Getting to London's Airports
Directions to and from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City
Travelling to or from a London Airport by road or rail? Here are directions from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City to Central London and beyond.
Four airports serve London - Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City. Heathrow is the largest with all major airlines flying to worldwide destinations including New York, Johannesburg, Singapore and Sydney.
Gatwick is slightly smaller but still offers a wide choice of airlines and destination.
Stansted is mainly used by budget airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair to domestic and European destinations including Dublin, Paris, Prague and Spain. There are also business class only transatlantic flights to New York, Washington, Las Vegas and Los Angeles with one way fares starting from £349 ($699).
London City airport, is the closest to Central London offers short haul flights to destinations such as Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Manchester, Milan and Munich. These are marketed for business travellers from the nearby City of London and Canary Wharf and very few budget fares are available.
Getting to the Airports
London Heathrow
By Train
The Heathrow Express provides a fast and direct Link between London Paddington and Heathrow. Trains depart every 15 minutes between 5:10 and 23:25 with average journey times of 15 minutes to Terminals 1,2 and 3 and 23 minutes to Terminal 4. Tickets are cheaper if bought online, in advance, with one way fares starting at £14.50.
By Underground
The Piccadilly line provides a direct link to Central London, with an average journey time of 55 minutes, a one way ticket costs £4.
By Road
The airport is near the junction of the M4 and M25 (London Orbital) motorways, with excellent connections to the rest of the motorway network. Terminals 1,2 and 3 are reached via M4 Junction 4 or M25 Junction 15 and Terminal 4 via M4 Junction 3 or M25 Junction 14. If travelling from Birmingham or the North of England the M40 could be a preferable route to the M1 as it cuts out much of the notoriously busy M25.
London Gatwick.
By Train
The Gatwick Express provides a fast and direct Link between London Victoria and Gatwick. Trains depart every 15 minutes between 5:00 and 23:45 with average journey times of 30 minutes , 35 minutes on Sundays. A one way ticket costs £14.90.
By Road
Gatwick Airport, 28 miles south of London, is easily reached from junction 9 of the M23 or the A23 London - Brighton Road.
London Stansted
By Train
The Stansted Express provides a fast and direct Link between London Liverpool Street and Stansted. Trains depart every 15 minutes between 4:55 and 22:55 with average journey times of 46 minutes. A one way ticket costs £14.50. A slower, but cheaper stopping service, also links the airport with Liverpool Street and there is a regular direct service to Cambridge, Peterborough, Leicester and Birmingham, providing connections to the North of England.
By Road
The airport is within easy reach of Junction 8 on the M11, midway between London and Cambridge.
London City
By Underground
The Docklands Light Railway has a station 50 yards from the Airport Terminal , underground connections can be made at Bank (Central Line, Northern Line or Waterloo and City Line) and Canning Town (Jubilee Line). Journey times to the Airport are 22 minutes from Bank and 8 minutes from Canning Town.
By Road
Being nearer to Central London, road access is not easy. The airport is signed from the A13 and the easiest approach routes are the M11 from the north and the Blackwall Tunnel A102(M) from the south.
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