Getting to Central London (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to get around Central London? ›

Far and away the best way to get around London – besides walking, of course! – is via public transit. You have two basic options, the Tube (also called "the Underground") and buses.

The fastest way to get from Heathrow Airport to Central London is with the Heathrow Express, which can take you to Paddington Station in just 15 minutes! Q: What options are available if I'm arriving at Heathrow Airport late at night?

7-Day London Package

For first time visitors, we recommend spending at least four or five days in London, which will give you enough time to get a feel for the city and see many of its main sites. With so much to do and see check out this article on how you can make the most of your time in London!

The tube is the quickest way to travel around London, and you'll find that most places you want to go will have a tube stop close by. Plan your route here.

An Oyster card is a smart card you can use instead of paper tickets, available on buses, Tubes, trams, rail, DLR and some river services. Oyster cards and contactless can also be used on the IFS Cloud Cable Car in East London but has higher fares than other modes like the Tube or buses. An Oyster card costs £7 to buy.

The best way to get around London is the rapid-transit London Underground, or what locals call "the Tube." You can even take the Tube from Heathrow Airport (LHR) – one of the world's busiest airports – into the city center.

The average price for this trip is £49.

The distance between LHR airport and London is approx 16 miles. The journey will take around 30 minutes by taxi, 15 minutes by train, 45 minutes by London underground and 50 minutes by bus. The London taxis are available outside each terminal. The cost to central London is between £45–£70.

It's much cheaper to use the normal metro/underground trains. Speed and convenience. The tube easily takes 90 minutes to get to Heathrow.

We recommend budgeting around £105 plus (about $130 in US dollars) per day, per person, after paying to get there. You can of course spend a lot more, or a little less, but our recent trip revealed this figure to be a good starting point.

Where is the best place to stay in London for first time visitors? ›

Covent Garden, Charing Cross + Trafalgar Square

So it's your first time in London. Where to stay? We suggest considering Covent Garden first of all.

For the purpose of working out how much money you will need for a trip to London, I would allow around 100-150 GBP per person for 3 days sightseeing. If you stay longer, you might want to add another 50 GBP.

You can use contactless (card or device) or an Oyster card to pay as you go on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, most Elizabeth line services, IFS Cloud Cable Car and River Bus services. You can also travel on most National Rail services in London and some outside London.

The Tate Modern and The British Museum, two of London's leading attractions, are just over half an hour's walk from each other. While London is known for traffic jams, pedestrians will find most streets in central London have wide pavements and several areas such as Covent Garden are completely pedestrianised.

London's red buses (and the best sight-seeing bus route)

Bus services normally operate from 5am to 11:30pm. Many bus stops have LED displays listing bus arrival times, although downloading an app such as Citymapper to your smartphone is the most effective way to keep track of when your next bus is due.