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LHR layover

A layover in London (LHR)

The city is 15–45 min from Heathrow each way, so budget around 1.5 hours of travel for the round trip before immigration and security. The Heathrow Express reaches Paddington in about 15 minutes, but leaving the airport means the UK border on the way out and full security on the way back, and terminals can be far apart. Be back 3 hours before your onward flight.

  1. 0–6hStay airside
  2. 6–10hHyde Park and Kensington
  3. 10–24hCentral London

Checked against sources:· How we verify

Can you leave the airport?

That depends on your passport and ticket. Check the official rules before you plan anything outside the terminal:

We link the official sources rather than summarise entry rules, because they change and differ by nationality.

How much buffer to leave at Heathrow

Your connection depends on the inbound flight. Over the last four weeks, 77.3% of tracked arrivals at Heathrow landed within 15 minutes of their usual time; about 1 in 19 was more than an hour late. On a tight connection, book the earlier inbound flight or a longer layover.

Arrivals on time (Touchdown Index)
77.3%
11,217 flights · 5.3% over an hour late
Extra time circling or sequencing
5 min
average, last 40 nm · 25.9% of arrivals held
Taxi-out
14 min
median gate to take-off · 1 in 5 over 19 min
Tracked flights
5,850
take-offs and landings a week, airlines we cover

From public ADS-B flight tracking (adsb.lol, CC0), 4 September 2026 to 1 October 2026. How these figures are measured.

0–6 hours

Stay airside

Under six hours, stay airside. Follow the purple connections signs; every connecting passenger goes through security, and a free transfer bus runs between terminals if your next flight leaves from another one.

6–10 hours

Hyde Park and Kensington

Heathrow Express to Paddington, then walk into Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. It is a short walk from the station, so the trip back is simple. The Elizabeth line is slower but cheaper and also stops at Paddington.

10–24 hours

Central London

Take the Elizabeth line to Tottenham Court Road or Bond Street for Soho and the West End, or on towards the City. Allow at least an hour from the centre back to the gate before security.

Into London and back

  • Heathrow ExpressHeathrow Terminals 2 & 3 station (also Terminal 5) → London Paddington · 15–21 min
  • Elizabeth lineHeathrow Terminals 2 & 3, Terminal 4 or Terminal 5 station → Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street · 30–45 min
  • Black cab (meter)Taxi ranks outside each terminal's arrivals → Door to door · 45 min–1h 30m
  • Piccadilly line (Underground)Underground stations at all Heathrow terminals → Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, King's Cross St Pancras · 50 min–1h

Routes that connect in London

Sources

  • heathrow.com — connections signs, security for transfers, transfer bus between terminals
  • gov.uk — whether you need a visa or ETA to enter or transit the UK
  • heathrowexpress.com — 15-minute journey, every 15 minutes, advance fares from £10 and £26 walk-up standard single, payment methods
  • heathrow.com — Elizabeth line stations in central London, journeys under 40 minutes, contactless/Oyster
  • heathrow.com — taxi ranks at each terminal
  • heathrow.com — Piccadilly line serves all terminals, under an hour to central London, most budget-friendly option

Report a change — seen something different at the airport or on the airline's site? We re-check and log corrections publicly.