London: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
London is the capital of United Kingdom (England), 25 m (82 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), 24 km (15 mi) from the centre. It has a dozen or more railway stations on record, including City Thameslink railway station. Our booking partner lists 19,281+ places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in London runs from about 7 h 54 min a day in late December to 16 h 43 min in late June (computed for 51.51° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
London is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), 24 km (15 mi) from the centre, whose 12,799-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are London Gatwick Airport (LGW, 40 km), London Luton Airport (LTN, 44 km), London Stansted Airport (STN, 49 km), London City Airport (LCY, 13 km), London Southend Airport (SEN, 57 km).
Flights to London: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include City Thameslink railway station, New Cross Gate railway station, Gospel Oak railway station, South Tottenham railway station, Brondesbury railway station, Harringay Green Lanes railway station. Trains to London
Buses to London · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 19,281+ places to stay in London (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 940 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (447), and 165 are five-star. Across 946 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.3 out of 10. Guests have left 3,419,365 reviews in total.
Hotels in London: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Waterloo & City line | 15,892,000 | 2012 |
The busiest is Waterloo & City line at 15,892,000 visitors in 2012. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.
UNESCO World Heritage in the city: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Tours, tickets and day trips from London
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Paris, 344 km (France) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Birmingham, 163 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Brussels, 320 km (Belgium) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Rotterdam, 321 km (The Netherlands) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Amsterdam, 357 km (The Netherlands) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Manchester, 262 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Sheffield, 227 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Leeds, 272 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Antwerp, 316 km (Belgium) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Liverpool, 286 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Berlin, Mumbai, New York City, Algiers, Sofia, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing, Karachi, Zagreb, Tehran, Arequipa, Delhi, Bogotá.
Common questions
Which airport serves London?
London Heathrow Airport (LHR), 24 km (15 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is London?
About 9 million people live in London, across 1,572 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is London in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in London?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
How many hotels are there in London?
Our booking partner lists 19,281 or more places to stay in London, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near London?
Paris (344 km), Birmingham (163 km), Brussels (320 km), Rotterdam (321 km), Amsterdam (357 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.