TRAVELLING TO LONDON? LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT!

London is one of the most popular cities in the world for international students, and because of this, we have decided to write a series of blogs expanding on the general sections covered in our London City Guide. The first blog in the series is about 'Getting to London' and it focuses on London's largest airport, Heathrow International. It seemed like the ideal place to start!

As one of the largest metropolises in the world, London is very well connected by air, bus and train. If you are flying to London, there are plenty of options. In total London and the surrounding area is serviced by 5 airports. The biggest and busiest is Heathrow International.

Heathrow International Airport Key Facts:

Airport Code: LHR
Fact: Biggest and busiest airport in London and the UK!
Location: Zone 5, 14 miles west of central London.
Passengers: circa 200,000 travellers daily, making it the third busiest airport in the world.
Fly to: over 180 destination cities worldwide.
Home to: over 90 airlines.

Getting to London from Heathrow

Once you have arrived at Heathrow you will have a few options to get into London.

Train Services

Heathrow Express

Leaves from: departs from Terminal 5 station or Heathrow Central station located at Terminals 1 & 3. A Heathrow Express transfer service operates between Terminal 4 and Heathrow Central to connect with services from London and Terminal 5.
Arrives at: Paddington Station
Fact: The Heathrow Express is the fastest way to get from Heathrow into London!
Frequency of Service: leaves every 15 minutes
Operating Times: service runs from about 5am till 12pm
Journey Time: journey lasts 15 mins (21 minutes from Terminal 5)
Cost: For the best prices, buy online where tickets cost £20 for a single and a return will cost £34.
Where to purchase tickets: Tickets can be bought online, from a ticket machine at the station, or onboard the train itself.

Heathrow Connect:

Leaves from: Heathrow Connect services terminate at Heathrow Central station (Terminals 1 & 3) and a shuttle operates between Heathrow Central Terminals 4 & 5. The service runs on exactly the same route as the Heathrow Express, however, the service also calls at up to five National Rail stations en route.
Arrives at: Paddington Station
Frequency of Service: leaves every 30 minutes
Operating Times: service runs from about 5am till 12pm
Journey Time: journey lasts 27 mins
Cost: tickets cost £9.90 for a single and a return will cost £19.80.
Where to purchase tickets: Tickets can be bought online, from a ticket machine at the station, or onboard the train itself.

London Underground Piccadilly Line:

Leaves from: The Piccadilly Line of London's famous underground system has four tube stations that serve Heathrow Airport – the stations are located at Terminals 1, 2, 3 and Terminals 4 & 5
Arrives at: various locations throughout London.
Fact: the Piccadilly Line is the 2nd longest underground line, the 4th busiest, and is coloured DARK BLUE on the underground map.
Frequency of Service: leaves every 10 mins max.
Operating Times: service runs from about 5am till 12pm
Journey Time: central London in circa 45 minutes.
Cost: most expensive tickets cost £5.50 for a single into Zone 1, and cheaper with an Oyster Card.
Where to purchase tickets: from a self service machine or ticket offices located at Terminal 1,2,3.

Bus Services

Heathrow's Central Bus Station is just a short walk from Terminals 1 & 3 and there are also stations located at Terminals 4 & 5. National Express are the largest operator in the UK and you can connect with virtually anywhere in the UK from Heathrow. Both local and long distance services operate from the main station and if you are connecting with central London, the final destination point is Victoria Coach Station, which is the largest coach station in London.

Taxis Services

If you find that you have a lot of luggage, you arrive as a group, or perhaps you arrive at the airport late at night, it is always a good idea to take a taxi. There are always plenty of taxis available and the typical journey time into central London is 25-30 mins, however in peak times this can be considerably higher due to traffic.