How to get from Heathrow Airport to London:
How you travel into London may well depend on where in London you are
trying to get to.
Note: If you are travelling specifically to the
Victoria area then
consider the benefits between the tube (Heathrow express not used for
this location) against the National Express service. The coach run is
priced to match the tube for a single adult journey and so they both
offer strong pluses and negatives for this run. For the tube to get to
Victoria station requires changing trains at Hammersmith station onto
the District line, a real hassle with luggage. Read the national
express section below for more details.
Train:
Heathrow to Paddington Station
1:
The Heathrow Express.
This is a non-stop train service between Heathrow Airport and Paddington
Station (a distance of 17 miles, 27 km) and is owned and operated by BAA. Trains operate every 15
minutes from 5.07 until 23.47.
There is a
£5 surcharge if you wait till
you have actually bordered the train before buying a ticket compared to online and at a ticket machine. More
expensive ticket options are for first class or in a quiet zone.
On arrival at Paddington in West London you will need to make further
arrangements for completing your journey. Paddington is a busy mainline
station where you can make the transfer onto the National Rail network
or London underground tube system. There is also a busy Taxi Rank for
continuing your journey by cab.
The journey time is 15 minutes from terminals 2 and 3
and 23 minutes from terminal 5. (does not stop at terminal 4, for this
terminal change at the central area to the TFL Rail service, no extra
fare involved
The cost one way is:
£22 (online), £22 (ticket machine), £27 (on train)
2:
TFL Rail service
This a new service which began in June 2005 using brand new electric
trains. The difference is the
TFL Rail service stops at stations along the route. These are Hayes,
Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and finally stopping at
Paddington Station.
Trains run from 5.30 till half past midnight at 30 minute intervals.
The journey time between Heathrow 2 and 3 and Paddington is 23 minutes.
The TFL Rail service also stops at terminal 4 which takes around another
5 minutes journey time. For terminal 5 change over to the Heathrow
Express at the central area (free for this connection).
Cost depends on which station you travel to and tickets range from
£6.20 to
£10.20 single (peak), £10.10 (off peak)
Click here for more about the
Heathrow Express and TFL Railservices
Heathrow to Victoria Station
3:
London Underground (tube)
The Piccadilly line links all terminals with West London, central London
and North London. It also gives multiple options for transfers to other
places in London using the tube system. The only line from Heathrow is
the Piccadilly line which serves all terminals. This gives a straight
journey into the following destinations:
Hammersmith, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Leicester Square, Holborn,
Russell Square, Kings Cross, Holloway and terminates at Cockfosters.
However for other destinations such as Victoria you will need to make a
switch (for Victoria you change at Hammersmith for the District line).
Journey into central parts of London (Leicester Square or Victoria)
takes around 45-50 minutes
Cost is
Cash: £6 per adult (£3 11-15 yrs), Contactless £5.10 peak, £3.10 off-peak per journey for a cash fare
zones 1-6.
Read more about the tube system and
fares
View Tube Map
Heathrow Airport to Kings Cross and St Pancras Stations
A good number of commuters will be looking to make straight transfers to
these mainline railway stations. In practical terms they can be thought
of as one single station, although actually separate entities they are
located adjacent to each other with direct links between both stations
for pedestrians. Kings Cross is a major connection point for services
all over the UK (including all London airports except for
Stansted) while
St Pancras
is the London Terminal for the London to Paris service known as the
Eurostar. Additionally St Pancras runs the Javelin fast speed service to
Stratford International Station which is a just a few hundred yards
from the Olympic Stadium.
The cheapest way is using the tube from Heathrow Airport straight to
Kings Cross and St Pancras. This is using the Piccadilly line and
requires no changes on route.
Total time is between 57 minutes and 74 minutes allowing
for a short walk from Kings Cross to St Pancras and extra time for
terminals 4 and 5.
Cost is
Cash: £6 per adult (£3 11-15 yrs), Contactless £5.10 peak, £3.10 off-peak per journey for a cash fare
zones 1-6.
The
fastest way to complete the journey from Heathrow to Kings Cross/St Pancras is
using the
Heathrow Express to
Paddington Station.
Then switching to the tube and the Hammersmith and City line to complete the
transfer to Kings Cross/St Pancras.
Total journey time to Paddington station is between 15 and 23
minutes (terminal 4 requires a free transfer via the tune to Terminals 2 and 3.) It takes around 7 minutes to walk from the mainline part of Paddington. The
tube to Kings Cross takes around 11 minutes. If you need to walk from Kings
Cross to St Pancras add a another 6 minutes. This gives a total time of between
33 minutes and 47 minutes.
Cost is
£22 (online), £22 (ticket machine), £27 (on train) for the Heathrow Express and
£4.90 for the tube.
Giving a total fare from £26.90. (using your Oyster for the tube reduces the tube fare to
£2.40
Bus and Coaches
National Express
National Express run most of the coach services from Heathrow Airport.
From terminals 2 and 3 make your way over the Central Bus Station to
locate the stand for your required national express service.
However for all services into London (they all terminate at Victoria coach
station) you have to pickup the bus from the central coach station.
So for terminals 4 and 5 you have to make your way to the central area. From terminal 4 and 5 use either the
free local bus routes or the free Heathrow express ride between
terminals.
The cost of the journey for an adult under 60 is the
same as the fare on the tube (Piccadilly line) . The benefit of taking
the National express is a little more comfort (air-conditioned and some
coaches have a WC), you luggage is stored for
your journey and less crowding. Downside is longer journey times for
some destinations and out of the way from terminals 4 and 5.
The journey into Victoria takes between 40 and 70 minutes
Cost is around
£6.00
>>>
Detailed Information for National
Express London Routes
>>>
National Express timetables
London Bus
Most buses will require a change for routes into central London. One
useful bus route however that runs from the central bus station and goes
all the way into central London and terminates at Aldwych (close to
Covent Garden) is the night
bus N9. This runs from 23.45 till 5.05 on Sundays and Mondays and 0.05
till 5.35 on all other days.
London buses do operate from the central bus station and some from
terminal 4 and terminal 5. They are most practical for local transfers since further
journeys will normally require one or more bus changes and its not
exactly the fastest way to travel.
For taking the bus into central London you can for example:
Take the 111 to Hounslow Bus station. Switch to the 237 to Shepherds
Bush. Switch to the 148 into Victoria.
Journey time around 150 minutes.
OR
As above but use the 94 instead of the 148 which will take you to Marble
Arch.
Journey time around 130 minutes.
>>> read more about London
Bus fares
Routes from Heathrow:
105 to Greenford (24 hour service)
111 to Kingston via Hounslow (24 hr)
140 to Harrow Weald (24 hour service) (via Hayes)
285 to Kingston (24 hour service): This also is the Railair service from
Heathrow to Feltham. More details on the
285 Railair here.
350 Terminal 5 to Hayes and Harlington Station
423 Terminal 5 to Hounslow Bus Station
435 from cargo area
441 to Staines - Englefield Green
482 Terminal to Terminal 4 then Southall Station
490 (from terminals 4 and 5 and Hattons Cross) to Richmond (from
Hatton Cross tube)
555 to Sunbury Village - Walton-on-Thames
557 (from Hatton Cross and terminal 4 only) to Sunbury Village - Addlestone
A10 to Uxbridge
H23
H25 from Hatton Cross to Hanworth
H26 from Hatton Cross to Feltham
N9 to Aldwych
U3 to Uxbridge
VT98 to Watford
X26 (from Hattons Cross and central bus station) to East Croydon (Metrobus service) via Feltham
view bus route map
Road:
There are several options if you are making the journey by road. If you
are making the journey into central or East London then you will pickup
the A4/M4/A4 Eastbound which goes through Hammersmith, Hyde Park Corner
and up to Piccadilly Circus. If you are travelling to more Northern
parts of Central Lo0ndon such as Paddington, Swiss Cootage or Kings
Cross then you would be looking to make the journey via the A312 North
and then the A40 East. The A40 goes all the way into Holborn. Once on
the A40 you then have the option of taking the A406 North Circular Road
which is an orbital dual carriageway around North London. This will be
your option for places such as Wembley, Brent Cross and Hendon. You also
have the option of leaving Heathrow and making your way straight onto
the M25. This will be your choice if travelling to outer areas of
London. For instance places like Romford or Ilford on the far East of
London, Brentwood to the North or Croydon to the South.
Minicab
All London Minicab companies are now licensed by the PCO. Prices vary
considerably between companies and by the car type your require. Expect
a standard car with normal luggage to
cost around
£40.
London Taxi (Black Cab)
All four terminals have an easy to find taxi rank outside the terminal
building.
Expect to pay around
£65
into central London. However as
charges calculate time taken in traffic this can vary considerably
between peak and off-peak times.
view UK and London route
planners.
Getting From Heathrow Airport to the
Docklands/Canary Wharf/ExCel
Many visitors to the UK do not appreciate the distance between the
Docklands and Heathrow. They are at opposite ends of the city, around 22
miles apart, with no easy means of connection between the two. By
road means going through the centre of London and in normal weekday
traffic this could take anything from 75 minutes plus. If you wish to
make the journey to the Docklands area by public transport then you are
really looking to get onto the
DLR system that serves
the whole area. This means connecting at
Bank station. From
Heathrow you would take the Piccadilly line on the tube network into
central London, transferring at
Gloucester
road Station onto either the Circle Line or the District line and
completing the Journey to Bank station. More practical options would be
a pre-booked
minicab
for the whole journey,
National Express Coach into Victoria Station and then transfer to a
London Taxi for the rest of the journey or National express into
Victoria and then transfer onto a National express Coach to Canary
Wharf. The problem with using National Express and the DLR for the end
part of the journey is that you are not going door to door.
Expect your journey by car/taxi/minicab to central
London take 30-60 minutes.
To City of London expect your journey to take 40-90 minutes'
Expect your coach journey to central London airport to take 40-80
minutes.
The distance from Heathrow Airport to Central
London is 13.8 miles/22.2 km to central
London