"London" can mean six different airports, some of them more than an hour from the city. Flying into Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol or Cardiff can be cheaper and closer to where you are really going. Here is every major airport in the UK, honestly compared: how to reach the city, what it costs, which one to pick, and what travellers from Africa need to know.
One full, honest guide per airport: trains and buses into town, fares, terminals, the liquids rule, drop-off charges and what to avoid.
Piccadilly line, Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express; the 2-litre rule and the £7 drop-off.
Gatwick Express, Thameslink or Southern, and the new Northern Runway.
The Stansted Express, coaches from £7 and the long way into London.
The DART shuttle, the Luton Airport Express and the ticket that includes both.
The DLR to Bank in about 22 minutes, and the £8 drop-off.
Terminals 2 and 3, the station between them, and the night trains.
The free Air-Rail Link and the 2-litre liquids rule.
No railway, but a 24-hour electric Airport Flyer bus.
The airport of Wales: the T9 bus and the train to Rhoose.
The Metro into the city for £2.50, and the gateway to Hadrian's Wall.
The 500 bus, the 86A to South Parkway, and when to choose Manchester instead.
Tram or the 24-hour Airlink bus, and Scotland's first 2-litre liquids rule.
No railway, but the 24-hour Airport Express 500 – plus Glasgow Prestwick.
Belfast International and Belfast City compared, and the ETA at the open border.
Twelve things about Britain's airports that most travellers find out too late. Swipe or scroll sideways.
Belfast has two airports in opposite directions from the city – and they are not interchangeable. Check your ticket twice.
Belfast airports guideThe UK's ETA also applies if you cross the open land border from Dublin into Northern Ireland – there are no checks, but the rule still stands.
UK visa and entry rulesEdinburgh was the first Scottish airport to allow liquids up to 2 litres in hand luggage – but your return airport may still apply 100 ml.
Edinburgh Airport guideGlasgow Airport has no railway station, despite decades of plans for one. The Airport Express 500 bus runs 24 hours a day instead.
Glasgow Airport guideElvis Presley set foot on British soil only once – during a refuelling stop at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in 1960.
Glasgow Airport guideNewcastle's Metro takes you from the terminal to the city centre in about 25 minutes, with the adult fare capped at £2.50.
Newcastle Airport guideIn 1846 two Newcastle Quaker women raised the money to buy Frederick Douglass's legal freedom from his former owner.
Newcastle Airport guideLiverpool's airport was renamed after John Lennon in 2001 – a yellow submarine sculpture stands outside the terminal.
Liverpool Airport guideOnly Heathrow and Manchester let you change between international flights without passing UK border control.
Transit and the ETAThe Elizabeth line is usually the best way from Heathrow into London – slower than the Heathrow Express, but much cheaper and straight through the centre.
Heathrow Airport guideBuy a train ticket to "Luton Airport" and the DART shuttle from Luton Airport Parkway is already included.
Luton Airport guideGeorge Best Belfast City Airport is so close to the centre that the cheapest way in is a short walk to Sydenham station and a train.
Belfast airports guideBritain's biggest airport, with four terminals (2, 3, 4 and 5). Three rail options run into London:
Full details: Heathrow Airport guide.
London's second airport, about 45 km south. The Gatwick Express runs to Victoria in about 30 minutes; Thameslink and Southern trains are often cheaper and also go to London Bridge, Blackfriars and St Pancras. Full details: Gatwick Airport guide.
The base of the low-cost European airlines. The Stansted Express to Liverpool Street takes about 47 to 50 minutes. Cheap flights, long journey: count the train fare in the price. Full details: Stansted Airport guide.
Another low-cost airport. The DART shuttle takes you from the terminal to Luton Airport Parkway station, where trains reach St Pancras in about half an hour. Buy your ticket to "Luton Airport" and the DART is included. Full details: Luton Airport guide.
Small, fast and close: the DLR reaches Bank in the City of London in about 22 minutes, and Canary Wharf even sooner. Mostly business and short European flights. Full details: London City Airport guide.
Wales's main airport lies at Rhoose, in the Vale of Glamorgan, south-west of Cardiff. There is no station at the terminal. Two options:
Many visitors to Wales fly into Bristol, Manchester or London instead and continue by train. Full details: Cardiff Airport guide. Explore the country in our heritage and culture of Wales guide.
More in our guide to the heritage and culture of Scotland.
The two airports are in opposite directions – check which one is on your ticket. Full details, plus flying in via Dublin and the ETA at the open border: Belfast airports guide. Arriving for a short stay? Read one day in Belfast for first-timers or plan a week with 7 days in Northern Ireland.
Most direct flights from Africa land at Heathrow, among them routes from Accra, Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Cairo and Casablanca. Gatwick takes a smaller number. From many other African cities you will connect through a hub such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Casablanca, Istanbul, Dubai, Doha, Amsterdam or Brussels, and that route often brings you to a regional UK airport too.
Read our full guide to flights from Africa to the UK, and our general guide to flights to the UK. On our partner site Ghana Flights you will find the routes from Accra in detail: Accra to London, British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and KLM.
Visa rules for African passport holders are in our guide to UK visa and entry from Africa.
Only Heathrow and Manchester let you change between international flights without passing through UK border control ("airside transit"). Since January 2025 passengers who stay airside at these two airports have been temporarily exempt from needing an ETA. The Home Office says this exemption is under review, so check before you fly.
At every other UK airport, and whenever you change airports, collect bags or leave the airport, you pass border control and need whatever an ordinary visitor needs: an ETA or a visa. Some nationalities need a transit visa even to stay airside. Never book a connection between two London airports, such as Gatwick to Heathrow, without allowing for border control and a coach journey of an hour or more.
Private airport transfers, London day trips and tours across Britain can be booked in advance. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but are always welcome.
Airlines, routes and how to fly in for less.
Visas and the ETA for every nationality.
All our honest guides in one place.
Britain Adventures is an independent partner website. Our partner sites on Africa and its history are where the stories on this page continue:
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