Getting from Stansted Airport to Heathrow (and return)

London’s Heathrow Airport is Europe’s busiest airport and while it’s not typically used by European low-cost carriers , it’s popular with international airlines. So, if you fly from other parts of the world expect Europe, you’ll land here.

But you might want to travel to other cities in the UK or Europe and you need to transfer to London Stansted Airport , which is the third busiest airport in the UK and a major hub for European low-cost carriers.

London is known for the excellent network of public transportation , but also for how hard it is to figure out connections between the many options.

If you need to get from Stansted Airport to Heathrow Airport , or the other way around, this article explains the possible ways to do it.

Quick summary

The easiest and only direct link between Stansted Airport and Heathrow Airport is by a public shuttle operated by National Express. The journey time is about 1 ½ h and the single fare is £24.90.

Another fast option is to travel by train and tube. Take the Stansted Express to Liverpool St. Station, get to the tube station and take the tube to Paddington Station and from there take the Heathrow Express.

Shuttles from Stansted Airport to Heathrow

The only direct shuttle between Stansted Airport and Heathrow is provided by National Express . This is the most popular way to get between the two airports and is available near 24/7.

At Stansted Airport, the pick ups are in front of the passenger terminal, from the bus station.

At Heathrow, all buses go to the Central Bus Station , where Terminal 1 and 3 are. From the bus station, it takes 10 minutes (via moving walkways and lifts) to actually get to the Terminals.
From Terminals 4 and 5, there is a free train to/from the Central Bus Station, which runs every 15 minutes.

Single fare is £24.90 and the travel time between the two airports is about 1 ½ h. Coaches leave from Stansted Airport every hour or half hour , depending on the time of the day.

Bus and Tube from Stansted Airport to Heathrow

The cheapest way to get between Stansted Airport and Heathrow (or the other way around) is by taking the bus and the tube.

To get from Stansted Airport to Heathrow, follow the steps:

Stansted Airport to Stratford station by National Express; single fare is £8 and buses leave every 30 minutes from Stansted Airport bus station.
Stratford to Holborn by tube Central Line (red)
Holborn to Heathrow Terminal 1 and 3 by tube line Piccadilly (blue); the first train from Central London arrives at Heathrow around 6:30 a.m. and the last at 00:20 a.m. During the night there is the night bus (N9) , which stops at Terminal 1 and 3, as well as 5. The bus includes stops at Hammersmith, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly.

The total travel time between the two airports is about 3 hours.

Trains and tube from Stansted Airport to Heathrow

To get from Stansted Airport to Heathrow (or the other way around) by train and tube follow the steps:

From Stansted Airport, take the Stansted Express train to London Liverpool Street ; the journey time is about 45 minutes. An express class single ticket costs £20.
From Liverpool St. tube station, take the tube (Hammersmith and City line – pink ; or Circle line – yellow) to Paddington station.
From Paddington station take the Heathrow Express train to Heathrow Airport; the journey takes about 15 minutes. An express single ticket purchased online is £16.50.

Both express trains run every 15 minutes.

>>read more about Major Railway Stations in London

Private transfers between Stansted Airport and Heathrow

Another possibility is to book a private transfer between the two airports. Fares start at £119 for 4 people but there are shuttles which can carry 17+ people. The journey time is 1h 20 min.

Driving from Stansted Airport to Heathrow

You can also rent a car and drive the distance between the two airports.
The direct route is on M25. The 65 miles between Stansted Airport and Heathrow can be covered in about 1 ¼ h.

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Photo credits: Heathrow tube station , Stansted bus