Transportation to and from London Heathrow Airport

What is the distance from London Heathrow Airport to the centre of London?

The distance between the airport (Terminals 2 & 3) and the centre of London (Charing Cross) is 27 kilometres / 16.8 miles. If you are lucky you can cover the distance in 35 minutes. However, in most cases, it takes more time.

Train Heathrow Express to London (Paddington Station) – BUY TICKETS

Heathrow Express offers the fastest travel option between London Heathrow Airport and Central London. You can catch the train at the stations of Terminal 2 & 3 and Terminal 5. Terminal 4 is not on the route, you can use the free transfer to Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3. The Heathrow Express runs every 15 minutes between the airport and Paddington Station in the west of London centre between The Regent’s Park, West End, Hyde Park and Notting Hill. The journey time is 15 minutes from Terminal 2 & 3 and 21 minutes from Terminal 5.

Tickets are available through the website, ticket vending machines and ticket offices, the price is £ 25.00 for a single journey and £ 37.00 for a return (Express Saver). Early booking via the website is up to 75% cheaper than waiting until the last moment. One child up to 15 years can travel for free when accompanied by a paying adult. The last train from London Heathrow Airport leaves at 23:35 hours, the first train from Paddington Station at 05:10 hours. Please consult website and timetable Heathrow Express for more information (Note: not directly from Terminal 4!).

Train Elizabeth Line to London (Paddington Station)

Since May 24th 2022, you can use the new train/metro service called Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) connecting the west, centre and east of London. London Heathrow Airport has three stations: Terminal 5, Terminal 4 and Terminal 2 & 3. Trains depart from Terminal 5 and Terminal 4 in the direction of Paddington / Abbey Wood, travel time to Paddington Station is 35 minutes from T5 and T4. As far as Paddington north of Hyde Park, Elizabeth Line stops at the intermediate stations Terminal 2 & 3, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and Acton Main Line. From Terminal 2 & 3 it is a 31-minute journey to Paddington Station. Elizabeth Line operates two times per hour from T5 and T4, meaning there is a train every 15 minutes to and from Terminal 2 & 3. A single ticket for adults to or from Paddington Station costs £ 10.80 (off-peak) or £ 11.50 (peak). You can pay contactless or with an Oyster Card. Elizabeth Line is not as fast, but cheaper than the Heathrow Express. Please consult website and timetable Elizabeth Line for more information.

Metro to London (King’s Cross St. Pancras Underground Station)

The cheapest way to get into Central London is the tube (London Underground, in the direction Cockfosters). The airport has three metro stations, Terminals 2-3, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5, all of them connected to the dark blue Piccadilly Line. A journey from London Heathrow Airport to King’s Cross St. Pancras Underground Station in the north of the city centre takes an hour, the metro runs every 5 minutes. Other metro stations where you can get off in the city centre are South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Holborn and Russell Square.

The price depends on the type of ticket you use, you can pay contactless with your bank card and mobile phone or use an Oyster Card or London Travelcard. These options are cheaper than a single ticket, the price of a single ticket is £ 6.30 (zones 1-6). Children from 5 up to 15 years get a discount and pay £ 3.10. There are many ticket machines at Terminals 2-3 Underground Station, while at Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 metro stations there are fewer ticket machines. Please consult timetable Piccadilly Line for more information.

Top 5 sights in London, United Kingdom

1. Buckingham Palace
2. London Eye
3. British Museum, book a guided tour
4. Tower Bridge & Tower of London
5. Hyde Park, free! Close to Kensington Palace and Harrods department store

In the centre of London (= fare zone 1) you can travel from west to east and vice versa with the Piccadilly Line (stations: Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden), Central Line and the Elizabeth Line train (stations: Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street). Hyde Park Corner and Green Park stations are within walking distance of Buckingham Palace. The north and south of the city centre are connected by London Underground Victoria Line, Jubilee Line, Bakerloo Line and Northern Line. In public transport you can pay with your bank card and mobile phone (check in & check out). Of course, you can also buy a Visitor Oyster Card or London Travelcard. You cannot buy single tickets on the buses in London, the tube (metro) is twice as expensive if you buy single tickets.

Bus to Reading, Guildford, Slough, Windsor, Watford, Woking and Feltham

London Heathrow Airport is also widely used for surrounding places like Reading, Guildford, Slough, Windsor, Watford, Woking and Feltham. Bus service RailAir of First UK Bus runs from Heathrow Central Bus Station to the railway stations in Reading (RailAir 1) and Guildford (RailAir 2) via Woking. Bus service 8 of First UK Bus runs between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Slough, you will reach bus stop ‘Windsor, Parish Church’ near Windsor Castle after about 60 minutes. The journey time to Watford (Green Line 724) and Woking (National Express) is 50 to 60 minutes, both buses depart approximately every hour to and from London Heathrow Airport. From Terminal 2 & 3 bus route 285 departs to Feltham Rail Station, from Terminal 5 (via Terminal 4) you can travel by bus route 490. In Feltham, you can catch a train of South Western Railway in the direction of London (Clapham Junction, London Waterloo) and the southwest of England (Ascot, Bracknell, Wokingham, Reading and beyond). Please consult Heathrow rail-air bus links for more information.

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