Do Canadians need a visa for the UK?

No visa for tourist stays of up to six months, but as of July 2026 Canadians need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling. It costs GBP 20, covers visits of up to six months, and you must travel on the same passport you used for the application. An approved ETA is not an entry decision — UK Border Force makes that call on arrival. Your passport must be valid for at least the expected length of your stay. The ETA rules and fee have changed several times, so recheck gov.uk and travel.gc.ca close to departure.

How long is the flight from Toronto to London?

Nonstop, roughly 7 to 7.5 hours eastbound; the average published block time is about 7h10m. Coming home takes longer against the prevailing winds — around 8 hours, with Virgin's VS148 blocked at 8h20m.

What time do flights leave Toronto?

In the evening. Every YYZ-LHR nonstop has been an overnight flight, with departures clustered between about 17:40 and 23:55 and arrivals into Heathrow between 05:50 and 11:20 the next morning. As of mid-2026 there is no daytime nonstop, so plan for a morning London arrival and same-day jet lag.

Can I fly from Toronto to London without using Heathrow?

Yes. Air Transat has flown Toronto to London Gatwick (LGW) nonstop, about 11 times a week as of July 2026, and it is the main non-Heathrow option on the city pair. WestJet does not currently fly Toronto-London. Whether Gatwick works for you depends on where in London you are headed; compare the fare observations for both airports rather than assuming either way.

What is the time difference between Toronto and London?

Five hours, London ahead, for most of the year (BST vs EDT in summer, GMT vs EST in winter). Because the UK and Canada change their clocks on different dates, the gap narrows to four hours twice a year: from the second Sunday of March until the last Sunday of March (8-29 March in 2026), and again in late October (25 October to 1 November in 2026).

Will Heathrow's third-runway project affect my trip?

Not any time soon. On 15 January 2026 Heathrow's board approved investment to begin a planning application for a third runway, targeting planning permission by 2029 and first flights within a decade of that, and the UK government opened a public consultation on the plan on 18 June 2026 (running to 1 September 2026). Construction-era disruption is a future watch item, not a current one.

YYZ → LHR

Toronto → London

120 fares observed since Jul 15 · lowest $641

Within the observed rangeobserved $641–$1,595

seen — · n=120

each dot = one observed fare · band = middle half · ring = current lowest · a time chart unlocks as history accrues · no interpolation, ever

When it's cheap to go

August 2026

$984

$924

$870

$969

$1121

$968

$913

$951

$889

$879

$909

$951

$946

$937

$1264

$1008

$1048

September 2026

$877

$874

$1003

$843

$878

$871

$883

$846

$858

$670

$862

$666

$876

$810

$855

Lowest fare we observed per departure date · grey dates: not enough data yet — we never guess. Swatches: lower · neutral · higher (not buttons).

Live finds

No fresh fares in the current window — new observations land every few hours. The guide below stays useful meanwhile.

Check current prices ↗

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♡ Watch this route

London route guide

Toronto Pearson (YYZ) to London Heathrow (LHR) is an overnight hop of roughly seven hours eastbound, and as of mid-2026 the route has offered about 40 nonstop departures a week — around six a day, peaking at up to seven in summer. Three carriers compete on the nonstop and every one of those flights is a red-eye, so choosing a flight here is mostly a question of departure time, Heathrow terminal, and cabin rather than whether a nonstop exists. This guide covers the route itself; current fare observations appear elsewhere on this page.

Airlines on this route

As of July 2026, three airlines have flown Toronto Pearson to Heathrow nonstop: Air Canada, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, together operating roughly 40 weekly departures. Virgin Atlantic is the newcomer, back in Canada since 30 March 2025 after a decade away, while Air Canada has scheduled up to four daily flights for summer 2026. With that much nonstop capacity, one-stop itineraries are typically chosen on price rather than schedule: KLM connects via Amsterdam, where average layovers have run about 1h10m, SWISS connects via Zurich, and Aer Lingus (Dublin) and Icelandair (Keflavik) also commonly appear in Toronto search results.

Airline	Code	Service (as of July 2026)
Air Canada	AC	Nonstop, up to 4x daily in the summer 2026 season, normally on widebodies; the Airbus A321XLR is scheduled on one rotation (AC852/AC855) from 31 August to 23 October 2026
British Airways	BA	Nonstop year-round into Heathrow Terminal 5 (flights include BA92/BA98); up to twice daily in summer 2026, with the second frequency historically reduced to a few days a week outside peak season
Virgin Atlantic	VS	Nonstop daily since 30 March 2025 on a Boeing 787-9 (31 Upper Class, 35 Premium, 192 Economy); VS149 has departed Toronto at 22:20, arriving Heathrow 10:30 the next morning

When to go

London has no true dry or rainy season. Met Office records from the weather station at Heathrow show rain spread fairly evenly through the year, with autumn historically the wettest stretch (October and November average roughly 68-69 mm a month) and early spring the driest (about 40 mm a month in March and April). July has typically been the warmest month, with average daily highs near 24 C, and January the coolest at around 8 C — mild by Toronto standards in both directions. Summer (June through August) is peak visitor season and carries the big event crowds: Wimbledon runs late June to mid-July every year (29 June to 12 July in 2026), and Notting Hill Carnival fills west London over the late-August bank holiday weekend (30-31 August in 2026, with events from Saturday 29 August). Weather alone is a weak reason to avoid the shoulder seasons here; the bigger variable is event-driven demand around those dates.

Arrival and practicalities

Heathrow to central London

Three rail options, all well signed (fares quoted as of mid-2026). The Heathrow Express reaches London Paddington in 15 minutes from Terminals 2&3 (add 6 minutes from Terminal 5), running every 15 minutes, with advance fares from GBP 10. The Elizabeth line takes under 45 minutes to Paddington, Bond Street, Farringdon or Liverpool Street, with Zone 1 tickets from GBP 13.90. The Piccadilly line Underground is the budget pick: under an hour to central London, trains roughly every 10 minutes, fares from GBP 5.50. By road, Heathrow's own guidance is to allow at least an hour.

Three airlines, three Heathrow terminals

Where you land depends on your carrier: Air Canada uses Terminal 2 (the Queen's Terminal), Virgin Atlantic uses Terminal 3, and British Airways uses Terminal 5. That matters for pickups and onward connections. The Heathrow Express serves Terminals 2&3 directly, while Terminal 5 adds about six minutes; Terminal 4, which none of the Toronto carriers use, is linked by a free Elizabeth line transfer.

Every nonstop is a red-eye

YYZ-LHR nonstops have departed Toronto in the evening, roughly between 17:40 and 23:55, landing the next morning between 05:50 and 11:20. Eastbound block time runs about 7h to 7h30m; the return is longer against the prevailing winds, around 8 hours or more (Virgin's VS148 has been blocked at 8h20m). London sits five hours ahead of Toronto most of the year, so a 22:20 departure lands at 10:30 London time on what your body reads as 5:30 a.m. Plan a gentle first day.

Virgin Atlantic and WestJet at Pearson

Virgin Atlantic's Toronto service is built around its WestJet partnership: the two are co-located at Toronto Pearson Terminal 3 with through baggage check-in, and the tie-up feeds 13 Canadian cities over Toronto, including Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Ottawa. Continuing beyond London, Virgin has advertised one-stop India connections over Heathrow with average transit times of about 1h20m.

Questions travelers ask

Do Canadians need a visa for the UK?: No visa for tourist stays of up to six months, but as of July 2026 Canadians need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling. It costs GBP 20, covers visits of up to six months, and you must travel on the same passport you used for the application. An approved ETA is not an entry decision — UK Border Force makes that call on arrival. Your passport must be valid for at least the expected length of your stay. The ETA rules and fee have changed several times, so recheck gov.uk and travel.gc.ca close to departure.
How long is the flight from Toronto to London?: Nonstop, roughly 7 to 7.5 hours eastbound; the average published block time is about 7h10m. Coming home takes longer against the prevailing winds — around 8 hours, with Virgin's VS148 blocked at 8h20m.
What time do flights leave Toronto?: In the evening. Every YYZ-LHR nonstop has been an overnight flight, with departures clustered between about 17:40 and 23:55 and arrivals into Heathrow between 05:50 and 11:20 the next morning. As of mid-2026 there is no daytime nonstop, so plan for a morning London arrival and same-day jet lag.
Can I fly from Toronto to London without using Heathrow?: Yes. Air Transat has flown Toronto to London Gatwick (LGW) nonstop, about 11 times a week as of July 2026, and it is the main non-Heathrow option on the city pair. WestJet does not currently fly Toronto-London. Whether Gatwick works for you depends on where in London you are headed; compare the fare observations for both airports rather than assuming either way.
What is the time difference between Toronto and London?: Five hours, London ahead, for most of the year (BST vs EDT in summer, GMT vs EST in winter). Because the UK and Canada change their clocks on different dates, the gap narrows to four hours twice a year: from the second Sunday of March until the last Sunday of March (8-29 March in 2026), and again in late October (25 October to 1 November in 2026).
Will Heathrow's third-runway project affect my trip?: Not any time soon. On 15 January 2026 Heathrow's board approved investment to begin a planning application for a third runway, targeting planning permission by 2029 and first flights within a decade of that, and the UK government opened a public consultation on the plan on 18 June 2026 (running to 1 September 2026). Construction-era disruption is a future watch item, not a current one.

Sources

Guide reviewed July 14, 2026. Airline schedules and entry rules change — always confirm with the official source before booking.