A KU Guide to the Four Major London Airports!

Whether you're an international or home student, if you're travelling overseas like I was, moving to Kingston likely requires a pit stop in one of London's airports. With so many major ones to choose from, it can be difficult to decide where to fly into - so hopefully this guide helps!

Heathrow Airport
In terms of distance, Heathrow Airport is by far the closest - it's only 7.3 miles from Kingston-upon-Thames, or 25-35 minutes on the local bus. If you have a contactless or Oyster card, a bus might be the cheapest option at £1.75 - but if you have a lot of suitcases when you first arrive, consider taking a taxi for roughly £15-25.

Bus Routes: X26 (runs from Heathrow Central Bus Station to Kingston Station), 285 (runs a similar route to the X26 with the same start and end point, although slightly longer due to more stops).

Alternative Route: Get the London Underground to Hounslow East and get the 111 or 281 bus to Cromwell Road Bus Station.

Gatwick Airport
Roughly 27 miles away from Kingston-upon-Thames sits another one of London's major airports - Gatwick! For Gatwick, your easiest route will likely be by overground train - you can get a train from Gatwick Airport to Clapham Junction, and then change at Clapham Junction to a line that takes you to either Kingston or Surbiton. This will cost you between £9.50 to £14.20 depending on your time of travel. Alternatively, you can get the train from Gatwick to East Croydon Railway Station, and continue on the X26 bus towards Kingston - however, this might take a little while longer!

If you're travelling with family or have a lot of luggage, taxi prices can vary from £36-70 depending on availability and number of passengers. Whilst this may seem a little steep, it could be necessary depending on when your flight arrives in - check ahead to make sure your preferred mode of transport is still running for the day!

Luton Airport
Luton isn't technically in London - but it's still considered a London airport at around 41 miles from Kingston-upon-Thames. As it's slightly further out, public transport will take a bit longer - for me, the easiest way is to get the Thameslink from the Luton Airport Parkway Station to King's Cross St. Pancras, and then change at St. Pancras on to the London Underground. From there, take the Victoria line towards Vauxhall, and then change again at Vauxhall to the Overground and jump on the next train to Kingston Station.

Whilst this process can seem slightly convoluted, flights into Luton do tend to be cheaper - so if you can score a cheap deal on these trains through sites like Trainline, it might make it a more affordable option!

Alternative Route: Get the National Express bus from Luton Airport to Heathrow Airport, and then the X26 or 285 towards Kingston. Check the price of the bus on the National Express website.

Stansted Airport
Unfortunately, Stansted is the furthest London airport from Kingston-upon-Thames at around 52 miles - luckily, that also means there's lots of different ways to get to and from it!

The Stansted Express, the airports own train service, runs from Stansted to Tottenham Hale. You could then continue on the London Underground from Tottenham Hale on the Victoria line until Vauxhall, and then change to the Overground at Vauxhall and continue on to either Kingston or Surbiton. However, the Stansted Express can be pricey depending on when you book it (£25-35), and there are objectively cheaper, albeit longer routes.

Personally, I would get the National Express from Stansted to Stratford, which recently cost me about £7.90. I would then travel from Stratford to Ealing Broadway on the London Underground's Central Line, and then get the 85 bus from Ealing Broadway to Kingston. Whilst this is cheaper, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if you have a ton of suitcases, so make sure you're aware of your luggage circumstances.

I hope this was helpful for anyone currently trying to plan their way to get to Kingston this September - how are you finding it? If you need any help, just drop
a message down below! :biggrin: