How to get to London from inside and outside Britain

Contents
1 From outside Britain 1.1 By air 1.2 Discount Airlines from/to Europe 1.3 By train 1.4 By bus 2 From inside Britain 2.1 By bus 2.2 By train

How to get to London from outside Britain

By air

Heathrow (LHR)

• World's 4th busiest airport in 2024 with 83.9 million passengers
• Primary long-haul hub: Services six continents with 180+ destinations
• Location: 26 km west of Central London (45-min train ride via Heathrow Express)

London City (LCY)

• Only central airport: Located 14 km from financial districts (20-min DLR ride)
• Expanded network: 32+ destinations across 16 countries including:
  • Transatlantic: New York JFK
  • European hubs: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zürich
  • Leisure routes: Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca

Gatwick (LGW)

• Global reach: 199 destinations in 67 countries including:
  • Middle East: Dubai, Doha
  • North America: Orlando, New York
  • Asia: Shanghai, Tokyo
• Location: 45 km south (30-min Gatwick Express to London Victoria)

Luton (LTN)

• Expanding service: 17 new Jet2 routes starting April 2025 including:
  • Exclusive destinations: Verona, Madeira, Girona
  • Longest flight: Antalya (3h 45m)
• Location: 55 km northwest (22-min rail connection to St Pancras)

Stansted (STN)

• European focus: 180+ weekly flights to 30+ countries
• Notable exceptions: Seasonal New York services via British Airways
• Location: 63 km northeast (47-min Stansted Express to Liverpool Street)

Southend (SEN)

• Regional hub: Services to Ireland and European leisure destinations
• Quick processing: 15-minute arrival-to-train time

Discount Airlines from/to Europe

There are several discount airlines offering cheap flights from major European cities to London's 3 smaller airports (Gatwick, Luton, Stansted).

Easyjet has flights to over 90 European and North African destinations from Gatwick Airport, more than 40 from Luton Airport, and an expanding network from Stansted Airport. Countries served include Ireland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Estonia, Morocco, Egypt, Norway, and Finland.

Ryanair operates 206 routes from Stansted Airport, as well as over 29 destinations from Luton Airport. Ryanair offers competitive prices, with fares starting from £1 to £10 before taxes and fees. The airline no longer cancels flights due to minimum passenger quotas; any cancellations are typically due to operational or regulatory issues.

By rail

If you are coming from Paris (France) or Brussels (Belgium), the easiest way to get to London is the Eurostar high-speed train. The journey takes about 2h45min between London St Pancras station and Paris, and 2h30min for Brussels.

By bus

National Express and FlixBus 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.