Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
travel after 9:30am and use an Oyster Card (p. 77). Trains leave every few minutes,
but if you want to plan your connections, use the online journey planner at
www.tfl.
gov.uk/journeyplanner
. For further Tube information see chapter 4. Although rail
options (see below) are quicker to Paddington Station, unless that is your final desti-
nation you still have to continue (probably by Tube or cab), so the Tube can still be
your best bet.
The
Heathrow Express
(
&
0845/600-1515;
www.heathrowexpress.com) train
service runs every 15 minutes daily from 5:10am until 11:40pm between Heathrow
and Paddington Station, just west of London's West End. Tickets bought online in
advance are £17 each way in economy class, rising to £18 if bought from one of the
terminal ticket machines, and £23 on the train itself. First-class tickets are £26.
Children 15 and under pay £8.20 standard, £13 in first class. The trip takes 15 min-
utes each way between Paddington and Terminals 1 and 3; 21 to 23 minutes from
Terminals 4 or 5. The trains have special areas for wheelchairs. From Paddington, you
can connect to the Tube, or hail a taxi outside.
A better-value, but slower, rail option is the
Heathrow Connect
(
&
0845/678-
6975;
www.heathrowconnect.com). A couple of trains an hour ply the route from
Paddington Station via Ealing to Heathrow Terminals 1 and 3, where you make a
quick change for a transfer to Terminals 4 or 5. Total journey time is about a half-hour
for Terminals 1 and 3, 11 minutes more for Terminal 5, and an additional 6 minutes
for Terminal 4. A single fare from Paddington is £7.90, with children 5 to 15 receiving
a 50% discount.
Most expensive of the lot, a
taxi
hailed at one of the airport's official ranks is likely
to cost anything from £60 to £85. You can save by booking a fixed-price minicab
service in advance from
Addison Lee
(
&
0844/800-6677;
www.addisonlee.com).
Book online with a credit card.
Gatwick Airport
The fastest way to central London is via the
Gatwick Express
(
&
0845/850-
1530;
www.gatwickexpress.com), which departs every 15 minutes, daily between
5am and 12:35am. The round-trip fare between Gatwick and Victoria Rail Station is
£29 for adults and £14 for children aged 5 to 15. (One-way fares cost £17 for adults
and £8.45 for children.) If you book online, you can save 10% on ticket prices. The
travel time each way is 30 minutes Monday to Saturday, and 35 minutes on Sunday.
Check the website for regular pre-booking discounts, including 3-for-2 and 4-for-2
tickets that represent significant ticket savings for traveling groups.
Marginally cheaper local trains call at Gatwick several times an hour, connecting
with Victoria; or London Bridge, City Thameslink, Blackfriars, Farringdon, and St.
Pancras International. Journeys take 30 to 40 minutes. See
www.nationalrail.
co.uk
.
Roughly hourly
National Express
(
&
0871/781-8181;
www.nationalexpress.
com) buses link Gatwick with London's Victoria Coach Station. The walk-up fare is
£7.50 single, but that can fall to £4.50 if you book online in advance. Children aged
3 to 14 pay half-price.
A
taxi
from Gatwick to central London costs around £100.
London City Airport
Trains on the
Docklands Light Railway,
known locally as the “DLR,” make runs at
10-minute intervals from City Airport to Bank Tube station in the heart of London's
financial district. A
taxi
should cost £20 to £40.
20
