London's international airports are all less than an hour from the city centre, and the city's train and bus terminals are all pretty central, and have tube stations close at hand

Airports
Flying into London, you'll arrive at one of the capital's five international airports : Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or City Airport.

Heathrow , twelve miles west of the city, has four terminals, and two train/tube stations: one for terminals 1, 2 and 3, and a separate one for terminal 4. The high-speed Heathrow Express trains travel non-stop to Paddington Station (every 15min; 15-20min) for £12 each way or £22 return. A much cheaper alternative is to take the slow Piccadilly Underground line into central London (every 2-5min; 50min) for £3.50. If you plan to make several sightseeing journeys on your arrival day, buy a multi-zone One-Day Travelcard for £4.70. There is also Airbus #2, which runs from outside all four Heathrow terminals to several destinations in the city (every 30min; 1hr) and costs £7 single, £12 return. From midnight, you'll have to take night bus #N97 to Trafalgar Square (every 30min; 1hr 10min) for a bargain £1.50. Taxis are plentiful, but cost at least £35 to central London, and take around an hour (longer in the rush hour).

Gatwick , thirty miles to the south, has two terminals, North and South, connected by a monorail. The non-stop Gatwick Express train runs day and night between the South Terminal and Victoria Station (every 15-30min; 30min) for £9.50. Other options include the Connex South Central service to Victoria (every 30min; 40min) for £8.20, or Thameslink to King's Cross (every 15-30min; 50min) for £9.50. Airbus #5 runs from both terminals to Victoria Coach Station (hourly; 1hr 30min) and costs £8 single, £10 return. A taxi ride into central London will set you back £50 or more, and take at least an hour.

Stansted, London's swankiest international airport, lies 34 miles northeast of the capital, and is served by the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street (every 15-30min; 45min), which costs £12 single, £22 return. Airbus #6 or #7 also runs to Victoria Coach Station (hourly; 1hr 15min), and costs £8 single, £10 return. A taxi into central London will cost £50 or more, and take at least an hour.

Luton airport (phone 01582/405100; www.london-luton.com) is roughly thirty miles north of the city centre, and mostly handles charter flights. Luton Airport Parkway station is connected by rail to King's Cross and other stations in central London, with Thameslink running trains every fifteen minutes, plus one or two throughout the night; the journey takes thirty to forty minutes; the single fare is £9.50, returns are £16.90. Green Line (tel 0870/6087261) buses run approximately every hour from Luton to Victoria Station, taking around an hour and a half, and costing £7.50 single, £12 return. A taxi will cost in the region of £70 and take at least an hour from central London.

London's smallest airport, City Airport , is situated in Docklands, nine miles east of central London. It handles European flights only, and is connected by shuttle bus with Canning Town (every 5min; 5min), and Canary Wharf (every 10min; 10min) for £2, plus Liverpool Street (every 10min; 25-35min) for £5. A taxi into central London will cost around £15 and take half an hour or so.

Train and coach stations
Eurostar trains arrive at Waterloo International , south of the river. Trains from the Channel ports arrive at Charing Cross or Victoria train stations; boat trains from Harwich arrive at Liverpool Street . Arriving by train from elsewhere in Britain, you'll come into one of London's numerous main-line stations, all of which have adjacent Underground stations linking into the city center's tube network. Coaches terminate at Victoria Coach Station , a couple of hundred yards south down Buckingham Palace Road from the train station and Underground.

London guide

London
The City
When to go
Climate
Arrival
Transport
Cafes & restaurants
Pubs, bars, clubs
London Music, Theatre
London Museums,
Nightlife
London Guided Tours
Best of London
Walking tours
Festivals and Special Events
London Eye

Explore London
Bloomsbury
British Library  
British Museum
Dickens’ house
Univ. of London
Kids London
Museums
Legoland
London Aquarium
London Zoo
Pollocks Toy Museum,  
Natural History, Science
Museums
Syon Park
Parks & city farms
Puppet Theatre Barge,
Unicorn Theatre, Little
Angel, more... 
Toys, Books, Electronics,
Magic and Skates