Trains from Heathrow Airport
Airport transfers from Heathrow
If you’re flying into London Heathrow Airport, it’s much faster to take the train from the airport to London than the London Underground, bus or taxi. Heathrow Airport’s four terminals are all within walking distance of one of Heathrow Airport’s three train stations.
Situated on the outskirts of London, these train stations link directly to the central London Paddington station. This gives you easy access to Cambridge, Canterbury, Oxford, Brighton and other cities and towns of South East England. You don’t have to take any shuttle buses from the airport terminals to the airport train stations. Heathrow Airport has two direct train lines running from Heathrow Airport to London: Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth line. These run every 15 minutes, 7 days a week.
Read on to learn more about buying train tickets, timetables and possible connections.
Getting from Heathrow Airport to London
Using Trainline, you can book low-cost train tickets from London Heathrow Airport to London Paddington station. This means you won’t need airport parking and taxis, so you can budget more for your holiday. We recommend you book well in advance of travelling to get the lowest price fares. You can use National Railcards to get 1/3 off adults’ journeys and 60% off kids’ journeys.
Heathrow Airport has three stations: Heathrow Terminals 1-2-3, Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminal 5. You can travel between the terminals free of charge. From all three Heathrow Airport stations, the Heathrow Express train runs direct to London Paddington station. It takes 15-21 minutes to complete the journey. Trains are every 15 minutes, 7 days a week. They start running around 5 a.m. (6 a.m. on Sundays) and stop running around 11:30 p.m. Children under 15 can travel from Heathrow for free.
If you have enough time, you can also take the slower and cheaper Heathrow Connect train to London Paddington. Again, this runs from all three airport terminal stations and stops in various West London stations along the way. Note: you can’t use Oyster travel cards on trains when travelling from Heathrow. However, booking using Trainline can save you money on fares.
From London Paddington station, you can take direct trains to Oxford, Cardiff, Bristol Temple Meads, Plymouth, Bath Spa and other UK stations. You can also take the London Underground to other London stations and then travel direct to most UK cities.
Useful travel tips
We want to make travel easier for you, which is why we’ve compiled a selection of useful travel tips to help you on your way.
Off-peak fares
Learn more about peak and off-peak fares, and how they can affect the cost of your journey.
Seat reservations
Need information about seating? Read our guide to find out more about what's available.
Railcards
Want to see how much you could save by using a railcard? Read our handy guide on all the different railcards available.
Things to do in London
Paddington Station is one of the busiest in Britain. So, there’s plenty of places there to eat and shop. You can drink coffee at Starbucks, Caffe Nero or Costa and grab a bite to eat at Burger King, Wasabi or Sainsbury’s Local.
You can also jump on the London Underground from Paddington station to get to the major tourist sites. Take the District or Central Line to Westminster station to see Big Ben, the London Eye, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and a view of the River Thames.
The Tower of London is only 1-hour’s walk from Westminster Station. If you cross the Thames and then follow the river north then east, you’ll walk past the National Theatre, the Millennium Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London Bridge and Tower Bridge, before arriving at the Tower of London.
We recommend that you buy an Oyster travel card from any London Underground station. This will give you cheap access to London public transport.