London needs no reason. Most visitors already know its postcard: the clock tower, the palace, the river at dusk. This note is about the other London. It is quieter, it sits mostly behind closed doors, and it rewards anyone who arrives with a little time to spare.
Arriving
A private flight to London rarely means Heathrow. Several airports around the city welcome business aircraft, and the right one depends on where you are staying and what you are flying.
- Farnborough, southwest of London in Hampshire, is given over to business aviation. It suits Mayfair, Chelsea and the country houses of Surrey and Berkshire.
- Biggin Hill, to the southeast, is convenient for the City and for Kent.
- Luton, to the north, is a natural choice for St Albans, the Chilterns and Cambridge.
- London City, beside Canary Wharf, is the closest of all to the financial district. Its short runway limits the aircraft that can use it.
Your Jet Specialist will suggest the airport that saves you the most time door to door, and arrange the car that waits on arrival.
From New York the crossing is about 3,000 nm. Heavy jets typically fly 4,000 to 4,200 nm and make it comfortably nonstop. A super midsize jet, with a typical range of 3,000 to 3,200 nm, may make it too, depending on winds and the number of passengers. From South Florida the journey is longer, and a heavy or ultra long range jet is usually the considered choice. Either way, the aim is the same: to land rested, with the evening still yours.
A practical note: entry rules for the United Kingdom have changed in recent years, and many visitors now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before they travel. Your Jet Specialist will remind you to check your requirements well before departure.
The London behind closed doors
The photographer Peter Dazeley spent years documenting the city’s hidden rooms for his book Unseen London. It is a fine companion for planning. A few of the places it opens up:
- Crossness Pumping Station, on the edge of the Thames marshes. It is a Victorian engine house of painted cast iron, built to clean the city’s river and far more beautiful than it had any need to be. Open days are occasional, so plan ahead.
- The Elizabeth Tower, home of the bell everyone calls Big Ben. Tours of the clock room, when they are offered, are booked well in advance.
- The theatre at Alexandra Palace, in north London. Once dark for decades, it has been restored to keep its faded grandeur rather than hide it.
Closer to the centre, Sir John Soane’s Museum in Holborn keeps its architect’s collection exactly as he arranged it, and is lovely in low light. Dennis Severs’ House in Spitalfields is a candlelit portrait of an eighteenth-century family, experienced in silence. Leighton House in Holland Park holds a gilded Arab Hall that few visitors expect to find behind a red-brick front.
None of these takes long. All of them stay with you.
Early November: Bonfire Night
On the fifth of November, and on the evenings around it, London remembers the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 with bonfires and fireworks. Displays rise over parks across the city, from the north London heights to the riverside in the south. Alexandra Palace has long hosted one of the larger evenings. Many of the larger displays are ticketed, and the dates and venues change from year to year, so it is worth booking early.
It is a fine week to arrive. The city is crisp and lit, and the season is turning towards the long, bright weeks of December.
Staying, and moving through the city
London rewards a base close to what you came for. Mayfair and St James’s suit those with business in the West End. Chelsea and Kensington are quieter, and close to the museums. The City and Southwark keep you near the river and the financial district. When the traffic is heavy, and it often is, the Underground and the river boats are sometimes the quickest way across town, even for the most private traveller.
If your plans take you beyond the city, to the Cotswolds or the south coast, your Jet Specialist can arrange a helicopter or a short onward flight. Then a weekend in the country costs you an afternoon on the road, not a whole day.
Planning the journey
Tell us when you would like to arrive, where you are staying and who is travelling with you. Your Jet Specialist will arrange the flight through our curated network of operators, choose the London airport that suits your plans, and see to the car and the small details, so that London begins the moment you land. The operating carrier is named before your booking is confirmed.
Speak with a Jet Specialist. Call +1 561-430-2970, write to [email protected] or on WhatsApp, or request a quote.
