London Stansted to central London: every way, timed and priced

Stansted is about 40 miles from central London, which makes it the airport where the train matters most. The Stansted Express leaves from under the terminal every 15 minutes, and every one of our London hotels is quicker by rail than by road from here. Below is each way in from Stansted alone, and how we would reach each of the ten hotels in our London edit.

The short answer

Take the Stansted Express from the station under the terminal: 46–48 minutes to Liverpool Street and about 36 to Tottenham Hale for the Victoria line, every 15 minutes, £21 off-peak with contactless or from £9.90 booked ahead. National Express coaches run 24 hours from £5 booked ahead but take longer. By road our hotels are typically 66–97 minutes away, and taxis here are not on London's meter, so agree the price first or pre-book.

STNLondon Stansted (STN). North-east of London, mostly low-cost European flights; the Stansted Express runs to Liverpool Street every 15 minutes.

Book a private transfer

Booked with

A driver meets you in arrivals with your name on a sign, at a fixed price agreed when you book. Booked and paid with Welcome Pickups through our partner Travelpayouts; we may earn a commission.

A people mover at the Stansted terminal transit station, ready to run to the gates

Every way in, timed and priced

Stansted Express

STN

Time: 46–48 minutes to Liverpool Street and about 36 to Tottenham Hale; every 15 minutes, last departure from the airport at about 00:30
Price: £21 off-peak and £23 at peak times with contactless; advance singles from £9.90; Oyster is not valid

Leaves from Stansted Airport station, directly under the terminal, two minutes' walk and step-free. The way in for every one of our hotels: Liverpool Street for the City, the East End and the Elizabeth line, Tottenham Hale for the Victoria line.

Coaches: National Express and Flibco

STN

Time: 24 hours a day; National Express runs the A6 to Baker Street, Paddington and Victoria, the A8 to Shoreditch, Liverpool Street and Waterloo, and the A9 to Stratford and Canary Wharf; Flibco every 30 minutes to Liverpool Street, Stratford and Finsbury Park
Price: National Express from £5 one way booked ahead

Leaves from the bus and coach station opposite the main terminal entrance. The cheapest way in and the one that runs all night, but slower than the train and at the mercy of the M11 and London traffic.

Taxi from Stansted

STN

Time: Typically 66–97 minutes to our hotels
Price: Agree the fare before you set off, as Transport for London advises for journeys from airports outside London

Street Cars, the airport's taxi provider, has a desk in the international arrivals concourse. A long and variable drive; worth it only with a lot of luggage or a family, and then a fixed price is better.

Pre-booked private transfer

STN

Time: The same drive as a taxi, typically 66–97 minutes to our hotels
Price: Fixed when you book; the widget on this page shows the live price

The calm way to do the drive: a fixed price, a driver who tracks the flight, and room for child seats. Cars collect from the Short Stay car parks, a short walk from arrivals.

From the airport to our ten hotels

The Ned
City of London
By car from STN 78 min
Train
The Stansted Express to Liverpool Street and one stop on the Central line to Bank put you at the door in about 55 minutes, well inside the 78-minute drive.
Claridge's
Mayfair
By car from STN 91 min
Train
At Liverpool Street, cross to the Elizabeth line for Bond Street: about 64 minutes in all against a 91-minute drive, and Claridge's is a couple of minutes' walk from the station.
Shangri-La The Shard, London
London Bridge
By car from STN 80 min
Train
Liverpool Street, then the Central line to Bank and the Northern line one stop to London Bridge, about 62 minutes, and the hotel is above the station.
The Standard, London
King's Cross
By car from STN 84 min
Train
Get off at Tottenham Hale and take the Victoria line to King's Cross: about 53 minutes, against an 84-minute drive, and the hotel is a short walk away.
Sea Containers London
South Bank
By car from STN 84 min
Private transfer
By rail it takes three changes to reach this stretch of the South Bank, so for the 84-minute drive a fixed-price car to the door is the simplest answer with bags.
Town Hall Hotel
Bethnal Green
By car from STN 66 min
Train
Our shortest drive from Stansted at about 66 minutes, but the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street and one stop on the Central line to Bethnal Green take about 56.
Hazlitt's
Soho
By car from STN 88 min
Train
From Liverpool Street, the Central line runs straight to Tottenham Court Road, about 62 minutes in all, and Hazlitt's is a few minutes' walk into Soho.
Artist Residence London
Pimlico
By car from STN 96 min
Train
Change at Tottenham Hale to the Victoria line for Pimlico, about 63 minutes, half an hour quicker than the 96-minute drive.
The Zetter Marylebone
Marylebone
By car from STN 95 min
Train
The Elizabeth line from Liverpool Street reaches Bond Street in about 64 minutes from the airport, against a 95-minute drive, and the hotel is under a kilometre away.
The Pilgrm
Paddington
By car from STN 97 min
Train
Our longest drive from Stansted at about 97 minutes; the Stansted Express and the Elizabeth line to Paddington take about 68, and the hotel is a short walk from the station.

The Stansted Express in detail

Yes, because nothing else is close. Trains leave every 15 minutes from the station under the terminal and reach Tottenham Hale in about 36 minutes and Liverpool Street in 46–48. With a contactless card the fare to Liverpool Street is £21 off-peak and £23 at peak times; booked ahead, singles start at £9.90 and returns at £19.80, and same-day tickets cost more. Oyster cards are not valid to or from the airport, though you can use one for the onward Tube. Railcards are accepted if you buy at the station or on the Stansted Express website.

Liverpool Street is the stop for the City, the East End and the Elizabeth line west to Bond Street and Paddington. Tottenham Hale is the stop for the Victoria line to King's Cross, Oxford Circus, Victoria and Pimlico.

To Liverpool Street: 46–48 min
To Tottenham Hale: About 36 min
Contactless fare: £21 off-peak, £23 peak
Advance single: From £9.90
Last train from the airport: About 00:30

Tottenham Hale or Liverpool Street?

Choose by hotel. For The Ned, Town Hall Hotel, Hazlitt's, Shangri-La The Shard and the Elizabeth line hotels, Claridge's, The Zetter Marylebone and The Pilgrm, stay on to Liverpool Street. For The Standard at King's Cross and Artist Residence London in Pimlico, get off at Tottenham Hale and take the Victoria line, which saves the ride into Liverpool Street and back out again. Transport for London's journey planner puts King's Cross about 53 minutes from the airport that way.

Coaches round the clock

The last Stansted Express leaves the airport at about 00:30. After that, coaches are the answer: National Express runs 24 hours from the coach station opposite the terminal, from £5 booked ahead, and Flibco runs every 30 minutes, 24 hours, to Liverpool Street, Stratford and Finsbury Park. The airport strongly suggests booking a coach with time to spare for a delayed flight; its partners let you take the next service with seats at no extra charge if your flight is late.

By car: taxis and transfers

Stansted is outside London's taxi meter, so Transport for London advises agreeing the fare before you set off. Street Cars, the airport's provider, books from its desk in international arrivals. Our typical drive to our ten hotels is 66–97 minutes, from about 66 to Town Hall Hotel to about 97 to The Pilgrm, and longer at rush hour, which is why we would only take a car for luggage, children or a late arrival, and then pre-book it at a fixed price.

Going back to Stansted

The first Stansted Express from Liverpool Street leaves between 03:40 and 04:40 depending on the day, and the last at 23:21. The airport asks you to validate your boarding pass at security at least two hours before departure, so work back from that. A car dropping you at Express Set Down pays £10 for up to 15 minutes; the Mid Stay car park is free for an hour, with a shuttle bus to the terminal.

Questions people ask

Good questions about London

How long is the Stansted Express to London?

About 36 minutes to Tottenham Hale and 46–48 minutes to Liverpool Street, every 15 minutes.

How much is the Stansted Express?

£21 off-peak and £23 at peak times with contactless to Liverpool Street, or from £9.90 for an advance single. Oyster is not valid.

What is the cheapest way from Stansted to London?

The coach: National Express from £5 one way booked ahead, 24 hours a day, but slower than the train.

What time is the last train from Stansted to London?

The last Stansted Express leaves the airport at about 00:30. After that, coaches run all night.

Should I get off at Tottenham Hale or Liverpool Street?

Tottenham Hale for the Victoria line to King's Cross, Oxford Circus, Victoria and Pimlico; Liverpool Street for the City, the East End and the Elizabeth line.

How long is a taxi from Stansted to central London?

Our typical drive to our ten hotels is 66–97 minutes. Taxis are not on London's meter here, so agree the fare first or pre-book.

Image credits: Cnbrb (CC0)