London is one of Europe's leading air and rail hubs, and there are many motorways into the city from all over the UK.

By air

The ideal way to get to London is by air. Few destinations in the world have so many air routes and direct connections to every regional European airport, as well as the vast majority of the world's capitals.

London is also the largest hub for several low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, so flights from European destinations in particular are often very cheap.

There are 6 international airports around London. Click on the airport name below for information on distance from the city centre, transport to the city or nearby accommodation.

• London Heathrow LHR
• London City LCY
• London Gatwick LGW
• London Stansted STN
• London Luton LTN
• London Southend SEN

Where and how to buy tickets to London?

Most flights can be purchased from airlines with bases in London. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are the main carriers to London from destinations outside Europe.

British Airways also has European routes in its portfolio and then the aforementioned low-cost airlines Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, which together fly to hundreds of destinations.

However, the British capital is served by airlines from all over the world. Compare fares for all airlines on Skyscanner, for example. Always choose the airline directly from the retailers' offers.

Compare flight prices to London

By Eurostar from Europe

London also has a direct train connection to continental Europe via the Eurostar high-speed railway, which runs through more than 30km of Eurotunnel under the English Channel.

Eurostar trains cover the distance of over 460km in 2.5 hours, making their journey every two hours - from Paris or Brussels and Amsterdam.

One-way tickets start at 57 eur when bought at least three weeks in advance. As the departure date approaches, tickets go up to values around 140 eur.

Tickets are most easily purchased on the Eurostar website or via the UK website thetrainline.com, where ticket prices are identical to those on the Eurostar website.

Fast trains to Europe run from London St. Pancras International station and some services also stop at Stratford International station.

By train from UK cities

Britain's rail network is one of the densest in the world and you can actually get to all the major cities around the UK by train from London. Britain's railways are heavily liberalised, with up to a dozen different companies operating here.

However, you don't need to search all the transport company websites to find connections and buy tickets, just use the popular UK search engine thetrainline.com.

Ticket prices are usually significantly higher than for buses, but connections are usually faster and more convenient. As with buses or airline tickets, the earlier you buy a ticket, the cheaper it can be.

London has no central main station, but dozens of terminus and through stations around the perimeter of the centre.

So when buying a ticket or looking for a connection, be careful which station your train actually leaves from.

Examples of directions and departure stations:

• Cambridge - Kings Cross, St. Pancras, Liverpool Street
• Oxford - Paddington Station, Marylebone
• Manchester, Liverpool - Euston station
• Birmingham - Euston or Marylebone station
• Bristol, Cardiff, Newquay - Paddington station
• Edinburgh - King's Cross station
• Glasgow, Aberdeen - Euston or Kings Cross station
• Brighton, Eastbourne - Victoria, Blackfriars station
• Porstmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth - Waterloo or Victoria station
• Exeter - Waterloo or Paddington station

Buy your ticket at thetrainline.com

By bus from UK cities

Long-distance bus services are quite popular in Britain and considerably cheaper than trains. Three major carriers operate on British roads: National Express, which offers connections to literally every corner of Britain, Megabus, which runs only on the main routes between major cities, and Flixbus.

On competing routes, Flixbus or Megabus usually have cheaper tickets, but if you buy more in advance (at least a month in advance), National Express has cheaper promotional tickets.

• Find connections and buy National Express tickets
• Find connections and buy tickets on Flixbus
• find connections and buy tickets for Megabus

Examples of prices on connections from London:

• Birmingham - on sale from 3,90 gbp, normal price around 10 gbp
• Bristol - on sale from 3,90 gbp, normal price around 9 gbp
• Manchester - on sale from 3,90 gbp, normal price around 12 gbp
• Southampton - on sale from 6,50 gbp, normal price around 8 gbp
• Newquay - normal price around 20 gbp
• Brighton - on sale from 5 gbp, normal price around 9 gbp

The vast majority of long-distance bus services depart from Victoria Central Station, where the Victoria, District and Circle tube lines cross.