I’ve flown into Luton many times, and getting from Luton to London is easy once you know how the system works. London Luton Airport is around 50 kilometres north of central London, and the train doesn’t run all the way to the terminal. Instead, you take the driverless Luton DART for four minutes to Luton Airport Parkway station and change to the train there, or you get on a coach right outside the terminal.
Planning a last minute trip to London? 🇬🇧
Here are my favourite places to stay & things to do in the British capital.
🛌 Places to Stay:
1. The Savoy is one of the city's best and most well-known luxury hotels
2. Sea Containers and Canopy by Hilton are both incredible hotels, but the price isn't too bad
3. Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is a good, family-friendly hotel near the London Eye
4. Zedwell Piccadilly Circus is a cheap, no-thrills hotel in the heart of London
🎟️ Top Activities & Tours:
1. Visit the impressive Harry Potter Studios (remember to book tickets well in advance, as they always sell out)
2. Experience a musical in the West End (see showtimes and buy tickets here)
3. Take a boat trip on the Thames and see London from the riverside
4. Visit the iconic London Eye and the impressive Tower of London
The train is the fastest and best option if you’re staying near St Pancras, in the City or around London Bridge. The coaches run around the clock to Baker Street, Marble Arch and Victoria and can be cheaper, but they take longer. Here you’ll find all the options, with fares, journey times, where to get off and what to do if you land at night.
Contents
At a glance
- Luton Airport Express: From £10 with an Advance ticket including the DART, as little as 32 minutes from the terminal to St Pancras, every half hour, and only from midday on Sundays.
- Thameslink: £17.20 contactless off-peak including the DART, as little as 35 minutes from the terminal to St Pancras, up to 8 trains an hour and at night too.
- National Express: From £7, 60 to 90 minutes to Victoria, runs around the clock.
- Green Line 757: £15, around 90 minutes to Victoria, runs around the clock.
- Taxi: Metered black cabs from the rank at the terminal, with no fixed fare to London.
- Uber: Uber itself gives an average fare of around £78 for UberX between London and the airport.
Finding your transport at the airport
Luton has a single terminal, so every connection starts from the same place. In the arrivals hall you’ll find the Onward Travel Centre with a ticket desk, and the train ticket machines are by the exit. You can buy tickets for both the train and the DART here before you head outside. The Luton DART leaves from the station by the terminal entrance, and at the ticket gates you can pay directly with a contactless card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. There are also ticket machines at the DART station.
The coaches stop right outside the terminal’s main entrance, and all the stops are 50 to 100 metres from the entrance. National Express leaves from stands R and S, and Green Line 757 leaves from Bay L. The taxi rank is just past Bus Bay A, close to the terminal. Pre-booked cars pick up in the Pick Up Zone, which is around a five-minute walk away. You’ll find every connection on the airport’s transport page.
1. Train via the Luton DART to St Pancras and the City
The train is the fastest way into London, but the journey comes in two parts. First, you take the Luton DART from the terminal to Luton Airport Parkway. It’s a driverless electric train that covers the 2.3 kilometres in under four minutes. The DART runs around the clock, up to every 5 minutes at peak times, every 8 minutes the rest of the day and every 15 minutes between 22:00 and 04:00.
At Luton Airport Parkway you change to one of two trains to London. Thameslink leaves from platform 1 and Luton Airport Express from platform 3, so check the screens when you come up from the DART. Both trains have space for suitcases by the doors. The walk between the station and the terminal might look short, but it isn’t a real alternative, as it’s around 1.6 kilometres up a steep hill and takes about half an hour.
Luton Airport Express or Thameslink?
Luton Airport Express is East Midlands Railway’s fast train, and it’s the quickest connection to St Pancras International. From Parkway the journey takes as little as 22 minutes, and from the terminal to St Pancras it’s as little as 32 minutes including the DART. Trains run every half hour from Monday to Saturday. On weekdays the last train towards St Pancras leaves at around 23:25. On Sundays it only runs from midday, and the last one leaves before 22:00. The train has free Wi-Fi, and you can bring two large suitcases and a smaller bag. You’ll find the timetable at Luton Airport Express.
Thameslink runs more often and stops at more places in London. During the day there’s a train roughly every 10 to 15 minutes, and it carries on through the city via Farringdon, City Thameslink and London Blackfriars to London Bridge, among other stations. Thameslink also runs at night with fewer departures, and it’s often your only train on a Sunday morning. From Parkway the journey takes 24 to 45 minutes to St Pancras and around 50 minutes to London Bridge. You can see the journey times to each station on the airport’s page about trains to London.
Fares and tickets
Always buy a ticket to Luton Airport station, not to Luton Airport Parkway. That way the DART is included in the price. If your ticket only says Parkway, you’ll need to buy a DART ticket on top for £4.90. Children aged 5 to 15 pay £2.45 for the DART, and children under 5 travel free.
Luton Airport Express sells Advance tickets from £10 each way and £20 return between St Pancras and Luton Airport, with the DART included. Thameslink has Advance tickets from £6.50, but here the DART isn’t included in the price. The catch is that an Advance ticket is only valid on the train you’ve booked. If your flight’s delayed and you miss that train, you’ll have to buy a new ticket. When you land, an Off-Peak or Anytime ticket or paying contactless is therefore the safe choice, as they’re valid on any train. Off-Peak tickets are valid all weekend. You’ll find the DART fares at Luton DART.
If you’d like your train ticket ready on your phone before you land, you can buy train tickets from Omio here. Buy it to Luton Airport so the DART is included.
Children aged 5 to 15 pay half price on the train, and children under 5 travel free with an adult. Oyster cards aren’t valid, as Luton Airport Parkway and Luton Airport are outside London’s fare zones.
Paying by card: tap in and out twice
You can pay contactless with Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay for the whole journey, but it happens in two steps. You pay for the DART by tapping your card on the reader at the ticket gates. The train is paid for separately: at Luton Airport Parkway you tap the same card on a yellow card reader before you go onto the platform, and you tap out again at the ticket gates in London. If you forget to tap out, the journey’s recorded as incomplete and you’ll pay the maximum fare. You’ll find the rules at Thameslink.
Paying contactless, the train from Luton Airport Parkway to St Pancras or Farringdon costs £12.30 off-peak and £16.60 from Monday to Friday between 06:30 and 09:30. With the DART, that’s £17.20 and £21.50. Every child and every adult needs their own ticket or card, so if you’re travelling as a family, it’s easiest to buy tickets to Luton Airport from the machine in the arrivals hall. Read more about the journey at Thameslink.
Where to get off
St Pancras International: The last stop for Luton Airport Express and the first stop for Thameslink. From here you can walk to King’s Cross, Bloomsbury and Camden, and the station connects to six Underground lines. If you’re staying here, you can walk from the train to your hotel, and you can see hotels near King’s Cross and St Pancras here.
Farringdon: Thameslink only. Here you change to the Elizabeth line, heading west to Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Paddington or east to Liverpool Street and Shoreditch. Farringdon sits between the West End and the City and is a handy place to stay if you want both Thameslink and the Elizabeth line right on your doorstep.
City Thameslink: The station is in the middle of the City of London, a short walk from St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s the one for you if you’re staying in the City.
London Blackfriars: The station sits on a bridge over the Thames and has entrances on both sides of the river. The south entrance leads out to Bankside, with Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe, and Bankside is one of the areas I recommend in my guide to where to stay in London.
London Bridge: Get off here for Borough Market, The Shard and the south side of Tower Bridge. Many of the top things to do in London are within walking distance, and you can see hotels near London Bridge here.
2. National Express coach to Baker Street and Victoria
National Express runs around the clock with up to 47 departures a day, roughly three an hour during the day and every half hour at night. The coaches leave from stands R and S right outside the terminal, so you don’t need the DART. On the other hand, you’ll be sitting in London traffic, and the journey to Victoria usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. The coach is best if you’re staying near Baker Street, Marble Arch or Victoria, or if you land at night and want to save on a taxi.
There are several routes, and they stop in different places. The A1 and A31 run to Victoria Coach Station, and the A31 is the fastest, with fewer stops. The A2 runs to Paddington Station. So check the stops on your ticket before you get on, or you could end up on the wrong side of Hyde Park. Victoria Coach Station is around 300 metres from Victoria Underground station.
Fares and tickets
Tickets cost from £7 each way when you buy online. That price includes a £1.50 booking fee, which you avoid if you create a free account. The cheapest tickets sell out first, and in the holidays some departures sell out completely, so buy your ticket online as soon as you know your flight. You may be able to get tickets on the day, but National Express itself recommends booking online in advance. Fares and departures are listed at National Express.
Each passenger can bring one large suitcase or two medium-sized ones, plus one soft piece of hand luggage. If you’ve got more luggage than that, the train’s the better choice.
Buy a coach ticket between Luton and central London here, and you’ll have it ready on your phone when you land.
The stops in London
Baker Street: All three routes stop here. Get off here if you’re staying near Regent’s Park or Marylebone, or if you want to carry on by Underground.
Marble Arch: The stop for Oxford Street and Hyde Park. From here it’s a few minutes’ walk into Mayfair.
Victoria: The A1 and A31 end at Victoria Coach Station, and from here it isn’t far to Westminster, Belgravia and Pimlico.
Paddington: The A2 ends at Paddington Station, which is the easiest stop for hotels in Paddington and Bayswater.
3. Green Line 757 to Victoria around the clock
Green Line 757 is Arriva’s coach from Bay L, right outside the terminal. It runs around the clock all year via Brent Cross, Finchley Road, Baker Street and Marble Arch to Victoria. During the day there are up to three coaches an hour, at night roughly one an hour, and the journey to Victoria takes around 90 minutes. You can’t reserve a seat, so it’s first come, first served.
A single costs £15 for an adult and £10 for a child. A 2 Trip ticket for £16 covers the journey both ways and is valid for three months, and a 2 Trip family ticket costs £35. You can buy single, return and weekly tickets from the driver and pay contactless, with Apple Pay or Google Pay, or in sterling cash.
You can bring two medium-sized suitcases or one large suitcase of up to 20 kilos. The coach is most useful at night, or if you buy the 2 Trip ticket and are travelling there and back. You’ll find the timetable and rules at Green Line.
4. Taxis and Uber
The black cabs wait at the rank just past Bus Bay A, and you don’t need to book in advance. You join the queue, and a member of staff directs you to the next available taxi. The taxis are metered and there’s no fixed fare to London, so the journey gets expensive, especially if there’s traffic on the motorway. Ask the driver roughly what the fare will be before you set off. You can read more on the airport’s taxi page.
Pre-booked taxis pick up in the Pick Up Zone, and there’s a pick-up charge that the driver usually adds to the fare. If you book an Uber, the app shows you where to meet your driver. Uber’s own page gives an average fare of around £78 for UberX between London and the airport, but the price varies with traffic and demand. You can see more at Uber.
Private transfer
If you’re landing late with children, or there are several of you with lots of luggage, you can book a private transfer from Luton Airport to London here. The driver picks you up at the airport and takes you all the way to your hotel, and the price is agreed in advance. You can also book a transfer with Welcome Pickups here, and the driver will be waiting for you when you come out.
Onward travel around England straight from the airport
If you’re not heading into London, you can often travel straight on from Luton Airport Parkway. East Midlands Railway runs north to Bedford, Kettering and Corby, and some trains continue to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield. You can reach Sheffield in just under two hours. Thameslink runs through London and on south all the way to Brighton in around two hours, and if you’d like to see the coast, Brighton makes a good alternative to London. You can see the connections on the airport’s page about trains to the north.
National Express runs from bays N, P and Q at the bus station to Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham and Manchester, among other places, and you’ll find the routes on the airport’s page about coaches around England. If you’re catching a flight from another airport, Thameslink runs direct to Gatwick in 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, and for Heathrow you take Thameslink to Farringdon and change to the Elizabeth line. There are also direct coaches to Heathrow and Stansted, and you can buy a coach ticket between Luton and Heathrow here. I’ve also written guides to getting into London from Heathrow, from Gatwick and from Stansted.
Getting back to the airport
Luton Airport Express runs from St Pancras from around 05:45 on weekdays and 05:30 on Saturdays, but on Sundays not until around 12:00. The last train to the airport leaves just before midnight on weekdays and at around 22:00 at weekends. If you’re catching an early flight on a Sunday, that leaves Thameslink, National Express or Green Line 757. Thameslink runs through the night with fewer trains, and the DART runs around the clock, so you can make a morning flight too. Again, remember to buy your ticket to Luton Airport so the DART is included.
The airport doesn’t say how early you should arrive, so follow your airline’s advice and allow time for the change at Parkway and the DART ride. If you’re flying before 09:00, the airport says you can check in and drop off your bags the evening before, so ask your airline whether that applies to your flight.
If someone’s driving you, the drop-off zone close to the terminal costs £9 for the first 12 minutes, and the charge is paid online. Free drop-off is in the long-stay car park, where a free shuttle bus runs to the terminal every 20 minutes around the clock and takes around ten minutes. The rules are on the airport’s drop-off page.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying:
Bloomsbury and King’s Cross: Take Luton Airport Express or Thameslink to St Pancras and walk the last bit.
Camden Town: Take the train to St Pancras and change to the Northern line at King’s Cross St Pancras.
Soho and Covent Garden: Take Thameslink to Farringdon and change to the Elizabeth line heading west to Tottenham Court Road.
City of London and Shoreditch: Take Thameslink to Farringdon or City Thameslink. For Shoreditch, change at Farringdon to the Elizabeth line heading east to Liverpool Street.
Bankside: Take Thameslink to London Blackfriars and use the south exit, or carry on to London Bridge.
Paddington and Bayswater: Take the National Express A2 direct to Paddington, or take Thameslink to Farringdon and the Elizabeth line west to Paddington if you’d rather avoid the traffic.
Mayfair: Take National Express or Green Line 757 to Marble Arch.
Landing at night: Thameslink runs with fewer trains, and National Express and Green Line 757 run all night. Otherwise, it’s a taxi.
Landing on a Sunday morning: Luton Airport Express doesn’t run until midday, so take Thameslink.
Three or four of you: A pre-booked transfer with a fixed price takes you all the way to your hotel, and the cost is split between you. Compare it with train tickets for the whole group before you decide.
Practical tips for getting from Luton Airport to central London
Buy your ticket to Luton Airport, not Parkway. That way the DART is included in the price, and you won’t have to queue at an extra machine.
Use the same card all the way. If you pay contactless, you need to tap in and out with the same card or the same phone. If you forget to tap out, you’ll pay the maximum fare.
Skip the Advance ticket on the way in. It’s only valid on the train you’ve booked. It’s fine for the journey home, when you choose the time yourself, but if your flight’s delayed on the way in, you’ll have to buy a new ticket.
Book the coach in good time. National Express’s cheapest tickets sell first, and in the holidays departures can sell out.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. If you’re staying near St Pancras, Luton Airport Express takes you right to the door, and you can see hotels near King’s Cross and St Pancras here. If you’re staying near Farringdon, you’ve got both Thameslink and the Elizabeth line right on your doorstep, and you can see hotels near Farringdon here. If you’d like to stay south of the Thames near Borough Market, you can see hotels near London Bridge here.
If you’re not sure which neighbourhood suits you best, read my guide to where to stay in London, and you’ll find ideas for your trip in my guide to things to do in London.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
Psst 👀 Have you subscribed to my Youtube channel and my Instagram where I provide more useful travel tips?