London airports and rail connections
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 6 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
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 are 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.