London Stansted Airport (STN) to London
The Stansted Express reaches Liverpool Street in about 47 minutes; National Express coaches run around the clock from about GBP 7.
- Stansted is about 65 km northeast of London, in Essex. Nothing about it is walkable to anything, and there is no Underground station.
- The Stansted Express runs to London Liverpool Street in about 47 minutes. Book on the operator's own site before you land - the walk-up fare at the platform is far above the advance price.
- Get off at Tottenham Hale if you are heading west or north. It is on the Victoria line and usually beats staying on to Liverpool Street; Stratford, the other stop, puts you on the Elizabeth and Central lines.
- National Express coaches run 24 hours a day from about GBP 7, with more than 200 services a day. They are slower - over an hour - but they are what exists when the trains have stopped.
- Buy the train ticket before you reach the barrier. Walk-up fares on the Express are far above the advance price.
Where the airport actually is
Stansted sits about 65 km northeast of central London. It is on a dedicated rail branch, not the Underground, so every route into town is a train or a coach with a fixed journey time - there is no cheap slow local option worth the hours.
The train
The Stansted Express runs between the terminal station and London Liverpool Street in roughly 47 minutes. Buying at the station on the day costs substantially more than booking ahead, so this is a ticket to sort out while you are still at the gate.
Two intermediate stops decide how good the train is for you:
- Tottenham Hale - the Victoria line, which is the fast way to King's Cross, Euston and the west end of the centre.
- Stratford - the Elizabeth line and the Central line, useful for Canary Wharf, Paddington and Heathrow.
If your destination is on either of those lines, changing early beats riding to the terminus.
The coach
National Express runs the coaches, 24 hours a day, from around GBP 7 one way, on routes A6, A8 and A9 between them serving Victoria, Liverpool Street, Stratford and Paddington. Reckon on an hour and ten minutes or more depending on traffic and which route you take.
The coach matters most for the flights this airport is full of: the ones that land after the last train. Check your arrival time against the last Express departure before you assume the train is an option.
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