Travelling to and around London

By Plane

London is served by five major airports flying to/from destinations domestically and globally. Of the five, only two of these are within Greater London itself. These being London's largest airport; Heathrow and the smaller City Airport located within the Docklands Area of the capital. Other airports include: Stansted, Gatwick and Luton Airport. All of these airports are served by a number of frequent and quick links to Central London via train and road.

• Airports flying to/from London from the UK:
• Heathrow
• Aer Lingus - to Belfast International.
• BA - to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle.
• BMI - to Aberdeen, Belfast City, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester.

Heathrow has a whopping five terminals, all of which are reachable to Central London via the Underground (www.tfl.gov.uk for timetables), the Heathrow Express train which terminates at Paddington Station, or the Heathrow Connect train service, which also terminates at Paddington. Numerous coach operators (including National Express offer services to/from Heathrow from almost every UK town. A taxi from Heathrow to Central London will cost you between £50-£70 (depending on area in London), taking around 45 minutes (traffic permitting) to get to the centre.

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• Gatwick 
• Air Southwest - to Newquay, Plymouth.
• BA - to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey, Manchester.
• Aurigny Air - to Guernsey.
• Easyjet - to Belfast International, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness.
• Flybe - to Aberdeen, Belfast City, Guernsey, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Newcastle.

Gatwick has two terminals (north and south). The airport is linked to London via the Gatwick Express train to London Victoria Station or via numerous coach operators and taxi. Gatwick is around 30 miles from Central London.

• Stansted 
• Aurigny Air - to Guernsey.
• Easyjet - to Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle.
• Eastern Airways- to Manchester.
• Ryanair - Belfast City, Derry, Glasgow.

Based in South Essex, you can reach London via the Stansted Express train which takes you to Liverpool Street Station (taking 45 minutes), or by one of the many coach companies (National Express, Terravision, Easybus who operate regular shuttle services to several London destinations, starting as low as £5 one way.

• London Luton
• Easyjet - to Aberdeen, Belfast International, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness.
• Flybe - to Isle of Man.
• Ryanair- to Derry (from October 2008).

Luton Airport is the furthest away from central London. The airport has its own train station (reachable via free shuttle bus transfer), with direct train services terminating at St. Pancras Station. By road, Luton is around 35 miles from the capital. Coaches operated by Easybus, National Expressand Greenline 757 also offer regular services to/from the airport.

• London City Airport
• Air France (operated by Scot Airways) - to Dundee, Edinburgh.
• BA - to Edinburgh, Glasgow.
• VLM Airlines - to Isle of Man, Jersey, Manchester.

Linked to London's financial district at Canary Wharf, City is the closest of all airports to central London. The airport is linked to the city by the Docklands Light Railway (www.tfl.gov.uk for timetables and journey planner) and bus numbers 473 and 474 which will take you to the nearest Underground station or transport hub for your onward journey.

By Train

London has a number of major train stations offering express services to every corner of the UK. The east coast is served by National Express and Grand Central, the north-west by Virgin , the south by South Eastern Railways, Anglia via National Express and the midlands by East Midland Trains.

By Coach

National Express operate services from almost every UK town. A cheaper alternative can be found via Megabus, who offer fares from as low as £1 each way (plus booking fees).

Getting Around London

The London Underground (www.tfl.gov.uk) network offers regular services across a massive transport infrastructure around Greater London at reasonably cheap prices. Many train companies offer overground suburban services and an alternative option always lies in the capital's famous red buses. Taxis offer another choice, although black cabs running on a meter can be very costly. Transport for London also run river cruises via its Thames Clipper Service, which provides a cheap option to take in the sites along the famous river.

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