Wait? You Mean the Airport Is Not Actually IN London?

You are in England, at the airport, have passed through His Majesty’s Customs and have entered into the Arrivals area of the airport. What will you see? What is next?

First, you’ll see a couple of hundred people holding up signs with names of people, or companies, or organizations, written or printed on paper, or on an electronic tablet. If you have booked a driver to take you somewhere (we’ll touch on that subject later.) look for the name you used when booking and make contact with the driver. He/she will be eager to leave, as the parking at the airport is fairly high cost, but you will probably need to get some money first. Fortunately, right there (at least in Heathrow) you will find a bank of cash machines. Get your cash there, including enough to pay the driver (plus a tip) at your destination.  The driver should be patient while you do that, as he/she probably expects you to pay with cash. (UPDATE: That was written in 2018. In 2024 I personally would still pay in cash, but more drivers accept credit cards. Ask your driver when you book with him his preference.)  When we go, we use a driver named David Norman. We first ran into him a few years ago when he took us to a flat we had rented in London and have used his services for all of our trips since then. To contact David to make a booking with him, email him at thenormans@hotmail.co.uk. He is very responsive to emails and usually returns my emails within a day or so. I won’t quote a price, as it varies with your destination, but it’s in the same range of expense as a black cab, but you don’t have to wait in the queue! If you do book a driver, it is customary to also tip them on arrival at the destination, with £5-15 as a good estimate. David can also be booked to take you back to the airport or seaport for your departure from the UK.

If you didn’t book a driver, there are multiple ways to get to downtown London, or wherever you are going (see the article on how we have found that staying the first day in a hotel near the airport helps with jetlag). Right outside the arrival area, and just past all the people with signs, is a taxi stand, or rank. Usually there is a queue (for Americans, that’s a “line”) of people waiting to get a taxi. Sometimes there is a concierge who matches people and taxis, but sometimes it’s just a queue and when you get to the front, you get in the first cab in the line. All of these cabs are the classic “black” cab from London, although not all of them are painted black these days. These cabbies are reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy, and will take you by the best route to your destination in London. The cab ride for two people and bags will be about £50-60 to Central London, partly depending on traffic delays and exactly where in London you want to go. (UPDATE: The prices are more now, in 2024, so be prepared. I don’t have an accurate estimate for you, sorry.)  The cab should take you directly to your destination, which is very handy as you don’t have to wrestle with your luggage any further than to the taxi rank and from the taxi into your hotel. The ride will be 40 minutes to an hour in duration, again depending on traffic. The taxi should have room for your bags, as long as you aren’t travelling with too many. We have managed to fit two adults and five suitcases in one cab, with room to spare.

Another way to get to Central London is the Heathrow Express Train. It advertises that it only takes 15-20 minutes to get from the airport to Paddington station in London. It leaves every 15 minutes most of the time. Cost of the train varies, but if you book in advance for a train, the price is pretty heavily discounted. You will have to take an elevator from arrivals to the train station, so look for signs in the terminal and follow directions. There is no checked luggage on the train, so you will have to get your own bags on and off the train.  The train will end at Paddington station in Central London, and then from there get a taxi (again, follow the signs) to take you to your final destination. For more information on the Heathrow Express Train, go to their website at: http://www.heathrowexpress.com.

A third way to get from Heathrow to Central London is via the Underground or “Tube.” The Underground is the subway for London and its environs, and there are three Underground stations at Heathrow. The trip is just under an hour in duration to Central London. You can get more information here: http://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/underground. Remember, on the Underground there will be little room for your baggage and the trains only stop briefly, so you will need to be close to the doors (but not blocking them, please) to be ready to get off swiftly. Frankly, the Underground would be my last choice simply because of the unwieldy baggage having to be negotiated in and out of trains, and up and down staircases in the stations in London. If traveling light with just a single roll-on and a backpack and there is a tube station near your lodgings in London, it would work well, but if you have more than that, or the lodgings aren’t near the Tube, it will be awkward.  Keep in mind how tired you are going to be!

We can’t address directly the travel from other airports to Central London, but here is a website with information:  http://www.gatwickairport.com/to-and-from/gatwick-to-london/   For Stansted Airport, go here: https://www.stanstedairport.com/getting-to-and-from/by-stansted-express/

Trains and the underground generally run from about 5 am to midnight, so if you arrive in that midnight to 5am window, you may find yourself with just a taxi or driver option. Or you can just wait until the underground/trains start to operate.