Skip to content
Destination Traveller

Airport review

Sample

London Heathrow Terminal 5

The busiest terminal in the country, and the one that rewards travellers who know where the lifts are, which security lane is quiet and where to eat before the gate.

7/10one building, one security hall, and calm corners if you know where to look.

Getting there

The Elizabeth line is the sensible answer: 34 minutes from Paddington for under a fiver, and it runs until late. The Express costs three times as much and arrives four minutes sooner. A taxi from the centre is an hour you will not get back.

Terminals

T5 is one building with one security hall, which makes it easier than T2 or T4 for first-time visitors. Check-in is on the upper level, gates are downstairs, and the pier you want is signed early rather than late.

Security and fast track

Two lanes at the left end of the hall are consistently quieter than the middle. Fast track is worth it between seven and ten in the morning and again at four in the afternoon; at other times the queue is under fifteen minutes and the money is better spent on lunch.

Lounges

The airline lounge at the far end of the pier is the quiet one, with showers and a proper kitchen. The pay-in lounge near the gates is busy, loud and has no showers, so buy the right one.

Food and shops

Eat before you fly if you can: the two decent sit-down places in the terminal are on the landside, not the airside. Airside, the pastry counter near gate B is the best quick option and the wine bar by the pier is calmest at two in the afternoon.

Tips

Give yourself three hours, not two, on a Friday. The boarding pass desk closes 60 minutes before departure, not 45. And the quietest place in the whole terminal is the seating at the very end of the pier, past the last shop.

Questions

Is fast track at Heathrow worth the money?

Between seven and ten in the morning and again around four in the afternoon, yes. At other times the queue is short and the eleven pounds is better spent on lunch.

Which is better, the Elizabeth line or the Express?

The Elizabeth line, unless you are travelling with a lot of luggage or need a guaranteed seat. It is a third of the price and only four minutes slower.

How early should I arrive?

Three hours for a long-haul flight, two for short-haul, and add an hour on a Friday or the day after a bank holiday.

Last updated 30 October 2026

Lounges

Lounges at London Heathrow T5

Speak to a specialist

Plan it with someone who has been

All our recommended specialists

The Sunday Postcard

One considered email each week: a trip, a hotel and a route worth your time.