ARRIVAL - London - page 329

ARRIVAL
By plane
By train and coach
The majority of visitors arrive in London at one of its five airports, all but one of which can
involve an expensive trip to the centre. Those arriving by train or bus are dropped right in the
middle of the city, with easy access to public transport.
BY PLANE
Flying into London, you'll arrive at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or City airport ,
each of which is less than an hour from the city centre.
HEATHROW
Heathrow Airport ( 0844 335 1801, www.heathrowairport.com ) lies around fifteen miles
west of central London, and is the city's busiest airport, with five terminals and three train/
tube stations: one for terminals 1, 2 and 3, and separate ones for terminals 4 and 5. The fast-
est train service into London is the high-speed, non-stop Heathrow Express to Paddington
station (daily 5am-midnight; journey 15min); tickets cost £21 one way or £34 return. Heath-
row Connect trains stop at intermediate stations (Mon-Sat 5am-midnight, Sun 6am-11pm;
every 30min; journey 30-40min) but tickets cost around £10 single and £20 return. A cheap-
er alternative is to take the Piccadilly Underground line, which connects the airport to nu-
merous tube stations across central London (Mon-Sat 5am-11.45pm, Sun 6am-11.30pm;
every 5min; journey 50min); tickets cost around £6 single, or £8.50 for a Day Off-Peak
Travelcard, zones 1-6 (see Getting Around ) . A taxi from Heathrow will cost in the region of
£50-80, depending on traffic and the time of day.
GATWICK
Gatwick Airport ( 0844 892 0322, www.gatwickairport.com ) is around thirty miles south
of London, and has a train station at its South Terminal. Non-stop Gatwick Express trains
run between the airport and London Victoria (daily 4.30am-1.30am; every 15min; journey
30min); tickets cost around £20 single, £35 return (less online). It's cheaper, however, to
take a Southern train to Victoria (every 15min; journey 35min), or a First Capital Connect
train to various stations within London (every 15-30min; journey 30-45min), including
London Bridge and St Pancras; online tickets for either cost from £10 single. easyBus (
www.easybus.co.uk ) runs buses to West Brompton tube (4.30am-midnight; every 20min;
1hr 10min), with online tickets going for as little as £2 single (£10 if you buy on board). Na-
tional Express buses run from Gatwick direct to central London (daily 5am-9.30pm; hourly;