The Definitive London Airports Transport Thread
This seems to be the most asked question on this forum, so maybe we can club together, and get a definitive thread together for advice on each of the options for the London airports, possibly to be made sticky. It's also very handy for me, as I could do with one site with all the links ;)
The timings on this thread are approximate, and based on either timetables or bitter experience. Please do your own research and allow plenty time if heading to the airport. London is a huge, crowded city, with legendary congestion, and a public transport network still suffering from decades of underinvestment, and getting busier by the day. Don't let this put you off, though! It all kind of works, just about. I fly from here pretty much weekly, and have yet to miss a flight, whether I go by train, bus, Tube or taxi. It's all part of The London Experience... London Heathrow (LHR) First of all, it's worth looking at the excellent Journey Planner website. It will plot a route for you, using public transport, with timings, costs and detailed destination and walking route maps. Heathrow Express 15 minutes to Paddington from Heathrow Central, and 20-25 from Terminal 4. Details on the Heathrow Express website. Fares:
Carnets and combination fares available, along with through tickets to London Underground destinations, although if you have Oyster pre-pay, it is generally cheaper to buy a normal ticket, and use that. London Transport travelcards are not valid. National Rail railcards can now be used on this service, offering a 1/3rd discount for adults and 2/3rds for kids, for an annual fee. Also see frequent threads on this and the BA fora, with discount or upgrade codes for this service, when pre-booked online. Pros:
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London Underground 45 minutes to 1h15 to Central London, depending on destination and time of day. Details on the Transport for London website. Fares:
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Heathrow Connect 26 minutes from Heathrow Central to London Paddington, with intermediate stops. No service from Terminal 4 (but free connection on the Heathrow Express available). Details on the Heathrow Connect website. Fares:
Discounts are available for people with travelcards (including one-day), and fares are available to stations further afield. Child fares are available, and day returns are little more than the single. National Rail railcards can now be used on this service, offering a 1/3rd discount for adults and 2/3rds for kids, for an annual fee. Pros:
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London Taxis ('Black Cabs') Variable times to London, due to unpredictability of traffic. Anything from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Fares:
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Pre-Booked Taxis Variable times to London, due to unpredictability of traffic. Anything from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Fares:
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Rail-Air Links There are multiple rail-air links from Heathrow, useful for different purposes:
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Coach Links National Express run a series of coach (bus) services to Central London from Heathrow, mostly from the Central Bus Station. They also run direct, long-distance buses further afield. Fares:
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Bus Links There are a number of bus links around Heathrow. As well as the 'Hotel Hoppa' service, public buses connect many local areas with Heathrow Airport. See the Heathrow Spider Map for the routes, and the excellent new Free Routes to Hotels map. See also the National Express Hoppa website for details of the Hotel Hoppa service. Fares:
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Great resource!
A link to add: http://www.nationalexpress.com/p.cfm?n=pai-hhh This is the Hotel Hoppa timetable which is buried in the national express site. |
Great Resource!
I'm emailing the web guys & asking them to make it a sticky. Thanks stut!
Cheers. Sharon |
London Gatwick (LGW)
First of all, it's worth looking at the excellent Journey Planner website, if you're headed towards London. It will plot a route for you, using public transport, with timings, costs and detailed destination and walking route maps. Gatwick Express Takes 30 minutes. Details on the Gatwick Express website. Note that the station is in the South Terminal, but an automated transit system (with impressive views!) operates every few minutes, taking only 2 minutes to the North Terminal. Note, however, that there have been some reports of intermittent technical problems on this transit causing delays, so leave a little leeway in your schedule. Discussions over the future of this service are currently underway. There is a chance it could be cancelled to allow additional Southern trains on the London-Brighton corridors. Fares:
Carnets and combination fares available, along with through tickets to London Underground destinations. London Transport travelcards are not valid, and neither are railcards. Look out for frequent pre-booked discount codes on this and the BA fora. Pros:
Cons:
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Other Rail Services Takes from 35-45 minutes to Central London, depending on route and final destination. Details on the Southern Railway website, the First Capital Connect website, the First Great Western website and the Virgin Trains website. A useful resource for booking is the FlyByTrain website, which offers discounts (particularly group discounts) for pre-booking. Destinations:
Fares:
Carnets and combination fares available, along with through tickets to London Underground destinations. London Transport travelcards are not valid, although you can buy travelcards that include a return from the zone 6 boundary to Gatwick Airport. Pros:
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Rank Taxis Note that Gatwick Airport is outside Greater London, so black cabs do not pick up here. Instead, the airport has an 'official' taxi company, Checker Cars. Fares:
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Pre-Booked Taxis Fares:
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Coach Links National Express run a series of coach (bus) services to Central London from Gatwick, mostly from the South Terminal. They also run direct, long-distance buses further afield. Fares:
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Bus Links There are a number of bus links around Gatwick, if you are headed to the local area. These are run by Metrobus, and a map of services is here. Fares:
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London Stansted (STN)
First of all, it's worth looking at the excellent Journey Planner website, if you're headed to London. It will plot a route for you, using public transport, with timings, costs and detailed destination and walking route maps. Also, note the spelling. It's S-T-A-N-S-T-E-D, only one 'A'. I say this not in a spirit of pedantry, but rather to help you with your Google, Train and Coach searches :) Stansted Express Scheduled to take 45 minutes from Liverpool Street. An hour is not uncommon. Details on the Stansted Express website. Fares:
Carnets and combination fares available, along with through tickets to London Underground destinations. London Transport travelcards are not valid, although extensions can be bought. There is a slight discount of these fares if you use Tottenham Hale Station instead of Liverpool Street. National Rail railcards can now be used on this service, offering a 1/3rd discount for adults and 2/3rds for kids, for an annual fee. Destinations:
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Other Rail Services Details on the Central Trains and One Railway websites. Fares:
Destinations:
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Rank Taxis Note that Stansted Airport is outside Greater London, and so black cabs do not pick up here. Instead, the airport has a preferred operator, Airport Carz. Fares:
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Pre-Booked Taxis Fares:
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Coach Links National Express run a series of coach (bus) services to Central London from Stansted. They also run direct, long-distance buses further afield. See also the Terravision Express coach service. Fares:
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Tips: [list][*]The National Express website allows online booking of e-tickets.[*]You can buy a ticket at the National Express counter at Stansted, or on the bus (cash only on the bus). Bus Links There are some additional bus links around Stansted. See the Airport Web Pages for details. Fares:
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Will update with other airports, and inter-airport links when I get the chance. Comments, corrections, etc, all welcome in the meantime. |
London Luton (LTN)
First of all, it's worth looking at the excellent Journey Planner website, if you're headed to London. It will plot a route for you, using public transport, with timings, costs and detailed destination and walking route maps. Train Details on the First Capital Connect and Midland Mainline websites. Fares:
* Note that not all trains contain a First Class section. Check before travel. The timetable will show a '1' in white on black if there is one. Carnets and combination fares available, along with through tickets to London Underground destinations. London Transport travelcards are not valid, although extensions can be bought. There is a slight discount on these fares if you use West Hampstead or Kentish Town stations to change. Destinations:
Pros:
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Tips:
Rank Taxis Note that Luton Airport is outside Greater London, and so black cabs do not pick up here. Instead, the airport has two preferred operators, Alpha Taxis and CABCO Taxis. Fares:
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Pre-Booked Taxis Fares:
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Coach Links National Express run a series of coach (bus) services to Central London from Luton. They also run direct, long-distance buses further afield. The NX timetables above include Green Line services, which run from London Victoria to Luton. See also the easyBus service. Fares:
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Bus Links There is a limited local bus service from Luton Airport to the surrounding areas. Routes 8 and 9 serve Luton, Watford, St Albans, Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard, Harpenden and Dunstable. Fares:
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Will update with other airports, and inter-airport links when I get the chance. Comments, corrections, etc, all welcome in the meantime. |
London City (LCY)
First of all, it's worth looking at the excellent Journey Planner website. It will plot a route for you, using public transport, with timings, costs and detailed destination and walking route maps. Docklands Light Railway The DLR service provides an excellent light railway link to the very well-connected Bank station, in the City of London. There are further connections via Canning Town (notably the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf), Poplar, Westferry, Limehouse and Shadwell. The line is currently being extended to Woolwich Arsenal, for connections to SE London and North Kent. Destinations:
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Travelcards that include Zone 3 are valid to London City Airport station. Pros:
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Liverpool Street & Canary Wharf Shuttle This shuttle no longer runs. To reach Liverpool Street, take the DLR to Bank, then use the Central Line. To reach Canary Wharf, take the DLR to Canning Town, then use the Jubilee Line. Canning Town Shuttle & Bus This shuttle no longer runs. To reach Canning Town, use the DLR. Silverlink Trains Silvertown and London City Airport station has now been permanently closed, replaced by the DLR King George V branch. The DLR is currently being extended to cover the Stratford - Canning Town section, and North London Line services will terminate in Stratford. To reach Custom House, take the 473 bus. To reach Canning Town, take the DLR. To reach West Ham and Stratford, take the DLR and change to the Jubilee Line at Canning Town. London Taxis ('Black Cabs') City Airport is close to the centre of London. If you're headed anywhere central, particularly the East side, or the 'City' financial district, the black cabs aren't unreasonable. Fares:
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Pre-Booked Taxis Actually, City Airport is one of the rare instances where pre-booked taxis may not actually save you that much. Personally, travelling from SW London to City, I find it actually cheaper to get a black cab (about £25) than a pre-booked taxi (£30). YMMV, of course, and it depends on your destination. Fares:
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Bus Links The 69 no longer serves the airport, only the 473 now does, linking it to Plaistow and Stratford. Fares:
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Will update with other airports, and inter-airport links when I get the chance. Comments, corrections, etc, all welcome in the meantime. |
There are two other airports within striking distance of London (actually, you could count Birmingham, but we'll steer clear of that for now). These are Southampton (SOU) and Manston Kent International (MSE). The latter, I believe, was being considered for inclusion in the London Metro Airports area (despite being closer to France than London...)
MSE currently has no regular passenger service since the demise of EUJet. However, I will leave it here for future use, or in case anybody gets diverted there, as often happens! SOU is a useful hub for the Channel Islands, the West Country and Regional France as well as for LCC FlyBE. To get to London, I'm not going to consider taxis (too far) and I'm not going to look at local options, as these airports serve areas in their own right. The airport links will contain those details anyway. Southampton (SOU) South West Trains About 1h10 to Waterloo. Details on the South West Trains website. Fares:
This is a National Rail service, but some through tickets to London Underground zones are available. Pros:
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Manston Kent International (MSE) Bus and South Eastern Train A limited bus service (or taxi) connects Ramsgate station to the airport. Ramsgate to London is about a 2 hour journey. Details on the South East Trains website. Fares:
This is a National Rail service, but some through tickets to London Underground zones are available. Pros:
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This is a great, great thread. But shouldn't it be placed in the London airports forum ? :)
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Great stuff stut ^^
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Perhaps this should also be added to the 'things to do on a flight' thread over on TravelBuzz :)
Well, another flight on Wednesday, let's see if I can do the remainder then... |
What a wonderful summary!!! Well done!!!
Indeed you are very right, too many people ask the same questions all the time. I try to think of if there is anything than could be added, but pretty much everything has already been wonderfully covered. Maybe two things: *They are actually doing some construction work on the Thameslink during the autumn (don't know for how long though). Anyway there won't be any direct trains all the way from Luton (northern London) to Gatwick (southern London), they will all terminate at Kings X if I got it right. *When taking a Thameslink train from Gatwick there are excellent interchange possibilities at London bridge. For example it is possible to change to a train going to Charing Cross (a stone's throw from Trafalgar square and five minutes walk from Piccadilly circus) without even having to change platform at London Bridge. I look forward to when the DLR extension to LCY is completed, it will make the transporation there so much more convenient. |
stut Good one - you might want to add into the LGW one that Virgin trains run right across the country from the airport - up into the midlands and right up to Scotland.
Then, once you've got this little project out of the way, perhaps you can do each iteration of inter-terminal transfers at LHR & LGW ;) |
Good stuff! ^ www.flybytrain.co.uk is useful, especially for groups - e.g., £50 for up to 4 people from the Thameslink network to LGW or LTN return.
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OK, that's all I know for now... Some new links and approximate timings in there (where they're easily judged). Still missing taxi fares from LTN, should anyone happen to know that.
I've no doubt there's some glaring omissions and errors, so please keep me posted, and I'll try to update as quickly as possible. |
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