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London
How to get to London from outside Britain
By air
There are flights between London and about any country around the globe, usually at better price than to/from any other European destination, apart from Paris which is on a pair. London has 5 airports:
Heathrow Airport is the biggest of all 5 airports and deals with most of the long-distance flights. It is also the world's busiest international airport, seeing over 60 million passengers annually. It is located in the western outskirt of the city, a dozen kilometres from Windsor.
London City Airport is the only airport located within London itself. It is principally used by business people and has flights to only 23 destinations, limited to the Benelux, France, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and the UK.
Gatwick Airport has flights to/from Europe, the Middle-East and North America. It is located in West Sussex, halfway between Central London and Brighton, to the south.
Luton Airport has flights to/from Europe only. It is located in Hertfordshire, about 35km north-west of Central London, past St Albans.
Stansted Airport has flights to/from Europe only. It is located in Essex, about 40km north-east of Central London, halfway to Cambridge.
Discount Airlines from/to Europe
There are several discount airlines offering cheap flights from major European cities to one of London's 3 smaller airports (Gatwick, Luton, Stansted).
Easyjet has flights to 29 European destinations outside England from Gatwick Airport, 24 from Stansted Airport and 26 from Luton Airport. Countries included are Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Estonnia.
Ryanair has flights to over 75 European destinations from Stansted Airport, as well as a dozen flights from Luton. Ryan Air is offer unbeatable prices, even offering free flights to their home base of Shannon in Ireland. Tickets of routes from London range from £1 to £10. The inconvenient is that flights can be cancelled if the minimum quota of passengers is not reached.
By rail
If you are coming from Paris (France) or Brussels (Belgium), the easiest way to get to London is the Eurostar bullet-train. The journey takes about 2h45min between London Waterloo station and Paris, and 2h30min for Brussels.
By bus
National Express and Eurolines both have coaches to hundreds of European cities.
How to get to London from inside Britain
By bus
National Express has coaches (buses) throughout the UK
By train
London is the main hub for travelling around England and has good connections to Wales and Scotland as well. There are 9 major terminal train stations in London, each of which serves a different region :
Liverpool Street Station => has trains to/from Cambridge and Colchester
Kings Cross Station => has trains to/from Brighton, St Albans, Cambridge, Ely, Kings Lynn, Peterborough, York, Leeds and Newcastle.
St Pancras Station => has trains to/from Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds
Euston Station => has trains to/from Northampton, Rugby, Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Liverpool and Lancaster.
Marylebone Station => has trains to/from Warwick and Birmingham.
Paddington Station => has trains to/from Oxford, Bath, Bristol, Hereford, Worcester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance.
Waterloo Station => has trains to/from Windsor, Portsmouth, Winchester, Salisbury and Bournemouth.
Victoria Station => has trains to/from Brighton, Chichester, Portsmouth and Canterbury.
Charing Cross Station => has trains to/from Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Hastings and Dover.
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How to get around London
Underground
One of the easiest way to travel inside London is using the London Underground (often referred to as the "Tube"), which is the world's oldest (operating since 1863) and one of the most extensive (275 stations served, on 408 km) metro network. Click here for a map of the Underground network or a Flash interactive version.
Bus & other public transports
An alternative to the Tube is the Bus, and in some areas the Tram (South-West and South London) or the Light railway (Docklands - East London).
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