If travelling from further afield, your best bet is to take a look on some of the travel websites such as Expedia, Opodo, Priceline and so on - it is probably best to check flights and travel websites such as these for your own country. These, of course, can also help with accommodation in London and things such as car rental!

London has five airports - Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton Airport and London City Airport. If you're a long-haul traveller you will almost certainly land at either Heathrow or Gatwick. Many of the low-cost airlines operate from Stansted Airport, whilst some, such as Easyjet, run their flights from Luton Airport. The airport websites have full details about travel options from the airports to London, but here we'll present some of the best options.

Getting to London from Heathrow Airport
The most cost-effective way is by Underground. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 share a station, whilst Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 have separate stations. All three of these stations are on the Piccadilly Line and your journey to central London will take approximately an hour. A single ticket from Heathrow (stations are in Zone 6) to central London (i.e. any stop in Zone 1) costs £4.50 (as at May 2010).

Coaches take about an hour from Heathrow to Victoria Coach station. See the National Express website for timetables and fares.

You can also take a Heathrow Express train to Paddington station. Tickets (as of May 2010) cost from £16.50 for a single, £32 for a return. Trains run every 15 minutes between 5am to midnight. Sure, the Heathrow Express is faster than the Underground, but we would still really, really recommend getting the Tube - which is almost four times cheaper! And the train can only take you to Paddington, from where you still have to make your onward journey!

Getting to London from Gatwick Airport
Probably the easiest way of doing this is by taking the direct Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station, which has a journey time of 30 minutes. Tickets cost from £16.90 for a single, £28.80 for a return (as at May 2010). Trains run every 15 minutes between approximately 5.20am to 1am. TIP: If you book your tickets online, you get a 10% discount.

There are also cheaper train services that may be more useful to you, depending on where you are trying to reach in London. First Capital Connect have services to London Bridge, Farringdon and St Pancras. A one way ticket costs £8.90 (as at May 2010), journey time is between 30 - 50 minutes. Southern run services from Gatwick also to Victoria and London Bridge. This services will makes stops at other stations before London, so journey times are longer. A one way ticket can be as cheap as £4.25 (May 2010) depending on which train you take, and if you buy your ticket online, though more commonly they are around the £9 mark.

There are also (less frequent) coaches from both Gatwick terminals to Victoria Coach station in London. Coaches leave about every hour and take about 1 hour 30 minutes. See the National Express website for timings.

Getting to London from Luton Airport
Trains run from Luton Airport Parkway station (there's a free shuttle bus to there from the airport) to St. Pancras station. Services are run by First Capital Connect and a one way ticket costs £11.90 (May 2010).

Easybus offer a minibus service from Luton Airport to Underground stations in central London (including Baker Street and Marble Arch, as well as near Victoria station). Tickets prices depend on how far in advance you book; they can be from just £2 one-way.

Getting to London from Stansted Airport
The easiest option is to take the Stansted Express train from the airport to either Tottenham Hale station or Liverpool Street station. Trains run from 5.30am to 12.30am, with a frequency of 15 minutes (30 minutes early in the morning and late at night). Taking the train all the way to Liverpool Street station will land you directly in London; it might be more convenient to take a train only to Tottenham Hale station and change here for the Underground (Victoria Line) if this helps you reach your final destination.

You can also take a coach from Stansted Airport to Victoria Coach Station. The journey takes 1 hour 30 mins (1 hour 45 mins during peak times). The coach makes some stops (such as at Liverpool Street station, Marble Arch and Hyde Park corner) along the way which may be more suitable for you. The best idea is to look at the National Express website for full timetable details.

Easybus also offer a minibus service from Stansted Airport to Baker Street Underground station. Again, tickets prices depend on how far in advance you book, from just £2 one-way.

Getting to London from London City Airport
London City Airport has its own DLR station which is next door to the actual airport terminal. This is by far the best way of reaching London. It is best to take the DLR train to Bank station, and then change onto and Underground train (Circle, District, Central and Northern lines) for your onward journey.

Getting to London by Train
London has six main rail termini to which you may well arrive - Euston, St Pancras, Liverpool Street, Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo. Euston and St Pancras will probably be your arrival stations if arriving from north England; Liverpool Street from east England; Paddington from western England and Victoria and Waterloo from southern England.

If you're arriving from Europe on the Eurostar, you will arrive at the lovely new train station at St Pancras - lucky you!

You can purchase train tickets for journeys within England online from websites such as QJump and The Train Line, and also check fares and timetables to help plan your journey.

Getting to London by Bus/Coach
Again, you might arrive in London by bus from elsewhere in Great Britain (take a look at the National Express website for fare and timetable details) or from Europe with companies such as Eurolines.

The main coach station in London is Victoria Coach Station (close to Victoria train station).