Getting from the airport to the city in United Kingdom

They go to roughly the same place. The price gap is enormous.

• The Piccadilly line is the answer for most people. It costs a third of the Elizabeth line and takes 20 minutes longer. It also runs into the middle of town rather than to Paddington.
• Heathrow journeys are always charged at the peak rate if they start, end or pass through Zone 1, whatever the time of day. There is no off-peak saving to wait for.
• Heathrow Express is worth it only if someone else is paying or you are very short of time. Booked well in advance it drops considerably, but walk-up fares are punishing.
• Tap in and out with the same contactless card or phone. Do not buy a paper ticket and do not tap one card in and another out.

• Gatwick, Stansted and Luton all have a branded express and a slower ordinary train on the same tracks. The ordinary one is usually half the price. At Gatwick, Southern and Thameslink services run alongside the Gatwick Express to the same London terminals.
• Luton has a shuttle to the station, which is included in a through ticket but catches people who buy only the rail leg.
• Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports all have a direct tram or train into the city, and all are straightforward.
• Edinburgh's tram runs from the terminal to the city centre in about 30 minutes and is far cheaper than a taxi.
• Coaches are the budget option everywhere. National Express and Megabus serve every major airport, are slower, and cost a fraction of the train if booked ahead.

• Uber and Bolt operate at most UK airports but Heathrow, Gatwick and others confine them to specific pick-up zones that can be a long walk.
• Black cabs are metered and honest and expensive. Heathrow to central London is comfortably over GBP 100.
• Never accept a ride from someone approaching you in the terminal. Licensed private hire cannot legally be hailed on the spot, so anyone offering is operating illegally and uninsured.