In this post we are going to find out how to get to London from the different airports in the city.
Content:
Heathrow Airport
Known as London Airport until 1966, it is the main and largest international airport serving London. Heathrow is located 23 km west of central London.
How to get from Heathrow to London
Heathrow Express train service
The fastest transfer between Heathrow Central and London Paddington. Book Heathrow Express train tickets online and save money.
Journey time is about 30 minutes.
Price: between £10 and £25.
More information on the official website.
Elizabeth line
The Elizabeth line, which serves Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, now connects Heathrow with central London, east London and Essex, as well as Reading, via changes.
From 22 May 2023, four Elizabeth line trains per hour will run directly between Terminal 4 and Abbey Wood via Canary Wharf. In addition, two trains per hour will run a direct service between Terminal 5 and Shenfield via Stratford.
Six trains per hour will run between Terminals 2 and 3, two to Shenfield and four to Abbey Wood.
More information on the official website.
London Underground
The Piccadilly line, which links Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, offers a frequent service between the airport and various locations in central London, as well as convenient connections to other underground and rail services.
Journeys into central London typically take 50 minutes, and you shouldn’t have to wait more than ten minutes for a train, even outside peak times.
Normal operating hours are from 05.00 to 23.30, although the line has a ‘night tube’ service which runs throughout the night on Friday and Saturday nights. Please note that the night tube does not go to Terminal 4.
The fare is £6.
Shuttle service
Not the cheapest but the most comfortable means of transport. Directly from the airport to your accommodation.
We recommend the Civitatis service. It is very efficient.
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Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is London’s secondary international airport. It is located near Crawley, West Sussex, 47.5 km south of central London.
Getting from Gatwick to London
Gatwick Express
The Gatwick Express train takes 30 minutes to Victoria Station in the city centre. Frequency is one every 15 minutes from 05:40 to 23:10.
The price of the ticket is £23 each way or £45 if you buy a return ticket.
More information on the official website.
Southern Railway
Another train system. It arrives at stations such as Victoria, London Bridge or City Thameslink. It is the best option if your destination is not Victoria.
The price is between £14 and £20 depending on the route.
More information on the official website.
Bus
There are three companies that make the journey from Gatwick to London: Terravision, National Express and EasyBus.
- Terravision makes the journey in approximately 2 hours. The fare is £12 (€14) each way.
- National Express takes about 2 hours 20 minutes to Victoria Station. The fare is £10.50 (€12.50).
- EasyBus is the cheapest. It takes about 1 hour 35 minutes and costs £1.99 (€2.37).
You can easily buy your bus ticket at Civitatis:
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Shuttle service
Not the cheapest but the most comfortable means of transport. Directly from the airport to your accommodation.
We recommend the Civitatis transfer service. It is very efficient.
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Taxi
This is the most expensive form of transport. The journey takes about an hour and costs between £95 and £130.
Luton Airport
Luton Airport is located 51 km north of London. It is a favourite airport for low cost airlines.
How to get from Luton to London
Train
The airport does not have its own train station, but Luton Airport Parkway station is located nearby. From here there are shuttle buses to the terminal for £1.50.
From here there are two trains: the Thameslink or the East Midlands Train.
The Thameslink has several stops in London. The journey to London St Pancras International station takes between 23 and 42 minutes (depending on the train) and costs approximately £16.
More information on the official ThamesLink website.
The East Midlands Train also has several stops in the city. The journey to London St Pancras International station takes between 33 and 42 minutes and costs around £18.
More information on the official East Midlands Railway website.
Shuttle service
Not the cheapest but the most comfortable means of transport. Directly from the airport to your accommodation.
We recommend the Civitatis transfer service. It is very efficient.
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Bus
There are two companies covering the route: National Express and Greenline 757. The journey time is approximately 90 minutes.
National Express has a frequency of 15 minutes and operates two different routes. The A1 service makes several stops and terminates at London Victoria Coach station. The fare is £12.
The A2 service also makes several stops and terminates at Paddinton station. The fare is £12.
More information on the official website.
Greenline 757 runs every 30 minutes during the day and every hour at night. This line makes several stops around the city. The journey time to Victoria is approximately 90 minutes. The fare is £14.
More information on the official website.
Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport is located 56 km north of London. It is also used by low cost airlines. It has an advantage over Luton. It has its own train station.
How to get from Stansted to London
Stansted Express train
The Stansted Express train connects Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street Station in 45 minutes. It stops at Tottenham Hale.
It is the fastest way to get to London. It runs every 15 minutes and costs £23 (£36.30 return).
Shuttle Service
It is not the cheapest means of transport but it is the most comfortable. Directly from the airport to your accommodation.
We recommend the Civitatis transfer service. It is very efficient.
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Bus
We have two companies to get from the airport to the city: National Express and Terravision.
Both companies connect the airport with Victoria (75 minutes) and Liverpool Street (50 minutes) stations.
Terravision costs between £13.50 and £18.50 (£19 and £24 return).
For National Express the fare is £12 (£17.50 return).
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