For the sake of completeness, and because it calls itself a London airport, we include Southend. It’s about 50 minutes from London
It is a very small airport, with a few flights to Amsterdam and Alicante on easyJet.
There is a rail station just nearby.
Southend is on the coast, well, the Thames estuary. It’s a city most famous for its extremely long pier. There are many different methods to get to central London.
If you want to see a typical UK seaside city, Southend may be the place for a day trip.
Luton Airport is to the north of London, about 35 miles away.
Flights come mostly from Europe, and the airport is used mainly by low cost airlines such as easyJet and Wizz Air.
We have used the terminal three times. Once it was flooded with water, once everything was closed and not even a bottle of water was to be had and once we were treated to a person urinating on a wall.
London City is in the Docklands area to the east of central London. It is the smallest of London’s airports, and about 6 miles out.
Train
No trains.
Underground/Docklands Light Rail
There are many DLR and some tube stations in the area. Canning Town is possibly the nearest, with a short walk. Last time we went it was signposted, but a bit confusing. Royal Albert may be a better choice.
The DLR can get you towards London, to Bank (for connections to the Central and Northern lines) or Tower Gateway (for Circle and District tube lines). There are connections to Docklands, Greenwich, Stratford…
Taxi
Because it is so close to London, taxi and car service are real possibilities, especially if you have a small group of people. From maybe £50 is reasonable.
Bus
Because it is so close, red bus services are available.
It’s slower, and you may need to change, but there are routes like the 473 that are a short walk away.
Getting to central London only by red bus may be fun, but it’s slow and requires multiple changes.
