London, England (LON - LCY, LGW, LHR, LTN, STN)

Hints and information on how to efficiently navigate London, England.
Note: The information is subject to change.

Before you go, you can actually plan your trip using the Journey Planner. This is a pretty cool program that allows you to enter a departure, via and arrival points, it will then tell you exactly how to accomplish your journey inclusive of fares. If you are a planner, this program is for you. You may also find tube maps here.

Mind the Gap! I am not kidding! Some stations have a space between the train and the platform, so watch out for that. The space is large enough for you to fall through it.

London is served by five airports; Gatwick (LGW), Heathrow (LHR), London City (LCY), Luton (LTN), and Stansted (STN). Here is some information on how to get to the city of London and between airports from each of these airports:

Note: The train system does not operate twenty-four, however, there are buses available twenty-four hours a day. The after hour busses are appropriately called Night Busses. Please plan your journey accordingly.

• Gatwick (LGW)
  • LGW to Central London
    • Take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station
      • The journey takes about 30 minutes and there are up to four trains per hour.
    • You may purchase your ticket either at the ticket desk or on the train. It is necessary to sign up for a discount card either at Victoria or at Gatwick. Once you have the discount card, you can purchase your ticket at the discounted price either on or off the train. You will not receive the discount if you do not have the card.
    • Take the National Express coach service to Victoria Coach Station
      • This journey takes anywhere from one to two hours depending on the traffic situation that day. There is no discount for airline employees.
    • Take the Thameslink train to Central London stations. Here is a route map for your reference.
      • You may purchase your ticket either at the ticket desk or on the train. There is no airline discount on this service.
    • Take the Southern train service to London Bridge or Victoria Station
      • You must purchase your ticket at the ticket desk. There is no airline discount on this service. Ask for the ticket to be combined with a One Day TravelCard. This is the most economical way to get to the city.
      • The travel time is approximately 45 minutes.
  • LGW to LHR
  • Your best bet is the National Express service. They are very punctual and will take about 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on traffic.
    • Tickets must be purchased at the ticket desk. You can purchase an annual discount card with the presentation of your airline ID.
  • LGW to STN
    • Your best bet is the National Express service. Your time may vary due to traffic congestion.
      • Tickets must be purchased at the ticket desk, where you will receive a discount upon presenting your airline ID
    • Take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station, then take the London Underground to Liverpool Street Station, then take the Stanstead Express
      • You may purchase your ticket either at the ticket desk or on the Gatwick Express. you can purchase your ticket for the entire journey at either place. There is no discount on the Stanstead Express.
    • Take a coach to Victoria Coach Station, then take the London Underground to Liverpool Street Station, then take the Stanstead Express
    • Take the Thameslink train to Central London stations. Here is a route map for your reference, then take the London Underground to Liverpool Street Station, then take the Stanstead Express
    • Take the Southern train to Victoria Station, then take the London Underground to Liverpool Street Station, then take the Stanstead Express
• LGW to LCY
  • Take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station, then take the London Underground/DLR to the London City Airport station
  • Take a coach to Victoria Coach Station, then take the London Underground/DLR to the London CIty Airport station
    • There is no airline discount on the coach to Victoria
  • Take the Thameslink train to Central London stations. Here is a route map for your reference, then take the London Underground/DLR to London CIty Airport station..
• Heathrow (LHR)
• LHR to Central London
• Take the Heathrow Express train to Paddington station
  • If you purchase your ticket at the ticket desk, you will receive a discount when you present your airline ID. There is no discount offered when you pay on the train.
  • The journey time is 15 minutes
• Take the Heathrow Connect train to Paddington station
  • If you purchase your ticket at the ticket desk, you will receive a discount when you present your airline ID. There is no discount offered when you pay on the train.
• The journey time is 25 minutes
• Take the London Underground
  • There are many Travelcard options including One Day, Two Day, etc. These cards allow you access to buses and trains throughout London and will save you a lot of money and heartache. It does not cover the British rail system, just the London Underground. You can purchase these tickets from the machines (which accept notes, coins and select credit cards) or from the ticket desks at most stations.
• LHR to LGW
• If you are traveling between LHR and LGW, your best bet is the National Express coach service. They are very punctual and will take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours dpending on traffic.
  • You may purchase an annual discount card from the ticket at the ticket desk when you present your airline ID.
• London City (LCY)
  • There is DLR service from this airport.
  • To Heathrow: Take the DLR to to Liverpool Street station and work your way to Paddington station on the London Underground for the Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect
  • To Gatwick: Take theDLR/ London Underground and make your way to the London Bridge station from here take the Thameslink to Gatwick. Or you can go to Victoria station and take teh Southern train or Gatwick Express services..
• Luton (LTN)
  • Take the Thameslink or trains into Central London. Here is a route map for your reference.
• Stansted (STN)
  • Take the Stansted Express train to Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale stations
    • This train is not really an express train, so I am not sure why it is called Stansted Express; it makes three stops.
    • There is no airline discount on this train.
  • Take the London Underground subway system
    • There are many Travelcard options including One Day, Two Day, etc. These cards allow you access to all modes of transportation throughout London and will save you a lot of money and heartache. You can purchase these from the machines (which accept notes, coins and credit cards depending on which one you use) or from the ticket desks at most stations.
  • Take the National Express coach service to the other airports
  • Take the Terravision Express Shuttle between Stanstead and Liverpool Street and Victoria stations. Fare is 7.00 GBP one way to Liverpool Street and 8.50 to Victoria. Journey time is 55 and 75 minutes respectively. You can pay with cash on teh buses or pay with a credit card or cash at the coach station. If you have time, you can book online at www.lowcostcoach.com for a 50p discount.
• Naturally, you can always take a cab, but it will be more expensive. Just follow the airport signs to the cab stand and tell the agent where you are heading. I would not recommend taking a cab from the airports into the city though as it would be quite expensive.
• Be cognizant of the Public transportation schedules over the Christmas and New Year periods as during this time period there is severely reduced service, so you could get stranded.
• Links
  • Book a hotel
  • British Museum
  • Buckingham Palace
  • Imperial War Museum at Duxford
  • The London Eye
  • The Millenium Bridge
  • Tate Modern Museum
  • The Royal Family
  • Stonehenge
  • Westminister Abbey