The Elizabeth line is the best all-round way from Heathrow to central London: about half an hour to Paddington for £14.60, with direct trains on to the West End and the City. Heathrow Express is quicker but costs £26.00, the Piccadilly line is cheapest at £5.90 but takes about 50 minutes, and a black cab costs £70 to £120.
Heathrow is about 15 miles west of central London, and it has good rail links. Two railways and one Tube line run from stations under the airport into the city. There are also coaches, a night bus and taxis. You can pay for all three rail options with a contactless bank card or an Oyster card, so you don't need to queue for a ticket after a long flight.
Which option is best depends on where you are staying, how much luggage you have, and whether you are travelling alone or as a family. This guide compares them on time, cost and comfort, and explains the details that change the answer.
| Option | Goes to | Journey time | Adult fare (September 2026) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow Express | Paddington, non-stop | 15 minutes from T2&3 | £26.00 single (Advance from £10) | Every 15 minutes |
| Elizabeth line | Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and on | 28 minutes to Paddington | £14.60 to Paddington; £15.50 to Zone 1 stations such as Tottenham Court Road | 6 trains an hour from T2&3 |
| Piccadilly line (Tube) | Hammersmith, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly Circus, King's Cross | About 50 minutes to the West End | £5.90 | Frequent |
| Coach (National Express) | Various London stops | Depends on route and traffic | From £10.50 (all Heathrow routes) | Check timetable |
| Black cab | Door to door | 30 to 60 minutes | £70 to £120 | Taxi ranks at every terminal |
Before you land, check which of the four terminals your flight uses, because an airline may have been moved since you last flew. Terminal by terminal, our Heathrow terminal guide describes each building, while the border, the baggage hall and everything else on the ground is in our guide to Heathrow Airport itself.
The Elizabeth line: the best value for most visitors
The Elizabeth line is a modern railway run by TfL. Its trains are long, air-conditioned and have plenty of room for suitcases. From Heathrow it runs to Paddington in 28 minutes and then continues under central London, stopping at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street, with a branch to Canary Wharf. For many hotels this means no change of train at all.
There are six trains an hour. All of them call at Heathrow Terminals 2&3, four an hour go to Terminal 4, and two an hour (every 30 minutes) go to Terminal 5. If you land at Terminal 5 and have just missed a train, it can be quicker to take the free transfer to Terminals 2&3 and board there.
The fare from Heathrow to Paddington is £14.60, and to Zone 1 stations such as Tottenham Court Road it is £15.50. This is the peak fare, and it applies at all times of day on journeys to or from Heathrow that start, end or pass through Zone 1. It rose from £13.90 on 1 March 2026, so older guides quote a lower price. TfL's page on the Elizabeth line and Heathrow has the current details.
The Elizabeth line fare counts towards your daily cap. Unlike Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth line is included in TfL's pay as you go daily cap. If you arrive in the morning and keep sightseeing by Tube and bus, the cap limits what you pay for the rest of the day. Use the same card or phone for every journey so the system can add them together. Our explainer on Oyster, contactless and daily caps shows how this works.
Every Elizabeth line station at Heathrow is step-free from the train to the street, and so are the stations from Paddington to Woolwich. That makes it the easiest rail option with heavy bags, a pushchair or a wheelchair. Read more in our visitor's guide to the Elizabeth line.
Heathrow Express: the fastest train to Paddington
Heathrow Express is a non-stop train between Heathrow and Paddington. It takes 15 minutes from Terminals 2&3 and about 6 minutes more from Terminal 5. Terminal 4 is reached by a free transfer, which adds about 4 minutes. Trains leave every 15 minutes.
Speed is what you pay for. A Standard single costs £26.00, a Same Day Return £30.00 and a Return £42.00. Premier+ costs £32.00 single and includes Fast Track security for your departure. If you book 30 or more days ahead, Advance Discounted Singles start from £10, but only a limited number are sold. Prices are on the Heathrow Express website.
Children aged 15 and under travel free on Heathrow Express, which changes the maths for families (see below). You can tap in and out with contactless or Oyster, and the fare is £26.00. But this fare is not included in daily caps or Travelcards, so it is always added on top of your other travel that day.
Heathrow Express only saves time if Paddington suits you. The train is fast, but it stops only at Paddington. If your hotel is near Tottenham Court Road or Liverpool Street, you must change there for the Tube or the Elizabeth line, which often cancels out the 13 minutes you saved. For a hotel close to Paddington, it is the quickest way in.
If you plan to stay near the station, our guide to hotels around Paddington and King's Cross covers the area.
The Piccadilly line: slow but cheap
The Piccadilly line is a Tube line that runs from Heathrow through west London to Knightsbridge, Green Park, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Russell Square and King's Cross St Pancras. It is the cheapest rail option: £5.90 with contactless or Oyster from Zone 1, at any time of day. A paper single costs £7.00.
The trip is slow. A direct train from Heathrow Terminals 2&3 to Piccadilly Circus takes about 47 to 48 minutes, so allow about 50 minutes to the West End. The trains are standard Tube trains, with limited space for luggage, and they get crowded in the morning and evening rush as they pass through west London.
Still, for a solo traveller with a small case, heading somewhere on the line such as Earl's Court, South Kensington or Russell Square, it is hard to beat. You avoid changing trains, and you save around £10 compared with the Elizabeth line. Before you ride, our introduction to the London Underground explains how the network works.
Not every Tube station on the route has step-free access. If you need step-free travel, use TfL's Journey Planner with the step-free option, or read our guide to step-free transport in London.
Coaches from Heathrow Central Bus Station
The coach station sits between Terminals 2 and 3, and National Express services also call at Terminals 4 and 5. Fares to and from Heathrow start from £10.50 one-way, including a £1.50 booking fee unless you are logged in. That starting price covers all National Express routes from the airport, so check the exact fare and journey time for your stop on the National Express Heathrow page.
A coach is rarely the fastest way into London, because it shares the roads with everyone else. It makes more sense if you are going on beyond London, if the coach stops close to where you are staying, or if you are heading to Victoria Coach Station for an onward connection. The coach is also a good choice for the airport-to-airport trip, which we cover in our guide to transferring between Heathrow and Gatwick.
Taxis and minicabs from Heathrow
Licensed black cabs wait at ranks outside every terminal. TfL gives a typical fare of £70 to £120 to central London, taking 30 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic and the time of day. A ride beginning at a Heathrow rank carries an extra £1.60. Payment by contactless card is accepted in every cab without a surcharge, and neither suitcases nor additional passengers cost anything more.
A black cab driver must accept any journey of up to 20 miles from Heathrow within Greater London. The price is set by the meter, not agreed in advance. TfL's taxi fares page lists the tariffs.
Minicabs, which includes the app-based cars, have to be booked before the journey starts. Anyone offering you a lift as you come out of customs is touting illegally, whatever identity card they wave, and the answer is no. Checking that a driver really is licensed takes a minute, and our guide to London's cabs, minicabs and ride-hailing apps shows how.
A taxi is the easiest choice if you have a lot of luggage, reduced mobility, or a group of four heading to the same address. For one or two people, it is usually slower than the train at busy times, and several times the price.
Families and groups: working out the real cost
Child fares change the comparison a lot. On the Elizabeth line and the Tube, children aged 5 to 10 travel free with a fare-paying adult (up to four children per adult). On Heathrow Express, children aged 15 and under travel free. A black cab is a fixed price for the whole group.
| Two adults and two children aged 5 to 10, one way | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| Piccadilly line to Zone 1 | £11.80 (2 × £5.90) |
| Elizabeth line to Paddington | £29.20 (2 × £14.60) |
| Heathrow Express to Paddington (Standard) | £52.00 (2 × £26.00) |
| Black cab to central London | £70 to £120 plus £1.60 rank charge |
With teenagers the picture shifts. Children aged 11 to 15 pay on the Tube and Elizabeth line unless they have a discount such as the Young Visitor discount on an Oyster card, but they travel free on Heathrow Express. For a family with two teenagers going to Paddington, Heathrow Express at £52.00 is cheaper than four full Elizabeth line fares (£58.40). Our family travel guide to London has more advice on travelling with children.
Arriving late at night or very early
Many flights land late in the evening or leave early in the morning. The Piccadilly line keeps going through Friday and Saturday nights, one of the routes covered by the Night Tube service. Check TfL's Night Tube map for the Heathrow stations served on a particular night.
On other nights, night bus N9 runs between Heathrow Terminal 5, Heathrow Central Bus Station and Aldwych, via Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross. It costs the standard bus fare of £1.75 (rising to £1.85 on 1 November 2026), but it has around 80 stops, so it is much slower than any train. See our guide to London's buses and night buses for how to pay.
First and last train times vary by day, so check them before you fly. Our guide to late-night and early-morning airport transport compares the options, and if your flight leaves at dawn, a night at one of the hotels at or near the airport may be less stressful.
Trains, taxis and the shape of your arrival
Two things about your arrival change the answer more than the fare does. The first is the hour. A flight landing between 07:00 and 09:30 on a weekday puts you on the roads at the worst possible moment, and the Piccadilly line will also be full of commuters heading into town, so the Elizabeth line earns its higher fare in both comfort and certainty. A flight landing after 21:00 finds quiet roads, which is when a taxi is at its best.
The second is how far your hotel sits from a station. A ten-minute walk with one cabin bag is nothing; the same walk with two large cases and a tired child is the reason people remember an arrival badly. Look up the last stretch before you choose the train, not after you have landed.
Choose a train if
- You are travelling alone or as a couple
- Your hotel is near a station on the Elizabeth line or Piccadilly line
- You arrive during the weekday rush, when roads are slow
Consider a taxi if
- You have heavy luggage or limited mobility
- There are four of you going to one address
- You arrive late at night and your hotel is far from a station
Paying for your journey and what to have ready
All three rail options accept contactless bank cards, phones and Oyster cards. Whatever you touch the yellow reader with at the airport has to be the thing you touch it with at the other end, or the journey is billed at the maximum fare. If your bank charges fees on foreign payments, check before you travel. Oyster cards are sold at Tube stations, including those at Heathrow.
One card per person is the rule that catches couples out. You cannot tap two people through on the same card or phone: a companion needs a different card or device. Nor do a phone and a watch count as the same thing, so whichever you touched in with at Heathrow is the one that has to touch out in town. A flat battery at the barrier means a maximum fare, which is a poor start to a holiday, and it is the reason we suggest carrying a plastic card as a spare.
Still deciding where to fly into? Our comparison of London's airports weighs Heathrow against Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way from Heathrow to central London?
The Piccadilly line is the cheapest rail option, at £5.90 with contactless or Oyster to Zone 1 at any time of day. At night, bus N9 costs only the standard bus fare, but it is much slower. Allow about 50 minutes on the Piccadilly line to reach the West End.
Is Heathrow Express worth the extra money?
It is worth it if you are staying near Paddington, are short of time, or are travelling with children aged 15 and under, who ride free. If your hotel is elsewhere, the Elizabeth line is usually as quick door to door and costs £14.60 to £15.50 instead of £26.00.
Can I use contactless on the Elizabeth line from Heathrow?
Yes. You can touch in and out with a contactless card, a phone or an Oyster card. The fare is £14.60 to Paddington and £15.50 to Zone 1 stations such as Tottenham Court Road, charged at the peak rate at all times, and it counts towards the daily cap.
How long does a taxi take from Heathrow to central London?
TfL gives 30 to 60 minutes for a black cab between Heathrow and central London, with a typical fare of £70 to £120. In heavy traffic, particularly on weekday mornings and evenings, the journey can take longer than the train.
Does the Piccadilly line run all night from Heathrow?
The Piccadilly line is part of the Night Tube, which runs on Friday and Saturday nights. On other nights, the N9 night bus connects Heathrow with central London. Check TfL's Night Tube map and journey planner for the exact service before you travel.
Sources
- Transport for London - Getting to and from Heathrow on the Elizabeth line (checked September 2026)
- Heathrow Express - Fares and timetable (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Tube and rail fares (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Taxi fares (checked September 2026)
- National Express - Heathrow Airport coaches (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - The Night Tube (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Route N9 (TfL Unified API) (checked September 2026)