London has six airports, but if you're flying in from most of Europe or further afield, you'll almost certainly land at one of three: Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted. They're not interchangeable. The airport you choose affects how long it takes to get to your hotel, how much that journey costs, and — with teenagers and luggage in tow — how much patience everyone has left by the time you check in.
This isn't a theoretical comparison. It's based on what we found flying into London ourselves with two teenagers, cross-checked against current 2026 fares and journey times.
| Airports serving London | Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN) |
| Best for city centre | Heathrow (Piccadilly Line / Elizabeth line) |
| Best value with luggage | Gatwick (Thameslink) |
| Cheapest flights, longest transfer | Stansted, Luton |
| Currency | British pound (GBP) |
Heathrow is the biggest and best-connected airport to central London. The Piccadilly line runs directly from Heathrow into the centre in 50–60 minutes for £6–7 per person. There's also the Elizabeth line (Crossrail), which is faster and reaches the heart of the city in 30–45 minutes depending on your stop, and the Heathrow Express (15 minutes to Paddington, around £25). Once you're in the centre, you'll want our full guide to getting around London with a family for the rest of the trip.
Gatwick sits south of the city, 45 minutes on the Gatwick Express into Victoria Station (around £20 per person). The Thameslink train is cheaper (around £12, 45 minutes to St Pancras). It's the second most-used airport by visitors, and the connection into the centre is very direct — a good option if you want to avoid Heathrow's scale without adding much transfer time.
Stansted (northeast) and Luton (north) are the low-cost carrier airports — think Ryanair and easyJet. Transport into the centre from either takes longer (1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes) and costs relatively more for what it is. For families with teenagers and suitcases, the savings on the flight itself can get wiped out by the transfer cost. Do the full sums before deciding.
Our son was struck first by the sheer scale of Heathrow. Terminal 2 feels like a city within a city — shops, restaurants, and architecture unlike anything he'd seen before. On the Tube journey from Heathrow into the centre, watching the suburbs gradually give way to the streets everyone recognises from photos was, for him, the moment the trip actually started. Stepping out of the Tube station and seeing the red phone boxes for the first time, his only comment was: "Okay, this actually looks like London."
His sister used the flight to get her 5-day London itinerary fully organised on her phone before landing. She liked that the flight had individual seatback screens — not always a given on a two-hour hop — and appreciated a crew that made the journey feel easy. What struck her most on the Tube from Heathrow was the "Mind the gap" announcement at every stop: she recorded it and sent it to her friends the second she heard it. For her, that sound was the exact moment London began.
London runs almost entirely on card. A fee-free travel card (Revolut, Wise or similar) is the easiest option. If you want cash, withdraw pounds from supermarket or bank ATMs in the city, not the ones at the airport (high fees). For the full picture of what things cost, see our real breakdown of what a family trip to London costs.
Roaming rules for the UK vary depending on your home country and provider — check with yours before you fly, since not all international roaming plans automatically cover the UK. The cheapest fallback is a local SIM at the airport (Three or EE both have decent prepaid tourist rates). Essential apps: Citymapper for the Tube and buses, and our guide to family-friendly restaurants in London so you're not hunting for somewhere to eat on the fly.
Heathrow generally works best for families needing the fastest, most direct route into central London, especially with the Elizabeth line. Gatwick is a close second and often feels calmer to navigate with children in tow. Stansted and Luton are worth it mainly if the fare difference is large enough to offset the longer, pricier transfer into town.
From Heathrow, the Tube (Piccadilly line) runs £6–7 per person each way; the Elizabeth line is similar. From Gatwick, Thameslink is around £12 per person; the Gatwick Express is closer to £20. From Stansted, the Stansted Express runs about £25 per person for a 47-minute journey to Liverpool Street. An Uber from any airport into the centre runs £40–80, which for a family of four with heavy luggage can actually work out reasonable.
For families with a lot of luggage, the Elizabeth line from Heathrow is usually the most comfortable option — direct, step-free at most stations, and fast. If you'd rather not deal with public transport at all after a long flight, a pre-booked airport transfer or taxi is worth the extra cost for the first leg of the trip.
This depends entirely on your nationality and where you're travelling from — rules differ for EU citizens, US citizens, and other nationalities, and they do change. Check the official UK government entry requirements for your specific passport well before booking, rather than assuming last year's rules still apply.
Sometimes, but only if you actually run the numbers. A £40 saving on the flight to Stansted can disappear entirely once you add the Stansted Express for four people. If the fare gap is £100 or more, a further-out airport can still make sense — just build the transfer cost into your total budget rather than comparing flight prices alone.
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