London

History:

There have been settlements on the site of London since well before Roman times, with evidence of Bronze Age and Celtic inhabitants. The Roman city of Londinium, established just after the Roman conquest of Britannia in the year 43, formed the basis for the modern city (some isolated Roman period remains are still to be seen within the City). After the end of Roman rule in 410 and a short-lived decline, London experienced a gradual revival under the Anglo-Saxons, as well as the Norsemen, and emerged as a great medieval trading city, eventually replacing Winchester as the royal capital of England. This paramount status for London was confirmed when William the Conqueror, a Norman, built the Tower of London after the conquest in 1066 and was crowned King of England in Westminster.

London went from strength to strength with the rise of England to first European then global prominence, and the city became a great centre of culture, government and industry. London's long association with the theatre, for example, can be traced back to the English Renaissance (witness the Rose Theatre and great playwrights like Shakespeare who made London their home). With the rise of Britain to supreme maritime power in the 18th and 19th centuries (see Industrial Britain) and the possessor of the largest global empire, London became an imperial capital and drew people and influences from around the world to become, for many years, the largest city in the world.

England's royal family has, over the centuries, added much to the London scene for today's traveller: the Albert Memorial, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Royal Albert Hall, Tower of London, Kew Palace and Westminster Abbey being prominent examples.

By plane:

London receives more flights than any other city in the world. It is served by six airports (LON IATA for all airports).

There are direct public transport connections between all London airports and the city centre. The quickest travel option is usually by train, tube or coach. See the linked articles for information on travelling from each airport. When planning your trip, leave plenty of time to get to your destination from the airport.

If you arrive into a London airport and must catch a connecting flight from another airport, leave plenty of time to travel through London. This can be quite time consuming and you may need to catch two or more trains.

1 London Heathrow Airport (LHR IATA). Heathrow is the main airport for London, and the second busiest in the world in terms of international passenger traffic. (updated Jan 2024)

2 London Gatwick Airport (LGW IATA). London's second-busiest airport Gatwick has two terminals - "North Terminal" and "South Terminal". You can fly into Gatwick from a large number of domestic and international destinations, particularly destinations in Europe. Airlines include British Airways, easyJet, KLM, Ryanair and TUI. (updated Jan 2024)

3 London Stansted Airport (STN IATA). Stansted is busy with short-haul flights from destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as UK destinations including Newquay, Edinburgh and Belfast. Airlines include easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair. (updated Jan 2024)

4 London Luton Airport (LTN IATA). Luton Airport is around 30 miles from London. You can fly into Luton from a large number of European destinations, particularly smaller cities in southern and eastern Europe. Airlines include easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air. For public transport to central Londoni, it's a choice between a train (shuttle metro train to Luton Airport Parkway then train to London St Pancras), or a bus from the airport to London Victoria. (updated Jan 2024)