Using the Piccadilly Line to get from Heathrow to Central London is easy and affordable. This guide shows you exactly how to do it.
The Piccadilly Line is part of London’s Underground, or ‘Tube’ network. This means it makes a lot of stops on the journey (taking around 45 minutes to get to central London), but is cheap and comes very frequently (every 5 minutes).
Determine Your Route
The Piccadilly Line stops at multiple stations within central London, including:
- South Kensington
- Knightsbridge
- Hyde Park Corner
- Green Park
- Piccadilly Circus
- Leicester Square
- Covent Garden
- Holborn
- Russel Square
- King’s Cross St Pancras
Therefore you’ll need to decide in advance where to get off. You may also need to transfer to a further Tube line once you’re in London.
To do this, simply use transit directions within Google/Apple Maps, or download the Citymapper app. These apps will give you step-by-step instructions on which lines and stations to use to get to your destination.
You can also consult the Piccadilly Line map, which shows all stations on the line.
Walk to the Piccadilly Line Station
Heathrow airport actually has three Piccadilly Line stations:
- Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
- Heathrow Terminal 4
- Heathrow Terminal 5
It’s easy to find your way to the nearest station – simply follow the yellow signs for ‘Underground’.
The Piccadilly Line stations (Underground) are separate from other trains such as the Elizabeth Line. Therefore don’t follow the blue signs to ‘trains’, as these will lead you to the Elizabeth Line & Heathrow Express only.
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.
Buy Tickets, or use Contactless
Once you get to the Underground station, you’ll see machines selling tickets, and a row of ticket gates.
You have three options to chose from to pay for your travel:
- 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 £5.90 to central London.
- Buy an Oyster Card from the machine – if you don’t want to use contactless and are going to be doing other travel within London, it’s worth getting an Oyster Card, as it will save you a lot of money compared to buying paper tickets. Oyster Cards cost £7 to buy, and you will be asked how much credit you’d like to add. As the fare is £5.90, you’ll need to add at least this amount to the card to complete this journey, but you might want to add more for further travel within London. You can always bring the card back to a ticket machine to add further credit.
- Buy a paper ticket from the machine – you can also use the machines to buy a single paper ticket. The price is £7.
Children: Children under 11 travel free on the Piccadilly Line (and other London transport) when accompanied by an adult. They don’t need a ticket, simply use the wide ticket gates and walk them through in front of you. Children 11-15 do need a ticket, which you can purchase from one of the machines (or they can use contactless to pay the adult fare).
Find the Correct Platform
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 (at most), and have clear signage displaying ‘Trains to Central London’. At Terminal 4 there is only one platform, so you can’t go wrong.
All trains heading away from the airport stop at all stations within central London.
Ride the Train
When the train arrives, carry your luggage on and take a seat. Keep your luggage with you – there are places near the doors where you can sit or stand with extra space for your luggage.
Screens and announcements show the upcoming stops, so it’s easy to know when to get off.
Once you’ve reached your destination, follow signs for the ‘Way Out’, tap your card/device (or enter your ticket) on the ticket barrier, and enjoy your stay!