With services running every 15 minutes and with a journey time of approximately quarter of an hour, Heathrow Express is the quickest way to make your way into the capital after your flight. We offer a much more efficient journey compared to a taxi, the London Underground or other train services.
The Elizabeth Line offers a reasonable, more budget-friendly option for travelling to Heathrow. It's likely to be the best train to Heathrow if you're coming from East or Central London, as it avoids the need to change at Paddington. It's also the cheapest option if you need to travel at the last-minute.
Heathrow Express trains from Heathrow to London, have a total journey time of 15 minutes non-stop into London Paddington, when travelling from Heathrow Central station. Trains leaving Terminal 5 station will take six minutes to travel to Heathrow Central before running directly into London Paddington.
UBER | Ubers are a cheap taxi into Central London from Heathrow. Most rides cost around £35-40, but you have to call for a driver once you're outside of arrivals and then wait for 10-15 minutes as they enter the airport and come up through into a parking garage.
The London Underground is the cheapest way to travel, but it can take over an hour to get into central London, and even longer depending on the location of your hotel. The Heathrow Express is usually the fastest way to travel, getting you to central London in 15 minutes, but it comes with a cost of £37.00 round trip.
The Heathrow Express is the second most expensive rail journey in Britain, costing £25, or £1.50 per mile for the 16.5-mile trip. This didn't stop the Heathrow Express from generating a whopping £31 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2019, with people opting to pay a premium for stress-free travel.
We recommend that you allow the following minimum connection times: 1 hour for connections within the same Heathrow terminal. 1 hour 30 minutes for connections that require travel between terminals at Heathrow.
The distance you are travelling should impact your choice. Hiring a cab in London is quite economical if you are travelling small distances within the city. The fares will usually stay under your budget for short distance travelling. However, for longer routes, the prices can go a little higher when compared with Uber.
The London Underground (aka 'the Tube') gets you from Heathrow to central London in under an hour, with trains running every 10 minutes. Heathrow has three underground stations, at Terminal 2/3 and at Terminal 4 and 5. Prices start from £5.50, making it one of the cheapest travel routes to London from Heathrow.
London's newest rail line can get you from Heathrow to central London in under 45 minutes, with trains every 30 minutes. Prices from Heathrow to central London (zone 1) cost £12.80. The easiest way to pay is using a contactless bank card or Oyster card, but you can also buy tickets and travelcards at the station.
When to arrive. We recommend getting to the airport three hours before your flight if you're travelling internationally, or two hours if you're travelling domestically or to Europe.
Cheaper stopping train to London Paddington to the alternative Heathrow Express. The TFL Train is a cheaper alternative to the Heathrow Express running the same route between Heathrow Airport and Paddington Station.
Heathrow Express timetableTrains operate every 15 minutes between Heathrow and London Paddington. Please click here to download a copy of the Heathrow Express timetable. The journey between London Paddington and Heathrow Central (for terminals 2 & 3) takes 15 minutes.