Destination guides > Europe > England > London > Coming & going
London
Coming & going
AIR
London is served by five airports: Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Luton and Stansted.
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport (tel 0870 000 2468) is London's second busiest airport. It is located in Crawley, Sussex, about midway between London and Brighton. Gatwick Airport has two terminals that are connected by a transit system. When you arrive at the airport, signs will tell you which terminal to go to. Generally most flights, including charters, depart from the South Terminal, and the North Terminal handles Delta and British Airways.
There are over 900 train services each day from Gatwick Airport to London and other destinations in England. The following train companies serve Gatwick: CrossCountry, First Capital Connect, First Great Western, Gatwick Express, Southeastern and Southern.
First Capital Connect, Gatwick Express and Southern run the most frequent train services between Gatwick and London with each of these operators running trains every 15 minutes during the day, and hourly at night.
Both Gatwick Express and Southern have departures from Victoria station to Gatwick Airport, which is a 30-minute journey with Gatwick Express and 35 minutes with Southern Railway. Gatwick Express costs £16.90 one-way and £28.80 return. Southern Railway is cheaper at £10.90 one-way. Southern Railway also operate a service between Gatwick and Kensington Olympia that stops at West Brompton (near Earls Court).
It is also possible to get to Gatwick from either London Bridge, City Thameslink or St Pancras train stations with First Capital Connect. First Capital Connect trains from London Bridge cost from £7.90-11 one-way (the price is cheaper if you buy your ticket in advance); Thameslink trains from St Pancras to Gatwick are £15-16.70. First Capital Connect trains also go between Gatwick and Luton Airports (£22.90-24.50 one-way) and also between Gatwick and Brighton.
First Great Western trains go from Gatwick to Reading with onward connections to Oxford, Gloucester, Bristol, Cardiff and Cornwall.
EasyBus is the cheapest way to travel between Gatwick Airport and London. If you book in advance online you get into London for £2 one-way, although it costs £10 if you buy your ticket from the driver. EasyBus operate minibuses between Gatwick Airport North Terminal and Fulham Broadway tube station. This option takes a little over an hour, but the savings make the extra travel time worth it.
If you have an early morning flight call 0845 7484950 for up-to-date information on train services to the airport.
Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (tel (020) 8759 4321) is the world's busiest international airport and is located west of London.
Heathrow has five terminals. Terminals one, two and three are conveniently clustered together, but terminals four and five are at the other end of the airport.
It is best to check Heathrow Airport's website to confirm which terminal your flight departs from before travelling to the airport as this will determine which station you get off at.
Heathrow is easily accessible from central London by tube, train and bus.
The most popular way to get to and from Heathrow is via the Piccadilly tube line that runs from central London with three stations at Heathrow: Terminals 1, 2 and 3; Terminal 4 and Terminal 5. The tube takes approximately 45 minutes from central London. The cash fare is £4 one-way; with an Oyster card it costs £3.80 during peak travel times and £2.20 off-peak.
Alternatively you could take the Heathrow Express train, which is a more expensive option connecting Heathrow to Paddington Station in 15 minutes, with trains running every 15 minutes. Tickets cost £16.50.
A cheaper alternative is the Heathrow Connect train service, which follows a similar route to the Heathrow Express but with several additional stops. The journey time is 25 minutes and the one-way fare is £6.90.
London City Airport
London City Airport is the most centrally located airport but is almost exclusively used for business flights to Europe. City Airport's big advantage is that it has a shorter check-in compared with most other airports.
The easiest way to get to London City Airport is by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). DLR trains depart every eight to 15 minutes and the journey time to Bank station in the City is 22 minutes. The cash fare is $4; with an Oyster card the fare is £2.70 during peak hours and £2.20 off-peak.
Luton Airport
London Luton Airport (tel (01582) 405 100) is in Luton, about 45 minutes north of central London. Luton is a smaller airport that mainly handles charter flights and budget airlines including easyJet.
East Midlands Trains run frequent train services from London St Pancras station as well as direct services from Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Airport, Derby and Sheffield. Tickets from London cost £11.50 one-way.
First Capital Connect operate trains to Luton Airport Parkway station from Kings Cross, Blackfriars, London Bridge and Gatwick Airport. Thameslink services from London cost £10 one-way.
Note that Luton Airport Parkway station is not right at the airport so you'll need to allow for additional travel time for the shuttle bus to the airport terminal.
Greenline 757 is a bus service which operates from Buckingham Palace Road near Victoria Station, stopping at Brent Cross, Finchley Road station, Baker Street and Marble Arch. The one-way fare is £13, the return fare is £14.50.
The Terravision airport bus runs between Luton Airport and London Victoria. It costs £13 one-way or £16 return.
The cheapest way to get to Luton Airport is by easyBus. This costs only £2 if you book your tickets online in advance but is more expensive if you book at the last minute.
Greenline, Terravision and easyBus run virtually the same route and in some instances they use the same buses, so it makes sense to book in advance with easyBus to try and get a cheaper ticket.
National Express operate direct coach connections from Luton Airport to Birmingham, Cambridge, Coventry, Leicester, Milton Keynes and Nottingham as well as connecting services to Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports.
Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport (tel 0870 0000 303) is London's third busiest airport. It is about halfway between London and Cambridge and handles many budget airlines including Ryanair.
Take the Stansted Express (tel 0845 7484 950) train from Liverpool Street station to get to the airport from London. Trains run every 15 to 30 minutes and the 45-minute journey costs £18 one-way or £26.80 return.
National Express East Anglia trains go to Stansted Airport from London Stratford station for £17 one-way.
CrossCountry Trains run trains from Stansted to Birmingham, Cambridge, Leicester and Liverpool. CrossCountry Trains' one-way fare to Cambridge is £9.
National Express (tel 0870 5747 777) run bus services linking Stansted with London, Cambridge, Colchester and Norwich. Its London service goes to Victoria Coach Station and starts at £8 one-way or £17 return..
Terravision is a slightly cheaper airport bus service between Stansted and Central London. Terravision has two routes, one to Victoria Station (the stop is on Bullied Way where Greenline buses to Luton Airport stop) and another to Liverpool Street Station. It costs £9 one-way or £14 return (£13 return if you book online).
EasyBus is the cheapest way to travel between Stansted Airport and London. If you book in advance online you get into London for £2 one-way, although it costs £10 if you buy your ticket from the driver. EasyBus operate minibuses between Stansted Airport and Baker Street tube station.
BUS & COACH
Victoria Coach Station on Buckingham Palace Road has National Express buses to destinations in the UK, Bus Eireann buses to Ireland and Eurolines to destinations in Europe. The cheap Megabus bus services and Green Line buses to Luton Airport and Windsor depart from the Green Line Coach Station, at the corner of Elizabeth Bridge and Bulleid Way just off Buckingham Palace Road.
TRAIN
London has lots of train stations, the main ones are: Charing Cross (trains to the south-east); Euston (trains to the Midlands, north-west England, and the west coast to Scotland); Kings Cross (trains to northern England, Yorkshire and Gatwick and Luton airports); Liverpool Street (trains to Essex, East Anglia and Stansted Airport); London Bridge (trains to Kent and Gatwick and Luton airports); Marylebone (trains to Birmingham and Oxfordshire); Paddington (trains to west England, the West Midlands, south Wales and Ireland (via Fishguard)); St Pancras (trains to the Midlands); Victoria (trains to Kent, Gatwick Airport and the south coast) and Waterloo Station (trains to southern England and Eurostar trains to Paris and Brussels). For information on train departures in the UK call 0845 7484950.
HITCHHIKING
London is a reasonably easy city to hitch from. Because London has a number of motorways that terminate in the suburbs, rather than run right through the centre you are able to get a good hitchhiking spot right near a motorway entrance.
If you're heading north, take the tube to Brent Cross (on the Northern line), then walk or take a bus to Brent Cross Shopping Centre and walk to Staples Corner. Staples Corner is a busy intersection with a number of big stores like PC World and Staples where Edgware Road, the M1 and the North Circular Road connect. When you get here, look for the entrance to the M1 Motorway.
If you're heading to the West of England or South Wales, you'll need to get to the entrance to the M4. Take the tube to Chiswick Park (on the District line) and walk to the A4 (which is also called Great West Road or Cedars Road). Because you need to hitch from the southern side of the road to catch traffic bound for the M4 Motorway, you'll need to walk down Sutton Court Road and cross at the lights. Check the area map at the tube station to get your bearings.
The M11 takes you to Cambridge and East Anglia. This motorway connects with the North Circular Road in the northeastern suburbs. Take the tube to Redbridge (on the Central line) and walk under the A406 overpass and stand near the on-ramp to both the M11 and the A406 (North Circular Road). You'll probably need a sign saying "M11 Please"; otherwise cars going to the North Circular Road might offer lifts.
If you want to go to the Southampton or Winchester, you'll need to get on the M3. You can either take a train from Waterloo to Sunbury and hitch from there or hitch from the A316 which carries a lot of traffic bound for the M3 Motorway. You'll need to get a train from Waterloo, Clapham Junction or Richmond to Whitton, walk to the A316 (Chertsey Road) and cross the footbridge to the southbound lane. Use a sign marked "M3 Please" to avoid getting picked up by suburban traffic.
If you're heading to the southeast to catch a ferry from one of the Channel ports of Folkstone or Dover, you'll want to get to the M20. Since the M20 doesn't start until you're well out of London, it's best to get on the A20 before it becomes a motorway. Catch a train from London Bridge Station to Mottingham in the southeastern suburbs. At Mottingham, walk to the A20 (Sidcup Road); at this point the A20 is still a suburban road so there is no problem finding a place to stand although you'll need a sign saying "M20 Please" otherwise you'll just get suburban traffic. A good ride on the M20 can get you all the way to France since the ferry ticket to Bolougne or Calais covers up to five passengers.
