Toronto Pearson to London is an overnight flight of roughly seven hours eastbound to Heathrow (Air Canada, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic) or Gatwick (mainly Air Transat), landing in the morning. Canadians need a UK ETA before flying. Allow three hours at Pearson; from downtown, a pre-booked sedan to the airport is a planning figure of $130–160 all-in before HST. The flight home is about eight hours.
Most guides to Toronto Pearson to London stop at the gate. A round trip really has six legs: home to Pearson, the flight, Heathrow or Gatwick into London, then the same three in reverse. This post plans all six. For the Canadian-arrival side of the return, including terminals, customs and your 60 minutes of included waiting, see our Heathrow arrival pickup at Pearson page, which covers that leg in detail.
Toronto Pearson to London: the trip at a glance
| Leg | Typical time | What to plan |
|---|---|---|
| Home to Pearson (downtown) | 25–45 minutes, longer at rush hour | Pickup about 3.5 hours before an evening departure |
| Pearson check-in and security | Allow 3 hours before departure | Terminal 1 or 3, depending on the airline |
| Pearson to Heathrow or Gatwick | About 6.5–7 hours overnight | Five hours ahead on landing for most of the year |
| UK border and bags | 30–60 minutes | UK ETA approved before you fly |
| Airport into central London | 15–60 minutes by train | Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line, Tube or Gatwick trains |
| Return flight to Pearson | A little over 8 hours | Landing in the afternoon Toronto time |
Heathrow or Gatwick: which London airport?
Heathrow is the main gateway. Air Canada, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly non-stop from Pearson, with Air Canada operating the most frequencies. Gatwick, south of London, is served non-stop mainly by Air Transat, the leisure carrier, with fewer flights and more seasonal variation. At the Toronto end the airline decides the terminal: Air Canada uses Terminal 1, while British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air Transat typically use Terminal 3. Check the operating carrier on your ticket and confirm with our terminal finder. Heathrow suits central and west London and onward UK connections; Gatwick can be convenient for Brighton, Sussex and south London.
Or did you mean London, Ontario?
Plenty of people who search "Toronto Pearson to London" are going to London, Ontario, about 190 km west on Highway 401. That is a two-hour drive in normal traffic, and a business sedan is a planning figure of $445–520 all-in before HST. VIA Rail and intercity buses also run the corridor, and the city has its own small airport. See our London, Ontario car service page for that trip. The rest of this post is about London, England.
Leg 1: getting to Pearson for the overnight flight
Most eastbound London flights leave Pearson in the evening. That puts your ride to the airport squarely in the weekday rush, which is why pickup times matter more than people expect. From downtown, a 7:30 p.m. departure means a pickup around 4:00 p.m.; from Oakville ($120–150 planning figure) or Markham ($145–180), leave a little earlier because the 401 and 403 slow sharply after 3:30. Families with luggage for two weeks usually need an executive SUV rather than a sedan. Our Pearson airport limo page explains vehicle sizes and drop-off at departures.
Do Canadians need a UK ETA?
Yes. Canadian citizens need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation before travelling to the UK, rather than a visa. The ETA costs £20 and, according to GOV.UK, lets you travel to the UK for stays of up to six months. Apply through the official GOV.UK route only; third-party sites charge extra. Each traveller needs their own, including children, and it is linked to the passport you apply with. Canadians who are also British citizens travel on a British passport and do not need one. Apply a few days before the trip rather than at the gate; airlines check it at boarding.
How early should you get to Pearson for a London flight?
Plan to be at the terminal three hours before departure. Transatlantic check-in desks close earlier than domestic ones, and security queues at Pearson peak in the early evening when the European departures leave together. Our how early to arrive at Pearson guide breaks the margin down by terminal and time of day. Toronto Pearson's own departures information is the place to check wait times on the day. If you have lounge access, the extra margin costs nothing and removes all the stress.
The overnight flight and the morning landing
The eastbound flight takes roughly six and a half to seven hours, helped by the jet stream. Leave at 7:30 p.m. and you land around 7:30 a.m. London time, five hours ahead of Toronto for most of the year, four hours for short spells in March and around the end of October when the two countries change their clocks on different weekends. Sleep is the priority. Eat before boarding or skip the meal service, use an eye mask, and set your watch to London time when the doors close. Arriving at 7:30 a.m. means your hotel room may not be ready, so pack a change of clothes in your cabin bag.
Landing at Heathrow or Gatwick
After landing you walk to UK Border Force. Adults and older children with Canadian ePassports can usually use the automated eGates, which are much faster than the staffed desks; families with young children use the staffed lanes. Have your ETA confirmation and your accommodation address handy in case you are asked. Then collect bags and pass through customs, green channel if you have nothing to declare. On a busy morning with several North American flights landing together, allow 30 to 60 minutes from gate to arrivals hall.
Heathrow into central London
Heathrow is well connected by rail. The Heathrow Express runs non-stop to Paddington in about 15 minutes and is the fastest option, at a premium price. The Elizabeth line runs to Paddington and on through central London to the City and Canary Wharf, slower but cheaper and with no change for many destinations. The Piccadilly line on the Underground is the cheapest and slowest, useful for Knightsbridge or the West End if you travel light. London's official transport site, Transport for London, has live times and fares. Black cabs and pre-booked cars are at the terminal forecourts, but at morning rush hour a train is often quicker.
Gatwick into London
From Gatwick, trains run to London Victoria, London Bridge and through central London, including the Gatwick Express and regular services. Journey times are roughly half an hour to Victoria. Check the Gatwick Airport site for the station and the National Rail planner for current times; tickets on the dedicated express cost more than ordinary trains on the same line. If you are heading to Brighton or the south coast rather than London, Gatwick is the easier airport and saves you a journey across the capital.
Beating jet lag on day one
The first day decides the trip. Stay awake until at least 9 p.m. London time, get outside in daylight, walk rather than nap, and eat meals at local times. A short sleep of 20 to 30 minutes in the early afternoon is fine; a three-hour sleep ruins the first night. Business travellers who need to perform on day one often book a flight that lands a day before the first meeting. Coming home is easier: westbound jet lag is usually milder, because the day simply feels long.
The return: getting to Heathrow for the flight home
Westbound London to Toronto flights generally leave between late morning and mid-afternoon. Allow three hours at the airport again, and add the journey out of central London: Heathrow Express or Elizabeth line from Paddington, trains from Victoria to Gatwick. Heathrow has several terminals and each airline uses a specific one, so check your booking; Air Canada and British Airways do not share a terminal at Heathrow. Before you leave the hotel, add your return flight number to your car booking in Toronto so the chauffeur can follow it.
Landing back at Pearson
The flight home takes a little over eight hours, landing in the afternoon Toronto time. Canadian citizens use the primary inspection kiosks or eGates, then collect bags. Submitting the optional Advance Declaration through ArriveCAN before landing can shorten the line. Your chauffeur is timed to the actual landing, not the timetable, and waits 60 minutes from touchdown at no charge; after that, waiting is billed in 15-minute blocks. The fare includes curbside pickup at the commercial pickup area of your terminal. For a chauffeur inside the arrivals hall with a name board, add meet and greet, a planning figure of $25–35.
A door-to-door example: a family from Oakville
A couple and two teenagers, four large cases, ten days in London. Pickup in Oakville at 3:45 p.m. in an executive SUV for a 7:30 p.m. Air Canada departure from Terminal 1. Land at Heathrow at about 7:30 a.m., eGates for all four, Elizabeth line to a hotel near Paddington by 10:00. Ten days later, Heathrow Express at 10:00 for a 13:00 departure, landing at Pearson at about 15:40 local time. The chauffeur, tracking the flight, is at the commercial pickup area when the family walks out at 16:30, and they are home before 18:00. Two fixed fares, no airport parking bill.
Parking at Pearson or a car both ways?
For a ten-day London trip, many families weigh airport parking against two transfers. Parking means driving yourself after an eight-hour flight and a long customs queue, often in the evening rush on Highway 427, and paying for every day the car sits there. Two fixed-fare transfers mean nobody drives tired. Compare the parking total for your dates with two planning fares from our rates page; for two or more travellers from inside the GTA, the car both ways often costs about the same and is far easier. If you would rather take the train into the city on your return, UP Express from Terminal 1 to Union Station is covered in our Pearson to Union Station route guide.
Persona tips
university's arrival pick-up if it offers one.
meeting after lunch.
matters after an eight-hour flight.
- Student heading to a UK university: book an SUV if you are taking a year's worth of luggage, and arrange your
- Business traveller: book the earliest-arriving flight, go straight to a day room or lounge, and keep your first
- Grandparents visiting family: add meet and greet at Pearson on the way home; a friendly face in the arrivals hall
- Couples on a city break: a first-class sedan to Pearson makes the start of the holiday part of it.
Checklist before you go
- UK ETA approved for every traveller.
- Passports valid for the whole stay.
- Terminal confirmed at Pearson and at Heathrow or Gatwick.
- Car to Pearson booked with the flight number and the right vehicle size.
- Train or transfer into London planned.
- Return flight number added to your Pearson pickup booking.
- Advance Declaration ready for the flight home.
