Local Expert
Lulu P.
At the tender age of 31, I decided to quit my cushy life in Toronto to see if I could move to London successfully. Much to my surprise, things worked out well and I'm looking forward to being a…
At the tender age of 31, I decided to quit my cushy life in Toronto to see if I could move to London successfully. Much to my surprise, things worked out well and I'm looking forward to being a long-term tourist in my adopted city.
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My guide to London airports
Heathrow
The mother of all London airports. It’s the biggest airport in the UK and the third largest in the world. The majority of international flights from the major airlines operate out of one of its five terminals. British Airways even has it’s own terminal here, Terminal 5. It’s about a 30 minute drive into Central London (without traffic). The cheapest way to get in from Heathrow is by Underground as it’s served by the Piccadilly line and costs about £3.50. There is also the Heathrow Express that operates out of Paddington station that costs £16.50. It takes just over an hour to get into central London from Heathrow on the Underground. The Heathrow Express saves you about 15 – 20 minutes.
Gatwick
The second largest London airports. Most international flights out of Gatwick are run by chartered airlines, however there are quite a few larger airlines offering flights internationally and to Continental Europe. A lot of the infamous cheap flights to of Continental Europe operated by the smaller airlines also fly out of Gatwick. If you must take a cab, you really should pre-book one as it’ll cost you £60 versus the £100 plus it could cost you to just grab one from the taxi stand. It takes about an hour to drive in (without traffic). The best way to get into central London is to take a train to either London Bridge or Victoria station, which takes about 30 minutes. That costs about £9.50. You could also take the Gatwick Express which costs £16.90 and takes about the same time.
Stansted
The home of low-cost flights in and around continental Europe, it’s the main hub for cheapie airline Ryanair. It’s about an hour drive into central London (without traffic). The best way to get to and from Stansted is by train, which takes just over 50 minutes and costs between £12 to £18. There are also coach buses that go to Stansted that take between an hour and a half to two hours and costs between £2 to £10. Of course there is the Stansted Express, which leaves from Liverpool Street station, takes 46 minutes and costs £17.
Luton
A lesser-known hub for cheapie flights, it’s the home of one of my favourite cheap airlines — easyJet. It takes just under an hour to get into central London from Luton by car (without traffic). The train takes about 30 minutes and costs about £14. Buses also run from Luton to central London, taking just over an hour and costs between £2 to £14.