Prices are provided for rough guidance, but are likely to change from the ones listed here, which were accurate as of 2017.
1. Heathrow (LHR)
Spread across five terminals and just 14 miles west of central London, it’s the easiest airport for getting into town.
The Piccadilly Line on the Underground metro system serves three tube stations (Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3; Terminal 4; and Terminal 5 — all in fare zone 6), with trains running every two to three minutes during the day, with a journey time of around 45 minutes from zone 1.
Heathrow is London’s busiest and biggest airport.
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Long dubbed the UK’s most expensive train journey, heavy criticism has led to the introduction of cheaper advance tickets, starting as low as £5.50 when bought 90 days ahead of a weekend trip and £12.10 for a weekday.
Thirty-day advance tickets cost £8.80 for weekends and £14.30 for weekdays, while 14-day advance tickets cost £12.10 at weekends and £16.50 on weekdays.
Heathrow can feel like a shopping mall with an airport attached — but it’s still a great airport.
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Business Class tickets, offering more legroom, cost £32 one-way and £55 return.
An open return costs £26, while fixed returns can be secured for as low as £14. Journey times are optimistically advertised as 35 minutes, although London’s notorious traffic often means it can take twice as long.
A traditional black cab can take you to and from Heathrow meaning you don’t have to deal with public transport. But depending on traffic, journey times can be anywhere between 30 minutes and one hour, with prices set between £46 and £87.
Taxis can take five passengers, with some larger vehicles able to accommodate six, plus wheelchairs and buggies.
Ride-share services and minicabs — as pre-booked cabs are known in the UK — can be booked for private trips and will cost less. However, the likes of Uber are not allowed to send their drivers into the terminal to greet you, meaning more traditional methods are more stress-free.
While Heathrow can at times feel like a shopping mall with an airport attached, it’s unquestionably the best-served airport in London.
Every major airline flies here and the facilities are largely excellent. The fact it runs at 99% capacity, though, means it’s often extremely busy. Non-European Union arrivals should prepare for long queues at immigration.
2. Gatwick (LGW)
That hefty distance from the city center means it can be both costly and time-consuming to get to and from Gatwick if you don’t book transport in advance.
Thanks to the UK’s somewhat opaque rail ticketing system, it’s all too easy for first-time visitors to wind up with the wrong ticket and on the wrong train.
Gatwick’s the most convenient airport if you’re traveling to south coast destinations such as Brighton.
Courtesy Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Express charges £17.80 single from Victoria if you book online. An open return costs £31.80 when booked online. Alternatively, you can also use your contactless payment card or Oyster card to get to the airport without buying a paper ticket. This costs £19.80.
A paper ticket single bought at Victoria or Gatwick will cost you £19.90. Gatwick Express also offers £25.50 off for two people traveling together using its Web Duo tickets, available online only. This works out at £45.50 for both passengers.
Gatwick Express also offers first class tickets, costing £29.70 at the station or £26.50 online for a one-way fare. Returns cost £57.50 regardless of where you buy, but if you get one online you’ll also get free airport lounge access. First class offers a cordoned-off area on the train, but seats are identical to standard and there’s no on-board catering.
Gatwick handled a massive 43.1 million passengers in 2016.
Courtesy Gatwick Airport
Southern trains offer singles for £15.70 from Victoria, a return costing £31.40. These fares can be as low as £12 one way if booked in advance. Thameslink tickets are much cheaper, with singles from London Blackfriars and London Bridge starting at £10.40 single and £19.80 return.
National Railcard holders can get discounts on all three services.
Be aware that boarding a Gatwick Express train with a Southern or Thameslink ticket can leave you liable to a penalty fare. Gatwick Express trains are red, while Southern or Thameslink trains are either green and white or purple.
This train line is also regularly hit by disruption, thanks to aging tracks and signals, industrial action and a generally poor service. Southern is statistically the UK’s worst train operator.
Gatwick Airport train station is cramped and queues can get very long, so buy online and print tickets at home if you can.
Courtesy Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport train station is cramped and queues can get very long, so buy online and print tickets at home if you can.
Gatwick’s security is much swifter than Heathrow’s and immigration lines tend to move fast thanks to automatic gates. Its restaurants have also improved markedly in recent years. However, the overabundance of shops, much like Heathrow, means spaces to sit and relax before take-off are at a premium.
3. Stansted (STN)
Thirty miles equidistant between Cambridge and London and set in leafy Essex countryside, Stansted is easiest to reach from the east of the city.
Stansted is one of London’s best spots for budget flights.
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Single journeys cost £16.60 from Liverpool Street, with return fares costing £28. From Tottenham Hale, tickets cost £26 return and £15.70 single.
Advance fares are available online, staring at £7 single from Liverpool Street and £6.50 from Tottenham Hale.
National Railcard discounts apply here also.
The Stansted Express also offers first-class tickets, which come with a fast-track pass allowing you to skip the line at security. Singles cost £27.10 from Liverpool Street and £42.10, £25.30 and £41.10 from Tottenham Hale. Advance first-class tickets are available from £24 online. First-class seats are wider than in standard, with more legroom. A catering trolley offers refreshments for all passengers.
The Stansted Express delivers passengers to Tottenham Hale and Liverpool Street stations.
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Pre-booked cabs — known as minicabs — from the center of London to Stansted Airport can cost as little as £60. However, hailing a black cab to take you the full 30 miles will cost in excess of £100.
Stansted only has one terminal, an award-winning design by Norman Foster which opened in 1991.
Its original spacious, bright concept has been critically undermined in recent years, however, due to the unbending British obsession of turning every free space in an airport into a shop. As such, the terminal can feel cramped.
4. Luton (LTN)
East Midlands trains run fast, hourly services from London St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway, taking just 25 minutes. Thameslink runs a more regular service from St Pancras, at intervals of every 15 minutes at peak times, with journey times between 30 and 35 minutes.
Luton is 30 miles from the city center — but easy to get to.
Courtesy London Luton Airport
Tickets cost £27.50 return, with one-way fares at £15.70. First-class singles cost £25, with returns at £47.30. First class is rudimentary, however, and does not represent great value for money.
Thameslink trains also run to London Blackfriars, Farringdon and City Thameslink, with access to connecting trains and Tube services.
National Railcard discounts apply.
Visitors should remember to buy a ticket to Luton Airport rather than Luton Airport Parkway. The latter is the nearest station to the airport, with all passengers required to take a shuttle bus to the terminal. This adds 10 to 15 minutes to all journey times. Failure to buy the correct ticket means having to pay a £2.10 bus fare.
National Express coaches pick up and drop off at 30 different locations in London from Luton Airport, with one-way tickets from £5 online.
You can pay a £5 add-on which allows you to get on any available coach 12 hours before or 12 hours after your planned departure time. Journey times from Victoria coach station can take as long as two hours during rush hour, although that falls to around an hour at peak times.
Luton is a basic but functional airport.
Courtesy London Luton Airport
A pre-booked taxi costs from around £50, with a black cab costing around £100 depending on traffic. Luton Airport is next to the M1 motorway, so traffic can get heavy, especially during early mornings and evenings.
The airport itself is basic, with a lack of ample seating space after clearing security. The preponderance of budget airlines such as Easyjet means that a lot of flights leave very early, with crowds building from around 4 a.m.
Passengers often have to queue in corridors to board rather than waiting in a dedicated seating area.
The airport is going through a huge redevelopment, due to be finished in 2026.
5. City (LCY)
London City airport is just a few miles from the city center.
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Alternatively, you can take the Jubilee Line to Canning Town, from where it’s just a seven-minute DLR ride to the airport. City Airport is in Zone 3, with a single fare costing £2.80 off peak or £3.30 at peak times, as long as you use an Oyster card or contactless payment card. A paper ticket costs £4.90.
Black cabs from the City take around 40 minutes and can cost more than £40 depending on traffic. A pre-booked taxi from central London costs from £27. Local bus services also drop off at the airport, although these understandably take circuitous routes through surrounding areas and are best avoided if you’re in a rush.
London City might be small, but you can fly to New York from here — business class only.
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City Airport is small, with a handful of restaurants and lounges. However, the relative lack of flights taking off and landing mean that it rarely feels crowded. Its dinky size also means that it’s a short walk from the DLR station to arrivals and departures.
6. Southend (SEN)
History shows that city boundaries are fluid. But not so fluid to include an airport that sits a massive 42 miles from the center of London.
An Anytime single costs £17.10 and a first-class single costs £27.50. Return tickets cost £25.00 at off-peak times, £34.29 for an Anytime fare and £52.30 for first class. Cheaper advance tickets using specific services are available online. National Railcard discounts apply.
London Southend is actually more than 40 miles from the center of London.
Courtesy London Southend Airport
Southend’s small size means it’s not as easily reached by bus or coach. The X30 service runs between Southend Airport and Stansted Airport, which is handy for connections. A single ticket costs £16 and a return £23. A group return ticket costs £50. All are available to buy from the driver.
Pre-booked taxis cost around £70, while a black cab will cost as much as £150 when factoring in distance and the heavy traffic getting out of London.
The airport itself is basic, but modern, with just a couple of restaurants and a newsagent. It may not be as stressful as Heathrow, but amenities are inevitably lacking by comparison.
Which London airport do I pick: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted?
