Is it better to fly into London Heathrow or Gatwick?
Since Heathrow is close to central London, its prime location makes it a preferred choice for travellers heading to the city. The airport is well-connected to the heart of London through the Piccadilly Line on the Underground metro system.
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Americans who are combining a trip to London with a visit to Europe should consider flying in (or out) of London-City airport. This small airport is located much closer to the center of London than the other main London airports, making it more convenient.
Their full names are London Heathrow International Airport and London Gatwick International Airport respectively. Heathrow is London's (and the country's) main and busiest airport. Gatwick follows as the secondary and second busiest airport.
London Heathrow Airport is Certified as a 4-Star Airport for facilities, comfort, cleanliness, shopping, food & beverages, staff service, and security / immigration. “T2 and T5 provide the best facility standards but the terminals are large and can require some very long walking distances on arrival and departures.
The nearest airport to Heathrow is London City (LCY) Airport which is 21.9 miles away. Other nearby airports include London Gatwick (LGW) (25 miles), London Luton (LTN) (28.9 miles) and London Stansted (STN) (42.5 miles).
There is also congestion around Heathrow Airport Sunday afternoons and evenings. As a crude guide it will normally take you 45 to 75 minutes from landing to going through customs and collecting your luggage. The road journey between Heathrow and Gatwick with no traffic delays is around 50-60 minutes.
The route of about 45 miles between Heathrow and Gatwick is along heavily congested motorway/freeway. Mondays to Fridays between 6.30am and 10am traffic congestion is routine, expect delays of 15 minutes or more in the Gatwick-Heathrow direction.
Generally, the journey from Gatwick Airport to London by train takes around 48 minutes, although the fastest services take just 28 minutes. As there are around 935 direct trains on this route every day, you don't need to make any changes during your journey.
With both North and South terminals, Gatwick can be tricky to navigate. This guide will help you find everything you'll need during your next Gatwick visit.
Wednesday and Thursday are also relatively cheap days to fly into London, but Friday is predictably the most expensive day to fly, and one of the busiest days for arrivals into London.
Gatwick can be quicker to get to from London compared with Stansted. Where are you staying, one block off Holborn can mean anywhere in a large area. Gatwick is a much larger airport and maybe is more expensive to get to and further away.
How long does it take to clear customs at Heathrow? On average, it takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour to clear customs and immigration at Heathrow Airport.
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.
Heathrow is London's (and the country's) main and busiest airport. Gatwick follows as the secondary and second busiest airport. Heathrow is larger and has better links in and out of the airport to Central London. Heathrow has five terminals and four runways.
With normal services running every 15 minutes and with a journey time of 15 minutes between Heathrow Central and London Paddington, Heathrow Express is the quickest way to make your way into the capital after your flight.
Is it difficult to navigate Heathrow airport? The sheer size of Heathrow airport can be daunting but thankfully there are signs everywhere to help you find your way. Just keep your eyes peeled, and allow plenty of time and you should be fine.