London Airports Compared: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City

Heathrow is 24 kilometers west of central London. It has five terminals. Terminals 2, 3, 4, and 5 are all in use. Terminal 1 is closed. The transfer options are the Elizabeth line, the Piccadilly line, and the Heathrow Express.

The Elizabeth line, opened in 2022, is the answer for almost every arrival. It runs from all terminals to Paddington in 30 minutes and continues into central London toward Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, and Liverpool Street. It costs 12.80 pounds with a contactless card in peak hours, 10.90 pounds off peak. This is the correct choice unless you are staying near Kings Cross, in which case the Piccadilly is a slower but zero interchange option.

The Heathrow Express is faster to Paddington, 15 minutes, and costs 25 pounds one way. It is only worth it if your onward train from Paddington is time sensitive.

Gatwick is 45 kilometers south of London. It has two terminals connected by a fast shuttle. The main transfer options are the Gatwick Express to Victoria in 30 minutes for 20 pounds, the Southern service to Victoria in 35 to 40 minutes for around 14 pounds, and the Thameslink service to St Pancras and Farringdon in 45 to 55 minutes.

For most arrivals, the Thameslink is the best value. It goes to central London for around 13 pounds off peak and drops you directly at St Pancras, which connects to the Piccadilly, Northern, Victoria, and Metropolitan lines. The Gatwick Express is only worth the premium if you specifically need to be at Victoria.

Stansted is 60 kilometers northeast of London. It is used mainly by Ryanair, easyJet, and Jet2. The Stansted Express to Liverpool Street is 45 to 55 minutes and costs 19 pounds if booked in advance, 24 at the counter. Coach services from National Express and Terravision are cheaper, around 12 pounds, but slower, 75 to 90 minutes.

The rule with Stansted is the same as Beauvais for Paris: only fly here if the total ticket price plus 25 pounds for the transfer is still cheaper than Heathrow. Otherwise Heathrow is faster and less stressful.

Luton is 55 kilometers north of London. It is used by low cost carriers and it is a poor experience on both departure and arrival. The transfer is a shuttle bus to Luton Airport Parkway rail station, which takes eight minutes, followed by a Thameslink or East Midlands train to central London in 25 to 40 minutes. Total time from touchdown to central London is realistically 90 minutes.

Luton is only sensible if it saves you a lot on a specific flight. The airport building is being renovated but remains cramped and short on seating.

London City Airport is a single runway airport in Docklands, 15 kilometers east of central London. It handles short haul European flights and a small number of long haul routes with mid-flight stops. The transfer is the DLR to Bank in 22 minutes, direct, for 3.50 pounds with contactless.

City is the best London airport if your destination is the City of London itself, Canary Wharf, or east London. The security process is faster than any other London airport because the terminal is small. Prices for the flights are higher, but the total journey time from Frankfurt or Amsterdam to your Canary Wharf meeting can be under three hours, which no other route matches.

The Elizabeth line runs 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. The Piccadilly line runs 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Every other London airport transfer stops between roughly 00:30 and 05:00. If your flight lands after midnight midweek at Stansted, Gatwick, or Luton, you are looking at a 90 to 120 pound taxi. Add that to the ticket price in advance.