London Airports: How to Get to London from the Airports

October 16, 2019

If you are planning to tour the spectacular city of London, then you are probably worried about proper transportation to get into the city. Fortunately, there is no dearth of transport options from all of the London airports to Central London. Depending on the London airport you land in, your options for the mode of transport may vary.

In this blog, we will cover the different ways of getting into the city of London from all six of the London airports. Based on your budget, the amount of luggage you have, the number of people you are travelling with and your convenience, you can pick your choice of transport.

Before we start on to the different varieties of transports available from each of the London airports, let’s have a look at all the six London airports.

• Heathrow Airport
• Gatwick Airport
• London City Airport
• Stansted Airport
• Luton Airport
• London Southend Airport

Read on to know how you can travel from each of these six London airports to your place of stay.

How to Get from Heathrow Airport to London

Heathrow Airport is the largest among all of London airports and is one of the busiest airports in Europe. This airport is situated to the west of Central London and would require you to consider some transport options to reach the center of the city.

Travelling by Tube from Heathrow Airport

This is by far one of the easiest and affordable ways to reach Central London from Heathrow Airport. The Piccadilly Line is the underground network of London that connects all the five terminals of the Heathrow Airport directly to Central London. The average journey time in the tube is about 60 minutes.

The best part is that, no matter what terminal you are in, you just have to walk for a few minutes to get into the tube. The ticket starts from £3.10 during the times when there is no rush and can increase to £5.10 during peak hours. You can use an Oyster Card for this travel. In case if you don’t have one, you can easily get one at the station and use it for the rest of your stay in London.

Travelling by Train from Heathrow Airport

When you want the quickest way to Central London, then taking a train is probably the best option. If you are travelling alone and do not have much luggage, then you can easily get into one of the trains that frequently runs between Heathrow Airport and Central London.

• The Heathrow Express starts from the terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Heathrow Airport and heads to the Paddington Station. The entire journey time takes just 15 minutes and you have four trains running in an hour. The cost per ticket on this train is £22 to £25 depending on the peak times. You can use an Oyster Card here too.
• Heathrow Connect is another train service to Paddington Station, but it takes a longer time than the Heathrow Express. However, this train stops at five intermediate stations in West London and hence, if you are headed there, you can opt for this. The ticket costs lesser than Heathrow Express at around £19 and it can only be bought online. This train runs once for every 30 minutes from the Heathrow Airport and the journey time is anywhere between 25 to 45 minutes.

Travelling by Coach from Heathrow Airport

If you prefer to travel conveniently, then coaches are a better option. Unlike the other forms of public transports, you don’t have to board the bus dragging all of your heavy luggage behind.

• The National Express runs from Heathrow Airport to the Victoria Station. The cost per ticket is £6 for an adult and average journey time is between 45 to 90 minutes based on the route it takes. If you want to book at a reduced cost, you can book a ticket online too.
• Megabus is another coach option to travel from Heathrow Airport to Central London. The cost and the journey time are similar to that of National Express.

Travelling by Bus from Heathrow Airport

Apart from the usual options by rail, you can also take a bus into the city from Heathrow Airport.

• National Express has a bus service from Heathrow Airport to Victoria for about 2 to 4 times every hour depending on the peak times from terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5. The total duration of the journey is about an hour and it may vary based on the terminal you are in.
• The N9 Night Bus is especially for those who prefer to go by public transport but do not find any trains or coaches during the night times. This bus starts from Heathrow Airport and ends at Aldwych and runs three buses every hour. The total duration of the journey is between 60 to 90 minutes and the ticket cost starts from as low as £1.50.

Travelling by Airport Transfer Chauffeur Services from Heathrow Airport

In case travelling by public transport seems too taxing for you, then you can make use of the luxury chauffeur services available from the London airports. These services are the most affordable when you are travelling in a big group. You can easily divide the total cost of the chauffeur service and still experience the luxury of pick up and drop in the car.

If you are looking for any reliable chauffeur service in London, don’t look more than the GB Chauffeurs. You can book the chauffeur service for yourself or anyone coming through any of the London airports.

How to Get from Gatwick Airport to London

Gatwick Airport is the second largest airport of UK next to the Heathrow Airport. It is located to the south of Central London and has a lot of international and national flights stopping by. Unlike the Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport does not have tube stations and therefore, one must travel by train, coach or taxi.

Travelling by train from Gatwick Airport

If you want to opt for the shortest journey time, then trains are, hands down, the best option. On the other hand, trains are also a bit expensive but you can choose different options of trains based on the cost, journey time and route.

• The Gatwick Express is the quickest and the expensive way to get to Central London from Gatwick Airport. The total journey time of the Gatwick Express is just 30 minutes with a frequency of four trains per hour. The cost of the Gatwick Express starts from £17.80 per ticket. This train will arrive at the Victoria Station, which is located in Central London. If you have an Oyster Card, you can easily use those to travel in the Gatwick Express without paying for the expensive ticket.
• Thameslink is another option to get to London city. If you are staying in North London, then Thameslink is probably a better option than the Gatwick Express. The cost for a single adult ticket on this train starts from £16.56 and the train journey takes about 30 minutes. Unlike Gatwick Express, the Thameslink makes several stops in the London like St Pancras, Farringdon, London Bridge and a lot more. If you have an Oyster Card,
• you can use it for this train journey too.
  Southern Trains is another option to travel by train to London Bridge and Victoria that takes approximately 30 minutes. The fare starts from £17 per single ticket and four trains run in an hour from Gatwick Airport.

Travelling by Coach from Gatwick Airport

One of the cheapest ways to get to Central London from Gatwick Airport is by coach. While most trains do not run in the night time, there are some coaches that run 24X7. However, travelling by coach will take a long time to reach your destination, sometimes as long as more than an hour.

• National Express runs for every 15 minutes from Gatwick Airport to the Victoria Station. The entire journey time is approximately 90 minutes but the fares are as low as £8.
• EasyBus has a bit lesser travel time (about 65 minutes) but it isn’t available at midnight for 5 hours from 11.25 pm to 4.25 am. If you book a ticket online, the fares start from £4 but can be slightly higher if you pay to the driver.

Travelling by Taxi from Gatwick Airport

If you prefer to travel comfortably till the door of the place you stay without having to change two or more transport modes, then taxis are the best option. If you want to go for a less pricey option, then you can prefer minicabs that cost around £55 to reach Central London. Your journey time will also be lesser when compared to coaches as you will take around an hour to reach your destination.

How to Get from London City Airport to London

Among all the London airports, London City Airport is the closest one to the city. Therefore, you don’t need to spend much money to reach Central London from London City Airport.

Travelling by Train from London City Airport

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is the metro system that connects the rail and the tube in London. Based on the area you want to travel, it may take anywhere from 15 minutes to 60 minutes with £3.30. You can also use an Oyster Card for this purpose.

Travelling by Bus from London City Airport

Though the bus is the cheapest option to get from London City Airport to Central London, it is not the convenient one. There are no direct buses from London City Airport to Central London. You will have to change two or more buses to reach your destination.

The fare to travel by bus starts from £1.50 and the journey time is majorly based on the traffic.

Travelling by Taxi from London City Airport

As the distance from London City Airport to the city of London is less, the taxi charges are also less. If you are travelling with one or more persons, then cab is a comfortable and pocket-friendly option. You can reach your home with just £30 to £50 in a cab. You can book a minicab for fewer rates too.

A1 Cars London has some affordable minicab services for airport transfers and picks up from the London airports to any place in the city. Make sure to book a cab ahead for you at cheaper rates.

How to Get from Stansted Airport to London

Stansted Airport is the third-largest airport in London and is present towards the north of the city. Generally, if you are flying within Europe in one of the common commercial planes, there are high chances that the flight lands at Stansted Airport in London.

Travelling by Train from Stansted Airport

Taking a train will help you reach fast to your destination when you are travelling from Stansted Airport to Central London.

• The Stansted Express is a high-speed train to reach Liverpool Street Station within 50 minutes. You will have four trains every hour and the ticket costs £18.10. You can book the ticket in advance at a reduced rate too.
• Greater Anglia operates from Monday to Saturday to Tottenham Hale from where you can get trains to other parts of London.

One main thing to note is that you cannot use an Oyster Card for any of these travels.

Travelling by Coach from Stansted Airport

You have many Coach options to travel from Stansted Airport to London.

• National Express has coaches to Victoria with a frequency of 2 to 4 trains every hour. The entire journey takes about 90 minutes and the tickets starts from £6.
• EasyBus have quite cheap rates starting from £2 for online booking. It may take extra time to reach the destination when you travel through easyBus from Stansted Airport.

Travelling by Taxi from Stansted Airport

At Stansted Airport, there are no taxi stations. Therefore, if you plan to get a taxi and get a cab at the airport, then you are in for a surprise. If you want to take a taxi, then the best option is to book a cab before you reach Stansted Airport. You can book online from 247 Airports and get on-time pickup service from Stansted Airport. The price of the taxi may differ from £70 to £100 and can take a solid one hour to reach anywhere in Central London.

How to Get from Luton Airport to London

Luton Airport is similar to Stansted Airport, where a lot of low-cost flights from within Europe land. You can use trains, coaches or taxis to get from Luton Airport to your place of stay.

Travelling by train from Luton Airport

There are two main options to travel by train from Luton Airport to Central London. You can catch the Thameslink and East Midlands Trains to the St Pancras International Station. These trains run at a high frequency of once every 10 minutes and the fares start from around £13.

Travelling by Coach from Luton Airport

Like the other London airports, you have a good frequency of coaches of different costs from Luton Airport. You can take the coaches of National Express, easyBus or Green Line which travels to various destinations like Baker Street, Victoria and Marble Arch. The Green Line tickets are on the pricey side, costing about £11, the easyBus tickets are around £6 and the National Express tickets are cheapest starting at just £2 for online booking.

Travelling by Taxi from Luton Airport

Like the Stansted Airport, you can only get taxis here if you have pre-booked them. Therefore, make use of the popular luxury chauffeur service London like GB Chauffeurs to experience complete comfort after your tiring flight.

How to Get from London Southend Airport to London

London Southend Airport is a fairly small airport when compared to the others and has a limited number of travel options.

Travelling by Train from London Southend Airport

If you prefer to travel through public transport, then the best way is to use the trains. The Greater Anglia has about eight trains operating in an hour to the Liverpool Street Station and Stratford. The cost of the ticker starts from £12.10 and takes not more than an hour to reach the station.

Travelling by Taxi from London Southend Airport

It’s rare to get proper cabs from Southend Airport. It’s best if you pre-book a cab beforehand from any of the top cab services like 247 Airports and A1 Cars London. If you want to upgrade your travel, then you get a cab service with a chauffeur in London with the help of the premium luxury chauffeur services like the GB Chauffeurs.

Make sure to take the best call based on the amount of luggage you have and your on-air time. When you are planning to start your tour of London immediately, it is best to get some shut-eye by relaxing in the cab.

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