London has five airports and a fast train from every one of them, which is why a car is rarely the quickest way in. Below is every realistic route from Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Stansted and Luton, with the operators' own times and fares, and the way we would reach each of the ten hotels in our London edit.
The short answer
From Heathrow, the Elizabeth line reaches Bond Street in 31 minutes for £15.50 and the Heathrow Express reaches Paddington in 15 minutes for £26; a black cab costs £70–120 on the meter. From London City, the DLR reaches Bank in 23 minutes for £3.30 off-peak, and our hotels are typically 30–58 minutes away by car. From Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, take the train: 30, 46–48 and about 36 minutes into town, including Luton's DART shuttle.
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The best train from Heathrow for most of our hotels, because it runs under the West End and the City without a change. Stations at all three Heathrow stops are step-free from train to street.
The fastest way into London and the right train for The Pilgrm at Paddington. Elsewhere you still need a taxi or the Tube from Paddington, so for Mayfair, Soho and the City the Elizabeth line is the better buy.
The cheapest way in and a direct line to King's Cross for The Standard. It stops often, so it suits light luggage best.
The easy answer from London City, where the drive is short. From Heathrow the meter depends on traffic, so a fixed-price transfer takes the guesswork out of the same car journey.
Worth it for late or delayed flights, families who need a bigger car or child seats, and from Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, where black cabs are not on London's meter. The driver tracks the flight and meets you inside the terminal.
The quickest train from Gatwick and the one for Artist Residence London near Victoria. From the North Terminal, a free two-minute shuttle takes you to the station.
Cheaper than the Gatwick Express off-peak, and Thameslink runs straight through the City to Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras.
The only sensible way in from Stansted. The station is under the terminal, two minutes' walk from check-in, and Liverpool Street suits The Ned and Town Hall Hotel.
Thameslink runs through the night and up to eight trains an hour, so it works for a late landing. Book a through ticket to Luton Airport, not Luton Airport Parkway, and the DART is included.
The fastest train from Luton by ten minutes and a straight line to The Standard. Outside its hours, take Thameslink.
The best value of any airport link in London, and right for The Ned and Shangri-La The Shard. For the West End, a black cab saves a change onto the Jubilee line.
A long and variable drive. The train is faster into town, and a fixed-price transfer removes the haggling if you need a car.
City of London
The Ned sits right beside Bank station, 23 minutes on the DLR from London City for £3.30, and from Heathrow the Elizabeth line to Liverpool Street takes 39 minutes.
Mayfair
The Elizabeth line runs from Heathrow to Bond Street in 31 minutes and Claridge's is a couple of minutes' walk away, quicker than the 50-minute drive at most hours.
London Bridge
No train runs direct from Heathrow to London Bridge and the drive is 60 minutes, so a driver to the foot of the Shard is the easy way; from London City, the DLR and Jubilee line take about 20 minutes.
King's Cross
The hotel is a short walk from King's Cross St Pancras: the Piccadilly line from Heathrow arrives without a change, and Thameslink from Luton and Gatwick stops at St Pancras.
South Bank
No line from Heathrow reaches this stretch of the South Bank without a change, so a black cab or transfer for the 68-minute drive is simplest; from Gatwick, Thameslink to Blackfriars takes 35 minutes and leaves a short walk.
Bethnal Green
From London City it is a 30-minute drive, the shortest of any airport to any of our hotels; from Heathrow it is the longest at 75 minutes, so book a transfer if you land there.
Soho
The Elizabeth line reaches Tottenham Court Road from Heathrow in 33 minutes, and the hotel is a few minutes' walk away in Soho.
Pimlico
No line runs from Heathrow to Pimlico without a change, so a car for the 50-minute drive is the easy way; from Gatwick, the Gatwick Express to Victoria leaves about half a kilometre on foot.
Marylebone
Bond Street station is under a kilometre away, but with luggage the 45-minute drive from Heathrow to the door is simpler than the last stretch on foot.
Paddington
The Pilgrm is a short walk from Paddington, 15 minutes from Heathrow on the Heathrow Express, faster than any car.
The Heathrow Express is the fastest, 15 minutes non-stop to Paddington, but Paddington is on the western edge of central London. The Elizabeth line takes 27 minutes to Paddington and keeps going under the West End and the City: 31 minutes to Bond Street, 33 to Tottenham Court Road and 36 to Farringdon, for £15.50 with a contactless card. For every one of our hotels except The Pilgrm, that makes the Elizabeth line the better train.
The Heathrow Express wins on price only if you book 30 days ahead, from £10, or travel with children, who ride free in Standard Class with a paying adult. It does not stop at Terminal 4: take the free transfer train from Terminals 2 and 3, four minutes, or the Elizabeth line.
London's black cabs run on a meter set by Transport for London, and both Heathrow and London City are inside it. Transport for London puts Heathrow to central London at £70–120, 30–60 minutes, plus £1.60 for a journey from a Heathrow rank. There is no extra for a journey from the London City rank, and the drive to our hotels is about 30–58 minutes. Cards and contactless are accepted with no surcharge, and luggage and extra passengers cost nothing more.
Gatwick, Stansted and Luton are outside London, so Transport for London advises agreeing the fare before you set off. That uncertainty is the reason we would book a fixed-price transfer from those three if a car is what you need.
The DLR leaves from the airport's own station every 8 to 15 minutes and runs to Bank in 23 minutes for £3.30 off-peak with a contactless card. For London Bridge, change at Canning Town, six minutes from the airport, to the Jubilee line; the whole journey is about 20 minutes for the same fare. For the West End, the black cab rank outside the terminal is the better answer: 47–58 minutes to Claridge's, Hazlitt's, The Zetter Marylebone and The Pilgrm on the meter.
The train, every time. All three are more than an hour from our hotels by road and further at rush hour. The Gatwick Express runs to Victoria in about 30 minutes for £24, and Thameslink runs to Blackfriars in 35 and Farringdon in 40 for £10.70 off-peak. The Stansted Express leaves from under the terminal every 15 minutes and reaches 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 the Luton Airport Express in 22.
The last Heathrow Express leaves Terminal 5 at 23:57 and the last Elizabeth line train leaves Terminals 2 and 3 at 00:12. On Friday and Saturday nights the Piccadilly line runs all night from Terminals 2, 3 and 5. From Luton, Thameslink and the DART run through the night. After that, or after a long delay, a pre-booked driver who tracks your flight is the calm answer, and the same goes for a family with car seats or several cases.
Heathrow charges £7 every time a car enters a terminal drop-off area, payable online by midnight the next day; a black cab can add up to £6 for the forecourt. The first Heathrow Express leaves Paddington at 04:34 from Monday to Saturday and 04:55 on Sundays, and the first Elizabeth line train at 04:36 on weekdays. The first Stansted Express leaves Liverpool Street between 03:40 and 04:40 depending on the day.
Questions people ask
The Heathrow Express: 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3 to Paddington, every 15 minutes, £26 walk-up. For Mayfair, Soho and the City, the Elizabeth line is often quicker door to door, 31 minutes to Bond Street for £15.50.
Transport for London puts it at £70–120 on the meter, taking 30–60 minutes, plus £1.60 from a Heathrow rank. Our typical drive to our hotels is 45–75 minutes.
The Piccadilly line, £5.90 with a contactless card to central London, about 50 minutes.
The DLR from the airport's own station: 23 minutes to Bank for £3.30 off-peak with contactless. A black cab takes about 30–58 minutes to our hotels on the meter.
About 30 minutes non-stop from Gatwick's South Terminal to Victoria, twice an hour, £24 with contactless.
The Stansted Express runs every 15 minutes to Liverpool Street in 46–48 minutes, £21 off-peak with contactless. Oyster cards are not valid to or from Stansted.
Take the DART shuttle, under four minutes, to Luton Airport Parkway, then Thameslink to St Pancras in about 32 minutes or the Luton Airport Express in 22. Book a through ticket to Luton Airport so the £4.90 DART fare is included.
Image credits: Sunil060902 (CC BY-SA 3.0)