FAQ: How Do I Get To/From Heathrow?

Let me field a question that I get asked quite frequently:

I'm coming to London via Heathrow...

but how do I get in from the airport?

Here are the three options that I recommend:

Heathrow Express

This is a train that runs every 10 minutes from the airport

that will take you into central London's Paddington Station

in only 15 minutes for £19 each way.

It's not cheap, but it's fast and easy to do

when your brain is foggy with jetlag.

From Paddington, you can hop on the tube,

jump in a taxi or take a bus

to wherever you are staying.

*You can also get on the

Heathrow Connect,

it's only £9.50 to get to Paddington,

leaves every 30 minutes,

and will take around 45 minutes.

TAKE THE TUBE

Did you know you can take the Tube

all the way to & from Heathrow?

Yup. The Piccadilly Line runs all the way to Heathrow.

It takes about 50 minutes from Piccadilly Circus,

but it only cost about £6. 

You pick it up at Heathrow right near the Heathrow Express trains-

just follow the signs, you'll see it.

If you're on a budget and have the time,

it may be worth it to get your bags down the escalators of the underground

and read a book on your way out there.

TAKE A TAXI

Don't wait to get a cab until you're there

or you'll pay around £75-100.

Yikes.

Book ahead and the taxi TO Heathrow is approxiamately £30

for up to 4 people.

The taxi is an awesome option to the airport

as they pick you up (and you don't have to deal with transport to the train/tube)

and drop you off at the departures terminal.

Best case scenario and cheaper than two tickets on the Heathrow Express, too.

Booyah.

Book ahead and you can get a taxi FROM Heathrow for around £50

for up to 4 people.

The price is a bit more

because they have to wait for you

to go through customs

and pay for parking while they come get you.

Dialing from outside the UK: +44 845 612 1212

Dialing from inside the UK:         0845 612 1212

I use a taxi company that can be reached at this number. 

I'd book 24 hours in advance.

****

Now, you've got that issue settled

and you can spend your time thinking about the important issues....

Like where your first meal will be when you arrive in Central London.

{I like

these places, btw.}

*     *     *

Also, as many of my readers are involved in the study-abroad scene

with US universities here in London or elsewhere, 

I hope you'll get in touch with my new sponsor, Tyler Knight.

Tyler can help staff your program with some top-level business professors.

(The guy went to Oxford, so he doesn't hang out with dummies.)

Contact him with any staffing needs

to beat that last minute panic that we all often feel!

*images via