Layover in London: what fits in your hours

How much time you really get

We count 15 minutes each way on the Heathrow Express from Heathrow Central (T2 & T3) to London Paddington, plus 20% for waiting, 45 minutes from landing to the exit, and 120 minutes back at the airport before departure. Bags checked through.

Plan with your own flight times and passport ↗

Can you leave the airport?

Leaving the airport means entering the United Kingdom. Of the 13 passports we cover, India, China (mainland), South Africa and Philippines need a visa; the others can go without one, some with an online authorisation. Rules for every passport, with official sources →

Two hours: Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

Layover of 5 h 30 min or more

Walk south from Paddington; the park starts ten minutes away.

1. Kensington Gardens and the Italian Gardens. The closest green space to Paddington, with the Long Water and the Peter Pan statue.
2. Hyde Park and the Serpentine. Cross into Hyde Park along the lake; continue to Marble Arch and take the Elizabeth line back from Bond Street.

Four hours: Westminster

Layover of 7 h 30 min or more

Bakerloo line from Paddington to Charing Cross; everything after that on foot.

1. Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Free entry to one of the world’s great painting collections.
2. Whitehall to Big Ben. Walk down past Downing Street to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
3. St James’s Park to Buckingham Palace. Back through the park to the palace, then the Tube back to Paddington.

Seven hours: along the Thames

Layover of 10 h 30 min or more

Westminster Bridge → South Bank on foot → Tower Bridge.

1. South Bank. From the London Eye along the river past the Southbank Centre to the Tate Modern (free) and Shakespeare’s Globe.
2. Borough Market. London’s best-known food market, a few minutes from the river.
3. Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Cross the river and finish at the Tower; the Elizabeth line from Liverpool Street goes straight back to Heathrow.

Good to know

• Tap a contactless card or phone on the Tube, the Elizabeth line and the Heathrow Express; no ticket needed.
• The Elizabeth line is slower than the Heathrow Express but goes straight through central London, so it often saves a change.
• Terminal 4 and 5 have fewer trains: add time if your flight leaves from there.

Opening hours and ticket prices change: check them on Visit London (official tourism site) before you go.