Cheapest way to and from London's airports, day and night

Airport fares change by the week, and coach prices are “from” prices that rise as seats sell. Every figure below was read on the operator’s own page on 5 October 2026, and each airport has a source link at the end. Check the price for your date before you book.

The cheapest route, airport by airport

Heathrow

By day the usual way is the Piccadilly line or the Elizabeth line, paid with a contactless card at TfL’s zone fares. We do not quote a single fare: TfL’s single-fare finder is built with scripts and our check could not read it this week, so use the TfL fare finder for your journey. TfL says Tube and Elizabeth line journeys to or from Heathrow that start, end or pass through Zone 1 are charged peak fares, so a start from outside Zone 1 after 09:30 on a weekday, or at a weekend, can cost less than a central start. Whatever the single fare, the most you can pay in one day for travel across Zones 1 to 6 is £16.30, anytime or off-peak, which is below the Heathrow Express single.

The Elizabeth line takes 28 minutes between Paddington and Heathrow, with six trains an hour: all six serve Terminals 2 and 3, four serve Terminal 4 and two serve Terminal 5. The Piccadilly line has one station for Terminals 2 and 3 and separate stations at Terminals 4 and 5. The first and last Piccadilly trains from Heathrow to central London are:

• Terminals 2 and 3: 05:12 and 23:45 (Sunday last train 23:28)
• Terminal 4: 05:02 and 23:35 (Sunday 05:47 and 22:37)
• Terminal 5: 05:22 and 23:42 (Sunday last train 23:25)

A National Express coach to London Victoria costs from £11.20 one way, takes 40 minutes at fastest and runs up to 77 times a day. The Heathrow Express is £26.00 for a standard single. A £10.00 advance fare exists, but you must book 30 or more days ahead. Its first train leaves Paddington at 04:34 Monday to Saturday (04:55 on Sundays), and the last leaves Terminal 5 at 23:57.

At night the N9 is the cheapest by far. It costs £1.75, and with the Hopper fare you get unlimited bus journeys within one hour for that one fare. The daily bus cap is £5.25. The Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights at off-peak fares, but it does not serve Terminal 4.

Gatwick

The cheapest way is the coach. National Express runs from London Victoria to Gatwick up to 32 times a day, calling at Heathrow and both Gatwick terminals, from £6 one way. easyBus runs a Victoria transfer in partnership with National Express.

By rail, Gatwick Express runs non-stop to Victoria twice an hour in 30 minutes, with 10% off when you book online or in its app. Thameslink says its fares vary with the destination, the number of passengers and the day or time of travel, so check your date. Extra overnight Great Western Railway trains ran in the early hours of Saturday and Monday mornings from 6 June to 12 September only. For the small hours, Gatwick says most coach and bus services run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but it varies by service: check your coach’s timetable.

Stansted

Both main coach companies run through the night. National Express says it runs 24/7 with more than 150 daily services from London, fares from £7 one way, and Flibco says its coaches run every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, from £7.49. Flibco’s journey times are about 30 minutes from Redbridge, 50 minutes from Stratford and 1 hour 30 from Liverpool Street or Finsbury Park.

Stansted Express takes 48 minutes from Liverpool Street, with trains every 15 minutes in the day. Advance fares start at £9.90. The first train from Liverpool Street leaves between 03:40 and 04:40 depending on the day, and the last at 23:25. The station is a two-minute walk from the terminal.

Luton

National Express runs between central London and Luton Airport around the clock, up to 49 services a day, from £7 one way and as little as 35 minutes.

By train you travel to Luton Airport Parkway, then take the Luton DART, an automatic shuttle that reaches the terminal in under four minutes. It runs 24 hours a day, every 15 minutes between 22:00 and 04:00. Bought separately an adult single costs £4.90, but you can book the train and the DART together by choosing “Luton Airport” (LUA) as your destination.

London City

London City Airport is in Zone 3. The DLR takes 22 minutes from Bank. Pay-as-you-go fares are off-peak outside Monday to Friday 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00. The first DLR trains from the airport on a weekday are around 05:25 to 06:05, depending on the direction.

At night: TfL says that route 474 is a 24-hour service, and TfL’s stop data shows it calling at “London City Airport”. Check the live timetable for your night before you rely on it.

How to pay less

• Coaches: book ahead. National Express adds a £1.50 booking fee unless you are logged in to a My Account on its website or app. The “from” prices are limited availability, and National Express states them as correct on 13 July 2026 for travel up to 9 November 2026, so the price you are offered on the day may differ.
• TfL: contactless or Oyster fares cap each day at the most you will pay, with the day running from 04:30 to 04:29. Night Tube and Night Overground fares are always off-peak.
• Trains: buying earlier generally gives a better price. Advance tickets are valid only on the train you choose, and can usually be bought up to 12 weeks ahead. Any National Railcard takes a third off Standard Class Advance fares.
• Railcards: the 16-25 (also for mature students) and 26-30 Railcards; a Two Together Railcard costs £35 a year and takes a third off most adult tickets when two people travel together; a Senior Railcard (age 60 and over) costs £35 for a year or £80 for three.

Coming home from the airport

The same rule works in reverse: find the coach stand before the taxi queue. At night the coach or the N9 is the answer at Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Luton; see getting home after the last train and the night-by-night airport guide. For 25 December there is no TfL bus, Tube or rail service: see what is open at Christmas.

Sources

All read on 5 October 2026: TfL bus and tram fares, TfL caps, TfL Tube and rail fares, Elizabeth line to Heathrow, Heathrow Underground, Heathrow Express fares, National Express Heathrow, National Express Gatwick, Gatwick by train, Gatwick coach and bus, Gatwick Express tickets, National Express Stansted, Flibco Stansted, Stansted Express, Stansted by train, National Express Luton, Luton DART, London City Airport DLR, Railcards and National Rail ticket types. No operator pays to be here. Prices and timetables change: the operator’s page for your date is the final word.