London airports and rail connections

Plan your journey into London when you arrive by air or rail. It's easy to get to your destination as the city has many airports and rail stations with services across the UK and abroad.

Plan your journey

Use or our travel app TfL Go to plan your journey to and from London's airports and rails stations.

Check our Tube map to find your way across the network.

London airports

The city has six main airports which are all connected by public transport.

Heathrow Airport

Tube

The Piccadilly line runs to Heathrow Airport terminals 2,3 and 5. The journey to central London is approximately 50 minutes.

By rail

From Monday to Sunday, the Elizabeth line runs to Heathrow terminals 2,3 and 4 every 15 minutes, and to Heathrow T5 every 30 minutes.

The journey (excluding walking and interchange times) from Heathrow to:

  • Paddington - 29 minutes
  • Liverpool Street (change at Paddington) - 41 minutes
  • Reading (change at Hayes & Harlington) - 44 minutes
  • Canary Wharf (change at Paddington) - 47 minutes

Heathrow Express also runs several non-stop trains every hour to and from Paddington.

By road

National Express operates a regular service to and from Victoria Coach Station.

There are taxi ranks and taxi information desks at all Heathrow terminals.

Gatwick Airport

By rail

Gatwick Express and Southern Railway run several trains every hour to and from London Victoria.

Thameslink runs several trains every hour to and from London Bridge, City Thameslink, Farringdon and King's Cross & St Pancras International.

By road

National Express runs a regular coach service to and from Victoria Coach Station.

Easybus operates a regular bus service to and from Earls Court/West Brompton.

Stansted Airport

By rail

Stansted Express runs several trains every hour to and from Liverpool Street station. You can also connect to and from the Tube at Tottenham Hale.

Abellio Greater Anglia runs train services to Liverpool Street and Stratford stations.

By road

National Express and Terravision run coach services to and from Victoria, Liverpool Street and Stratford.

Easybus runs a regular bus service to and from Baker Street.

Luton Airport

By rail

A regular shuttle bus connects Luton Airport to Luton Airport Parkway train station.

Thameslink and East Midlands Railway run a frequent service to King's Cross & St Pancras International. Thameslink also runs several trains every hour to London Bridge, Farringdon, City Thameslink and Blackfriars stations.

By road

Arriva runs a regular bus service to and from central London (Green Line route 757).

National Express and Easybus run a regular coach and bus service to and from Baker Street.

National Express also runs coach services to and from Golders Green, Finchley Road, Marble Arch and Victoria.

London City Airport

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) runs to London City Airport every 10 minutes from Canary Wharf (journey time 18 minutes) and Bank (journey time 22 minutes).

Southend Airport

Abellio Greater Anglia runs train services to Liverpool Street and Stratford stations.

Rail connections

You can travel to several train stations in London from the UK and abroad.

There are eight main train stations in central London that you may arrive at:

  • Paddington
  • Euston
  • King's Cross & St Pancras International
  • Charing Cross
  • Liverpool Street
  • Waterloo
  • London Bridge
  • Victoria

There's also many other smaller stations within Greater London.

Best ways to pay

You can pay as you go using contactless, Oyster or a Visitor Oyster card to travel to and from:

  • Heathrow Airport on the Tube and on the Elizabeth line
  • Gatwick Airport on Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink train services
  • London City Airport on the DLR

You can benefit from daily capping by using pay as you go.

Find fares for our services.

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