Transfers between Luton Airport and London

Luton Airport is about 30 miles from London and there are a number of ways to get between the airport and the city, but for me, the best way is to book a shared or private transfer. Here's why.

The quickest and most convenient way to get to your hotel is to book a door-to-door transfer. This service can be booked exclusively for you and your companions (private option) or you can share it with other travellers to make it more affordable.

This is, in my opinion, the best way to get from Luton to central London and back. A driver will meet you on arrival at the airport and drop you off directly outside your hotel. The fact that you can share it with up to 15 other travellers makes it much more affordable and you are guaranteed no more than 3 stops in between to drop off other travellers.

Luggage

The driver will help you with your luggage and will drop you off at the door of your accommodation. You are limited to one large suitcase and one hand bag per passenger.

Meeting point

The meeting point with your driver is in front of the Costa Coffee shop, where a driver will be waiting for you with a blue City Transfers UK sign, giving you up to 90 minutes to disembark, collect your luggage and get to the pick-up point.

Shared return transfer from your hotel in central London to Luton

The car sharing service between London and Luton is the same there and back and lasts approximately 1 hour, depending on traffic during the journey, and can carry a maximum of 15 passengers.

48 hours before your hotel pick-up to take you back to Luton Airport, you will be asked to reconfirm your pick-up time and place. The driver will wait for you in the lobby of your hotel for up to 30 minutes from the scheduled pick-up time and if you are staying in private accommodation you will be advised of their arrival by knocking on the door or calling your contact number.

What is included in the shared car transfer service between Luton and London?

What is not included in the Luton to London carpooling service?

Luton to London carpooling timetable:

This service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When you make your reservation you must indicate the time and place of pick-up so that a vehicle and driver can be assigned to you.

If you are looking for a door-to-door transfer that is even faster, you can book a private transfer between Luton and your accommodation in London. It works in the same way as a shared transfer, but in this case you don't have to share the vehicle with other travellers.

Luggage Allowance

You are normally allowed to take one large suitcase and one hand luggage bag, but if you are travelling alone, you will usually be able to take more in the vehicle. However, if you are carrying bulky luggage, I recommend that you send an email to make sure there is no space problem.

Duration

The journey time will be a little faster than with the shared transfer, as you won't have to make any intermediate stops to drop off any passengers.

Private return transfer, from your hotel to Luton

For your return to the airport, you can book this private transfer from your London hotel to Luton. With this service, the driver will pick you up (you and your companion(s)) at the address you have indicated at the requested time and take you directly to the airport. When confirming when you would like to be picked up, please allow plenty of time in case there is traffic on the way to the airport.

As I said, there are different ways to get there, each with a different budget and waiting time, so I've simplified them all in this table so you can compare them at a glance and go straight for the one that best suits your needs:

Luton doesn't have its own train station, so it's not the most convenient, as you'll need to take up to three modes of transport to get to your accommodation: bus from the airport to Luton Airport Parkway station, then one of the two train lines to central London and from there take a taxi, bus or tube to your hotel.

As with all London airports, the cheapest way to get from Luton Airport to the city centre is on board one of the four bus routes available, ranging from 7 to 25 euros depending on the route and the company chosen: EasyBus, Terravision, National Express and Greenline 757. However, the bus is the slowest option: it takes an hour or more to reach the destination.

Easybus

Easybus is the cheapest bus company to get from Luton to London city centre and back, but takes the longest to get to London Victoria, taking 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Terravision

Terravision buses take slightly less time than Easybus buses to travel between Luton and central London, with a 1 hour journey time to Brent Cross, Baker Street, Marble Arch and London Victoria stations.

National Express

National Express is the bus company most used by travellers arriving in London from Luton Airport. In either 1 hour or 1 hour 40 minutes, you can reach one of their final destinations, London Victoria or Paddington, after making several stops along the way.

Hailing an Uber is another convenient way to get to London from Luton Airport. It will always work out a little cheaper than taking a taxi, which can cost around 130 euros per journey. However, these two options are by far the most expensive.

Don't worry if your flight doesn't land at Luton, because all the types of transport discussed in this article are available at all other London airports. In fact, I've written a guide on how to get from each of them, so I've linked them below so you can find out which one suits you best.

If you prefer to start organising your trip by buying your flight and transport, but you still don't know what you will do when you arrive in London, I recommend you to take a look at my posts about the city, as they are full of practical tips for you to decide how you want to spend your time during your trip. I'll leave you with the most complete ones so you can start organising your ideas. Have a safe trip!