Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest in the world, and each year tens of millions of people pass through it for holidays or for business purposes. Regardless of whether you’re going to London for a holiday, or heading out somewhere, the first consideration is always getting to the airport.

First of all, for people who are visiting London, if you’re tempted to get a hotel near Heathrow on the principal that it’ll be an easy base to get to, you should resist the temptation. There are loads of great hotels for holiday-makers in the city, but they’re not around Heathrow. Whilst those near the airport might be cheaper, a website like Millennium could save you a lot of money and hassle by finding top quality London hotels in the centre of the city.

Secondly, never, unless you can absolutely avoid it, take the Heathrow Express. The Heathrow Express runs from Heathrow to London Paddington and costs around £16 one way if you book in advance, or around £23 if you buy your ticket there and then. There are several problems with this: 1) it’s too expensive, 2) Paddington is in central London, but not really and 3) it’s too expensive.

A better idea is simply to hop on the London Underground (which has stations at all Heathrow’s terminals), if you’re new to the city this gives you an opportunity to sort out your Oyster card away from the bustle of a major city centre tube, and you’ll have no problem getting onto a carriage because they’re almost always empty at Heathrow. The Piccadilly line will take you directly into the heart of London, it stops at South Kensington, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and Holborn, so you’ll actually be dropped off right in the heart of the city.

Another tip, some unwitting tourists book rental cars to get into and to get around London. Don’t do this. London has one of the best transport infrastructures in the world, and a car will only cause problems. You can always trust licensed London cabbies, and a taxi ride in a black cab is part of the holiday experience. A cab from the airport should cost around £40.00.

If you are going to be travelling outside of London, you may need to book a car, but it’s always better to get the train out to nearby wherever you’re going and then find a rental car, London prices are often expensive, you’ll be surprised how much cheaper things are a hundred miles from the city.

Getting around central London is easy and extremely rapid, so wherever you find a good hotel you’re guaranteed to be able to get to most of the tourist sites easily. The best way of getting around is the tube, and that applies to getting into the city from Heathrow, just as much as it does from getting from one great cultural site to another.