Heathrow to London: Elizabeth line, Express, Tube or car

Heathrow to London comes with a long list of choices: the airport itself lists three direct rail options, and there are also coaches, night buses, black cabs and booked cars. The real decision rests on two things: which terminal you land at, and where in London you are going.

This guide sets out what each option costs and how long it takes, using figures published by Heathrow, Transport for London (TfL) and the operators.

The short answer

Start with your terminal

Heathrow’s rail and Tube services use three sets of stations: one for Terminals 2 and 3, one at Terminal 4 and one at Terminal 5.

• Terminals 2 & 3: everything. Heathrow Express, all six Elizabeth line trains an hour and the Piccadilly line. The stations sit between the two terminals, a few minutes’ walk through a pedestrian subway. Coaches and the N9 leave from the Central Bus Station, between the terminals.
• Terminal 4: the Elizabeth line (four trains an hour) and the Piccadilly line, both with stations below the arrivals hall. No Heathrow Express: you take the free transfer train to Terminals 2 & 3, which runs every 15 minutes and takes four minutes, and change there. The Night Tube does not serve Terminal 4 either.
• Terminal 5: Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth line (two trains an hour, every 30 minutes) and the Piccadilly line, all from stations in the terminal’s basement. Coaches stop outside on the arrivals level, and the N9 also calls at Terminal 5.

The Elizabeth line also carries you free between terminals: touch in with contactless and you are not charged, or take a free inter-terminal ticket from the station machines.

Heathrow Express: 15 minutes to Paddington

The Heathrow Express is the fastest train into London. Trains run every 15 minutes, and Paddington to Terminals 2 & 3 takes 15 minutes; Terminal 5 is a further five. There are no stops between Terminals 2 & 3 and Paddington, and the trains have plenty of luggage space, free Wi-Fi and power at every seat.

A Standard single is £26 and a return £42. Advance Discounted Singles start from £10 when bought 30 days or more ahead, with limited availability, and children aged 15 and under travel free in Standard Class with a paying adult. Contactless and Oyster work too. The last train leaves Terminal 5 at 23:57, every day.

The catch is the destination: Heathrow Express goes only to Paddington. The station is close to Hyde Park and Oxford Street and connects to the District, Circle, Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City and Elizabeth lines, but for the City you will be changing there anyway.

Elizabeth line: through the West End and the City

TfL gives 28 minutes between Heathrow and Paddington on the Elizabeth line, but the point is that the train keeps going: Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street, without a change.

Six trains an hour run to Heathrow. All six call at Terminals 2 & 3; four continue to Terminal 4 and two to Terminal 5. According to Heathrow, the Terminal 4 trains run to Abbey Wood via Canary Wharf and the Terminal 5 trains to Shenfield via Stratford: for Canary Wharf from Terminal 5, take the free link to Terminals 2 & 3 and board an Abbey Wood train there.

TfL’s single fare finder gives adult pay as you go fares of £14.60 to Paddington and £15.50 to Tottenham Court Road or Liverpool Street.

TfL charges peak fares on every Tube and Elizabeth line journey to or from Heathrow that starts, ends or passes through Zone 1, so travelling in the middle of the day does not make the trip into central London cheaper.

Last trains towards central London, as the airport lists them: 00:12 from Terminals 2 & 3, 23:47 from Terminal 4 and 00:07 from Terminal 5.

Piccadilly line: the lowest rail fare

The Piccadilly line serves all Heathrow terminals. The airport puts the journey to central London at about 50 minutes and says you should never wait more than ten minutes for a train. It calls at King’s Cross St Pancras, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

TfL’s fare finder gives £5.90 pay as you go from Heathrow to Piccadilly Circus or King’s Cross St Pancras, or £7.00 for a paper single from the ticket machine: the cheapest train by a wide margin.

Heathrow gives the line’s hours as 05:00 to 23:30, and the Night Tube runs all night on Friday and Saturday, six times an hour, though not to or from Terminal 4.

Coaches and buses, including through the night

National Express runs from Heathrow to Victoria Coach Station up to 77 times a day, from £9.50 one way. The fastest journey reaches Victoria in 40 minutes, and the quickest stop of all, Earl’s Court, in 25 minutes. The first coach of the day leaves Central Bus Station at 01:00 and reaches Victoria at 01:50; the last leaves at 23:59.

Every London route National Express lists calls at the Central Bus Station (for Terminals 2 and 3), and routes 025, 030, 032, 035 and A40 also call at Terminal 5. Only the A40, up to once a day, calls at Terminal 4, so from Terminal 4 rail is usually the practical choice.

The luggage allowance is one large suitcase (or two medium) plus one soft hand-luggage item, and your seat is guaranteed. If your flight might land late, the Change and Go add-on, £5 per journey, lets you board any available coach up to 12 hours before or after your booked departure.

National Express fares include a £1.50 booking fee (waived in My Account), have limited availability, and are correct as published on 13 July 2026 for travel between 13 July and 9 November 2026.

The N9 night bus is the answer after the trains stop. It runs every 30 minutes from Terminal 5 and the Central Bus Station to Aldwych, via Hounslow, Hammersmith, Green Park, Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross. Heathrow gives night bus hours as 23:40 to 05:35. TfL buses do not take cash: pay by contactless or Oyster, and the fare is TfL’s £1.75 Hopper fare.

Black cabs: what TfL says a Heathrow fare costs

London black cabs wait at the ranks outside each Heathrow terminal, and every one has wheelchair access. TfL publishes a typical fare of £70 to £120 between Heathrow and central London and a typical journey time of 30 to 60 minutes, noting that both can be higher in heavy traffic. Journeys from a Heathrow taxi rank carry an extra £1.60; there are no extra charges for luggage or additional passengers, and every cab must accept contactless card payment.

Choosing by situation

• One person, light luggage, going to the West End or the City: the Elizabeth line.
• On a budget, any time of day: the Piccadilly line at £5.90. After midnight, the N9 at £1.75.
• Staying near Paddington, short of time, or travelling with children 15 and under: Heathrow Express, especially on an advance fare; the children ride free in Standard.
• Four adults with bags: do the sum. Four Piccadilly line fares come to £23.60, four Elizabeth line fares to Tottenham Court Road to £62.00 and four Heathrow Express singles to £104 (our calculation from the fares above), against one cab or car for everyone.

If someone is collecting you

A friend cannot wait for you outside the terminal: pick-ups and waiting are not permitted in the terminal drop-off areas. Instead:

• Terminal Parking (Terminals 2, 3 and 5) is a two-minute walk from the terminal doors: £8.00 for up to 29 minutes, rising to £20.00 for one to two hours.
• Park & Ride is free for the first 29 minutes, with a shuttle bus from the terminal doors every 15 minutes.
• Terminal 4 has a paid Priority Pick-Up area outside arrivals, £7.00 for up to 10 minutes. Zone A of the Terminal 4 Park & Ride is free for up to two hours, with a shuttle every five minutes.

Going back to Heathrow: the drop-off charge

For the return trip, know the Terminal Drop-Off Charge: £7 every time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off area, 24 hours a day. There are no barriers; cameras read the plate, and you pay online or by phone by midnight the following day, not at the airport. Miss it and the Parking Charge is £80, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. Black cabs may add up to £6.00 to the fare to help the driver cover it. Blue Badge holders can apply for a 100% discount.

The private transfer: one car, one price

A booked car takes you from the terminal to the door. TfL’s typical black cab time is 30 to 60 minutes; Heathrow advises allowing at least an hour to central London by car.

Drivers send you offers with their price when you book, and once you accept an offer, its price does not change. The price includes tolls, taxes and airport fees. Airport pickups include 60 minutes of free waiting from your booked pickup time, cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup, and you pay online, so no cash is needed on arrival.

Where you meet the driver is settled in the booking. If you ask for a name sign, each offer shows whether the driver will meet you with one in the arrivals hall; if not, you agree a pick-up point with the driver before you land. The car itself follows Heathrow’s rules: private hire drivers wait in the Authorised Vehicle Area and park in the Terminal Parking or Park & Ride car parks, never on the forecourt.

For three or four people with checked bags, a late landing or an address far from any station, one car for the whole party is often the simpler answer.

Book your Heathrow transfer

Driver offers, meeting points and what is included are on our London Heathrow Airport transfer page. Staying in the city? See London transfers. Landing at Gatwick next time? Read Gatwick to London.