Gatwick and Luton are the easiest London airports outside normal hours, because Thameslink trains run through the night and Luton's DART shuttle never stops. Heathrow has the Piccadilly line all night on Fridays and Saturdays and the N9 night bus every night, Stansted has coaches around the clock, while London City and Southend close overnight.
Plenty of flights land close to midnight or take off soon after dawn, especially on low-cost airlines. At those times London's airport links change. Some trains stop altogether, others run less often, and night buses and coaches fill the gaps. A journey that takes 30 minutes at lunchtime can take well over an hour at 02:00.
This guide goes airport by airport through what runs late at night and early in the morning, what it costs, and when a taxi or an airport hotel is the better answer. Timetables change, especially at weekends and during engineering works, so always check your exact date before you travel.
| Airport | Through the night | Early morning |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | Night bus N9 every night; Piccadilly line on Friday and Saturday nights | Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express from Paddington from about 04:30 (sample weekday) |
| Gatwick | Thameslink trains, roughly hourly in the small hours | More frequent trains from early morning |
| Stansted | Coaches 24 hours a day; no trains | Stansted Express from Liverpool Street from 03:40 to 04:40, depending on the day |
| Luton | DART 24 hours; Thameslink through the night; coaches overnight | Trains and coaches as at night, then more frequent |
| London City | Closed; DLR until after midnight | Terminal opens 04:45 on weekdays and Saturdays |
| Southend | Closed; last train just before midnight (sample weekday) | First train from Liverpool Street at about 04:30 (sample weekday) |
Heathrow after dark: Night Tube and the N9
On Friday and Saturday nights, the Piccadilly line is part of the Night Tube, which runs through the night. From Heathrow it takes about 50 minutes to Piccadilly Circus and then continues through the West End to King's Cross. The fare is £5.90 with contactless or Oyster, the same as during the day. Stations are staffed while Night Tube trains run.
The Piccadilly line does not always reach Heathrow on Night Tube weekends. In a sample search for one Saturday night in September 2026, TfL's Journey Planner sent Night Tube passengers only as far as Hounslow West, with a bus for the rest. Engineering work can cut the line short, so check TfL's status page on the night you fly.
On other nights, and as a backup, night bus N9 runs between Heathrow Terminal 5, Heathrow Central Bus Station (next to Terminals 2 and 3) and Aldwych, via Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross. It costs the normal bus fare, £1.75 (rising to £1.85 on 1 November 2026), paid by contactless or Oyster. Cash is not accepted. It is slow: sample night journeys to Piccadilly Circus took more than an hour. Our guide to London's buses and night buses explains how to pay and find your stop.
The trains stop earlier than many people expect. In a sample weekday search, the last Heathrow Express to Paddington left around 23:30 and the last Elizabeth line train shortly after midnight. In the morning, both left Paddington for Heathrow at about 04:30. Times vary by day, so check the timetable. For a full comparison of daytime options, see our guide to getting from Heathrow to central London.
Black cabs wait at every Heathrow terminal through the night. TfL gives £70 to £120 between Heathrow and central London, and the night tariff is higher than the daytime one. There is an extra £1.60 for journeys starting from a Heathrow rank.
Photo: Grendelkhan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
Gatwick: trains through the night on Thameslink
Gatwick is well served at night because Thameslink trains keep running through the small hours. In a sample weekday search, trains left Gatwick for London at around 00:35, 01:38 and 02:38, taking about an hour to Blackfriars, with trains running the other way too. They pass through London Bridge, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancras, which puts a lot of central London within reach.
Contactless and Oyster work between Gatwick and London. The fare to London Bridge or St Pancras is £10.70 off-peak, and night travel is off-peak, which makes Gatwick one of the cheapest late-night airport journeys. Touch in and out with the same card.
We could not confirm the first and last times of Gatwick Express or Southern trains from an official source, so check them on the day. The station is at the South Terminal; if you land at the North Terminal, the free inter-terminal shuttle takes about 2 minutes. Our Gatwick Airport guide covers the trains in daytime.
Stansted: coaches around the clock
Stansted's trains stop overnight. According to the airport, the last Stansted Express leaves the airport at 00:30 and the last train from Liverpool Street at 23:25. The first trains from the airport leave at 05:30, or 06:00 on Tuesday to Thursday. From Liverpool Street, the first departure is between 03:40 and 04:40, depending on the day.
Coaches fill the gap. The airport says bus and coach services operate 24 hours a day. National Express coaches to London start from £10.50, and Flibco runs transfers every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, to Liverpool Street, Stratford and Finsbury Park, among other stops. Book ahead if you can; the airport notes that Flibco bookings stay valid for 24 hours if your flight is delayed.
Remember that Oyster is not valid on the train to or from Stansted, although contactless is. Our Stansted guide has the full details.
Luton: the DART never stops
Luton is the best-connected of the outer airports at night. The Luton DART, the shuttle between the terminal and Luton Airport Parkway station, runs 24 hours a day, every day, every 15 minutes between 22:00 and 04:00. At Parkway, Thameslink trains run through the night to St Pancras, Farringdon, Blackfriars and London Bridge. In a sample weekday search, night trains ran about once an hour, taking around an hour to St Pancras.
Contactless works on the train (£12.30 off-peak from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway), but Oyster does not. The DART is charged separately, at £4.90 for a single, unless you bought a rail ticket to "Luton Airport", which includes it.
Coaches also run all night. According to the airport, National Express runs between central London and Luton 24 hours a day, every 30 minutes overnight, and its overnight A2 service also serves Marble Arch, Victoria and Victoria Coach Station. Greenline route 757 runs hourly through the night to Victoria. See our Luton Airport guide for the daytime picture.
London City and Southend: plan around closing times
London City Airport has no overnight flights, and its terminal closes in the evening. Its published opening hours are 04:45 to 22:00 on weekdays, 04:45 to 13:00 on Saturday and 10:30 to 22:00 on Sunday. The DLR runs until after midnight: in a sample weekday search, trains to Bank left the airport until about 00:15. In the morning, the first direct DLR trains from Bank reached the airport just before 06:00. Our London City Airport guide covers the DLR in detail.
Southend's terminal is also closed overnight; the airport says it opens 3 hours before the first departure. Trains to the airport do not run all night. In a sample weekday search, the last train from the airport left just before midnight, and the first from Liverpool Street left at about 04:30, arriving an hour later. Remember that you need a paper or digital ticket for this train, because Oyster and contactless are not valid. Our Southend Airport guide explains the ticket rules.
Taxis and minicabs at night
When public transport is slow or stops, a taxi is the obvious alternative. All London black cabs must accept contactless card payment with no surcharge, the minimum fare is £4.40, and fares are higher on the evening, weekend and night tariffs. For trips to or from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted, TfL says the fare can be agreed before the journey; otherwise the meter applies.
Minicabs, including app-based cars, must be booked. Never get into a car with a driver who approaches you in the arrivals hall or on the street, however late it is. TfL has an online licence checker for drivers, vehicles and operators. Our guide to black cabs, minicabs and ride apps explains how to book safely.
Splitting a late taxi only works with a group going the same way. A taxi fare is for the vehicle, not per person, so four people heading to one hotel pay the same as one. For a solo traveller, a night train from Gatwick at £10.70 off-peak, or from Luton at £12.30 plus the DART, costs a fraction of any taxi fare.
Paying and staying safe on night journeys
Use the same contactless card or phone for every journey. Night Tube fares are always off-peak, and the daily cap runs from 04:30 to 04:29 the next day, so a journey after midnight still counts towards the previous day's cap. Make sure your phone has enough battery: a flat phone means a maximum fare or a penalty fare if you cannot touch out. Our explainer on contactless, Oyster and caps covers the details.
At night, sit near other passengers, keep bags close and keep your phone out of sight near doors. You can text British Transport Police on 61016, or call 0800 40 50 40; in an emergency call 999. Our guide to staying safe in London has more practical advice.
Holidays, strikes and engineering works
Special days change the rules. TfL runs no service on most of its network on Christmas Day, parts of the network (including the Elizabeth line in 2025) are closed on Boxing Day, and services finish early on Christmas Eve. London City Airport is closed on Christmas Day. Our page on bank holidays and opening hours lists the dates.
Engineering works are most common at night and at weekends, exactly when late flights land. Check TfL's live status page and your train operator before you set off. If a strike is announced, our guide to getting around during Tube strikes explains the alternatives.
When an airport hotel is the better choice
If your flight leaves before the first train can get you there, or lands after the last one and the night options are slow, a night at or near the airport is worth considering. Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted have hotels you can walk to under cover, and Southend has one at the airport. Our guide to staying overnight at a London airport compares the options.
For all our airport guides in one place, see the London airports section.
Frequently asked questions
Is there public transport from Heathrow at night?
Yes. Night bus N9 runs every night between Heathrow and Aldwych via Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, for the normal bus fare. On Friday and Saturday nights, the Piccadilly line also runs all night as part of the Night Tube, unless engineering work cuts it short. Check TfL before travelling.
Do trains run all night from Gatwick?
Thameslink trains run through the night between Gatwick and central London, roughly once an hour in the small hours in a sample weekday search. They call at London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras. Contactless and Oyster are valid, and the off-peak fare to London Bridge or St Pancras is £10.70.
How do I get to Stansted for a 6am flight?
The first Stansted Express from Liverpool Street leaves between 03:40 and 04:40 depending on the day, which can be tight for a 06:00 departure. The airport says coaches run 24 hours a day, including National Express and Flibco services from central London. Alternatively, stay at an airport hotel the night before.
What time does the first train leave for Luton Airport?
There isn't really a first train, because Thameslink runs through the night from St Pancras, Farringdon, Blackfriars and London Bridge to Luton Airport Parkway. The DART shuttle to the terminal runs 24 hours a day. Night trains run about once an hour, so check the timetable for your date.
Is London City Airport open at night?
No. There are no overnight flights, and the terminal's published hours start at 04:45 on weekdays and Saturdays and at 10:30 on Sundays. The DLR serves the airport until after midnight and again from early morning, so check the first and last trains for your date.
Sources
- Transport for London - The Night Tube (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Route N9 (TfL Unified API) (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Journey Planner (sample night and early-morning journeys) (checked September 2026)
- London Stansted Airport - By bus and coach (checked September 2026)
- London Stansted Airport - By train (checked September 2026)
- London Luton Airport - Coach travel to and from London (checked September 2026)
- London Luton Airport - Luton DART (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Taxi fares (checked September 2026)