London’s Heathrow Airport Layover Guide

London’s Heathrow Airport attracts more than sixty seven million passengers every year and a third of these passengers are just passing through on their way elsewhere. Thus it is no coincidence that London’s Heathrow Airport caters and is well equipped for the needs, necessities and luxuries of travelers on layovers and connecting flights. A layover is a time period where a passenger disembarks a plane and has to wait for their plane to get ready and then board the plane. Layovers range from one hour to many hours. London’s Heathrow Airport has terminals set aside for various travel groups and also caters for passenger needs. Terminal one (1) is mainly domestic flights within the U. K or to other European cities. Terminal three (3) caters for long haul flight destinations such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia; this is similar to Terminal four (4). Terminal five (5) is exclusively for British Airways flights. This article will provide helpful tips for passengers to have an enjoyable layover period.

Coming and going – if you have a long layover period, the most reliable way to get to the city of London from Heathrow Airport is to take either the Piccadilly line which is the metro also known as the Tube or the Heathrow Express train which is a speed train. The Tube is best for travelers with at least six hours of layover time as the Tube takes one hour to get to London. The Express train is perfect for travelers with less than six hours of layover time as it takes fifteen minutes to get to London, however, it is much more costly than the Tube. Travelers also have the option of taking a shuttle bus from just outside various terminals, if they wish to travel to nearby hotels. To go to places other than London it is advisable to use a taxi and to get back, take a taxi to Heathrow Airport.

To travel between terminals, travelers have the option of walking between Terminal one (1 and three (3) or use the free trains and buses to access Terminals four (4) and five (5).

Overnight – in and around London’s Heathrow Airport are hotels that cater for all budgets. Some examples of such hotels are:

Yotel – this is a pod styled hotel within Terminal four (4) and designed after a first class airline cabin. The hotel can be rented on an hourly rate which is perfect for travelers with short layover periods or less than the whole night for a layover.

Sofitel Heathrow – this is an overnight stay hotel with direct access to Terminal five (5). Travelers can get there through a train link.

The Hilton – this hotel is known worldwide and can be accessed through a covered walkway.

The Holiday Inn and the Premier Inn – these are five minutes away from the airport.

Sightseeing – if your layover is longer than six hours and you would like to sightsee consider taking a journey into town. There you can visit the Natural History Museum, Science Museum etc.

For taxis to London’s Heathrow Airport, the author recommends Walton Taxi Service at Taxiwaltononthames.Co.Uk.