London a city of varied cultures is a great place that offers some or the other thing to every traveler that visits London. With some of the most historical structures, amazing landscapes and boundless entertainment, London has become popular travel hub across the world. With increased popularity of the city in the field of travel, education and fashion, London is visited every year by millions of tourists. Arriving in London could be from any of its 5 airports i.e. Gatwick, London city airport, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton. But among them, Heathrow being the largest and one of the busiest airports serving around 175 global destinations is used highly by the tourists around the world to arrive in London.
With its five terminals, 3 runways and a large bundle of travel facilities for the tourist coming to London, Heathrow airport is located 22 kilometers away from the west of London city centre. Usually the time spent to travel from Heathrow to London city centre by large depends on the traffic, the time of travel and the mode of transport used to commute. On arrival at Heathrow airport, the unmatched facilities and the proper guidelines in the form of directions easily helps to direct each and every traveler at the appropriate spot on the airport.
On arrival at the Heathrow airport and after leaving the aircraft, a new person to London can follow signpost on the terminal to reach the part of airport terminal where he/she passes through passport control, baggage reclaim in case of stopover and customs & immigration department. On completion of all this procedures, a traveler reaches the arrival halls at the Heathrow airport located on respective Terminal 1, 3, 4 and 5. They are all well equipped with facilities necessary to guide a new person travelling to London. It is well managed and is of a great use to people of all ages and class. These services mainly include foreign exchange, baggage inquiries, concierge services, medical care, communication, hygiene, worship and transportation. The transportation facilities available with Heathrow airport mainly include directions guide, parking and various transport options available to and from Heathrow airport to London city center.
Modes of transport between Heathrow and London:
Heathrow airport is well connected to London city center by almost all means of public and private transport. The airport arrival halls have counters for getting a ticket booked on any of the rail service running to and from Heathrow airport. Depending upon your requirement, ease and budget, one can select from any of the below mentioned transport options:
- By Train service: Heathrow airport is well connected to London city center and surrounding areas by trains. Travelling to and from Heathrow airport is quite comfortable, convenient, fast and reasonable when one selects train as a mode of transport. One can book a ticket for this train from their official websites and can gain out of heavy discounts these train operators offer to the travelers traveling to London. Among the popular rail operators operating train services in between Heathrow airport and other parts of London, the Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect are the most popular ones. The other players include Chilton railways, C2C rails, East coast trains, first capital connect, London Midland and Virgin trains.
- Heathrow Express: Heathrow Express runs train at an interval of 15 minutes in between Heathrow airport station and Paddington station located in Central London from 5 am in the morning till 11.45 pm at night all year round. It is the fastest among all the trains running in the sector. It takes around 15 minutes to reach London central from Heathrow. The on board services of Heathrow Express mainly include a quiet zone, WIFI, TV service, struggle free luggage handling and easy wheelchair access. The standard fare for an adult is £19 single way if purchased from ticket machines on station, £18 if purchased online and £24 if purchased on board. For frequent movers, the Carnet card could be purchased at a price of £198 to enjoy 12 single journeys at a price of 11.
- Heathrow Connect: Heathrow Connect takes 25 minutes to reach London Central from Terminal 1, 2 and 3 of Heathrow airport. The service connects traveler to major stations including Paddington, Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes. Journey from Heathrow airport’s terminal 4 to London central takes around 35 minutes. Heathrow connect operates rail service every 30 minutes and one-way cost of ticket for an adult is £6.9 and that for return is £13.8. The advantage of taking Heathrow connect is that it is reasonable priced and it has enough baggage space in case if you traveling with heavy luggage.
- By Bus: Heathrow airport is well connected to Central London by regular coach services. Commuting by coach is a cheap but certain constraint like getting stuck in the traffic and overcrowded buses should be taken into account if you are short of time and cannot afford delays. National Express runs around 100 buses to and from Heathrow airport to Victoria (Central London) bus station. The journey takes around 40 minutes to 1.5 hours and it cost around £6 for single and £11 for a return adult ticket. One can even take advantage of group tickets available at cheaper rates. The services from Heathrow airport starts at 5.35 am and run till 9.35 pm. The buses stop at 1-2 stations on route. The services from Victoria starts at 7.45 am and run till 11.30 pm. The arrival halls at Heathrow airport are all well versed with all the information regarding bus services and the travel desk at Heathrow central bus station is open from 6.00 am till 10.30 pm. A special bus service that runs from midnight to 5.00 am called the N9 bus service takes around 30 minutes to reach London central and it cost £2.30 for a standard adult ticket.
- By Tube: The underground rail service running in between Heathrow airport and Central London on the Piccadilly Line is another cheap option. The average journey time is 50-60 minutes and the tube operates at an interval of 5 minutes in peak hours and 9 minutes in off-peak hours. The tube service from Heathrow airport operates from 5.10 am and run till 11.45 pm. The tube service is cheaper as compared to other rail services but again it is less comfortable and time consuming. Average cost of a standard adult ticket is £5.30 and one can take advantage of Oyster card if using this service frequently.
- By taxi: Just like other airports, Heathrow airport is oozing with varied car rental options. Private cab companies are available to be booked from either airport or by making an online pre-booking. They provide 24/7 services throughout the year with many additional services. Among the taxi services available from Heathrow airport to reach Central part of London, the most preferable ones are the London’s black cabs queued outside all airport terminals. But today tourist prefers to hire private cabs run by authorized travel companies offering most convenient and safe mode of transport. These cabs can deliver tourist to London Central in around 30-60 minutes and they cost around £50 to £80 for single journey.