London has six airports with scheduled flights, and the Eurostar train arrives at St Pancras International. Under each name is the time on the train to the London terminus with the quickest service (or, for the Piccadilly line from Heathrow, to Hammersmith in west London).
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Journey times and one-way fares, by train to the London terminus with the quickest service, and by road to Charing Cross:
| From | Train time (mins) | London terminus for train | Train cost per adult (£) | Driving time (mins) | Taxi cost per vehicle (£) | Ride share cost per vehicle (£) | Coach cost per adult (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London St Pancras International (STP) | 0 | London St Pancras International | 0 | 15–25 | 13–22 | 16–52 | – |
| London Heathrow (LHR) | 15–35 | London Paddington / Hammersmith | 3–26 | 45–100 | 70–120 | 54–166 | 11–14 |
| London City (LCY) | 20–25 | London Bridge or Bank | 3–4 | 35–55 | 47–65 | 37–150 | – |
| London Luton (LTN) | 26–36 | London St Pancras International | 8–22 | 60–95 | 90–120 | 64–200 | 7–17 |
| London Gatwick (LGW) | 30–35 | London Bridge or London Victoria | 11–24 | 70–150 | 94–113 | 75–230 | 7–14 |
| London Stansted (STN) | 45–60 | London Liverpool Street | 10–23 | 60–130 | 86–126 | 75–216 | 7–20 |
| London Southend (SEN) | 55–60 | London Liverpool Street | 13–20 | 70–120 | 93–143 | 88–212 | – |
We checked these times and fares in October 2026, for an ordinary weekday. Train times are to the London terminus with the quickest service. Each is the time on the train from the airport’s station, plus the 4-minute shuttle ride from the terminal to the station at Luton. The lower figure is the quickest train, and the higher one the slowest train that visitors usually take, such as the Piccadilly line from Heathrow. The Piccadilly line’s time is to Hammersmith, in west London; Piccadilly Circus, in central London, is about 15 minutes further on. St Pancras is itself a London terminus, so its time is 0. Driving times are to Charing Cross, in the centre of London. The lower figure is the time by car or taxi outside the rush hour, and the higher one the time in the rush hour or, for Gatwick and Stansted, by coach to Victoria Coach Station.
Train and coach fares are for one adult going one way, and taxi and ride-share fares for the whole vehicle, all rounded to the nearest pound. By train, the lower fare is the cheapest ticket, booked ahead or off-peak by contactless, and the higher one the most an adult normally pays on the day, at peak times. By coach, the lower fare is the cheapest ticket booked ahead and the higher one National Express’s Fully Flexible ticket to Victoria Coach Station; from Stansted, the cheapest is Flibco’s coach to Liverpool Street. Taxi fares run from a quiet time to a busy one, including the congestion charge; some are our own estimates from the official tariffs. At Southend, the lower taxi fare is for a minicab booked ahead and the higher one for the airport’s own taxi firm. Ride-share fares run from the cheaper standard car on Uber or Bolt to the more expensive six-seater at twice its usual price, as the apps can charge at busy times, and include the apps’ airport pick-up fees and Bolt’s £2 fee for trips into central London. A dash means there is no coach.
Children pay less on trains and coaches. On the Tube, DLR and Elizabeth line, up to four children under 11 travel free with each paying adult, and 11 to 15s pay half fare with Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Young Visitor discount on an Oyster card. On other trains, under-5s travel free and 5 to 15s pay about half fare, but they need a paper or e-ticket, because contactless covers only adult fares. Under-16s travel free on the Heathrow Express with a paying adult. On the trains from Gatwick and Southend, and on Thameslink from Luton, up to four children aged 5 to 15 travel for £2 each with an adult who has an off-peak paper ticket or e-ticket, not contactless; the offer doesn’t apply on the Stansted Express. On National Express coaches, children aged 3 to 15 get 25% off and one under-3 per adult travels free; Flibco’s fares for children aged 4 to 13 start at £5. Each airport’s page linked below has the full details.
