Heathrow Airport
Heathrow airport is so large it is actually 5 separate airports, or terminals. Be sure you know which terminal your flight will land at or depart from.
Getting
into/from London - quickly
The Paddington Line tube station serves
Heathrow with the Heathrow Express, and the
trip takes only 15 minutes.
Several airlines now offer you the option of checking in for your outbound flight at Paddington station before boarding the train to the airport. The Express serves all four Heathrow terminals. Book your London Heathrow Express tickets
(only for non-UK residents) Heathrow Express offers a free shuttle between Terminals 1, 2, and 3.
An alternative is Heathrow Connect, a 25-minute train trip, with departures every half hour. Heathrow Connect stops at Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Southall, Hanwell, Hayes, and Harlington and Paddington Station. This is a more cost-conscious option but it does take longer than Heathrow Express. Website: www.heathrowconnect.com
Getting
into/from London - cheaply
Piccadilly line tube serves all terminals
and is the way to go if you are budget-minded. The trip takes an hour, and tickets are available at the luggage area. You'll need the all-zone ticket (or the all-zone
Travelcard).
Getting into/from London- mid-price
Several large hotel chains have a "presence" at Heathrow. You can get to these hotels by using the
Hotel Hoppa Bus. Alternatively, National Express dot2dot http://www.dot2.com/
operate shuttles from both major London airports to hotels in the city, for about half the price of a taxi. Prices from 17.50 per person, with additional discounts for large groups. A popular alternative is to use an airport transfer service
such as TaxiReservations,
which will drive you direct to most popular city centre hotels.
Other Options
If budget isn't even a word you recognise, the simplest option for transportation into the city from Heathrow is one of the traditional black London taxis. Private Hire Companies often add a waiting time/Car park surcharge to fares and Black cabs charge more at night. See here for the difference between a minicab and the black taxis.
Heathrow to Gatwick Transportation
see shuttle information below
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick is smaller and better organised than Heathrow. There are two terminals, connected by a monorail service. It is also much easier to drive in and out of - especially for foreign visitors not used to driving on the left.
Getting
into/from London - quickly
Gatwick Express runs very frequent shuttle trains to/from Victoria Station. 5AM to midnight trains run every 15 minutes.
The trip takes about 30 minutes and is quite reasonably priced (by UK standards!).
You can buy tickets here for the Gatwick Express. There are also Thameslink trains from London Bridge, Farringdon, and King's Cross.
Getting into/from London -
cheaply
In this case, cheap transport isn't that big a savings. Connex South
Central trains run to/from Victoria. A better deal is the
Flightline bus, with a ticket good for 3 months. Flightline is on the web at www.speedlink.co.uk.
If you have money to burn, consider a black taxi or a slightly cheaper minicab. Alternatively, National Express dot2dot http://www.dot2.com/ operate shuttles from both major London airports to hotels in the city. Or, use an airport transfer service like TaxiReservations, and get dropped off at your hotel.
Gatwick - Heathrow airport shuttle
We are frequently asked by readers if there is a direct transfer service between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. Our answer used to be 'no', but there is now a direct coach (bus) service run by National Express, who operate more than 100 journeys per day between the two major London Airports. This is the cheapest and most hassle-free way we know of for Heathrow to Gatwick transportation (or vice versa!).
NOTE:
All prices mentioned in this
article were believed correct at the time of publication, but, like all things
in life, they are subject to change!
