Flying from Canada to London. WestJet flies into Gatwick and AirCanada seems to fly into Heathrow. Flight times are pretty comparable and Air Canada is a bit more expensive.
Are there advantages or disadvantages of landing in either and going into London?
I keep reading about Gatwick Express - is that running now??
IMHO Heathrow is more convenient. I fly from LAX to LHR and have taken the Heathrow Express. Takes 15 minutes. Heathrow to Paddington Station.
I’ll book a minimum of two months out to get a better price.
Have not yet taken the newly opened Elizabeth Line.
The Gatwick Express is running now. Disrupting strikes were earlier this month. What could happen in the future should be confirmed closer to your travel date.
As Claudia mentions, getting into London from Heathrow is arguably more convenient - faster, and cheaper. Buy your Express ticket for the train from either airport early, and you can save. The difference in price and time might not be a huge thing for you, and might not offset the price difference between Air Canada and WestJet, but the Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes, not the 15 of the Heathrow Express, and it costs closer to £30, where the Heathrow Express costs less than £6 … if you book your train ticket online, at least 90 days prior to your arrival.
Back when British Airways first started serving Denver, the flight to London landed at Gatwick, our only option. That worked out back then, as the Gatwick Express was relatively cheap, and it went from the airport directly to the Victoria Station train station, with our hotel a very short walk from there. Where are you staying? The price for the Gatwick Express has gone up a lot since then, by the way.
More than 20 years later, BA now flys from Denver to Heathrow, so again, unless we used another airline, that decision’s been made for us. The Heathrow Express, which is a relatively newer trainline, now gets us to Paddington Station, more convenient to the more northerly parts of London where we’ve stayed the last several trips. No more Victoria Station neighborhood for us.
So many people yell their love for the Heathrow Express....it's only 15 minutes. Great if you're staying near Paddington. If not, you still have to travel to where you are going. And pay more. And for some areas of London you can do better than the Heathrow Express.
We can tell you which way is better when you know where you are staying.
If staying near Victoria or London Bridge or even the St. Pancras area, you could be better off with Gatwick. While the Gatwick Express goes to Victoria, you can get other trains from Gatwick to London Bridge and St. Pancras. (about 30 minutes to Victoria and London Bridge. 45 minutes to St. Pancras. These trains are cheaper the the Gatwick Express.
If staying in southwest London like Earls Court, Gloucester Road, and South Kensington, Heathrow would be easier with the Piccadilly line. If you wanted Gatwick you could get the District line from Victoria. (I usually stay in Earls Court and once tried the Heathrow Express and then switched to the tube. It saved me five minutes, involved a lot of walking, and cost four times as much. I now stick to the Piccadilly line.)
Plus there's direct bus service from both airports into London. Coaches, not city buses.
So, it really depends on where you are staying to tell you which airport or which way to get in London would be best. But honestly, it won't be that difficult to get into London from either airport.
Frank, What if you’re staying near the British museum? Sorry to hijack your thread ds.
What Frank said.
I wouldn’t use either express from either airport, but other, cheaper trains that go to my destination.
Barbara: Take the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow, or Thameslink from Gatwick transfer to the Elizabeth Line.
What I love about Gatwick is how easy it is to navigate. It's significantly smaller and both times we've been there, we've landed and gone through immigration in less than 15 minutes. My only experience at Heathrow, we had a 3 hour layover from Rome and still almost missed our flight.
The Thameslink train from Gatwick to St. Panacra stops at London Bridge on the south bank and Blackfriars on the north, as well as at theCity station before reaching St. Pancras/ Kings Cross.
https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/airport-travel/gatwick-airport
What if you’re staying near the British museum?
I always stay near the British Museum, and for that reason I NEVER take Heathrow Express. As someone said earlier, HE is only really better if you are staying near Paddington. For Bloomsbury (around the British Museum), take Piccadilly Line direct to Russell Square station.
Barbara......I agree with Darrenblois if coming from Heathrow. Piccadilly line straight through. No changes.
I would not suggest the Elizabeth line because the closest stop to the British Museum, Russell Square, is not on the Elizabeth line.
If from Gatwick, take the Thameslink train to St. Pancras then the Piccadilly line to Russel Square.
Find your accommodations on a map and then look for the closest tube station. It may not be Russell Square.
the closest stop to the British Museum, Russell Square, is not on the Elizabeth line.
No longer agree with Frank. The Elizabeth Line Tottenham Court Rd station is closer to the front door of the British Museum than Russell Sq tube station, albeit they are in opposite directions. Only deal with the tube if lodging is east/north of the British Museum.
The train is just much nicer than the tube when carrying bags; the tube with bags is really the pits! Also the Elizabeth Line has new lifts to street level.
Note that the transfer station for Thameslink to Elizabeth Line from Gatwick is Farringdon.
The Elizabeth Line Tottenham Court Rd station is closer to the front door
I doubt the Museum's front door is precisely where OP will be sleeping. Fair point that TCR may be closer to hotel, but Russell Square may be also.
I've never had trouble with bags on the Tube. It is the first station, so you'll have pick of where to seat yourself, and there is room for bags at the end of each car. But then, I pack light.
There are more hotels around Russell Square than there are near Tottenham Court Road. So, unless it's an AirBNB, chances are "accommodations" near the British Museum will be closer to Russell Square.
I disagree that the tube with luggage is the pits. The Piccadilly line has areas in each car where you can stay with your luggage.
DIY:
This government website will calculate travel routes and costs throughout London and will be useful for calculating travel to your hotel and throughout your stay.
