Route
Journey times, operators and connections for the routes we cover. You book with the operator; we show you who runs it and how long it takes.
Journey times and carriers on this route.
direct, non-stop on Heathrow Express; the Elizabeth line also reaches Paddington directly but calls at intermediate stations first
Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line
door to door
Private road transfer — availability and price depend on the provider; this is not an offer
The parts people get wrong. Each one links to where we checked it.
Easy to get wrong
Heathrow Express's own site states a 15-minute non-stop journey time from Terminals 2&3, but a traveller starting from Terminal 4 must first take a connecting Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express shuttle to Terminals 2&3/5 before boarding - it is not a single uniform 15 minutes from every terminal.
heathrowexpress.com · checked 2026-09-10
Fixed fare
Heathrow Express fares are dynamic (advance/off-peak/walk-up tiers) rather than a single fixed price, and walk-up single fares run noticeably higher than the Elizabeth line's flat TfL zonal fare for the same origin-destination pair - a traveller who only checks one option's teaser price can be surprised by the other's actual cost.
en.wikipedia.org · checked 2026-09-10
Hours
Heathrow Express runs from 05:10 (06:10 on Sundays) until 23:25 - outside those hours, the Elizabeth line or Piccadilly line (which both run later/earlier, subject to Underground night patterns) are the only direct rail options to central London.
en.wikipedia.org · checked 2026-09-10