Which London airport should you fly into?

London has five airports and they are not equal for a stay in the centre. We worked out the typical drive from each to all ten of our hotels and checked every train with its operator.

The short answer

Fly into Heathrow from outside Europe: it is 45–75 minutes by road from our hotels and the Elizabeth line runs straight to Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon. From Europe, London City is the closest airport by far, 30–58 minutes by car and 23 minutes on the DLR to Bank. Gatwick, Stansted and Luton are 66–105 minutes by road, so take each one's fast train rather than a car.

Heathrow Terminal 5 and its glass facade, with British Airways aircraft at the gates

London HeathrowThe big one, with 84.5 million passengers in 2025, four terminals, ten paid lounges and three rail lines into town. The Elizabeth line puts you at Bond Street in 31 minutes and the Heathrow Express at Paddington in 15.Best for Long-haul flights, British Airways and its partners, and every hotel in our West End and Paddington edit.

Passengers in 2025: 84.5 million
Terminals: 4 (Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5)
Fastest way into town: Heathrow Express, 15 min to Paddington
Elizabeth line to Bond Street: 31 min, £15.50 contactless

The full guide

Gatwick North Terminal from the air, with its piers and the sky bridge over the taxiway

London GatwickLondon's second airport, south of the city, with 42.8 million passengers in 2025. The Gatwick Express reaches Victoria in about 30 minutes, and Thameslink runs direct to Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras.Best for Short-haul and leisure flights, and the hotels on the South Bank and in Pimlico, near Blackfriars and Victoria.

Passengers a year: 42.8 million (2025)
Terminals: 2: North and South, linked by a free 24-hour shuttle
Fastest way into London: Gatwick Express to Victoria, about 30 minutes
Trains to London: About every 4 minutes on average

The full guide

London City Airport's runway between the Docklands basins, with Canary Wharf beyond

London CityThe small airport in the Docklands, 30–58 minutes by car from all ten of our hotels and 23 minutes by DLR to Bank. One terminal, 24 gates and short walks, though no paid lounge until a new one opens, expected by early 2027.Best for European business flights, light luggage, and the City, London Bridge and East London hotels.

Passengers in 2025: 3.7 million
Terminals: 1, with 24 gates in two wings
DLR to Bank: 23 min, £3.30 off-peak contactless
Drive to our ten hotels: Typically 30–58 min

The full guide

The glass front of Stansted Airport terminal at dusk, under its tree-like roof supports

London StanstedNorth-east of London, with 29.8 million passengers in 2025. The Stansted Express leaves from under the terminal every 15 minutes and reaches Liverpool Street in 46–48 minutes.Best for Low-cost European flights, and travellers heading to the City or Shoreditch side of town.

Passengers a year: Over 30 million (2025, a record)
Terminals: 1, with satellite gates reached by transit train
Distance to central London: About 40 miles, off the M11
Fastest way into London: Stansted Express: Tottenham Hale in about 36 minutes, Liverpool Street in 46–48

The full guide

The entrance to the London Luton Airport terminal under a blue sky

London LutonNorth of London, with 17.8 million passengers in 2025. The DART shuttle takes under four minutes to Luton Airport Parkway, then Thameslink reaches St Pancras in about 32 minutes.Best for Low-cost European flights, and The Standard at King's Cross, a short walk from St Pancras.

Passengers a year: Over 17.5 million (2025)
Terminals: 1
Distance to St Pancras: 26 miles (42 km) by rail
Fastest way into London: Luton Airport Express and DART: St Pancras in as little as 32 minutes

The full guide

From each airport to our ten hotels

Typical drive times by car, and the way we would go.

Hotel	LHR	LGW	LCY	STN	LTN
The Ned	60 min	96 min	33 min	78 min	84 min
Claridge's	50 min	97 min	49 min	91 min	72 min
Shangri-La The Shard, London	60 min	96 min	34 min	80 min	92 min
The Standard, London	55 min	105 min	46 min	84 min	74 min
Sea Containers London	68 min	93 min	38 min	84 min	84 min
Town Hall Hotel	75 min	93 min	30 min	66 min	87 min
Hazlitt's	55 min	100 min	47 min	88 min	79 min
Artist Residence London	50 min	88 min	50 min	96 min	82 min
The Zetter Marylebone	45 min	99 min	53 min	95 min	70 min
The Pilgrm	49 min	99 min	58 min	97 min	68 min

Every way in, timed and priced

Distance: how far each airport is from our hotels

London City is the closest. We worked out the typical drive from each airport's kerb to all ten of our hotels: 30–58 minutes from City, 45–75 from Heathrow, 66–97 from Stansted, 68–92 from Luton and 88–105 from Gatwick. City is quickest to the East End and the City of London; Heathrow is quickest by road to Paddington, Marylebone and Pimlico.

Rush hour stretches every one of these drives, which is why the trains below matter.

London City to our hotels: 30–58 min by road
Heathrow to our hotels: 45–75 min by road
Stansted to our hotels: 66–97 min by road
Luton to our hotels: 68–92 min by road
Gatwick to our hotels: 88–105 min by road

The fastest train from each airport

Every London airport has a rail link, and four of them have a dedicated fast train. The Heathrow Express runs non-stop to Paddington in 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3, every 15 minutes. The Gatwick Express runs to Victoria in about 30 minutes, twice an hour. The Stansted Express runs every 15 minutes to Liverpool Street in 46–48 minutes. From Luton, the DART shuttle takes under four minutes to Luton Airport Parkway, where Thameslink reaches St Pancras in about 32 minutes and East Midlands Railway's non-stop Luton Airport Express in 22.

London City has no express, because it does not need one: the DLR leaves from the airport's own station and reaches Bank in 23 minutes for £3.30 off-peak with a contactless card.

Heathrow Express: 15 min to Paddington, £26 walk-up
Elizabeth line from Heathrow: 31 min to Bond Street, £15.50 contactless
Gatwick Express: About 30 min to Victoria, £24 contactless
Stansted Express: 46–48 min to Liverpool Street, £21 off-peak
DLR from London City: 23 min to Bank, £3.30 off-peak contactless

Lounges and ease on the way home

Heathrow has the most to offer before a flight: pay-at-the-door and pre-booked lounges in every terminal from £30 a visit, liquids up to 2 litres left in your bag at security, and a Fast Track lane from £12.99. London City is the opposite kind of easy. It is compact enough to go from kerb to plane in minutes, but it has no paid lounge at the moment; the airport says a new one should open by early 2027.

One thing to plan for at London City is the timetable: the government's planning decision does not allow flights on Saturday afternoons, so a weekend trip home on Saturday afternoon means another airport.

Which airport for which of our hotels

Heathrow suits The Pilgrm, 15 minutes away on the Heathrow Express to Paddington, and Claridge's, The Zetter Marylebone and Hazlitt's, each a short walk from an Elizabeth line station. London City suits The Ned, which sits beside Bank station, Shangri-La The Shard above London Bridge, and Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green, 30 minutes by car. Gatwick works well for Sea Containers London via Thameslink to Blackfriars and for Artist Residence London via the Gatwick Express to Victoria. Luton and Thameslink put you at St Pancras, opposite The Standard.

Our transfers page has the drive from all five airports to each hotel.

Questions people ask

Good questions about London

Which London airport is closest to central London?

London City. Our typical drive from its kerb to our ten central hotels is 30–58 minutes, against 45–75 from Heathrow, and the DLR reaches Bank in 23 minutes.

Is it better to fly into Heathrow or Gatwick?

For most of our hotels, Heathrow: it is 45–75 minutes by road and the Elizabeth line runs to Bond Street in 31 minutes. Gatwick is 88–105 minutes by road, but the Gatwick Express to Victoria and Thameslink to Blackfriars make it a good choice for Pimlico and the South Bank.

Which London airport has the fastest train to the city?

Heathrow: the Heathrow Express reaches Paddington in 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3. The Luton Airport Express takes 22 minutes non-stop to St Pancras, plus the four-minute DART shuttle from the terminal.

Is Stansted or Luton closer to central London?

By road they are close: typically 66–97 minutes from Stansted and 68–92 from Luton to our hotels. By rail, Luton is quicker to St Pancras, about 32 minutes on Thameslink after the DART, while the Stansted Express takes 46–48 minutes to Liverpool Street.

Does London City Airport have a lounge?

Not at the moment. The airport says construction of a new lounge is under way and it expects to open it by early 2027.

Which London airport is the biggest?

Heathrow, with 84.5 million passengers in 2025, followed by Gatwick with 42.8 million, Stansted with 29.8 million, Luton with 17.8 million and London City with 3.7 million, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

Image credits: Warren Rohner (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Chris Sampson (CC BY 2.0) · Alexander Baxevanis (CC BY 4.0) · Oxyman (CC BY 2.5) · Thomas Nugent (CC BY-SA 2.0)