How to get from Stansted to central London

The quickest way in is the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street, which London Stansted lists at 50 minutes. Single tickets bought in advance start from about £9.45, and you can also tap in with a contactless bank card or phone. Coaches from Flibco and National Express also run to London around the clock from the airport’s coach station.

Stansted Express: journey times and stops

The railway station sits directly under the terminal, and the airport puts the walk at about two minutes. There are lifts for luggage and buggies.

The Stansted Express serves three London stations: Liverpool Street, Tottenham Hale and Stratford. The airport’s timing panel gives 50 minutes to Liverpool Street and 35 minutes to Tottenham Hale, though its FAQ quotes 48 and roughly 37 minutes for the same trips, so treat these as approximate. Stratford is listed at around an hour.

There is no direct train to Victoria. The airport’s suggested route is the Stansted Express to Tottenham Hale, then the Victoria line, which it puts at 1 hour 15 minutes in total.

Trains run every 15 to 30 minutes depending on the station and time of day. Heading out to the airport, the first train from Liverpool Street leaves between 03:40 and 04:40 depending on the day, and the last one at 23:25. First class is available, and Wi-Fi on board is free.

Stansted Express tickets and cost

Advance singles start from about £9.45 per person and advance returns from £18.90. Tickets can also be bought from machines or ticket offices at the station on the day.

Contactless payment works on the Stansted Express and on Greater Anglia trains. Oyster does not: it is not valid to or from the airport, although you can use it for the rest of your journey once you reach Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale.

Railcard discounts are only given at Stansted Express ticket offices, not online, and they cannot be combined with advance online fares.

CrossCountry trains also call at the airport, but they do not take contactless, so pay at the ticket office or online beforehand.

Coach from Stansted to London

Coaches leave from the Stansted Airport bus and coach station, and the airport says services run 24 hours a day. Traffic can stretch the road journey badly in the rush hour; for flights out, the airport suggests leaving London at least four hours before departure.

Flibco runs every 30 minutes around the clock. A booking stays valid for 24 hours if your flight is late. Its London routes are:

• Liverpool Street, non-stop
• Liverpool Street via Redbridge and Stratford
• Stratford, non-stop
• Finsbury Park, non-stop
• Finsbury Park, calling at Enfield and Wood Green
• Wood Green, calling at Enfield

National Express lists more than 200 daily services to London across its A-routes, including:

• A6: via Tottenham Hale and Baker Street to Paddington and Victoria
• A8: via Shoreditch and Liverpool Street to Waterloo and Victoria
• A9: via Stratford and Canary Wharf to Whitechapel, Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green

Stops can differ slightly by direction and timetable. First Essex buses from the airport serve Essex towns such as Chelmsford, Basildon, Southend and Colchester, not London.

Changing to the Tube

From the Stansted Express, Liverpool Street connects to the Elizabeth line plus four Tube lines (Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan), and Tottenham Hale has the Victoria line.

On Flibco, Redbridge is on the Central line, Stratford has the Elizabeth and Jubilee lines, and Finsbury Park has the Victoria and Piccadilly lines.

Groups, bikes and accessibility

National Express gives groups of four or more 25% off standard fares when booked at least three days ahead.

Bike rules depend on the train. The Stansted Express only takes folding bikes, fully folded. Greater Anglia allows bikes on most of its trains, with some peak-time restrictions. CrossCountry needs bikes booked in advance. E-scooters are not allowed on UK trains.

The airport says a full range of accessibility services is available at the coach station. Coaches collecting or dropping off a group use set bays: drop-off at bays 4 to 9, pick-up at bays 32 to 39, and bay 29 for wheelchair lift access.

Sources

Facts in this guide were checked against these official pages on 23 September 2026. Fares, times and rules can change, so check them before you travel.

• Travel by Bus or Coach (stanstedairport.com)
• Travelling to the airport by Train (stanstedairport.com)
• Group Travel By Coach (stanstedairport.com)
• London Stansted Express (stanstedairport.com)