A layover is the gap between two flights. The right plan depends on how many hours you really have, and that is fewer than the gap on your ticket. Take away the time to get through the airport at both ends, and what is left is what you can use.
Work out your real hours first
From the time you land, take off:
- Immigration and baggage, if you are leaving the airport. This is the slowest and least predictable part.
- The journey back, plus the time to get through check-in and security again. Connecting passengers are screened again at Heathrow.
- A margin. Delays on the way back cost more than delays on the way out.
We would plan on losing about three hours at the two ends together, and more at busy times or if you are changing terminal. That is our estimate, not a published figure. A seven-hour gap on your ticket is nearer four hours that you can spend.
Up to about six hours: stay inside
Heathrow's own advice for up to six hours is to stay on the airside of security and use what is there: places to eat, shops and lounges. A lounge gives you a seat, food and drink, Wi-Fi and charging, and some have showers and quiet rest areas. See the facilities guide for what is where.
Leaving the airport for a short gap is rarely worth it. You spend the gap in queues.
Six to nine hours: a hotel is worth it
With six hours or more, a bed and a shower make the rest of the journey much easier, and Heathrow has hotels beside the terminals. The decision that matters is how much of the gap the journey there takes, so the question is not which hotel is best but which one costs you the fewest minutes.
- Where a hotel is joined to the terminal by a covered walk, you lose very little.
- Where it needs a pod or bus, allow the ride each way and the wait for it, which we put at about half an hour each way for a bus.
- A hotel that sells time by the hour costs far less than one that sells a night.
Our short lists work this out for each terminal. Pick yours:
If your layover is overnight and your next flight is early, use the overnight connection lists instead. The terminals differ, so change the terminal in the address to match yours.
Nine hours or more: central London is possible
Heathrow says Paddington is as little as 15 minutes away by Heathrow Express or the Elizabeth line, and about 45 minutes or more by taxi. With nine hours or more you can get in, spend a few hours, and be back with margin.
Before you plan it, check three things:
- Can you leave the airport? Entry rules depend on your passport and where you are travelling next. Check them before you buy anything.
- Where are your bags? If they are checked through, you cannot reach them. If you have to collect them, or you are on separate tickets, you need to store them or carry them. The facilities guide covers luggage storage.
- The return trip. Count back from the time you must be at security, not from take-off, and leave a margin. Missing a connection on separate tickets is expensive.
Which terminal matters
If you change terminal during your layover, add the transfer. Terminals 2 and 3 are a walk apart. Terminals 4 and 5 are each a train from the centre. The guide to getting between terminals says how long to allow.
The short version
| Time you can really use | What we would do |
|---|---|
| Under 4 hours | Stay airside. Eat, charge, sit somewhere quiet. |
| 4 to 6 hours | Stay airside, or a lounge with a shower. |
| 6 to 9 hours | A hotel you can walk to, ideally by the hour. |
| 9 hours or more | A hotel, or a few hours in central London if you may leave. |