Getting to London from Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport is a very unique facility. It’s an extraordinarily busy airport, with four large terminals. (Soon to be five terminals, and there’s a sixth being planned!) It’s also quite close to London, and is very accessible by many forms of public transportation.
Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are quite close together, and are connected underground to various forms of public transportation. Terminal 4 is located across the runway from Terminals 1, 2, and 3 and is a separate stop on the trains and Tube.
I wanted to write a quick post to help you sort out the various options of getting into London once you’ve arrived. Here are the best options for getting into the city:
Beware, this is by FAR the most expensive! A cab from Heathrow into Central London can easily cost £50 or more, depending on where you’re going. However, you get a spacious cab, have mobile phone access the entire time you’re traveling, and get dropped off at your door.
How: Just look for the “Taxi” signs outside any of the four terminals.
2- Mini-cab
This is generally only an option for Londoners, or for getting to Heathrow. Mini-cabs are what most cities would call cabs: regular cars, registered with the authorities, that carry people around the city. The drivers haven’t passed “The Knowledge,” so they might not understand where you’re going or the best way of getting there, though many have GPS units to assist. The cars might not be the most spacious, but they are certainly cheaper than a black cab. They can only get you into London from Heathrow if you’ve booked them prior to arriving.
How: Phone a mini-cab company to pre-book. (There are literally hundreds to choose from, and I have yet to find a stand-out example.)
3- Heathrow Express
The Heathrow Express is a quick, direct train service between Heathrow and London Paddington Station. It takes fifteen minutes to get from Terminals 1, 2, and 3 to Paddington, and an extra seven minutes to get from Terminal 4 to Terminals 1, 2, and 3.
The train trip is quite pleasant, and there is plenty of space to store luggage on board. London Paddington is well connected to the rest of public transportation to get you exactly where you need to go.
Cost: £14.50/person one-way booked on-line, £15.50 one-way when booked at ticket machine
£28/person return booked on-line, £29 return when booked at ticket machine
Frequency: Every 15 minutes, from just after 5am to just before midnight
How: Follow the signs in any terminal to “Heathrow Express”
4- Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Connect is essentially a slower and less-expensive Heathrow Express. It operates every thirty minutes, and takes about thirty minutes, stopping at additional stations in between Heathrow and London Paddington. Having never taken it myself I don’t know the exact luggage facilities on-board, but they are likely more convenient than the Tube and less convenient than the Heathrow Express.
Cost: £6.90 one-way, £12.90 return
Frequency: Every 30 minutes, from just after 5am to midnight.
How: In Terminals 1, 2, and 3 just follow the signs to “Heathrow Connect.” In Terminal 4, take the Heathrow Express to Terminals 1, 2, and 3 (this is a free transfer), and then change to the Heathrow Connect train to get to London Paddington.
5- London Underground, the “Tube”
The Underground/Tube connects to both Terminals 1, 2, and 3 as well as Terminal 4 on the Piccadilly Line. (Heathrow terminals are the western-most stops.) The trip into central London takes approximately 45 minutes. This can be a difficult trip, particularly if you have a lot of luggage and are traveling during rush hour. (This happened very recently to me, and was even worse because of train delays.)
Unlike the Heathrow Express trains, there are no luggage areas here, so staying close to your luggage can be difficult. However, the Piccadilly Line reaches a much greater number of locations in Central London, and can easily put you closer to where you want to be. It stops at Hyde Park Corner and Green Park (near Buckingham Palace and the Hard Rock Cafe), Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, and more.
Cost: £4/person one-way is the maximum cash fare. Buying a return ticket, obtaining/using an Oyster card, and not going all the way into Zone 1 (Central London) will all lower this cost. Check this website for the most up-to-date ticket prices.
Summary
There’s no single best way to get from Heathrow Airport to London. It depends on where you want to go, how much time you have, and your budget. But these five options will help you on your way.
Photo from Flickr.
2 Comments
I would like to know how far is Heathrew airport to Roosmore hotel in london and how far is Roosmore hotel to Excel london (World Travel Market)
in this way you didn’t solve the problem because theres lot of people that dont know these places like me im going to leave in 10 days to London and im only 15 and i used to live in the u.s but now in jordan and to be honest i didn’t understand anything you wrote…………………