Can I Get the Tube to Stansted Airport? Your Questions Answered
Stansted Airport is one of the UK’s busiest airports. Welcoming over 29 million travellers annually and reaching over 190 destinations in 86 countries, it's a thriving transport hub for passengers and cargo. Stansted airport is located to the north-east of London and is the city’s third airport.
If you fly into or out of Heathrow Airport, you can catch the London Underground all the way from the centre of the city. But can you get the Tube to Stansted Airport? Sadly, the answer is no.
Does London Stansted Have a Tube station?
Despite being well served by overground rail links, buses and coaches, and pre-booked taxi services, London Stansted is not connected to the London Underground system. Don't be fooled by its name, "London" Stansted Airport is, in fact, 50km from London in the county of Essex and well beyond the eastern extension of the London Underground system.
So, while you can't get the Tube to or from London Stansted, you can connect with the underground network by taking an Airport Bus Express coach from our pick-up and drop-off locations at London Liverpool Street and London Stratford.
Because the Airport Bus Express coach connects with London Liverpool Street and Stratford, you are only a few minutes away from the London Underground system when you arrive at either of our London hubs, or need to get to Stansted from the other side of the capital.
So, how can you use the Tube to connect to Stansted?
Let’s start with a look at Liverpool Street. One of the capital's major transport hubs, Liverpool Street is well served by the Underground network. It is in Zone 1, putting you within easy reach of the financial districts, including the City of London (known as the Square Mile), Canary Wharf, and the Docklands area. You are also a short distance from the trendy delights of Shoreditch and Hackney, the recently redeveloped Spitalfields Market, and connections to the West End.
Liverpool Street is served by five Underground lines. The Circle Line lives up to its name and loops around the city centre . The Central Line takes you deep into the West End and out towards Ealing, while the Hammersmith & City Line takes you (unsurprisingly!) west towards Hammersmith. The Metropolitan Line serves the northwest of the capital, while the new Elizabeth Line extends all the way from Shenfield in the east to Reading in the west via the West End and Paddington!
Stratford has become the main East London transport hub and is connected to both Overground and Underground lines. The station is now the busiest outside Zone 1 and one of the most modern stations on the entire network.
Stratford is connected to the Mainline, London Overground and Central Line Underground network, as well as the Docklands Light Railway, the Jubilee Line, and the Elizabeth Line. You can connect with almost any part of the capital and reach Stratford quickly and easily with very little need to change lines - especially if you use the new Elizabeth Line.
What next?
Once you’ve reached Liverpool Street or Stratford, getting to Stansted is easy. From Liverpool Street, you can take the mainline train to Stansted airport on the Stansted Express. While reliable, this is a very busy and often expensive route. If you travel during rush hour, you may struggle to get a seat and have to stand all the way to the airport.
The advantages of taking the train from Liverpool Street are that it takes you right into the Airport (the train station at Stansted Airport is located underneath the coach terminal. The service has a limited number of stops on the way to airport, and takes 55 minutes from the centre of London. A single fare costs around £23.00 if you buy your ticket on the day.
If you travel from north London or Middlesex, you can also connect to Stratford by taking the Tube to Tottenham Hale and picking up the Stansted Express there. Prices are a little cheaper than from Liverpool Street, at around £22.00.
Getting the bus – the cheapest and easiest way to get to and from Stansted Airport
So, what is the easiest option if you can't get the Tube to Stansted Airport? At Airport Bus Express, we think it's simple – the bus. Not only do you skip all the traffic in the centre of London, but you can board an air-conditioned coach and be at Stansted Airport in as little as 45 minutes from Stratford and just one hour and ten minutes from Liverpool Street station. That’s a journey time comparable to any other method of transport to Stansted and significantly cheaper than the train.
Our top journey tip: Travel from Stratford to save time and money. With buses leaving every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this is your easiest route from London to Stansted.
With Airport Bus Express, you can pre-book your ticket online and pay as little as £6.50 if you book up to 28 days in advance. Even on the day, your standard single ticket will only cost you £16.00. Your professional driver takes you non-stop up the M11 motorway, arriving outside the Departure area of Stansted Airport just 45 minutes later.
So no. You may not be able to get the Tube to Stansted Airport direct, but it can be a part of your journey and make it easier to get to the airport in plenty of time to catch your flight. Use theto get to Liverpool Street or Stratford. You can then complete your journey to Stansted Airport on one of our affordable, air-conditioned coaches.
Ricky