The DLR station is joined to London City's terminal by a lift. Trains run direct to Bank, in the City of London, or to Canning Town for the Jubilee line to London Bridge, Waterloo and Westminster. A black cab waits outside.
What's the best way from London City into central London?
Take the DLR from London City: about 23 minutes direct to Bank, in the City of London, for £3.30 off-peak with a contactless card. For Westminster, London Bridge or Waterloo, change at Canning Town to the Jubilee line: 23 to 26 minutes to Westminster for the same fare. A black cab into the City costs about £21 to £42 by day on weekdays. Allow 30 minutes from landing to the train, and be back at the airport 2 hours before departure.
Getting through the border
Every international arrival at London City Airport (LCY) passes UK border control, connecting passengers included, because the airport has no transfer area. London City says it’s 15 minutes from plane to train; this guide allows 30 minutes from landing to sitting on the DLR, since taxiing in and the queue at the border aren’t timed.
- eGates are the quicker way through if you’re 8 or older and at least 120 cm tall (8 to 17-year-olds with an adult), and British or Irish, or from the EU, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the US with a valid ETA, eVisa or digital record.
- Everyone else sees a Border Force officer.
- Fast Track: London City doesn’t run one. Its FAQ puts security at about 5 minutes on average.
- Bags: on separate tickets, or if your bags aren’t checked through, you’ll collect them in the arrivals hall. There’s no left luggage at the airport, so take them with you or store them in town.
The options at a glance
| DLR to Bank | DLR and Jubilee line | Black cab | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To | Bank, for St Paul’s and the City | Canning Town, then London Bridge, Waterloo, Westminster, Green Park | Anywhere |
| Time | About 23 min | 18 to 22 min to London Bridge, 23 to 26 to Westminster | About 16 to 40 min into the City |
| Single fare | £3.30 off-peak, £3.90 peak | £3.30 off-peak, £3.90 peak | About £21 to £42 by day on weekdays |
| Pay with | Contactless, Oyster | Contactless, Oyster | Card, contactless, cash |
DLR: the quickest way into the City
- From the terminal: London City Airport station is on the Docklands Light Railway, with a lift from the platforms to the terminal and step-free trains. The airport says trains leave every 4 to 10 minutes depending on where they’re going. On TfL’s Journey Planner, the train to Bank runs every 10 minutes and another to Stratford International every 10 in between.
- To Bank: about 23 minutes, direct, on TfL’s planner (London City says 21). From Bank it’s a 10-minute walk to St Paul’s Cathedral, and the Central line runs on to Holborn and Tottenham Court Road.
- To the Tower: Tower Gateway is 26 to 27 minutes away, with a change at Canning Town or Westferry, and 2 minutes on foot from Tower Hill.
- To Greenwich: Cutty Sark is 31 to 37 minutes away by DLR, with a change at Poplar, Canary Wharf or Westferry.
- Fares: the airport is in Zone 3. On TfL’s single fares from 1 November 2026, central London (Zone 1) costs £3.30 off-peak and £3.90 at the peak, Monday to Friday from 6:30am to 9:30am; Cutty Sark £2.30 off-peak; a cash ticket £7.00. Tap a contactless card or phone in and out.
The first trains leave London City Airport at 5:25am from Monday to Saturday and 6:55am on Sundays. These are TfL’s Journey Planner times for November 2026; each cell gives the last train or Tube back from that station that still reaches the airport the same night.
| Last trains back from | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank (DLR, direct) | 12:33am | 12:33am | 11:33pm |
| Tower Gateway | 12:30am | 12:30am | 11:19pm |
| Cutty Sark | 12:15am | 12:14am | 11:14pm |
Times after midnight are the early hours of the next day. The last DLR reaches the airport at about 12:56am, or 11:57pm on Sundays, but London City’s terminal closes at 10pm (1pm on Saturdays), so in practice your flight sets the time, not the trains. Planned engineering works change these times, mostly at weekends, so check TfL on the day.
DLR and Jubilee line: Westminster and the South Bank
- The change: ride the DLR 6 to 7 minutes to Canning Town and change to the Jubilee line, westbound for central London.
- Times from the airport: North Greenwich 10 to 13 minutes, London Bridge 18 to 22, Southwark 20 to 23, Waterloo 21 to 25, Westminster 23 to 26, Green Park 25 to 28 and Bond Street 27 to 30, on TfL’s planner for a weekday in November 2026.
- Fare: the same as to Bank, £3.30 off-peak to Zone 1.
| Last trains back from | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Greenwich | 12:43am | 12:41am | 11:41pm |
| London Bridge | 12:34am | 12:33am | 11:32pm |
| Waterloo | 12:31am | 12:30am | 11:29pm |
| Westminster | 12:30am | 12:28am | 11:27pm |
Each is the Jubilee line to Canning Town, then the last DLR to the airport.
Taxis, Uber and pre-booked cars
- Black cabs wait at the rank outside the terminal. They’re metered: TfL’s fare card from 25 April 2026 puts a 4-mile ride at £21 to £31 and 16 to 30 minutes on weekdays from 5am to 8pm, and a 6-mile ride at £33 to £42 and 28 to 40 minutes. London City says the City of London is 5 miles away, so expect something between the two, and more in the evening, at weekends and at night. There’s no extra charge from the London City rank, but £6 is added for dropping off at the terminal forecourt on the way back. Every cab takes cards and contactless.
- Uber and minicabs collect from the pick-up area in the Short Stay car park, not the forecourt.
- Pre-booked transfers give a fixed price agreed in advance and a driver who meets you. GetYourGuide lists several London City transfers; check where the driver waits before you book.
A car beats the DLR mainly when you’re a group or carrying bags you can’t store; for one person into the City, the train is quicker in traffic and costs a fraction.
The cable car and Greenwich, closer than the centre
The London Cable Car crosses the Thames from the Royal Docks to Greenwich Peninsula, and its terminal is a 3-minute walk from Royal Victoria DLR, 11 to 13 minutes from the airport with a change at Canning Town. TfL runs it from 8am to 9pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 10pm on Friday, 9am to 11pm on Saturday and 9am to 9pm on Sundays and bank holidays, closed on Christmas Day. A crossing takes up to 10 minutes, and TfL’s ticket shop listed a one-way adult ticket at £7 and a child’s at £3.50 (seen November 2026). GetYourGuide sells London Cable Car tickets (opens in a new tab). Greenwich itself, with its free National Maritime Museum, is the DLR’s other short trip: see our itineraries.
Storing bags
London City has no left-luggage service. The Tower of London refuses suitcases and has no left luggage, St Paul’s refuses bags bigger than 45 x 30 x 25 cm and has no cloakroom, and Tate Modern turns away anything bigger than a cabin bag. The Tower and St Paul’s both point visitors to Stasher’s app-booked storage nearby, so drop a case before your first stop rather than carry it round.
Timing your return
Be back at the airport 2 hours before departure, with your onward boarding pass. At London City that’s a generous margin: the airport puts entry to gate at about 20 minutes and asks passengers to arrive no more than 2 hours before their flight. Check-in desks open 2 hours before departure, and British Airways closes check-in 30 minutes before its London City flights. Coming back, you go through security only, as the UK has no exit passport control.
| Layover | Time in town |
|---|---|
| 4 hours | About 1 hour, on the cable car |
| 6 hours | About 2.5 hours |
| 8 hours | About 4.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 6.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 8.5 hours |
The times assume 30 minutes from landing to the train, about 30 minutes each way into central London by the DLR and the Jubilee line (about 20 to the cable car), and 2 hours back at the airport. Use our layover length guide to see what fits.