Arriving in London After the Last Tube: What Still Runs Overnight

Which Tube lines actually run all night

The Night Tube covers only five lines — Victoria, Jubilee, Central, Northern and Piccadilly — running through the night from around midnight to 05:30, according to visitlondon.com's official Night Tube guide. Trains arrive every 10 to 20 minutes depending on the line, with Victoria and Jubilee the most frequent at roughly 10-minute intervals. Off-peak Tube fares apply, and payment is contactless, Oyster or Travelcard only; cash is not accepted. The London Overground's Windrush line also runs a limited night service between specific stations, separate from the five Night Tube lines.

The Heathrow exception on the Piccadilly line

If you are relying on the Piccadilly line to or from Heathrow overnight, one detail matters: Heathrow's own transport page confirms the Piccadilly line's Night Tube service reaches Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 5, but Terminal 4 is excluded from the all-night service. If you land at or need to reach Terminal 4 on a Friday or Saturday night outside normal Tube hours, plan on a taxi, a pre-booked minicab, or waiting for the first regular train, since the Night Tube itself will not take you there.

Night buses: the wider safety net

Unlike the Night Tube, London's network of N-prefixed night bus routes runs every night of the week, not just Friday and Saturday, covering much of the area the daytime bus network serves. Night buses use the same fare and the same one-hour Hopper transfer allowance as daytime buses, so switching between two night bus routes within an hour does not cost extra. Night buses are slower than the Tube and follow road routes rather than rail lines, so allow more time than you would for an equivalent daytime Tube journey.

Compare what actually keeps running once the regular daytime network has closed.

What runs overnight from each airport

Coverage differs sharply by airport. Luton's DART shuttle between the terminal and Luton Airport Parkway station runs around the clock, at 4–6 times an hour between 22:00 and 04:00, per Luton DART's own fares and service page — though the onward Thameslink or East Midlands Railway service into St Pancras does not run on the same continuous overnight schedule, so check the rail operator's timetable for your specific arrival time. Gatwick Express operates from 02:13 to 23:45, according to the operator's own journey page, which leaves only a short pre-dawn gap rather than a full overnight closure. Heathrow's Piccadilly line, Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express all close overnight on weeknights, with the Piccadilly line's Night Tube (excluding Terminal 4) the only rail option on Friday and Saturday nights specifically. Stansted Express's late-night and early-morning schedule was not confirmed on the sources checked for this guide, so confirm current first and last train times on the operator's own timetable page before relying on it overnight.

Black cab versus app minicab at night

Licensed London taxis ("black cabs") can be hailed on the street or picked up from a rank, are metered, and are legally allowed to ply for hire without a booking. Private hire vehicles, including minicabs booked through an app, must be pre-booked through a licensed operator and cannot legally be hailed or wait for passengers without a booking already in place. At night, this distinction matters more than during the day: a driver approaching you inside an arrivals hall or on the street offering a ride without a prior booking is not operating within the licensed private hire system, and using a recognised app or a staffed minicab desk, or a metered black cab, is the safer route. Neither option has a fixed fare confirmed for this guide, since black cab fares are metered and minicab prices vary by operator and demand, so check the fare or booking price before you travel.

Waiting for the first service

If your arrival falls in the gap between the last train and the first one — which, outside Friday and Saturday Night Tube hours, can mean several hours at Heathrow, Stansted or the Gatwick pre-dawn window — waiting inside a 24-hour terminal area is a legitimate option many travellers choose over paying for a late-night taxi. Check your specific terminal's overnight facilities (seating, food, charging points) with the airport's own arrivals information, since these vary by terminal and are not standard across London's airports.

Before you rely on overnight transport

Confirm the exact last and first service times for your airport and date on that operator's own timetable rather than assuming a fixed schedule, since night bus routes, Night Tube nights, and airport rail overnight coverage all differ from each other. This guide covers what happens after the last standard service; for the standard-hours transfer details for each airport, see the dedicated Heathrow guide and the Gatwick/Stansted/Luton comparison.