From the airport to London
Six airports, and trains that are not interchangeable
- Airports
- Heathrow
- Cheapest
- London City: DLR €3.85
- At night
- The N9 from Heathrow to Trafalgar Square
Choose a London airport by the train that leaves it, because the train to the centre matters as much as the fare in the air. Six airports serve the city, and every time below is a time on the train, not a distance. Here is how each of the six reaches the centre, and which one a flight from Belgrade lands at.
Fares are from summer 2026 and for a single journey; trains bought in advance are cheaper. The Elizabeth line and the Tube are paid with a contactless card or an Oyster.
The Elizabeth line, the Express or the Tube
Heathrow offers three ways in, and the Elizabeth line is the one to learn. It takes about half an hour to Paddington, continues through Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon to Liverpool Street, and the fare is €18. It is the line to choose when the hotel is near Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road or Farringdon, since it saves a change.
The Heathrow Express reaches Paddington in about 15 minutes, with a train every 15 minutes from every terminal, at €30 on the day, and booking ahead is cheaper. The verdict is simple. It is faster by about a quarter of an hour than the Elizabeth line but costs more, so take it only if Paddington is where you are going. The Piccadilly line takes under an hour from three stations at the airport and costs a normal Tube fare.
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The express or the ordinary train
The Gatwick Express reaches Victoria in about 30 minutes and runs from 5.00 to 00.30. The fare is about €28. Thameslink and Southern take 30 to 60 minutes and are cheaper, though sources give different fares, so none is printed here. Take the Express for the fixed timetable, and the ordinary train when the fare matters more than the minutes.
The Stansted Express runs to Liverpool Street in about 47 minutes: from €24. The trains start at around 4.10 and run until between 23.25 and 00.30. Coaches from Terravision, National Express and easyBus take 50 to 90 minutes and run around the clock, which is why Stansted is the airport for a very late arrival or a very early flight.
Luton, London City and Southend
Luton is a train to St Pancras International and then the Luton DART shuttle, about 30 minutes in all: from €12.35. Coaches take 60 to 90 minutes. Luton is also where easyJet has its base, and the overnight trains leave a gap of one to three hours.
London City is the easy one. The DLR takes about 20 minutes to most destinations and costs €3.85, with trains from 5.30 until midnight, and buses 473 and 474 as a backup. Southend is a Greater Anglia train, direct, 55 minutes to Liverpool Street or 45 to Stratford, from around 4.05 to 23.00: about €18. A taxi or minicab from there costs more than the train.
At night and early in the morning
Night arrivals shrink the choice to a few services, so read the list before the flight, not after it.
- From Heathrow, the N9 bus goes to Trafalgar Square from about 23.35, at the bus fare: €2.
- From Gatwick, the Gatwick Express runs from 5.00 to 00.30, so a later arrival needs another route.
- From Stansted, coaches run around the clock, and the Stansted Express starts at around 4.10.
- From Luton, trains run at night with a gap of one to three hours.
Which airport
Two airports are served directly from Belgrade. Air Serbia flies to Heathrow eight times a week in about 3 hours 5 minutes, and Wizz Air UK flies to Luton five times a week in 2 hours 40 minutes, as of September 2026. There is no direct flight to Stansted. Heathrow suits a hotel near an Elizabeth line stop, and Luton suits anyone who is happy to add a train and the DART.
Where to next
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How well does London suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like London
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which is the best London airport?
The one whose train reaches your hotel without a change. Heathrow has the Elizabeth line and the Express, London City has the DLR at €3.85, and Gatwick and Stansted have the express trains. For Belgrade, the direct options are Heathrow and Luton.
Can you get from the airport to the centre by Tube?
Directly from Heathrow, where the Piccadilly line takes under an hour. From the other airports you take a train first, and London City uses the DLR, which links to the Tube.
How long does the trip from the airport to the centre take?
By train it ranges from about 15 minutes on the Heathrow Express to about 55 minutes from Southend. Heathrow is about half an hour on the Elizabeth line, Gatwick about 30 minutes, Stansted about 47 and London City about 20.
Ready for London?
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