN LONDON BY AIR
- See also: Public transport in London
for a quick summary of airport transport options (scroll down to Airport transfers section)
Arrival into London by air will bring you into one of five major airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City or Luton. Most travellers will arrive at Heathrow or Gatwick, the two major international airports. Please allow extra time to go through security and customs at the airports. There are long queues at passport control, but once you have cleared this area, it is fairly easy and quick to reach the baggage hall.
HEATHROW AIRPORT (LHR)
Heathrow Airport is the UK's biggest and busiest airport with flights to just about anywhere in the world with major carriers. It has five terminals and is well connected with good transport links. Because it is so big, it can be quite daunting, so check out the Heathrow Airport website before you travel. There's lots of good information, maps, and it also lists all the shops and restaurants you can visit whilst you are killing time. It has recently launched a Twitter account, twitter.com/heathrowairport, which is manned by Heathrow staff who will give you advice whilst you are on the move.
Travelling to and from Heathrow Airport
You can travel to and from Heathrow using various forms of transport. These vary from public trains and buses to shared shuttle services or even a private licensed minicab.
The Heathrow Express - From Central London, one of the easiest methods of travel is by hopping on the Heathrow Express (£13.50 single if purchased online; £14.50 if purchased at the station), which runs between Heathrow and Paddington Station in London, or by taking the Underground Piccadilly Line (this currently costs £4 for a single (one-way fare).
Although the Heathrow Express is more expensive than the Underground, it is well worth the investment. Its clean, modern, comfortable and non-stop service is at least three times quicker than the Underground, taking about 15 minutes. And there are special areas to place your luggage in.
Another option is the Heathrow Connect train, which leaves from the same platform as the Heathrow Express. This service also runs from Heathrow (Terminals 1,2,3 only) to Paddington Station. However, it also makes several intermediate stops, and thus takes longer (around 20-30 minutes). The cost, though, is significantly cheaper ((£6.90 one-way, £12.90 open return-trip).
The Piccadilly line is slower (stops over 15 times before reaching Central London and takes 45+ minutes) and can be very hard to manage with suitcases and luggage and also gets very busy with commuters during the rush hours. Whilst access to the Heathrow Express is made easy, if travelling on the Piccadilly Line (Underground) you must expect to carry your bags up and down steps, trying not to get in people's way etc.
Taxis (or at least Black Taxis) from Heathrow can be quite expensive, depending on your destination in London; Black cab fares can be rather expensive and a journey price of £60 into Central London is possible. Licensed minicabs are cheaper. These can't be found in taxi ranks, but if you know a London contact near your final destination, you can ask them to book you a reliable mini-cab to come and pick you up.
Limousines from all London airports are a luxurious treat to end a very often stressful flight or to make your journey to the airport punctual and comfortable. Some are actually very cheap and provide a lot of service for the money; they may come in and meet you in the airport, serve you tea and coffee with biscuits or have a fully stocked bar. Check the policies of the companies, as some will give you your money back If they are delayed.
Airport transfer services are good alternative as these are cars or vans that you book in advance, and can be especially economical for groups. Fares can be as little as £44 for a group of four, or £19 for a single (prices last verified March 2007. Seasonal variations.). The hottest recent entry to this service (August 2009) is Parker Airport Shuttle who will take up to three passengers to/from any address in London to/from any of the five major airports in London.
GATWICK AIRPORT (LGW)
Gatwick Airport is the second busiest UK airport, mainly aimed at package holiday travellers. Gatwick has a good website with lots of useful information.
Travelling to and from Gatwick Airport
For Gatwick arrivals, the easiest way to get into the city is by taking a Gatwick Express train which is non-stop for the 25 miles and arrives at Victoria Station, the hub for all coach transportation in London (£14). A slightly cheaper option (£9) -- which take from 5 to 20 minutes more, depending on the stopping pattern -- is to take a Southern train to Victoria. These trains become very crowded in the rush hour. First Capital Connect runs services to Kings Cross Station (£9). If you’re heading to Brighton or other points south, arriving at Gatwick Airport and catching the train is much more expedient than arriving at Heathrow, making your way into London, and then catching a train south. For both, there are other options of both coaches and taxis, but due to traffic and cost, it’s best to stick with the trains. However, if you are travelling in a group of three people or more, it may be more economical to take a taxi or pre-book a car transfer into the city.
As Gatwick also serves as a landing hub for connecting passengers for international flights from Heathrow, many passengers may find the need to book a transfer. There are several methods, the best method would be to take the National Express coach.
STANSTED AIRPORT (STN)
Stansted Airport, to the north of London, is used primarily used by charter and low-cost airlines, with mostly short-haul European destinations. It is the UK's third busiest airport, although tends to swop this position regularly with Manchester Airport. Stansted has a good website full of useful information about travelling to and from the airport. You can also book parking at reasonable rates as it isn't as accessible as some other London airports.
The Stansted Express train runs every 15 minutes to Tottenham Hale (35 mins) and Liverpool Street station (45 mins) in the City. If you are heading for the main hotel districts in the West End and Kensington it is far more convenient to change at Tottenham Hale for the Victoria line than to continue to Liverpool St. Coach services can be more convenient for some parts of London. To East London the A9 coach (National Express) is quicker and cheaper (£7 one way) than the train (£15 one way). It runs every half hour and only takes 45 minutes to Stratford, which is the eastern terminus of the Jubilee and Central lines. Terravision operate services running from Victoria, Finsbury Square and Liverpool Street (Bishopsgate).
LONDON CITY AIRPORT (LCY)
London City airport is primarily a business airport serving major European destinations, it is located in Canary Wharf, home to the major investment banks and insurance companies.
LUTON AIRPORT (LTN)
Luton, to the north of London, is used primarily by charter and low-cost airlines, servicing mostly short-haul European destinations.
From Luton trains are the best way to go. There is a shuttle bus from the airport to Luton Parkway rail station which takes around 8 minutes. (TIP: if you are getting rail tickets, choose "Luton Airport" rather than "Luton Airport Parkway", as you'll be charged a £1 for the bus from the station to the airport).
Luton connects to the Underground at St. Pancras via First Capital Connect; and London City is also accessible via an extension to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which opened in December 2005 and connects to the London Underground. This now provides a more convenient connection than the bus shuttle to Liverpool Street Station.
GENERAL TRANSPORT ADVICE
Airport Parking
It is worth shopping around for your parking around the airports. Even though some parking seems more expensive, check out where the car park actually is. If using a BAA airport - Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Southampton - you may pay more marginally more by booking on the BAA Airport website, but the car park and on-airport and therefore saves you hassle and time transferring between car park and terminal. You can often get a good deal by booking an airport lounge at the same time.
Purple Parking offers parking at a wide selection of UK airports. Unfortunately it is off-airport parking (but you do get a free shuttle bus to and from the airport), and they also offer 'chauffeur' service where they can drop and pick you up outside terminal building).
Coach Transfers
Coaches are a very economical way to travel into the city centre. Due to congestion on the motorways, they can take much longer than the train, but can be much cheaper.
The UK's main coach company National Express runs frequent, comfortable services from Heathrow (about 1 hour) , Gatwick (about 1h20), Stansted (about 1h30) and Luton (about 1h20) to Victoria coach station, the main hub for British coach travel, where coaches and trains can be caught to many other parts of the UK and Europe, or the tube taken to your destination in central London.
National Express has a so-called "funfare", an off-peak fare, which is much cheaper than the train, e.g. Victoria Station (central London) to Southampton costs only 4 pounds on-way, compared with 26 on the train! GreenLine and EasyBus also offers a coach service from London Luton airport, with discounts for EasyJet passengers. All the coach services operate very frequently and tickets can be bought online or at the airport when you arrive.
Car Hire/Car Rental
Another way to get from the airports to London is through car hire (North American term: rental car.) . But mind, driving around London can be a hellish experience, especially during "rush hour", the daily morning and afternoon commutes that, despite their name, tend to last from about 07.00 to 09.00 and 17.00 to 19.00. Car hire in the UK is expensive, but all the major rental companies operate from the airports, though most travellers will find they have no use for a car in central London. Only consider hiring a car if you're planning to visit more rural areas. Also remember that if you rent a car, you are responsible for paying the congestion charge, £10 per day, to drive into central London. Parking is also very costly.
International train travel
Eurostar is the only high speed international train service operating between the UK and France/Belgium. Journey times are currently approximately 2.25hrs from central London to central Paris, and 2hrs to central Brussels (on August 2011). Onward connections are available throughout Europe.
Domestic train travel
King’s Cross, Victoria, Paddington and Euston stations are just a few of the main terminals for train travel, and all connect to the Underground and buses. If you get lost, there are maps galore in all the Underground stations and you can always ask one of the knowledgeable staff members who patrol the stations.
Train times from London airports:
- DLR from London City Airport, 22 minutes to Bank, 14 minutes to Canary Wharf.
- Heathrow Express, 15 minutes to Paddington. Piccadilly Line 1 hour to Piccadilly Circus station.
- Gatwick Express 30-35 minutes to Victoria (30-40 minutes on the Southern Line). First Capital Connect 30-35 minutes to London Bridge.
- Stansted Express 45 minutes to Liverpool Street.
- First Capital Connect (formerly Thameslink) 25 to 50 minutes from Luton Airport Parkway to St Pancras International Station