Getting to and From London Heathrow Airport

Getting to and from London Heathrow has never been easier. There are a whole host of options from trains, tube, buses and taxis to suit your budget. Listed below are the most popular options:

London Heathrow by Tube

London Heathrow is connected to central London and the rest of the tube network by the Piccadilly Line. The tube is cheaper than the Heathrow Express but takes longer and can be crowded during peak rush hour.  The average journey time to Piccadilly Circus is about 50 minutes, however this can feel like it is much longer because of the number of stops it takes.

London Heathrow by train

Heathrow Express

This is our recommended method and by far the fastest way to get to Heathrow. Once you get to Paddington station in central London the rest is easy, the trains leave every 15 minutes and costs around £20. If there is a large group of people this can be quite expensive but we at DestinationMundo.com definitely recommend it especially if you are arriving late at night or leaving morning.

The trains are air-conditioned, modern, and comfortable and are fully accessible with a wheelchair area, disabled toilet and level access to the station platforms. T-Mobile Wi-Fi Internet access is available on board for a fee. Mobile phone coverage is available throughout the entire route, including the tunnels under Heathrow.
Heathrow express calls at two stations serving the airport, Heathrow Central (Terminals 1-3) and the other Terminal 5. Passengers for terminal 4 should change at Terminals 1,2, 3 for a free and frequent transfer service to Terminal 4
Website: www.heathrowexpress.com/

Heathrow Connect

This service uses the same route to London Paddington as the Heathrow Express but it is a slower, less frequent service, stopping at many of the local stations along the way.
It is cheaper than the Heathrow Express and it serves Terminal 4 directly. Passengers for Terminal 5 will have to change for connecting services at Terminals 1-3. Trains depart every 30 mins from terminal 4 and the approximate journey time into London Paddington is 33 mins.
The trains are air-conditioned, modern and accessible with a wheelchair area and disabled toilet. Although Heathrow and London Paddington stations have step free access, be aware that not all intermediate stations are wheelchair accessible.
Tickets have to be purchased before boarding and can be bought at station tickets offices. An adult single journey to London Paddington is £6.90 with children prices approximately half the adult fare. Children under 5 travel free of charge.
Website: www.heathrowconnect.com/

London Heathrow by Coach

National Express
National Express operate a direct coach service from Heathrow Central bus station to London Victoria coach station. Coaches depart every 30 mins and the average journey time is approximately 40-50 mins.
Fares are available from £4 if bought on the internet. Tickets can also be bought at the National Express ticket office at Heathrow Central bus station. Services start from approximately 7am till 11:30pm daily.
National express also offer a “Hotel Hoppa “ service which takes you to and from your Hotel to Heathrow for £3. Children travel for just 50p. Tickets can be bought from the bus driver, your hotel or you can book online.
In addition to the “Hotel Hoppa” there is an inter airport service which link all of London’s airports and it is the only direct link between them. So if you have arrived at Heathrow and have to transfer to Gatwick, Stansted or City we suggest you use this service.
Not all the services are accessible to wheelchairs yet, however National Express have indicated that their entire network will fully accessible by 2012.
Website: www.nationalexpress.com

London Heathrow by Taxi

Black Cabs

London’s famous black taxi’s are available for hire outside any terminal. Journey times into central London will depend on the distance, time of day and the traffic conditions. Therefore the average journey time into central London can vary between 40mins to 2hrs.
Uber

We definitely recommend you see the cost of Uber from your hotel if there are 4 people. This in fact might be less than taking the train and will get you there directly. Check for peak traffic times as this can cause unnecessary delays and panic.

London Heathrow by Bus

In the day time there are no local bus services to central London but there are plenty of services to West London and outlying towns (Slough Maidenhead).
Fares vary by operator but Transport for London services are subject to a flat fee of £2.Travel cards and Oyster are available on these services and are cheaper than the cash fee.
Although the bus network across London is excellent we recommend that you use the other transport services to get into central London. Depending on the time of day and where you start from it may take up to 3 hours to get into central London.
For the intrepid traveller, use the TFL journey planner to plan your bus journey. This excellent tool helps find the details, times and most importantly where to change buses. You will have to change buses at least 3-4 times during your journey into Central London
Website: www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/buses/default.html