Heathrow Airport. Making every trip easier.
Find your terminal, compare transport, sort parking and check security times before you travel.
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Find your terminal in one step
Which terminal you need comes down to your airline, not your destination. Look yourself up in the airline-to-terminal guide, get your bearings on the airport map, or open a terminal below. Terminals 2 and 3 sit together in the central area; Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 are separate, so arriving at the wrong one means a transfer across the airport.
To and from London
| Service | Fare | Journey | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow Express | £25 | 15 min | From Paddington, every 15 min (£10 advance) |
| Elizabeth Line | £15.50 | 30 min | Flat fare since March 2026, direct from central London |
| Piccadilly Line | £5.90 | 50 min | Cheapest direct rail, runs all night Friday and Saturday |
| National Express coach | £8 | 35-65 min | Advance fare from Victoria Coach Station, up to 79 a day |
| Taxi | £75-110 | 45-75 min | Metered, plus £1.60 rank surcharge |
Fares as of July 2026. For airports outside London, see Gatwick to Heathrow and Kings Cross to Heathrow.
Cheapest by stay length
Long stay and meet and greet are pre-booked starting rates; drive-up gate rates are higher (Park & Ride £46.80 first day, meet and greet from £138.60). For kerbside alternatives see drop-off charges, and Terminal 5 parking is the busiest single-terminal page.
Where to stay near Heathrow
A few hotels reach a terminal on foot; most of the rest run a Hoppa shuttle. Compare walk and shuttle times on the Heathrow hotels hub, or pair a room with a car park on hotels with parking.
Once you're airside
Clear security first: the liquids rules are changing terminal by terminal as the new scanners go in, so check the current liquids limits and security wait times before you pack.
Common Heathrow questions
Which terminal do I need?
It depends on your airline. British Airways flies almost everything from Terminal 5. Most oneworld carriers plus Virgin Atlantic use Terminal 3. Star Alliance uses Terminal 2. SkyTeam plus Qatar Airways, Etihad, and several other Middle East and Asia carriers use Terminal 4. Check your booking, or use the which terminal lookup.
What is the fastest way to central London?
Heathrow Express to Paddington in 15 minutes from the central terminals and 21 minutes from Terminal 5, every 15 minutes. The Elizabeth Line is cheaper at £15.50 flat and reaches Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street, and Liverpool Street directly, but takes around 30 minutes from central London. The Elizabeth Line serves all four operating terminals; Heathrow Express does not run direct to T4.
Is drop-off free at Heathrow?
No. The forecourt drop-off at every terminal costs £7 per visit, flat, with a 10-minute maximum stay. The free option is the Park & Ride at each terminal: the first 29 minutes is free (up to 2 hours in Zone A at Terminal 4), with a free courtesy bus to the terminal door.
How do I check Heathrow arrivals and departures?
The arrivals and departures pages on this site each show a schedule board near the top, listing flights for the next several hours with the terminal for each one. Find the flight by airline and city, then read across to the terminal. These are scheduled times, so if a flight might be delayed, the airline's own app is the best place to confirm it is running to time.
How many terminals does Heathrow have?
Four operational: Terminal 2 (the Queen's Terminal), Terminal 3, Terminal 4, and Terminal 5. Terminal 5 has two airside satellite buildings, T5B and T5C, reached by the underground T5 transit train. Terminal 1 closed in 2015 and is no longer in passenger use.
How early should I arrive at Heathrow for my flight?
Two hours before scheduled departure for short-haul, three hours for long-haul, as the standard airline guidance. Add time on busy weekday mornings (06:00 to 09:00) when security queues are longest at Terminal 3 and Terminal 5. Check-in close time is typically 45 minutes before departure for short-haul and 60 minutes for long-haul.
What is the cheapest way to get to Heathrow from central London?
The Piccadilly Line, at £5.90 single from any zone 1 station on contactless or Oyster. Journey time is 50 to 60 minutes via the Underground, with stops at every Heathrow terminal. The National Express coach from London Victoria is cheaper still at £8 advance but takes about an hour; the Elizabeth Line at £15.50 is faster than both and runs to more central stops.