Flying from London to Melbourne: what you need to know
You can choose from multiple airports when planning your flight from London to Melbourne. Explore your options for flying out of London from London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Gatwick Airport (LGW) or Stansted Airport (STN). London Luton Airport (LTN) and London City Airport (LCY) also service London.
Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL) is where you'll be landing in Melbourne.
The timezone in Melbourne is UTC+11, which is 11 hours ahead of London.
For a stress-free journey, turn up at the airport two hours ahead of international flights and one hour before domestic departures. This ensures you have enough time to catch your London to Melbourne flight.
Traveling over a peak time such as July? Major public holidays and other popular periods can mean longer queues at security. Play things extra safe and arrive up to four hours before international flights and two hours before a domestic departure.
How to find the cheapest flights from London to Melbourne
Booking in advance is often the key to finding a cheap London to Melbourne flight. Flight prices rise as demand increases, so the nearer your departure date, the more you'll likely spend.
Finding cheap plane tickets from London to Melbourne is easy if you can be flexible with your dates. Try using the 'Whole month' search function to see the best prices across each month and walk away with a fantastic deal.
Save time searching for cheap flights from London to Melbourne by creating a Price Alert. We'll send you an email or push notification on the app when a new discounted fare appears.
Tailor your trip using filters. Pick your arrival and departure times, airlines and total journey duration. You can also sort your results by 'Best,' 'Cheapest' or 'Fastest' London to Melbourne flights.
Flying from London
London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Think about adding a stopover to potentially save money on your London to Melbourne flight. Simply uncheck 'Direct flights only' when browsing departures from London Heathrow Airport. Take a break from traveling at one of these popular airports:
Perth Airport (PER)
Dubai Airport (DXB)
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
Traveling from central London to LHR takes about 1 hour by public transport. If you drive, ride-share or grab a cab, you'll cover the 26 kilometers in 55 minutes or so, depending on traffic conditions.
Want an easy start to your travels? Stay near London Heathrow Airport. Whether you're catching an early flight from London to Melbourne or want to avoid feeling rushed, these hotels are the answer:
When it comes to London Heathrow Airport's on-time performance, data shows 68.18% of flights arrive within the expected time frame.
London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
Visit friends or family or just take a moment to stretch your legs with a stopover. If you'd like to split up your London to Melbourne flight, browse these options when departing from London Gatwick Airport:
Changi International Airport (SIN)
Dubai Airport (DXB)
Hamad International Airport (DOH)
Using public transport, you can travel from central London to LGW in around 30 minutes. The airport is roughly 40 kilometers away. Driving will take you about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Want to enjoy an extra night away before your flight from London to Melbourne? Kick back in a hotel near London Gatwick Airport before your trip officially begins. Here's where you can stay:
London Gatwick Airport has an on-time performance of 69.26%. This figure gives an insight into how often flights that depart from this airport land on time.
Stansted Airport (STN)
When organizing your ticket from London to Melbourne out of Stansted Airport (STN), you can choose from a few stopover options. Make a pit stop at Dubai Airport (DXB), one of the busiest transit hubs on this route.
STN is around 48 kilometers from central London. The drive from the city center to the terminal takes about 1 hour. If you're planning to use public transport, you can expect a journey of around 1 hour 25 minutes.
Sleep a little longer, move a little slower, and still make your London to Melbourne flight without having to rush. These hotels near Stansted Airport make it a breeze to get to the terminal if you're flying out early:
The on-time performance rate of STN is 64.73%. To put it simply, that's how often flights from this airport reach their final stop as planned.
Arriving in Melbourne
Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL)
Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL) to central Melbourne takes around 30 minutes by car. The center is roughly 19 kilometers away.
It typically takes 40 minutes to get there on public transport.
If you have a late flight from London to Melbourne, few things beat the convenience of staying close to the terminal. Grab your bags from the carousel and then be showered and relaxing soon after at one of these hotels near MEL:
Pick up a Melbourne Tullamarine Airport rental car and discover Melbourne and beyond with your own set of wheels. Bargain Car Rentals, East Coast and Sixt are leading providers to choose from here.
Get the best deal by reserving your ride from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport about four weeks in advance of your trip.
Avalon Airport (AVV)
Avalon Airport (AVV) is roughly 48 kilometers from central Melbourne. Following your flight from London to Melbourne, it takes approximately 50 minutes to reach the heart of the city in a cab or ride-share.
If you choose to travel on public transport, you'll get to the city center in 2 hours 5 minutes or so.
Sixt, Kangaroo Rental and yesaway car rental make collecting an Avalon Airport rental car easy and quick. These providers are located around or in the terminal and will get you on your way in no time.
Call dibs on the best options. Booking your ride from AVV three weeks ahead of time often means better deals and a wider choice of vehicles.
Essendon Airport (MEB)
Essendon Airport (MEB) is roughly 11 kilometers from the center of Melbourne. It takes about 25 minutes to get to the city center in a cab or ride-share once you've stepped off your flight from London to Melbourne.
The journey takes about 1 hour 15 minutes when traveling on public transport.
Whether you're after a compact for a solo trip or a spacious SUV to fit a group of friends, you'll find the perfect Essendon Airport rental car for your needs. Explore wheels available here from names such as East Coast, Ace Rental Cars and Goldcar.
If you'd like a particular type of vehicle, booking early gives you a better shot at snagging what you want. Secure your ride from MEB at least a few weeks ahead of your flight from London to Melbourne.
Best time to go to Melbourne
It's time to plan your travel dates for your flight from London to Melbourne. January is the busiest month to visit Melbourne. If you prefer a more peaceful vibe, go in April.
Lock in a London to Melbourne ticket departing in January if you want to experience the city during its warmest month. You can expect temperatures in Melbourne to range from 12ºC (54ºF) to 29ºC (84ºF).
July sees average temperatures of between 4ºC (39ºF) and 13ºC (55ºF). Search for cheap flights from London to Melbourne around that time if you want to travel when it's cooler.
More about Melbourne
After booking your flight from London to Melbourne, choose a hotel that puts you where you want to be. Make one of these options your base for exploring Melbourne:
There are so many things to explore in this city it can be tricky to work out where to begin. Federation Square, National Gallery of Victoria and Eureka Skydeck 88 are major attractions which should feature on every Melbourne itinerary.
Explore more of Australia
Canberra is just one of the many cities in Australia waiting to be explored once you've seen Melbourne. Around 467 kilometers to the north-east, check out popular attractions including Australian War Memorial, National Gallery of Australia and Parliament House.
Geelong is another favorite destination in Australia and is around 64 kilometers south-west of Melbourne. No trip is complete without a visit to Ford Motor Company, Roraima Nursery and RTC Resource Centre.
