Guides
Get from the plane to the meeting room without losing an hour, and know which hotel sits on your line.
GuidesHeathrow Express or Elizabeth line: into London for meetings
Heathrow Express reaches Paddington in 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3; the Elizabeth line takes 28 minutes and runs on to Bond Street and Farringdon.
What do the travel guides cover?
Each travel guide answers one practical question that decides how a working day starts or ends: how to get from the airport to a first meeting, which terminal to aim for, which line serves which business district. The Heathrow guide compares the two fast trains into London. Heathrow Express runs non-stop to Paddington in 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3 and in 21 minutes from Terminal 5. The Elizabeth line takes 28 minutes to Paddington, then carries on under the West End and the City, through Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street to Canary Wharf.
Each guide copies times and frequencies from the operator’s own page, Heathrow Express and Transport for London here, with the date they were checked, and says plainly where a figure is not published. Accor hotels appear only where their own pages publish a fact about the journey, such as the walk to the station.
How should you plan the first hour after landing?
Work back from the first meeting. Find its nearest station, then the train that reaches it without a change, then check your terminal, since frequencies differ from one terminal to the next.
At Heathrow, Terminals 2 and 3 have four Elizabeth line trains an hour and Terminal 5 has two, and Heathrow Express takes six minutes longer from Terminal 5. Terminal 4 has no Heathrow Express at all: the operator says the inter-terminal transfer from Heathrow Central adds five to ten minutes. Transport for London prints 39 minutes from Heathrow to Liverpool Street and 45 to Canary Wharf, each with a change at Paddington, because not every train runs on through the central tunnel.
Then check the hotel’s clock. Sofitel London Heathrow, ibis London Heathrow Airport and Sanderson London all give check-in from 15:00, so a morning landing means a bag drop before the meeting. Hyde London City offers free early check-in and late check-out when you book direct.
Which Accor hotels serve Heathrow itself?
Two Accor hotels in the Heathrow guide stand at the airport. Sofitel London Heathrow is about 160 m from Terminal 5, reached by a covered walkway of roughly five minutes. It has 605 rooms and 45 meeting rooms, including a 1,309 m² ballroom for up to 1,300 delegates, with a spa open daily from 09:00 to 21:00 and a gym open 24 hours. Spa facility use is for adults only and charged per person.
ibis London Heathrow Airport, at 112 Bath Road in Harlington, is 1 km from Hayes & Harlington station on the Elizabeth line, with the walking time not published. It runs no shuttle of its own: the paid Hotel Hoppa bus reaches Terminal 3 in 14 minutes, Terminal 2 in 18 and Terminal 5 in 21, and no Hoppa route from the hotel serves Terminal 4. Breakfast starts at 06:30 every day, early enough for a first flight, and the hotel has no gym, pool or spa.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Heathrow Express take to Paddington?
15 minutes non-stop from Heathrow Central, the station for Terminals 2 and 3, and 21 minutes from Terminal 5, according to Heathrow Express. Trains run every 15 minutes in both directions, four an hour, with no stop in between. At Paddington you can change to the Bakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Elizabeth lines.
Does Heathrow Express serve Terminal 4?
No. Heathrow Express does not stop at Terminal 4: you take the inter-terminal transfer from Heathrow Central, which the operator says adds five to ten minutes, or the free Elizabeth line hop from the Terminals 2 and 3 station. The Elizabeth line itself serves Terminal 4 every 15 minutes.
How often does the Elizabeth line run from Heathrow Terminal 5?
Every 30 minutes, so two trains an hour, against every 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3 and from Terminal 4, according to Transport for London. The ride to Paddington takes 28 minutes. Check the departure board, since not every Heathrow train continues through the central tunnel to Liverpool Street or Canary Wharf.
Which Elizabeth line stations serve central London from Heathrow?
Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf all lie on the line. Transport for London prints 28 minutes to Paddington, 39 to Liverpool Street and 45 to Canary Wharf, the last two with a change at Paddington. Sofitel London Heathrow publishes 40 minutes from Terminal 5 to Bond Street.
Which Accor hotel in the guide is closest to Paddington?
Novotel London Paddington, 150 m from the station, a five-minute walk, on the Bakerloo, Elizabeth and Circle lines, so it works with either train from Heathrow. It has eleven meeting rooms, the largest 150 m² for up to 150 theatre-style, and a heated indoor pool. Its guest rooms are under full renovation with no published end date, so ask when you book.