I’ve heard rumours that Heathrow is one of the most confusing airports in the world. The first time I walked out of Heathrow I wondered why everyone was so confused, it had all made sense to me! But then again it took me 20 minutes to get out of LAX where my family took 2 hours a few days earlier, and I got lost in Hong Kong which is meant to be very easy! So perhaps I’m a terrible judge.
Either way, you’ll likely be very keen to get out of the airport and into a shower! Thankfully there are lots of options to choose from depending on your budget and/or preferences.
Getting Help
If you have friends in London already it’s not a bad idea to have them come and meet you. They’ll be able to help! It will also mean that, once you’ve had a shower, you can use them to help you stay awake until bed time. Jet lag is horrible to get over so it’s best to do as well as you can on the first day.
The Heathrow Express
This is the fastest way to get into London with non-stop trains running to Paddington every 15 minutes. The journey takes about 15 minutes from terminals 1, 2 and 3. If you’re coming from Australia you’ll land in Terminal 5, which only takes a few minutes more.
You can pre-purchase tickets or buy them at the station. The standard-class single fare is £26 on board or £21 in advance.
The Heathrow Connect
This is another fast service into Paddington via some stations in west London. The train leaves every 30 minutes from all Heathrow terminals and journey time is approximately 25 minutes. If you’re going all the way to Paddington it will set you back £9.90.
The Tube
This is the most cost effective way of getting into London and are a number of tube stations at Heathrow and plenty of signs to direct you. The Heathrow tube is on the Piccadilly Line and it will take you between 50-60 minutes to get into London, depending on where you’re going, of course.
All stations are in Travelcard Zone 6 and can be purchased at any of the stations. A single fare into London, Zone 1 is £5.70 or an Oyster pay-as-you-go fare is £5 (Mon – Fri, 06:30 – 09:30) and £3 (all other times). Obviously you’ll need an Oyster card for this (cost £5), which I believe are available for purchase at the Heathrow tube stations. I’ll very that once I get over there.
National Express or hotel linked bus
London has an extensive bus network and the National Express buses coming in and out of Heathrow are well equipped for all your luggage storage needs. They have frequent services and can take you to many destinations, not just London. For more information click here.
Hotel By Bus is a service that links directly with Central London hotels. For more information on whether your hotel is linked click here.
Taxi
The London taxi service runs just like any other taxi service and cars are available outside each terminal. Getting to central London will set you back about £45 – £70 and take you about an hour.
All information is correct as of July 2014 and has been sourced at the official Heathrow Airport website
Run, London, Run 