- Flight
- about 12 hours northbound
- Departs
- Cape Town International
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 1 to 2 hours behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Cape Town to London is about twelve hours, and London is one or two hours behind. Like Johannesburg it is a long flight with almost no time difference, which makes it far easier than the hours suggest.
Check the season before you check the fare
This is the thing to know about this route. British Airways flies it all year, up to three times a day at the peak. Virgin Atlantic only flies it in the southern summer, roughly mid October to late April. Outside that window Virgin is not an option at all, and the route is British Airways or a connection.
The consequence is that fares and availability swing hard with the season, in both directions. December and January are expensive and full.
Twelve hours, two hours of clock
South Africa does not change its clocks, so the gap is two hours in the British winter and one in the British summer. Either way it is nothing. You land tired from the flight rather than confused by the hour, and a night’s sleep fixes it.
The visa is the slow part
A South African passport needs a Standard Visitor visa for the United Kingdom. Start it well before you book. It is a real application with a fee, a wait and a refusal rate, not a formality.
Prices are the surprise
London is dear, and the gap is wider than the exchange rate alone explains. Rates are quoted per hour, agreed in advance and paid in cash in pounds, with nothing added on top. The rates guide gives the measured figures by area so there are no surprises, and the booking guide covers the first message.
The flight home
The flight home is much the same length. This route runs north to south rather than across the winds, so there is no hour to gain or lose in either direction, and London back to Cape Town is scheduled within a few minutes of the flight out. One fewer thing to plan around.
Before you book
Most visitors travelling on a South African passport need a Standard Visitor visa before they fly. Applications take time and carry a fee, so settle it before you buy a ticket you cannot change. The official check if you need a UK visa service tells you what applies to your passport.
When to get in touch
London runs 2 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 1pm and 1am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Areas near where you land at Heathrow
The big figure is the straight line distance from the airport in miles, and nothing about travel time, which in London is always longer. Each page has the stations, the route from Heathrow and the measured rates.
Also close to where you land, with no profiles of their own but a guide to getting there and how outcall works: Feltham, Hayes, Hounslow, Southall.
Other cities in Africa
See every departure city
Cities with a similar flight time
Common questions
How long is the flight from Cape Town to London?
The flight from Cape Town International takes about 12 hours northbound. Add the connection time if your fare has a stop, and allow for getting to and through the airport at both ends.
What is the time difference between Cape Town and London?
London is 1 to 2 hours behind. The United Kingdom and most other countries change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks each spring and autumn the gap shifts by an hour.
What time should I message from Cape Town?
London runs 2 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 1pm and 1am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Which London airport do flights from Cape Town land at?
Most land at Heathrow, about fifteen miles west of central London and on the Piccadilly line and the Elizabeth line. Some services use Gatwick, to the south, so check the airport on your ticket before you book a hotel.
Do I need a visa to fly from Cape Town to London?
Most visitors travelling on a South African passport need a Standard Visitor visa. Use the official GOV.UK check if you need a UK visa service for your own passport, and apply well before you book flights you cannot change.
Do I need to arrange things before I fly?
It helps. Good diaries fill days ahead, and arranging from home means you are doing it awake and unhurried instead of jet lagged in an unfamiliar city.
Is escorting legal in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales it is legal for two consenting adults to exchange sex or company for money. What is illegal is the activity around it, such as soliciting in the street, running a brothel or controlling someone else's work. The Crown Prosecution Service sets this out in its published guidance.
Is prostitution legal in the UK?
Selling and buying sex between consenting adults is not itself a crime in England, Wales or Scotland. Northern Ireland is the exception, where paying for sex has been an offence since 1 June 2015. Public soliciting, brothel keeping and exploiting another person's work are offences in different forms across the UK.