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wrixon

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Travelling to London in November, which is the best Airport to fly into, regarding costs and time of tranport to city centre
wrixon
 
Depends where you are staying in London, which airline you are flying with and how much luggage you have.

Heathrow and the tube is not advisable if you have a suitcase - lots of escalators, stairs, walking etc.

Gatwick is great as the Gatwick Express Train takes you into Victoria Station in 30 minutes and there's a train every 15 minutes.
 
delgirl said:
Depends where you are staying in London, which airline you are flying with and how much luggage you have.

Heathrow and the tube is not advisable if you have a suitcase - lots of escalators, stairs, walking etc.

Gatwick is great as the Gatwick Express Train takes you into Victoria Station in 30 minutes and there's a train every 15 minutes.
Click to expand...

There are other trains from Gatwick that are much cheaper than Gatwick Express and most take only an extra 5 minutes or so. Use www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk to check train fares.

I'd pick the hotel first then flights that make that initial trip as easy as possible, though if you find a great deal on a flight book that first.

You can use www.skyscanner.ie and pick all london airports as a destination.
 
London City Airport is very convenient for the City, Canary Wharf, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the O2, the Olympic Park and anything else on the Eastern side of London.

Flights tend to be more expensive c €120 return but the airport connects to the DLR which takes 15-20 minutes to Tower Gateway or Bank stations. It's also a very small airport so a lot easier and quicker to get through than Heathrow or Gatwick.

Cityjet currently are the only airline flying from Dublin but BA and Flybe are launching services in October
 
London City is the closest, it is in Zone 4 on the London Underground map as opposed to Zone 6 for Heathrow.

wrixonshea whereabouts in London are you visiting? The options are as follows:

Heathrow (LHR): 15 minutes to Paddington (London's West End) by the extremely expensive Heathrow Express, 30 minutes to Paddington by Heathrow Connect, 50 minutes to Leicester Square. Heathrow is good if you are heading to somewhere in West London or anywhere along the Picadilly line. Airport charges can be very high and congestion on the airfield can be quite considerable at busy times. Airport can be time-consuming to navigate if you are unfamiliar and depending on the terminal you fly through it can take a bit of time to get to the Tube.

Gatwick (LGW): 30 minutes by the (overpriced) Gatwick Express to Victoria, 35 minutes by the (much cheaper) Southern to Victoria. 35 minutes to London Bridge by First Capital Connect, 40 minutes to City Thameslink by First Capital Connect. Gatwick suits West and South London (though it has an easy access to North London too as the First Capital Connect passes right through the city). The airport is halfway to Brighton but it has good rail access into several main London stations.

City (LCY): 22 minutes by DLR to Bank station. Simplest one to arrive into but it works best if you are in East London, Docklands or the City. Flights can be pricey though! Majority business passengers. DLR is right outside the front door so it is a very simple transfer to public transport

Southend (SEN): 50 minutes by Great Anglia train into London Liverpool Street. Again suits City and the East End. It can be a very cheap option sometimes. If you are considering Stansted or City then I would always look at Southend too. Very small airport and very quick to process through, train station is right outside.

Stansted (STN): 45 minutes (supposedly) by Stansted Express to London Liverpool Street. Again suits City and the East End. I don't like it as much as Southend though, it is a bit of a trek to the train and to the plane! Can be a pain to travel through as it is a Ryanair hub so it can be a tad chaotic if you are travelling at the wrong time

Luton (LTN): 10 minutes by bus to Luton Airport Parkway, 35 minutes to St Pancras by First Capital Connect (just to note, Luton and Gatwick are on the same trains, FCC travels from Brighton to Bedford, takes in both airports and a swathe of city centre stops). Bit of pain having to get a bus to the train station. Best airport for North London though.

Basically when I am flying into London I decide based on where in London I will be going to. While the city has an excellent transport network it can be a pain to navigate with luggage and especially in summer you don't want to be stuck on the Underground for too long! Use www.tfl.gov.uk to work out your transport links and decide from there!
 
as regards London city airport there is going to be A LOT more competition for flights to and from Dublin from this coming October.

Flybe and BA will launch new daily flights in addition to the service operated by the existing Cityjet-Air France service.

Flight prices should drop!
 
Also, easybus.co.uk is an option from luton/gatwick/stansted. There are other operators also - you need to check depending upon which airport you decide on. This will be the cheapest option. However, be aware that you should consider the time of your flights when considering this option - as gridlock may leave your journey that bit longer.

Also used these before a couple of years ago from luton -> http://www.greenline.co.uk/

Only booked a single on arrival as wasnt sure about return. When I stepped on the bus for the return journey they charged double!
 
Re. Gatwick - it might be worth noting that while Southern trains to Victoria are a lot cheaper than Gatwick Express, if you're counting the pennies, you can get a train to Blackfriars or London Bridge from Gatwick and they're usually £4 or £5 cheaper than Victoria (on Southern) & you're on the tube from there. www.thetrainline.com sometimes has cheap tickets.

IMO in terms of a pleasant, stress-free experience 1-City Airport, 2-Gatwick

An oyster card is v.handy and you will need it if using buses, they no longer take cash.
 
If you're heading for a weekend then staying in the city (the financial district) can often provide great value hotels.

We stayed in the Apex Temple Court on Fleet Street (very handy for Gatwick) for half the price at weekends that they charge during the week. Was half thinking of going again in August and it was cheaper again €100 a night which is less than a Premier Inn and so much better.
 
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