Arrivals
A London City layover is worth leaving the airport for from about 4 hours, if you can enter the UK.
London City Airport (LCY) sits in the Royal Docks in east London, 5 miles from the City of London, and its DLR station is joined to the terminal by a lift. It’s a small airport with few facilities: no lounge until early 2027, no showers and no left luggage. So on a layover of more than a few hours, there’s little reason to stay inside.
- Tickets. The airport has no transfer area. Its own FAQ tells connecting passengers to clear customs on arrival and go through security again, so plan on the border whether your tickets are joined or separate.
- Bags. With no left luggage at the airport, travel light. The Tower of London refuses suitcases, and St Paul’s and Tate Modern turn away large bags.
- Phone. Wi-Fi is free throughout the terminal, but not on the DLR or in town.
Data and bags before you head out: getting into the city.
eSIM
Stay connected
London City's free Wi-Fi ends at the terminal door. An eSIM set up before you fly keeps maps and train times working on the DLR and in town.
Get an eSIM from Airalo (opens in a new tab)Get a Saily eSIM (opens in a new tab)
Border
Every connection at London City passes UK border control, so most visitors need an ETA or a visa even to change planes.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
- ETA travellers. Americans, Canadians, Australians and EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need an approved ETA (£20) before they fly. GOV.UK says most decisions come within a day; the Home Office advises applying at least 3 working days ahead.
- Visa nationals. Indian passport holders and other visa nationals need a Visitor in Transit visa (£74.50, leave within 48 hours) or a Standard Visitor visa, unless the Home Office’s transit-without-visa concession applies.
- Staying airside. Not possible here. The airside exemption from the ETA covers transit “without passing through border control”, which London City doesn’t offer.
- Time. London City says 15 minutes from plane to train. This guide allows 30 minutes from landing, for taxiing in and any queue at the border.
Who needs which document: visa and transit rules.
Into London
The DLR leaves from the terminal and reaches Bank, in the City of London, in about 23 minutes for £3.30 off-peak.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
| Ride | Into town | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| DLR to Bank, direct | About 23 minutes, every 10 minutes | £3.30 off-peak, £3.90 at the weekday morning peak |
| DLR and the Jubilee line, changing at Canning Town | 23 to 26 minutes to Westminster | £3.30 off-peak |
| Black cab from the rank | About 16 to 40 minutes into the City | About £21 to £42 by day on weekdays (TfL’s fare card, 4 to 6 miles) |
The first trains leave the airport at 5:25am from Monday to Saturday and 6:55am on Sundays. Pay with a contactless card or phone; London City’s DLR desk doesn’t sell Oyster cards.
Every way in, with the last trains: getting into the city.
What to do
The shortest plan is the cable car over the Thames, 11 to 13 minutes from the airport.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
The fastest plan for a short layover
- Clear the border and take the lift down to the DLR.
- Ride to Royal Victoria, changing at Canning Town (11 to 13 minutes in all), and walk 3 minutes to the London Cable Car.
- Cross to Greenwich Peninsula, a ride of up to 10 minutes, and walk by the river near the O2.
- Take the Jubilee line from North Greenwich to Canning Town and the DLR back to the airport, 13 to 16 minutes.
No tour picks up at London City Airport, but GetYourGuide sells London tickets and tours for the plans in town.
Watch the calendar
- Saturdays: London City has no flights from 1pm on Saturday until 12:30pm on Sunday, and the terminal closes at 1pm.
- Sundays: St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey aren’t open for sightseeing. The Tower of London opens at 10am on Sundays and Mondays, an hour later than the rest of the week.
- Mondays: Borough Market is closed.
- Greenwich: the Royal Observatory has closed for refurbishment; its Meridian Courtyard is due to reopen in summer 2027 and the rest by spring 2028.
- Christmas: no flights on 25 December, and no Tube or DLR trains that day.
- Wind: the cable car can close in very strong winds, lightning or extreme heat.
Our itineraries from 4 hours up cover Westminster, Greenwich, Bankside, the Tower of London and a walk along the Thames, with a night by the airport for evening arrivals.
Tickets
London Cable Car tickets
A round trip over the Thames between the Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula, 11 to 13 minutes from the airport by DLR. The cable car can close in very strong winds.
Head back
Be back at London City 2 hours before departure, with your onward boarding pass.
Not needed when you stay at the airport.
- Time. Allow 30 minutes from landing to the train, the ride each way (about 20 minutes to the cable car, 25 to 35 to central London), and 2 hours back at the airport. That makes 4 hours the realistic minimum.
- Why 2 hours. This guide allows the same 2 hours at every London airport. At London City it’s generous: the airport puts entry to gate at about 20 minutes and asks passengers to arrive no more than 2 hours before their flight, so the margin covers a slow train or a queue at check-in.
- Check-in. London City’s desks open 2 hours before departure. British Airways closes check-in 30 minutes before its London City flights.
- Late at night. The last trains back run after midnight from Monday to Saturday and until around 11:30pm on Sundays: the last DLR reaches the airport at about 12:56am (11:57pm on Sundays). But the terminal closes at 10pm (1pm on Saturdays), so the airport’s hours, not the trains, set the limit.
Time in town at each layover length: timing your return.
Departures
Best for your layoverStaying at the airport instead: the departure lounge, and a hotel for the night.
Once through security, the departure lounge has seating with sockets and USB chargers, cafés and the AeroSpa for treatments. There’s no lounge to pay for until the new one opens, which London City expects by early 2027, and no showers.
You can’t stay overnight: London City closes at 10pm on weekdays and Sundays and at 1pm on Saturdays. The Courtyard by Marriott London City Airport is a 7 to 11-minute walk, with a 24-hour front desk; other hotels are a short taxi ride away by the ExCeL.
Seating, hotels and what isn’t there: at the airport.
Hotel
Courtyard by Marriott London City Airport
The nearest hotel, a short walk from the terminal, with a 24-hour front desk. Useful when your layover runs through the night, since London City closes.