International Travel:Departure TaxNone.
Main AirportsHeathrow (LHR) (website:
www.heathrowairport.com) is 24km (15 miles) west of central London.
To/from the airport: The London Underground stops at Heathrow (tel: (020) 7222 1234; website:
www.tfl.gov.uk) (journey time to city center - 45 minutes).
Heathrow Express (tel: 0845 600 1515, in the UK; website:
www.heathrowexpress.com) runs from London
Paddington station (journey time – 15 minutes). A shuttle service to London hotels is also available from
dot2dot (website:
www.dot2.com). Taxis are available outside each terminal.
Gatwick (LGW) (website:
www.gatwickairport.com) is 45km (28 miles) south of central London.
To/from the airport: Gatwick Express (tel: 0845 850 1530, in the UK,
or (0121) 410 5015; website:
www.gatwickexpress.co.uk) connects the airport with London Victoria station (journey time – 30 minutes). There is also a shuttle service to London hotels with
dot2dot (website:
www.dot2.com). Taxis are
available outside the terminal.
London City Airport (LCY) (website:
www.londoncityairport.com) is 10km (6 miles) east of the City of London.
To/from the airport: Docklands Light Railway services run to the airport. The nearest Underground station is Canning Town. Local buses stop at the terminal. There is a taxi rank outside the terminal.
Stansted (STN) (website:
www.stanstedairport.com) is 48km (30 miles) northeast of central London.
To/from the airport: The
Stansted Express (tel: 0845 600 7245; website:
www.stanstedexpress.co.uk) runs from London Liverpool Street (journey time – 45 minutes). Local buses run to surrounding towns. Taxis are available (journey time - 1 hour 30 minutes to central London).
Luton (LTN) (website:
www.london-luton.co.uk) is 51km (32 miles) northeast of London.
To/from the airport: Trains and coaches run to London and other cities.
Greenline bus 757 (website:
www.greenline.co.uk) runs to Luton and on to central London.
easyBus (website:
www.easybus.co.uk) runs an express minibus to central London. Local buses run from the airport to Luton bus and rail stations. Taxis can be hired outside the terminal building.
Birmingham (BHX) (website:
www.bhx.co.uk) is 13km (8 miles) southeast of the city center.
To/from the airport: It is connected to the rail network and has a service to London Euston (journey time – 1 hour 20 minutes). Local bus services operate. Taxis are available outside the terminals (journey time – 25 minutes).
Manchester (MAN) (website:
www.manchesterairport.co.uk) is 17km (10 miles) southwest of the city center.
To/from the airport: Manchester Airport train station links to Manchester city center (journey time – 20 minutes). Trains also connect to all parts of the country. A local bus runs frequently to the city center; contact
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (tel: 0871 200 2233; website:
www.gmpte.com). There are taxis available (journey time to city center – 25 minutes).
Newcastle (NCL) (website:
www.newcastleairport.com) is 10km (6 miles) northwest of the city center.
To/from the airport: The
Tyne and Wear Metro (website:
www.tyneandwearmetro.co.uk) connects the Newcastle area with the airport. The nearest railway station is Newcastle Central, 11km (7 miles) from the airport, linked by the Metro. Local bus services run. Taxis are available (journey time to city center – 15 to 20 minutes).
The national rail network (tel: 0845 748 4950; website:
www.nationalrail.co.uk) and
National Express coach (tel: 0870 580 8080; website:
www.nationalexpress.com) services connect all of the above airports with the rest of the country.
Facilities: The airports listed above are all of a high international standard and include car hire, banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, restaurants and bars.
Getting There by WaterThere are many ports offering ferry connections between England and mainland Europe, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man. See
Getting There in the main
United Kingdom section for more details.
Getting There by RailThere are connections to London and Ashford (Kent) from major cities all over Europe through the Channel Tunnel with
Eurostar (website:
www.eurostar.com).
England’s rail network (tel: 0845 748 4950; website:
www.nationalrail.co.uk) serves all main cities in the UK mainland. All routes radiate from London. Rail services are operated by numerous private companies.
There are services to the Republic of Ireland via Fishguard and Holyhead, and to Northern Ireland.
Getting There by RoadCoach services from all over Europe connect to England through the Eurotunnel (website:
www.eurotunnel.com).
Many
coach companies offer express and stopping services throughout England and the rest of the UK. The main operator,
National Express (tel: 0870 580 8080; website:
www.nationalexpress.com), provides nationwide coach information.
Internal Travel:Getting Around by RoadEngland is served by a good network of motorways and trunk roads that connect all the main cities and towns.
The main motorways are:
M1: London, Luton, Leicester, Sheffield, Leeds.
M2/A2: London to Dover.
M3: London to Winchester.
M4: London, Reading, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff, Swansea.
M5: Birmingham, Gloucester, Bristol, Exeter.
M6: Coventry, Birmingham, Stoke, Warrington (connecting with the M62 for Liverpool and Manchester), Preston (connecting with the M55 for Blackpool), Morecambe, Carlisle.
M11: London to Cambridge.
M20/A20: London to Folkestone.
M25: London orbital.
M40: London to Birmingham.
M62: Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, Hull.
The main trunk roads are:
A1/A1(M) (motorway in parts)
: London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Darlington, Newcastle, Edinburgh.
A3: London, Guildford, Portsmouth.
A5: London, St Albans, Nuneaton, Birmingham area, Shrewsbury, across inland north Wales to Holyhead.
A6: London, Bedford, Leicester, Manchester.
A11: London to Norwich.
A12: London, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth.
A23: London to Brighton.
A30: London, Basingstoke, Yeovil, Exeter, Penzance.
A40: London, Oxford (M40), Gloucester, Cheltenham, across inland south Wales to Fishguard.
Getting Around Towns and CitiesAll towns and cities have
bus services. In addition, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and the cities in South Yorkshire and Newcastle have suburban rail services. Newcastle also has a
metro. All cities have
taxi services.
London has a comprehensive metro/subway - the
Underground (colloquially, the ‘tube’) and the
Docklands Light Railway (DLR). There is also an extensive network of overground
rail services. There is an excellent network of
buses. Leisure and commuter
boat services on the River Thames are run by a variety of private companies. There are
tram routes in south London.
Taxis can be hailed in the street or ordered by phone. For further information on public transport in London, contact
Transport for London (Tfl) (website:
www.tfl.gov.uk).
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