Using the Heathrow Express to get from Heathrow to Central London is easy and fast. This guide shows you exactly how to do it.
The Heathrow Express is the quickest option to get to London (taking 15 minutes), however it can be more expensive, and only takes you as far as Paddington.
Not sure if the Heathrow Express is the best option for you to get to central London? Take a look at all four options here.
Buy Your Tickets in Advance
If you buy your Heathrow Express tickets when you arrive, it will cost you £25. However you can get them as cheaply as £10 if you book far enough in advance, from the Heathrow Express website.
Pre-booked tickets don’t tie you to a specific train time – you can still use any Heathrow Express service on the day you select.
Tickets will be sent to you as a QR code, which you can show on your phone. This also means you don’t have to queue up to use the ticket machines.
Determine Your Route
The Heathrow Express goes directly to London Paddington, without stopping anywhere else.
Walk to the Heathrow Express Station
Heathrow airport actually has two Heathrow Express stations:
- Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
- Heathrow Terminal 5
It’s easy to find your way to the nearest station – simply follow the blue signs for ‘Trains’.
Heathrow Express trains leave from the same stations as Elizabeth Line trains, so you can also follow signs to the Elizabeth Line. The Heathrow Express is not an Underground / Tube line, so don’t follow signs to ‘Underground’, as these will lead you to the Piccadilly Line only.
Heathrow Express doesn’t serve Terminal 4 directly. If you’re arriving into Terminal 4, you can still follow the rest of this guide, but when you get to the platform, take an Elizabeth Line train one stop to Terminals 2 & 3 (your Heathrow Express ticket will be valid for this), and then remain on the same platform for a few minutes at Terminals 2 & 3 to pick up a Heathrow Express train.
At terminals 4 and 5, the stations are part of the terminals themselves, so the walk is short. At terminals 2 and 3, the station is between the terminals, which means a slightly longer walk (up to 5 minutes). However there are moving walkways to help you get there quickly.
If you have lots of luggage, you can take luggage trolleys from the terminals into the train stations. However you can’t take the trolleys onto the train. You can use lifts (elevators) to get you down to the platform, so there is no need to use stairs.
Show your Tickets
Once you get to the rail station, you’ll see machines selling tickets, and a row of ticket gates. If you’ve pre-booked tickets, you can go straight to the ticket gates and scan the QR code to access the platform.
If you haven’t already pre-booked your ticket, you have two options:
- Use contactless – The easiest way to travel is to use a contactless credit/debit card or device, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay on a phone. This way, you don’t need to buy a ticket at all – simply walk up to the ticket gate and touch your card or phone on the reader. The gate will open, and you can walk through with your luggage. Each adult needs their own card or device. The fare is £25.
- Buy a paper ticket from the machine – you can also use the machines to buy a single ticket. Press ‘Express Trains to London’ if you want a ticket valid on the Heathrow Express. The fare is the same, at £25.
Children: Children under 16 travel free on the Heathrow Express, although they do need a ticket. Make sure to select how many free child tickets you want when booking online or using the ticket machines.
Find the Correct Platform & Wait for the Heathrow Express
Once through the ticket gates, all you need to do is find your way to the right platform. This is easy, as the stations only have two platforms, and have screens to display which platforms trains are leaving from.
Heathrow Express trains towards central London usually use these platforms:
- Terminals 2 & 3: Platform 2
- Terminal 5: Platform 3
Heathrow Express trains leave from the same platforms as Elizabeth Line trains. Therefore you need to make sure you get on the correct type of train. This is easy, as screens will show upcoming departures, announcements will explain what train is approaching, and branding on the train will clearly display either Heathrow Express or Elizabeth Line.
All trains heading away from Heathrow go directly to London Paddington.
Ride the Train
When the train arrives, roll your luggage on and take a seat. You can place your luggage on the racks provided, so there is plenty of space.
Once you’ve reached Paddington, you will need to scan your ticket or card/device on the ticket barrier to leave the platform.
Onward Travel by Taxi
Paddington station has a large taxi rank with many London taxis waiting to take you to your destination.
If you have heavy luggage, exit the platform at Paddington towards the main concourse (at the front of the train). The taxi rank is well signposted, and all you need to do is turn left, walk forward and take the lifts (elevators) up to the level of the taxi rank.
If you’re travelling without heavy luggage, a slightly quicker route is to exit the platform using the stairs in the middle, turn right and walk across the bridge, which will take you to the taxi rank.
Onward Travel by Tube (Underground)
For onward travel directions by tube, use Google Maps transit directions or the Citymapper app to show you where to go.
Paddington is connected to the Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith & City and District lines. However it is actually quite a confusing station, as there are three separate tube stations within it:
- Bakerloo Line station: This is easy to find, as you just need to follow signs for the Bakerloo Line. It’s straight ahead after leaving the Heathrow Express platforms.
- District and Circle Line station: This is located near the Bakerloo line, so follow signs and head straight forward when leaving the Heathrow Express platforms.
- Hammersmith & City and Circle Line station: This is in a completely separate part of the station, up near the taxi rank. Therefore, follow the directions above for taxis (either turning left and taking the lift up a level, or using the mid-platform stairs and bridge).
The signposting is good, so if you know which tube station you need then finding it should be easy. If you’re taking the Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City, or District Lines, then simply follow directions to those lines.
The confusing element is that two separate parts of the Circle line stop at two separate parts of Paddington station. If you need the Circle line, use the tube map to determine if you need the branch of the Circle line that runs with the Hammersmith & City line, or whether you need the branch that runs with the District line.