To Liverpool Street · One way · All prices are totals for 1 adult · All service hours
4 transfer options
Not all night: the Stansted Express runs 05:30–00:30.
Recommended
22 minutes quicker than the Flibco shuttle (sold from £6.99), for about the same starting price. And no booking needed.
Shuttle
National Express coach
National Express · National Express
45–100 min rideRuns all night
Coach station→Liverpool Street on route A8
24-hour service
from £7total for 1 adultfrom £7 eachBuy ticket3 places to buy
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Coach station, a two-minute walk from the terminal
Three sources give three starting prices: "from GBP 5" (the airport), "from just GBP 7" (National Express route pages, used here), and "from GBP 10.50 one-way including a GBP 1.50 booking fee" (National Express's Stansted hub). A 33 per cent group discount applies to four or more, on single journeys only, with code GRPAPT33 — a percentage, so it cannot be priced into a total here.
Luggage. One suitcase up to 20 kg and one hand bag up to 10 kg per person.
from £9.45total for 1 adultfrom £9.45 eachBuy ticket5 places to buy
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Stansted Airport station, directly beneath the terminal, a two-minute walk
From GBP 9.45 for an advance single, from GBP 18.90 for an advance return (also quoted as GBP 9.90 one way on a different page). Group products exist — Duo Single and Stex Duo for two, Anytime Group for three to five, a discount for ten or more — but no price is stated here; check the Stansted Express site directly.
Luggage. No stated limit; racks at the ends of each carriage.
Hours. From the airport, the first train is 05:30 and the last is 00:30 — but 06:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. From Liverpool Street, the first train is 03:40 on Monday, Friday and Saturday, 04:10 on Sunday, and 04:40 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; the last is 23:25 every day.
from £6.99total for 1 adultfrom £6.99 eachBuy ticket2 places to buy
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Coach station at the terminal
Advertised "from GBP 6.99" for an adult single, the lowest starting price of any option here. Infants under four travel free with an adult. No group discount is published on any of the operator's Stansted pages.
Luggage. One hand bag and one checked bag per passenger, included in the fare.
The options are still here — your budget or journey-time filter is drawn tighter than any of them. Widen either one, or reset the filters, to bring them back.
Prices marked "from" are starting prices set by the operator. Prices are whole-party totals; group fares are included. Ride times are recorded journey durations — no waiting or onward travel has been added — and road times vary with traffic. Confirm prices and availability with the operator. Going the other way? London to Stansted airport: where each one boards and when the first one runs
How do I get from London Stansted airport to London city center?
For one traveler we recommend the National Express coach, sold from £7, 45–100 min: 22 minutes quicker than the Flibco shuttle (sold from £6.99), for about the same starting price. And no booking needed. The cheapest is the Flibco shuttle, sold from £6.99, 30–105 min; the fastest the Stansted Express, sold from £9.45, 48 min. Every option below is priced as a total for your party and says where it leaves you.
A few things for the rest of your trip
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Arriving late?
Not everything runs around the clock: the Stansted Express runs 05:30–00:30. Outside those hours, the National Express coach and the Flibco shuttle and the Pre-booked private transfer are what remain. Set the hour you leave arrivals and the board keeps only what is running.
Luggage
No stated limit; racks at the ends of each carriage.
Going somewhere specific?
"The center" is not one place, and the answer changes
The station is directly beneath the terminal, about a two-minute walk from arrivals down by lift, escalator or ramp — just follow the overhead signs. The whole route down is step-free, so a lift is always the alternative to the escalator.
Finding the stop
The coach station is a two-minute walk from the terminal, opposite the main entrance, with step-free access throughout. National Express, Flibco and the airport's other coach operators all leave from here.
Tickets
Buy your train ticket online before you travel, or at the machines and rail desk in the station once you land. The Stansted Express also takes a contactless card or phone straight at the gates — tap in and out, no ticket needed — but Oyster doesn't work here at all.
The taxi rank
There's no need to look for a rank: book online before you arrive, or go to the Street Cars desk in the international arrivals concourse. A courtesy phone in domestic baggage reclaim connects you to the same desk if you land the other way.
Uber and Bolt
Uber and Bolt both operate at Stansted, picking up from the Short Stay Orange car park rather than outside the terminal — Uber names row G as the meeting point. Your app shows the exact spot once a driver is assigned.
Before you travel
Where each one starts, how long it runs, what it carries
Stansted Express · Greater AngliaStansted Express
From
Stansted Airport station, directly beneath the terminal, a two-minute walk
To
Liverpool Street, calling at Tottenham Hale and with connections to Stratford
Luggage
No stated limit; racks at the ends of each carriage.
Runs
05:30–00:30
Journey
48 min
From GBP 9.45 for an advance single, from GBP 18.90 for an advance return (also quoted as GBP 9.90 one way on a different page). Group products exist — Duo Single and Stex Duo for two, Anytime Group for three to five, a discount for ten or more — but no price is stated here; check the Stansted Express site directly.
A 06:00 flight on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday has no train that works. The first from Liverpool Street those days is 04:40, and the airport's own advice is to allow at least four hours for the journey from London.
The train stops for five hours overnight. The coaches do not, so a landing between 00:30 and 05:30 is a coach whatever the price says.
Group and two-person tickets exist but cannot be priced here. Duo Single and Stex Duo cover two people traveling together; Anytime Group covers three to five and is sold only at ticket offices. GroupSave, the usual third off for three or more, does not apply between Stansted and Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale.
Railcards are accepted at ticket offices only, not on online bookings, and the ticket office is open 06:30 to midnight.
Tapping in with contactless works here since March 2026 and is not the cheap option; Oyster does not work at all.
From the airport, the first train is 05:30 and the last is 00:30 — but 06:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. From Liverpool Street, the first train is 03:40 on Monday, Friday and Saturday, 04:10 on Sunday, and 04:40 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; the last is 23:25 every day.
National Express · National ExpressNational Express coach
From
Coach station, a two-minute walk from the terminal
To
Liverpool Street on route A8; Stratford, Victoria and others on A6 and A9
Luggage
One suitcase up to 20 kg and one hand bag up to 10 kg per person.
Runs
All night
Journey
45–100 min
Three sources give three starting prices: "from GBP 5" (the airport), "from just GBP 7" (National Express route pages, used here), and "from GBP 10.50 one-way including a GBP 1.50 booking fee" (National Express's Stansted hub). A 33 per cent group discount applies to four or more, on single journeys only, with code GRPAPT33 — a percentage, so it cannot be priced into a total here.
Three routes, three journeys. A9 reaches Stratford in about 45 minutes; A8 reaches Liverpool Street in about 1 h 08 and Victoria in about 1 h 40; A9 continuing to Liverpool Street takes about 95 minutes. Check which route your ticket is for.
The operator says the service runs round the clock, and its individual route timetables show first and last departures from the airport clustered around midnight — A6 00:15 to 23:55, A8 00:10 to 23:50, A9 00:05 to 23:45.
The 33 per cent group discount needs four or more people, applies to single journeys only, and cannot be combined with a Coachcard or other offer. Book it online or at the National Express desk, not by phone or on board.
The cheapest ticket type is Restricted, which cannot be changed or refunded. Change & Go costs GBP 5 each way and lets you take any coach within twelve hours either side of your booked departure — worth it if your flight might slip.
A seat is not guaranteed unless your ticket names a specific service.
Liverpool Street, calling at Stratford, Redbridge, Finsbury Park, Wood Green and Enfield
Luggage
One hand bag and one checked bag per passenger, included in the fare.
Runs
All night
Journey
30–105 min
Advertised "from GBP 6.99" for an adult single, the lowest starting price of any option here. Infants under four travel free with an adult. No group discount is published on any of the operator's Stansted pages.
It is the slowest way to Liverpool Street here, at about 1 h 30 — roughly twice the train. It reaches Redbridge in 30 minutes and Stratford in 50, so where you get off changes the answer completely.
The operator states there is no first or last service and that it runs round the clock.
A ticket is valid all day and until 04:00 the following morning rather than for one departure, so a delayed flight is not a lost ticket.
Add 10 to 15 minutes in weekday rush hour, 07:00 to 09:30 and 16:30 to 19:00, on the operator's own advice.
Stansted Airport station, directly beneath the terminal
To
Cambridge station, direct
Runs
05:25–23:25
Journey
31–38 min
The Anytime Day Single is £14.00, valid on any train at any hour. An Advance Single from £8.00 exists but is valid only on one booked CrossCountry service, not on Greater Anglia's own direct trains.
The £8.00 Advance fare is cheaper but ties you to one specific train on CrossCountry only — a delayed flight loses it.
Two direct trains an hour, roughly 20 and 40 minutes apart, from National Rail's own planner. First from the airport 05:25, last 23:25; nothing direct runs through the small hours.
National Express · National ExpressNational Express coach to Heathrow
From
Coach station, bays 20 to 22, two minutes from the terminal
To
Heathrow Central Bus Station for Terminals 2 and 3, then Terminal 5
Luggage
One large suitcase or two medium cases and one soft hand bag per person.
Runs
02:30–19:25
Journey
85–110 min
From £21.30 one way, limited availability. The figure includes a £1.50 booking fee, which is waived when you buy signed in to a My Account. Quoted for travel up to 11 January 2027.
Terminals 2 and 3 are the Central Bus Station, where the coach calls first. Terminal 5 is about 20 minutes further on, and no coach on this route stops at Terminal 4.
Allow for the traffic: the ride is about 90 minutes, 110 on the 06:40, and National Express advises being at the airport three hours before a flight.
Change & Go, £5 each way, lets you take any coach within twelve hours either side of the one you booked.
Nine coaches a day: 02:30, 04:45, 06:40, 09:00, 10:15, 13:15, 14:55, 17:15 and 19:25. At weekends the 06:40 leaves at 07:00 and the 19:25 at 19:15. Nothing leaves between 19:25 and 02:30.
National Express · National ExpressNational Express coach to Luton
From
Coach station, bays 20 to 22, two minutes from the terminal
To
Luton Airport bus station, stands N, P or Q, at the terminal door
Luggage
One large suitcase or two medium cases and one soft hand bag per person.
Runs
01:00–22:00
Journey
100–115 min
From £18.10 one way, limited availability. The figure includes a £1.50 booking fee, which is waived when you buy signed in to a My Account. Quoted for travel up to 11 January 2027.
The coach calls at Harlow, Hertford and Hatfield on the way, which is why the ride is about 100 minutes where the distance is 86 km. National Express advises being at the airport three hours before a flight.
It sets down at the terminal, so the Luton DART is not needed.
Change & Go, £5 each way, lets you take any coach within twelve hours either side of the one you booked.
Eight coaches a day, every day: 01:00, 07:00, 09:15, 11:30, 14:00, 17:00, 19:30 and 22:00.
A8→025 · National ExpressNational Express coaches to Gatwick, changing at Victoria
From
Coach station, two minutes from the terminal; the A8's bay is shown on the day
To
Gatwick Airport, South Terminal coach stops (the North Terminal ten minutes earlier), after a change at London Victoria Coach Station
Luggage
One large suitcase (or two medium) and one soft hand-luggage item per person on both coaches.
Runs
00:10–23:50
Journey
175–325 min
Two starting prices added together: from £7 for the coach from Stansted to London and from £6 for the coach from Victoria to Gatwick, each including a £1.50 booking fee that is waived when you buy signed in to a My Account. The £7 is National Express's starting price for Stansted to London, not a fare to Victoria in particular; later bookings cost more.
National Express says its services between the two airports require a connection in London. Nothing runs the whole way.
The A8 sets you down at the Arrivals Hall of Victoria Coach Station and the 025 leaves from the Departures Hall; allow time to walk between them.
Every 025 except the 01:30 and 02:30 goes through Heathrow before Gatwick, which is why the second coach takes up to 2 hours 45. It calls at the North Terminal before the South Terminal.
National Express advises being at the airport three hours before a flight, so do not plan a connection tighter than that by coach.
The A8 leaves Stansted every 15 to 45 minutes, 00:10 to 01:30 and 05:00 to 23:50, and nothing on it runs between 01:30 and 05:00. The 025 leaves Victoria only 16 times a day (01:30, 02:30, 03:30, 06:30, 08:00, 09:30, 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00, 16:30, 18:00, 19:00, 20:30, 22:00 and 23:59), so the wait there is 20 minutes to a little over two hours.
Charged in euros: €110 for the sedan, €150 for the minibus. Converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate of 15 September 2026 only to compare it with the local fares; your card's rate will differ a little.
Book at least 16 hours ahead; nearer the day a car is offered only when one is free.
What is the best way from London Stansted airport to London city center?
For one traveler, the National Express coach, sold from £7, 45–100 min. 22 minutes quicker than the Flibco shuttle (sold from £6.99), for about the same starting price. And no booking needed. The same holds for a group of up to eight. How we weigh price against time is set out on the fares page, in numbers.
What is the cheapest way from London Stansted airport to London city center?
For one traveler, the Flibco shuttle, sold from £6.99. Per-person fares multiply with the size of your party and per-vehicle fares do not, so check the total for your group rather than the single fare.
How do I get from London Stansted airport to London city center by train?
One train reaches Liverpool Street: the Stansted Express, from £9.45 for one traveler, 48 min. It is not the cheapest way in: the Flibco shuttle, sold from £6.99 is. See every option by train
How do I get from London Stansted airport to London city center by bus?
For one traveler the cheapest bus is the Flibco shuttle, sold from £6.99, 30–105 min; the fastest is the National Express coach, sold from £7, 45–100 min. For one traveler that is the cheapest way into London by any means. The fastest way overall is the Stansted Express, 48 min. See every option by bus
How do I get from London Stansted airport to London city center by taxi?
One taxi reaches Liverpool Street: the Pre-booked private transfer, £108.40 for one traveler, 60 min, to any address. It is not the cheapest way in: the Flibco shuttle, sold from £6.99 is. The fastest way overall is the Stansted Express, 48 min. See every option by taxi
How long does it take to get from London Stansted airport to London city center?
Flibco shuttle: 30–105 min. National Express coach: 45–100 min. Stansted Express: 48 min. Pre-booked private transfer: 60 min. London Stansted Airport is 64 km from central London.
How far is London Stansted airport from the city center?
64 km to central London. The fastest way in takes 48 min; the cheapest, the Flibco shuttle, 30–105 min.
Where is the train station at London Stansted airport?
The station is directly beneath the terminal, about a two-minute walk from arrivals down by lift, escalator or ramp — just follow the overhead signs. The whole route down is step-free, so a lift is always the alternative to the escalator.
Is there Uber or Bolt at London Stansted airport?
Uber and Bolt both operate at Stansted, picking up from the Short Stay Orange car park rather than outside the terminal — Uber names row G as the meeting point. Your app shows the exact spot once a driver is assigned.
Where do I catch the Flibco shuttle at London Stansted airport?
Coach station at the terminal. It has to be booked ahead, so confirm the pickup point when you book.
Is there a train from London Stansted airport to London at night?
The Stansted Express runs 05:30–00:30. Outside those hours the National Express coach and the Flibco shuttle and the pre-booked private transfer are what remain; the National Express coach is from £7 for one traveler. From the airport, the first train is 05:30 and the last is 00:30 — but 06:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. From Liverpool Street, the first train is 03:40 on Monday, Friday and Saturday, 04:10 on Sunday, and 04:40 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; the last is 23:25 every day.
Does the Train to Cambridge go to Liverpool Street, on the eastern edge of the City?
Cambridge is a separate city up the line, not part of central London.
Does the National Express coach to Heathrow go to Liverpool Street, on the eastern edge of the City?
The other airport, not the city. For a connection between the two; for the centre take the Stansted Express or a coach to London.
Does the National Express coach to Luton go to Liverpool Street, on the eastern edge of the City?
The other airport, not the city. For a connection between the two; for the centre take the Stansted Express or a coach to London.
Does the National Express coaches to Gatwick, changing at Victoria go to Liverpool Street, on the eastern edge of the City?
The other airport, not the city. For a connection between the two; for the centre take the Stansted Express or a coach to London.
Does the Private transfer to Cambridge go to Liverpool Street, on the eastern edge of the City?
This goes to Cambridge, not London: the driver takes you to any address there.
Worth knowing
Every fare on this page is a starting price. National Express alone is quoted at three figures — "from GBP 5" by the airport, "from GBP 7" on its own route pages, "from GBP 10.50 including a GBP 1.50 booking fee" on its Stansted hub. Book early, and treat every number here as a floor.
The Airport Bus Express to Liverpool Street runs only between 20:15 and 04:30. Its Stratford coaches run every 30 minutes around the clock, but Liverpool Street is a night-only leg. Check whose coach it is before booking "the Liverpool Street coach" for a daytime flight.
No taxi fare can be stated here. The airport names 24x7 Taxis on one page and Street Cars on another; neither says whether the fare is metered, fixed or quoted, and no authority publishes a price.
Contactless pay as you go reached Stansted Airport on 8 March 2026, but it is not the cheap way in: the Zones 1 to 9 off-peak daily cap is GBP 35.20 against a pre-booked return advertised from GBP 18.90. Oyster cards are not valid here at all.
Terravision sells seats on route numbers A6, A8 and A9 — the same numbers National Express uses — at GBP 12.50 to GBP 19.50 one way against National Express's own "from GBP 7". Treat them as unrelated bookings, and check which one you are paying for.
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