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Accessible Travel To London
Accessible Travel to London is achievable by either flying to Gatwick or Heathrow, or by taking a train into the city.
Getting To London By Plane
There are two main airports, London Heathrow and London Gatwick. There are also three smaller airports called London Stansted, London Luton, and London City. London City is primarily used for business travel. All airports around the world that I have ever visited have step-free access and the London airports are no different.
Heathrow Airport
The best option to get from the airport into town is to take a taxi or the Heathrow Express/Connect train. A taxi is accessible, more expensive, and will take you directly to your hotel. The Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect trains are accessible, less expensive, and you will need to transfer to an accessible bus at Paddington train station (shown on the map below). The Express train is more expensive but has less stops and runs more frequently than the Connect train.
Taxis – London taxis are wheelchair accessible. See pictures on the Accessible Transportation in London page to see what ramp into taxi looks like. It costs about £50 to central London
Heathrow Express train – Wheelchair Accessible, £15.50 if bought from the ticket machine at Heathrow Airport and £17.50 if purchased onboard. It is a 15 minute ride and departs every 15 minutes from Heathrow Central (Terminals 1-3) and Terminal 5. Arrivals into Terminal 4 should take the accessible bus to Terminal 1-3 to catch it. The train goes to Paddington train station which is northwest of the top tourist sights in town. From Paddington, you can catch bus 23 or 15 to Piccadilly circus, Trafalgar Square or other destinations.
Heathrow Connect train – The Heathrow Connect train is the same as the Heathrow Express except for price and frequency. £7.40, 25 minutes from airport to Paddington station, departs once or twice an hour.
National Express bus – Bus line 403 is accessible and goes to Victoria Station in London, Bus line 204 is accessible and connects Heathrow to Gatwick airport.
Disabled Persons helpline +44 (0) 8717 818179
Tube – The tube is not a good option. It is accessible to get on at Heathrow but does not have many accessible stops in town. It is 50 minutes to Green Park then you would need to transfer to another Tube line (no accessible exit at Green Park). Departures are from all terminals, £4
Hoppa bus – The Hoppa bus is not accessible (no wheelchair lift). If you do not need a wheelchair lift, it is a cheap transportation option to many hotels.
Airbus – This option no longer exists although some old websites may list it as an option.
Gatwick Airport
If you require assistance at Gatwick Airport, call G4S at +44 (0)1293 507 502. You can also request assistance once you get to the airport.
Gatwick Express train runs from the airport to London Victoria (shown on the map below). It takes approximately 30 minutes and leaves every 15 minutes during the day and hourly at night. I have not ridden the Gatwick Express myself, but I would guess that there’s step-free access to the platform and getting on the train is either step-free or a single step.
London Stansted Airport
London Stansted airport can be reached via the accessible Stansted Express Bus. 44 (0)845 8500 150 www.stanstedexpress.com
London Luton Airport
There are several accessible transportation options to get from Luton airport into London. The First Capital Connect train is accessible and you need to call 44 (0)800 058 2844 at least 24 hours in advance. Another option is the accessible easyBus. www.easybus.co.uk You can also use the Green Line accessible busses by calling 44 (0)870 608 7261 in advance.
London City Airport
London City airport can be reached via the accessible DLR (Docklands Light Railway) train.
Additional Resources about London Airports
Good information on transport from airports into London from visitlondon.com
Getting to London by train
Accessible travel to London is also possible on the Eurostar train via the Channel Tunnel. It has direct connections from Paris and Brussels. It arrives and departs from the St. Pancras station which is located near the British Library on the north side of town (shown on the map below).
Other major stations include Waterloo, Paddington, King’s Cross, Euston, Charing Cross, Victoria, London Bridge, Fenchurch Street, and Liverpool Street.
Disabled passenger information on National Rail website
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