A London trip is bookended by its airports, and how you begin and end it sets the tone for everything in between. Get it right and the journey feels like part of the occasion; get it wrong and a great few days finish in a fluorescent queue. With a little planning, even Heathrow on a Monday morning can feel civilised.
Begin in a good lounge
The lounge is where the journey turns from chore to pleasure. London’s airports hold some of the finest in the world, from British Airways’ hushed Concorde Room at Terminal 5 to the legendary Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and the invitation-only Windsor Suite, where you are driven to the aircraft and never see the concourse at all. If you are not flying a premium cabin, a pay-per-visit lounge buys the same calm for an hour or two. We have rounded up the best in our guide to the best airport lounges in London.
Stay the night before
For an early departure, nothing beats sleeping a covered walkway from your gate. The Sofitel at Terminal 5 does it with French polish; further out, a clutch of comfortable, well-run hotels make the 5am alarm almost bearable. The trick is to match the hotel to your terminal, then let the park-and-fly package do the rest. See our pick of the best hotels near Heathrow.
Then arrive in the city in style
Once you are through, the city is closer than you think. The Elizabeth line and the Heathrow Express both deliver you to central London in well under an hour, and a good hotel can have a car waiting. However you travel in, the reward is the same: a city that rewards getting the evening right. Start with somewhere worth the occasion from our guide to dining in London, or settle in at one of the grand hotels of Mayfair.
Travel well, and the evening takes care of itself.
