Heathrow is the world's busiest international airport. Heathrow is also the world's second busiest cargo port. Regarded as the hub of the aviation world, over 90 airlines have made Heathrow their base. Heathrow airport is also the number one choice for people visiting England's capital city of London.

It is well served by a variety of hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfast type accommodations for people visiting the south of England on holiday or for people requiring heathrow airport stopovers en route to their final destinations to places like Windsor, Hampton Court, Kew Gardens, Lego Land, Thorpe Park, Chessington World Of Adventures, Longford, Cranford, Harmondsworth, Hatton, Sipson, and the London boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow.

Number of Terminals : 4 (T5 being built)

Travel Market Place Heathrow

Getting there

Heathrow By road

Before setting out for the airport it is vital that you check which terminal you require.

Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are located next to each other at the centre of Heathrow, whilst Terminal 4 is located to the south of the airport and has a separate entrance. Heathrow is situated close to two motorways - the M4 and the M25. All Terminals and appropriate motorway exits are signposted.

Setting down passengers

If you are setting down passengers at the airport there are designated set down points located outside each terminal. Although you are permitted to unload on the terminal forecourts you should be aware that waiting is not permitted. Police and airport staff patrol the forecourts on a regular basis and ask waiting vehicles to move on.

Picking up passengers

Waiting is not permitted on the airport forecourts at any time. If you are meeting someone from a flight you should use the short stay car parks.

Unattended vehicles

For security reasons vehicles should not be left unattended at any time.

Any vehicle left unattended outside a terminal will be swiftly removed by the police. A charge of £105.00 is made for its recovery and a £40.00 parking ticket will also be given. If the vehicle is not collected on the day it is removed there will be a further charge of £12.00 for each day's storage.

Petrol stations
There are three petrol stations close to Heathrow which are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

A BP station is located in the centre of the airport close to Terminals 1, 2 and 3.

An Esso station is located on the Southern Perimeter Road between Terminal 4 and the M25. It has an automatic car wash.

A BP station is located at Hatton Cross, Great West Road (A30). This station has LPG facilities.

For exact directions to Heathrow please use the AA Route Planner.

For further information on how to plan your route call the government information hotline on +44 (0)1234 276376.

Heathrow Airport Parking

Heathrow By Bus

Heathrow is served by an extensive network of local buses which operate from the central bus station. Some services also stop at Terminal 4.

Services into West London are part of the Transport for London network. A single adult fare for anywhere in London is £1. All tickets can be purchased on the bus. It is preferable to have the exact fare ready.
Heathrow is served by an extensive network of local buses.

The Bus Station

The Bus Station is open 24 hours, however, the Travel Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:30. The Bus Station is well signposted from Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and is located above the London Underground station. Access to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 is via underground walkways. Trolleys are provided nearby and there is a lift directly from the central bus station down to the underground level.

Please note: parking is not available at the central bus station. If you are meeting or seeing off coach passengers please use Short Stay Car Park 2, located next to Terminal 2.

A2 Bus
The A2 bus is a double decker bus which operates frequently between all four terminals and central London.

There are two buses an hour and the services run from 05:35 (Terminal 4) and 06:00 (Terminal 3) until 12:05 (Terminal 4) and 20:00 (Terminal 3). The first bus from Russell Square leaves at 04:50 and the last at 20:00. The journey time to central London is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

The A2 bus is handy for some London hotels as it stops at the following places on the way to Russell Square: Holland Park, Notting Hill Gate, Queensway, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch, Baker Street, Great Portland Street and Euston from outside all Heathrow terminals.

An adult single fare is £10.00 and a return is £15.00. For children aged 3 to 15 years a single fare is £4.00 and a return is £6.00. Children under 3 years travel free if they do not require a seat. Tickets can be purchased from the bus and coach information desks in Terminals 1, 3 and 4 or on the bus.

Heathrow Coach services

Some of the towns with direct services from Heathrow are Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge and Glasgow.

Most coaches pick up and set down passengers at the central bus station (CBS), which is located close to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 however, some services stop outside the terminals. Please check with the operator for exact information.

Coach tickets for all services can be purchased from the Travel Centre in the central bus station. Tickets for National Express services can be pre-booked by visiting www.nationalexpress.com.

See Railair coaches for details of coach services to and from Reading, Woking and Watford Junction.

Heathrow has one of the busiest coach stations in the UK.

Terminal 4
Only limited services stop at Terminal 4. Check with the operator for details. To transfer from the central bus station to Terminal 4 you can take the Heathrow Express train free of charge. There is a lift from the central bus station to the underground walkway which leads to Heathrow Express.

Central Bus Station (CBS)
The CBS is open 24 hours a day, however, the Travel Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:30. The CBS is well signposted from Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and is located above the London Underground station. Access to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 is via underground walkways. The approximate walking distance to Terminal 1 is 4 minutes, to Terminal 2 is 3 minutes and to Terminal 3 is 5-7 minutes. Trolleys are provided nearby and there is a lift directly from the central bus station down to the underground level.

Please note: parking is not available at the central bus station. If you are meeting or seeing off coach passengers please use Short Stay Car Park 2, located next to Terminal 2.

For information or to book tickets

National Express services:
Telephone: + 44 (0)8705 808080
Book online

The Airline (Oxford Bus)
Telephone: +44 (0)1865 785 400

For more information and to book tickets:
Telephone: +44 (0)8705 808080
www.nationalexpress.co.uk

London Travel Information
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7222 1234

Heathrow By Train

Heathrow Express

BAA's Heathrow Express is the revolutionary non-stop train service that offers the fastest travel option between Heathrow Airport and central London. Services run from 05:07 to 00:01 (from Heathrow) every 15 minutes and the journey time is just 15 minutes; 7/8 minutes more to and from Terminal 4.

A standard single fare is £13.00 and a standard return is £25.00. For details of special offers and to pre-book tickets visit www.heathrowexpress.com

If you're flying out of Heathrow, airline check-in facilities are available at Paddington Station. You can check-in your luggage and collect your boarding card any time on the day of travel, up to two hours before the flight (one hour with hand luggage only).

From Paddington you can catch trains to the west and south west of England. Paddington is located on the District and Circle lines of the London Underground network.

For more information and to book tickets visit www.heathrowexpress.com or ring
0845 6001515 (UK only).

Reading Railair

Frequent trains operate from Reading to and from the west and south west of England and to South Wales. The Reading Railair is a frequent coach service that operates between Reading rail station and Terminals 1,2 and 3.

Express coaches operate daily every 20 minutes and the journey takes 40 minutes to Terminal 1 (1 hour to Terminal 4). The single fare is £10, return £11.50, a saver return £17.50.

At Heathrow - the Railair coaches pick up at the arrivals level of Terminals 1 and 3; at departures level for Terminal 2. Passengers are set down at departures level of each terminal. Terminal 4 passengers should make their way to Termianls 1,2 or 3.

At Reading - the Railair coaches stop directly outside Reading Station - just follow the signs to the Railair lounge and/or Heathrow Railair Link. The lounge is at the bottom of the station concourse. Tickets need to be purchased before travel at the Railair Lounge.

Tickets for the coach only are available from the Bus and Coach Information Desk in Terminals 1 and 3 or on the coach at Terminal 2. Combined bus and rail tickets for all Railair services can be purchased at the Bus Coach and Train Information Desk in Terminal 1 or at most rail stations.

To pre-book tickets call 08457 000125 (UK only).
For recorded timetable information please call 0118 957 9498 (UK only) or 0118 957 9425 (UK only) for general enquiries.

Watford Railair

A coach link from Watford Junction rail station provides a connection between Virgin Trains services and Heathrow.

The Watford Railair operates ½ hourly from 05:30 to 22:35 from Heathrow and 06:55 to 23:35 hours from Watford Junction seven days a week. The journey takes about 40 minutes to Terminal 1 (1 hour 5 minutes to Terminal 4). A single ticket costs £4.00 and a return is £6.00.

From Watford Junction there are trains to Northampton, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

At Heathrow - the coaches pick up from the Arrivals level of Terminals 1, 3 and 4; at Departures level for Terminal 2 and set down passengers at Departures level of each terminal.

At Watford Junction - the coach departs from the train station.

To pre-book tickets call 08457 222 333 (UK only).

Tickets for the coach only are available from the Bus and Coach Information Desk in Terminals 1, 3 and 4 or on the coach at Terminal 2. Combined bus and rail tickets for all Railair services can be purchased at the Bus Coach and Train Information Desk in Terminal 1 or at most rail stations.

Woking Railair

Luxury coaches provide a direct link from Woking rail station to Heathrow Airport.

Woking Railair coaches operate every 30 minutes and take just 40 minutes. The single fare is £8.00, a day return is £10.00 and a period return is £16.00.

Trains operate from Woking station to the south of England. Some of the towns you can reach from Woking are: Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, Bournemouth, Guildford and Basingstoke.

At Heathrow - the Railair coaches pick up at the Arrivals level of Terminals 1,3 and 4; at Departures level for Terminal 2. Coaches set down passengers at Departures level of each terminal.

At Woking - the Railair coaches stop directly outside the Woking station. There is also a Railair lounge where you can wait.

To pre-book tickets call 08705 808080.