Chances are that if you’re flying to London, your plane will be landing at Heathrow Airport. Heathrow is Europe’s busiest airport, and it’s huge too, at over 12 square kilometres. There are five terminals at Heathrow Airport (although Terminal 1 is currently closed as at the date of writing this post), and in Terminal 5 there’s even a driverless train that goes to and from the main terminal to the gates.
In this post we’re going to tell you about the ways you can get between terminals at Heathrow, and how to get from Heathrow into London.
Flying into Heathrow
Depending on which airline you’re flying on will determine which terminal you’ll arrive at when you land at Heathrow.
QANTAS arrives (and departs) from Terminal 3. For British Airways it’s Terminal 5. Qatar is terminal 3. Emirates is also Terminal 3.
It doesn’t really matter which terminal you arrive into, because the airport is designed to make it easy to transfer between terminals, or get from Heathrow to Central London.
Moving between terminals
If you’re landing at Heathrow and then transferring to another flight (either to another UK city, or to Europe), then the Flight Connections buses run frequently between all terminals on the “airside” (that’s the passenger only area).
If you’re arriving into Terminal 3, and taking a connecting flight from Terminal 2, you can walk to Terminal 2 via the pedestrian underpass. It’s easy to find the underpass (it’s well sign posted), and if you have any mobility issues you can request assistance.
If you’re arriving into Terminal 3 and taking a connecting flight from Terminal 4 or Terminal 5, then free London Underground services, and free shuttle trains (Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express) will get you to Terminal 4 or Terminal 5. You should allow 20 minutes to transfer from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 or Terminal 5. If you use the London Underground you will need to “tap on” at the gate with your credit card to get through to the platform. But don’t worry because you won’t be charged anything. And if you use the Elizabeth Line or the Heathrow Express, just grab a free inter-terminal ticket from one of the machines in the station.
If you’re arriving into Terminal 5, and taking a connecting flight from Terminal 2, Terminal 3 or Terminal 4, then free London Underground services, and free shuttle trains (Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express) will get you to Terminal 4 or Terminal 5. You should allow 20 minutes to transfer from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 or Terminal 5. If you use the London Underground you will need to “tap on” at the gate with your credit card to get through to the platform. But don’t worry because you won’t get charged anything. And if you use the Elizabeth Line or the Heathrow Express, just grab a free inter-terminal ticket from one of the machines in the station.
Getting from Heathrow to Central London
Once again, it’s easy and straightforward to get from Heathrow to Central London. It doesn’t matter which terminal you arrive into, because once you collect your bags and exit, the main train station is immediately accessible (you don’t need to go to another terminal).
There’s a few options to get from Heathrow to Central London, depending on how much time you have and what you want to pay. The best option might not be what you think!
By car: first, can we say one important thing. DO NOT rent a car if you’re staying in London. You will soon hate yourself and the world, and it will ruin your holiday. London traffic is horrific and if you drive in central London you need to pay the Congestion Charge of £15 per day. The London public transport system is amazing, and will get you to most places much faster than a car (or Uber or taxi). Even if you plan on taking some day trips from London (e.g., to Windsor Castle, Brighton etc) then it’s still much more convenient to take the train.
By Uber or London Black Cab: yes, it might seem more convenient and stress free, but depending on the time of day, it can be an absolute nightmare. At best, it will take 45 minutes to drive from Heathrow to Central London (we’ve used Trafalgar Square as the reference point for “Central London”). 45 minutes will be the travel time when there’s no traffic, for example very late at night or very early in the morning (we’re talking 5am). At worst, it will take 90 minutes to drive from Heathrow to Central London, and that’s just based on “usual traffic” around 8am/9am (and doesn’t include things like accidents, lane closures etc). An Uber will set you back around £60. A Black cab around £80.
By London Underground: the London Underground services all terminals at Heathrow, and is the cheapest way to get to Central London. The Piccadilly Line runs from Heathrow into London, and the cost is just £3.50 per person, and it will take about 70 minutes. The drawback with taking the London Underground is it’s not particularly suited if you have lots of luggage, or have a very heavy suitcase, because not all stations in London have a lift, so you may need to carry your bag up some stairs. An easy way to check if your destination station has a lift is to check on the Transport for London website. However, in our experience, if you have one suitcase, you shouldn’t have any problems.
By Elizabeth Line: the Elizabeth Line (formerly “TFL Rail”) is another train service that will get you from Heathrow into London in about 35 minutes, and the cost is £11.50.
By Heathrow Express: the Heathrow Express is by far the fastest way to get from Heathrow into London. It is a high speed non-stop train that takes you to Paddington station. From Paddington you can connect with the London Underground and London bus services. The Heathrow Express takes just 20 minutes to reach Paddington and the cost is £25 per person if you buy your ticket on the day, but you can get tickets for less than £10 per person when booked in advance on the Heathrow Express website.
Conclusion
We hope the above information helps you plan your trip to London. One final thing we’d like to tell you is to install the Citymapper app onto your phone (download it from your phone’s app store). It is simply the BEST app for planning your travel around London (better than Google Maps or Apple Maps). Citymapper will tell you prices, platform numbers, the time of the next train/bus, and even which train carriage to board to ensure your transfer at the next train is as quick as possible.
Got a question? Leave us a comment below and we’d be delighted to give you our insider tips about getting from Heathrow to London.
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