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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
Heathrow is one of several airports which serve London. Other London airports include Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and the small London City Airport.
Be sure to check which of these airports your flight leaves from or arrives at, and in the case of Heathrow or Gatwick, which terminal (Terminal 1, 2, 3 or 4 at Heathrow; North or South Terminal at Gatwick).
Direct flights to a small number of North American cities are also available from a small number of UK regional airports, especially Manchester I believe.
In addition, flights to many cities in North America are available via Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, with feeder flights from numerous UK regional airports. For anyone who lives some distance from London this can often be a less expensive and much more convenient option than flying via Heathrow or Gatwick.
Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are located in the airport's Central Area. Terminal 4 is located in a completely separate area a considerable distance away on the other side of a main runway and is accessed by road via a very different route (see below for details).
It is easy and fairly quick to get between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 - I believe they are connected by covered walkways. However, getting between these three terminals and Terminal 4 is much more difficult, involving considerable time and some cost.
Shops and restaurants at Heathrow Airport are fairly expensive.
Hotels in the immediate area of the airport tend to be very expensive.
From the M25 anti-clockwise (from the M11, M1, M40, etc) or clockwise (from the M2, the M23 and Gatwick Airport, the M3, etc) to Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 or 3: at the M25/M4 intersection take the M4 eastbound towards central London, then from the M4 take the Heathrow spur road exit and head south, pass through a tunnel into the airport's central area and follow the signs for the desired terminal.
From the M4 eastbound (from Bristol, Reading, etc) or westbound (from central London) to Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 or 3: take the Heathrow spur road exit (which is located on the M4 east of the M4/M25 intersection), then go south on the spur road, pass through a tunnel into the airport's central area and follow the signs for the desired terminal.
From the M25 anti-clockwise or clockwise to Heathrow Terminal 4: take the Terminal 4 exit from the M25 (located on the M25 south of the M25/M4 intersection). Do not go on the M4.
From the M4 eastbound or westbound to Heathrow Terminal 4: at the M4/M25 intersection, take the M25 anti-clockwise (south) towards the M3 and Gatwick. Then take the Terminal 4 exit from the M25 (located on the M25 south of the M25/M4 intersection).
Because of severe congestion and parking problems and the difficulty of navigation I would not advise anyone without local knowledge to drive into the area inside the M25 (except for the M4 connection to Heathrow's central area) and especially not into central London.
Remember that rental cars in the UK are nearly all manual transmission and that we drive on the lefthand side of the road so the driver sits on the righthand side of the car. Visitors from North America should also be prepared for roundabouts which are very common in Europe. In Britain roundabouts must always be traversed in a clockwise direction and when entering a roundabout you must give way to traffic which is already on the roundabout. Also remember that you cannot turn right or left on a red light in any European country.
Taking a taxi between the airport and Central London is an extremely expensive option.
According to a fairly recent edition of a very useful booklet about Heathrow Airport published by the British Airport Authority, Underground trains run every five minutes at peak time and every nine minutes at other times. The first train for central London leaves Heathrow at 05:08 (05:58 on Sundays) and the last at 23:49 (22:57 on Sundays). The first train from central London arrives at Heathrow at 06:00 (07:47 on Sundays) and the last at 01:07 (00:08 on Sundays). Trains from central London stop at the Terminal 1/2/3 station first, then five minutes later at the Terminal 4 station. The approximate travelling times between Heathrow Airport and some Underground stations in central London are as follows (but remember that these are only average times):
For information on the London Underground and London bus services, see the Transport For London site (external link verified May-04).
If you are travelling to or from other parts of the UK by rail, remember that London has a separate mainline railway terminus for trains from each region and that separate railway companies now operate train services in different areas of the country. The various London mainline railway termini are all linked by the Underground system.
There are long distance coach services direct from a few UK towns and cities to the airport.
A number of companies operate off-airport long term car parks.
Some hotels in the area may offer a combination of accommodation and long term car parking.
In my experience receipts for suitcases are never checked when leaving the baggage return area, allowing any passenger to easily take anyone else's property by accident or on purpose.
For information about travel and tourism in London and the UK generally, please refer to the UK Travel Links page.
For up-to-the-minute travel news for London and the UK generally, the Travel section of BBC1 and BBC 2's Ceefax teletext service is highly recommended. The Travel section index is on page 430. ITV's teletext service has similar information with an index on page 160. This information might also be available on the teletext services' web sites: BBC and ITV/Channel 4 Teletext.
Just to bring you up to date the Heathrow Express is now in full operation. It has two stations in Heathrow - one in Terminal Four and one in the central area linked to the three central area terminals. Transport between the central area and terminal four is free.
You maybe interested to know that Heathrow has a visitors centre situated on the north side. Admission is free and it is very interesting also gives a lovely view of the airport without standing in the wind and rain.
The proposed Terminal Five at Heathrow will be situated on the western end of the airport on land at present occupied by a sludge works.
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Most recently modified 19-May-04
