The best airport in London in my opinion is London Heathrow. Why? It is convenient, most connected, many opportunities for transfer and the list goes on. However… there are plenty other airports each with their own advantages and disadvantages. One of the alternatives is London Gatwick, and why my opinion stands it should not be taken as fact, and many other people prefer in fact Gatwick as their airport of choice. So which is better? Heathrow or Gatwick?
London is one of the busiest aviation hubs in the world with over 3000 daily flights arriving across its six major airports. The two biggest players in this statistic is without a doubt London Heathrow and London Gatwick handling around 75% of passengers arriving into London. In 2024, Heathrow is projected to serve in excess of 80 million passengers alone making it Europe’s busiest airport.
Having visited London on multiple occasions, I find many flights going to both Heathrow and Gatwick. I am sure that you do too as both are major airports in London. Here I am going to give you a full guide to both airports so you could answer that question on your own depending on what you are looking for!
London Heathrow
As I said in my introduction Heathrow airport is the busiest in Europe, having flights from 90 different airlines serving 200 different destinations. It is worth mentioning that budget airlines do not travel to Heathrow but these serve the other airports across London. This major hub is well sought after for business and leisure travelers alike but does it make the airport too busy and overwhelming? Is it easy to access central London? And is it easy to make a transfer and catch your connecting flight if you have to switch terminals?
How To Reach Central London from Heathrow Airport
There are a number of options for you to reach central London from Heathrow, whether it is a bus, train, metro or a taxi. Here are the details and costs for each option.
By Bus
The cheapest way to reach London from Heathrow is by taking a National Express coach or local bus. A National Express ticket typically costs around £6-£10, depending on the time and route. The journey can take up to 1.5 hours, so it’s ideal for travelers who aren’t in a rush.
By Taxi
The most expensive option by far and would NOT recommend in the slightest. A black cab from Heathrow to central London can cost anywhere from £70 to £100 depending on traffic and exact destination. Traffic in London is generally a nightmare and while you add just a little bit of comfort is it worth spending £70 more? I don’t think so
Piccadilly Line
The first of the underground (metro) options and the cheapest. Heathrow is connected to the city via the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground (metro). Tickets cost around £5.50 with an Oyster Card or contactless payment. The journey into central London (e.g., Piccadilly Circus) takes about 50-60 minutes. Do take note of the station you want to arrive to as changing lines with your luggage can be a bit of a struggle.
Elizabeth Line
The newly opened Elizabeth Line offers a quicker and more comfortable ride into central London than the Picadilly line. It is more expensive than the Piccadilly line but cheaper than the Heathrow Express. Fares start at £12.80 and the trip to Court Road takes about 30 minutes.
Important: To catch the Elizabeth line follow signs for the train station and not the underground.
Heathrow Express
In my opinion the Heathrow Express was made redundant by the introduction of the Elizabeth line. Yes the Elizabeth line takes around 10 minutes longer but the difference in price is substantial. Tickets for the Heathrow express start at £25 one way and the journey lasts 15 minutes.
Summary
| Price | Time | |
| Piccadilly Line | £5.50 | 60 minutes + |
| Elizabeth Line | £12.80 | 25-30 minutes |
| Heathrow Express | £25 | 15 minutes (only to Paddington) |
Connecting Flights at Heathrow
Heathrow has a total of 5 terminals, 4 of which are being used for general public at this moment in time. These are terminals 2,3,4 and 5. You can find out which terminal your flight is landing and departing at using the following link: Which Terminal? – Heathrow Airport
The only seamless transfer between terminals is the one between Terminals 2 and 3 which only require a 10 minute walk. Anything else you require around 20 minute underground (metro) transfer. In other words make sure you leave plenty of time between your connection at Heathrow. Here is a table to guide you making transfers between terminals:
| Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 2 | / | 10 minute walk | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line |
| Terminal 3 | 10 minute walk | / | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line |
| Terminal 4 | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line (Change at Hatton Cross) | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line (Change at Hatton Cross) | / | 30 minutes Underground/ 25 minutes Bus (runs every 20 minutes) |
| Terminal 5 | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line | 20 minutes Underground/Elizabeth Line | 30 minutes Underground/ 25 minutes Bus (runs every 20 minutes) | / |
Where the underground or the Elizabeth line is the option for transfer you need to obtain a free Inter-terminal transfer ticket or use your contactless card and you won’t be charged for transferring between terminals. In the exceptional circumstance that you want to reach terminal 4 from terminals 2/3 then you need to catch the underground to Hatton Cross and then change into the opposite direction back to Terminal 4. If you catch the Elizabeth line then it is a direct train.
Why do I prefer London Heathrow?
Whenever I visit London I tend to stay in the Paddington area. Now this is not the most budget friendly but I have always visited with friends or family so when splitting the costs, it falls within my budget. Why is this relevant? Well, Paddington station is central to many underground lines, which is a must for traveling and sightseeing in London.
As I highlighted, there are plenty of options that serve Paddington station directly from Heathrow so this is my major reason behind my choice. Additionally in my experience, when comparing costs for flights to Heathrow and Gatwick is minimal. Flights to Luton or Stansted while cheaper, take longer to get in the center of London and when factoring costs to get into the city, the difference is again minimal.
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located around 30 miles south of central London, and is the second-busiest airport in the UK. Unlike Heathrow, Gatwick is a major hub for budget airlines like EasyJet and Wizz Air as well as other premium airlines which do not manage to secure slots at Heathrow.
There are two terminals at Gatwick: North and South compared to the 4 found at Heathrow making navigation between terminals easier than Heathrow.
Despite all this, I don’t particularly like Gatwick due to its location and slightly inconvenient methods to get into central London. This might be because even though budget airlines serve this airport, I do not tend to find any good deals and prices are still similar to the more premium airlines. This might not be the case for you so I would use SkyScanner to compare flights to all of London airports.
How To Reach Central London from Gatwick Airport
The underground does not serve Gatwick airport but there is still good connections and options to travel into central London. Here are the details and costs for each option from Gatwick Airport.
By Bus
The bus is once again the cheapest way to reach central London. Gatwick is served by taking a National Express coach or Megabus. These typically cost as little as £5, but the journey can take up to 2 hours, so it comes at a different price – TIME!
By Taxi/Transfer
Once again and obviously this is the most expensive option by far and of course, do NOT recommend. A black cab from Gatwick to central London can cost anywhere from £100 to £130. The price increase from Heathrow is simple: It is further out from the center so keep this in mind when choosing beteween Heathrow or Gatwick.
Thameslink
This is slower but cheaper than the Gatwick Express with tickets costing starting at half the price: £10. It serves more stations including London Bridge and Kings Cross St.Pancras. Journey time is around 50 minutes.
Gatwick Express
Compared to the Heathrow Express, the Gatwick Express offers a viable option. It is the fastest and easiest option but the most expensive. It also costs £20 one way and arrives at Victoria Station. Journey time is around 30 minutes.
Summary
| Price | Time | |
| National Express/Megabus | £5.50 | 60 minutes + |
| Thameslink | £10-13 | 45-55 minutes |
| Gatwick Express | £20 | 30 minutes (only to Victoria) |
Transferring at London Gatwick
If you are transferring flights and have a connection at London Gatwick it is severely less of a headache than Heathrow. Major reason being that it has only two terminals. While journey times between terminals at Heathrow can take up to 20 minutes, the journey time between the North and South terminals at Gatwick is just 2 minutes served by a free shuttle train.
So, if you have the option to have a connection, choose Gatwick.
Getting to Heathrow From Gatwick
If you are connecting between airports then there are buses from Heathrow to Gatwick and vice versa. Thi avoids you catching multiple trains and changing in the center of London. On the other hand if you have a very long connection you may want to go into the center and spend a couple of hours admiring the English capital’s iconic landmarks!
The official bus is operated by the National Express and the price is a whopping £20-30 one way. You can find tickets on the National Express official website.
You will be surprised to know that the exact same route is offered half the price by Flixbus. They offer the same route more frequently and service both the major bus station at Heathrow and Terminal 5. Prices from Flixbus start at €15 one way almost exactly half the price.
Final Thoughts: London Heathrow or Gatwick?
As I stated in my introduction it is really a personal and trip specific choice when deciding between Heathrow or Gatwick. Ultimately it boils down to the debate between comfort and price. This blog is all about budgeting and when I added up costs of travel and comfort to what I wanted to do and the flights, Heathrow ended up winning every time. This might be different for you
- For Visiting London – Choice dependent and depends also where you find accommodation. London is huge and taxis are expensive. If you find accommodation near Victoria than Gatwick might provide a more convenient option. The same applies to Heathrow if you find accommodation near Paddington.
- For Connecting Flights – Heathrow definitely has more onward connections and more to do if you have a long time between connections. However for less hectic and more peace of mind if you have a short layover than definitely travel through Gatwick if available.
I hope that the information provided made your decision easier. If you still have any questions Contact Us using this link or reach us on our socials!
How to get from London Heathrow to Gatwick?
Buses operated by multiple companies are frequent and range from £15-30. The journey takes a little over an hour.
Which is the best airport for visiting London?
London Heathrow. It has the quickest connections and can easily access all of London via the underground or other train lines.
Which airport is best for transit between Heathrow and Gatwick?
London Gatwick, it is not as big and not as hectic although Heathrow offer more connecting flights.
How far is London Heathrow from the center of London?
You can get to the city center in 45 minutes from London Heahtrow using public transport and in around an hour if you catch a taxi.
