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A Heathrow Express train arriving at its platform under the airport.
Layover guideLondon · LHR

Getting out of the airport in London

Black cabs on the meter from ranks outside each terminal with a small Heathrow pick-up charge, or three rail routes into town, only one of which runs through the night and only at weekends.

David Monniaux / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
All of London

Black cabs wait at ranks outside each Heathrow terminal and can be taken from a rank without booking. Fares are regulated and calculated by the taximeter. TfL adds an extra charge of £1.60 for journeys starting from a Heathrow taxi rank. There is no extra charge for paying by credit or debit card, and all taxis must have a working card device and accept contactless.

TfL says journeys between Paddington and Heathrow take 28 minutes on the Elizabeth line. Six trains an hour serve Heathrow: all six call at Terminals 2 and 3, four go to Terminal 4, and two go to Terminal 5, which works out at every 30 minutes for Terminal 5.

The Piccadilly line has one station for Terminals 2 and 3 plus separate stations at Terminal 4 and Terminal 5. Heathrow says trains run between 05:00 and 23:30 and that you should never have to wait longer than ten minutes, even off-peak.

Night Tube runs all night on Friday and Saturday, six times an hour between Heathrow and London, but it does not serve Terminal 4. The N9 night bus runs every 30 minutes to London from Terminal 5 and Heathrow Central bus station.

  1. Heathrow: by taxi or mini cab · checked 2026-08-17
  2. Heathrow: getting to central London · checked 2026-08-17
  3. Heathrow: travelling on the London Underground to Heathrow · checked 2026-08-17
  4. Heathrow: Heathrow Express · checked 2026-08-17
  5. Transport for London: taxi fares · checked 2026-08-17
  6. Transport for London: taxi tariffs · checked 2026-08-17
  7. Transport for London: guide to taxis and private hire · checked 2026-08-17
  8. Transport for London: getting to and from Heathrow on the Elizabeth line · checked 2026-08-17
  9. Transport for London: Tube and rail fares · checked 2026-08-17

The rest of London

The whole guide
Ride-hailingApps are legal but every ride is a pre-booked private hire job, the pick-up is in the short stay car park rather than the terminal kerb, and the app estimate replaces a meter.Local laws that catch crew outThe traps that catch crew here are blades, cannabis, and open alcohol on the transport network, and all of them come straight from UK government departments and TfL.Staying connectedFree wifi at Heathrow and Gatwick; PAYG SIMs and eSIMs sold with no contract or credit check.WeatherMild maritime climate: pack for rain in any month, light layers year-round, and increasingly real summer heat with no monsoon or snow season to plan around.Eating near the crew hotelsFood markets are the efficient layover feed: Borough Market by London Bridge (closed Mondays), Old Spitalfields open daily; carry a card, everything takes contactless but a few stalls do not.What to buyNo VAT refund on goods you carry home; street markets (vintage, food) are the distinctive buy, and cards work nearly everywhere.TippingTipping is optional, not expected: 10-15% in restaurants only if no service charge is on the bill, round up taxis, and by law staff now keep 100% of tips.