What to do on a London City layover

Every plan below starts and ends at London City Airport (LCY). Each allows 30 minutes from landing to the train, the DLR (and the Jubilee line for some) each way, and being back at the airport 2 hours before departure. You’ll pass UK border control on arrival whatever you do, so first make sure you’re allowed in: visa and transit rules. On Sundays St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey aren’t open for sightseeing, on Mondays Borough Market is closed, and the Tower opens an hour later on Sundays and Mondays. Walking times are from TfL’s Journey Planner.

4 to 5 hours: the cable car or Westminster

About 1 to 2 hours in town, close to the airport or on the Jubilee line.

The London Cable Car from the Royal Docks

The airport’s nearest outing, and the shortest plan out of London City: a ride over the Thames between the Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula, back on the Jubilee line.

1. Take the DLR to Royal Victoria, changing at Canning Town (11 to 13 minutes).
2. Walk 3 minutes to the Royal Docks terminal of the London Cable Car, and cross the river: TfL says up to 10 minutes, with cars arriving every 30 seconds.
3. Walk the riverside on Greenwich Peninsula, by the O2, for 20 minutes or so.
4. North Greenwich station is 3 minutes from the cable car. The Jubilee line to Canning Town and the DLR get you back to the airport in 13 to 16 minutes.

Opening hours. 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. TfL closes it in very strong winds, lightning or extreme heat.

Tickets. TfL’s ticket shop listed a one-way ticket at £7 for adults and £3.50 for children aged 5 to 15, and a round trip at £13.50 and £6.75 (seen November 2026). Contactless and Oyster work too. GetYourGuide sells London Cable Car tickets (opens in a new tab).

Big Ben, Westminster and the South Bank

London’s classic river view on foot, for two Tube fares: Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and the London Eye.

1. Take the DLR to Canning Town and the Jubilee line to Westminster (23 to 26 minutes in all).
2. Come up into Parliament Square, 2 minutes from the station, under Big Ben.
3. With 5.5 hours or more, from Monday to Saturday, go into Westminster Abbey, 4 minutes away.
4. Cross Westminster Bridge to the London Eye, 15 minutes on foot from the Abbey.
5. Walk 4 minutes to Waterloo for the Jubilee line and the DLR back (25 to 28 minutes).

Pick your day. The Abbey is open to visitors from Monday to Saturday; on Saturday 7 November 2026 its general admittance ran from 9am to 3pm. Adults pay £32 and children aged 6 to 17 £14. It’s a working church and can close at short notice. GetYourGuide sells Westminster Abbey tickets (opens in a new tab).

Cost. Everything outside is free; the off-peak fare is £3.30 each way.

5 to 7 hours: Greenwich or Bankside

About 1.5 to 3.5 hours in town: a free museum by the river, or a cathedral, a gallery and a market.

Maritime Greenwich

A free national museum, the Cutty Sark and the Old Royal Naval College, all within 10 minutes’ walk of one DLR station. Good for families and anyone on a budget.

1. Take the DLR to Cutty Sark (31 to 37 minutes, with one change at Poplar, Canary Wharf or Westferry).
2. The Cutty Sark is a minute from the station. Admire it from outside, or go aboard: it’s open 10am to 5pm (last entry 4:15pm), for £22 (children £11).
3. Walk 4 minutes to the Old Royal Naval College. Its grounds are open from 8am to 11pm; the Painted Hall from 10am to 5pm, for £19, with children free.
4. Walk 5 minutes to the National Maritime Museum: free, open daily 10am to 5pm, no booking needed.
5. It’s 9 minutes back to Cutty Sark DLR, and 32 to 38 minutes to the airport.

The Royal Observatory is closed. Royal Museums Greenwich shut it after 2 November 2026 for a refurbishment. The Meridian Courtyard, with the Prime Meridian line, is due to reopen in summer 2027, and the whole project to be finished by spring 2028.

Cost. The DLR to Cutty Sark is £2.30 each way off-peak.

St Paul’s, Tate Modern and Borough Market

A cathedral, a free gallery of modern art and lunch at Borough Market, joined by a walk over the Millennium Bridge. Tuesday to Sunday only.

1. Take the DLR direct to Bank (about 23 minutes) and walk 10 minutes to St Paul’s Cathedral.
2. Walk 12 minutes down to the Millennium Bridge and cross the Thames to Tate Modern.
3. Walk 11 minutes east to Borough Market for lunch.
4. London Bridge station is 4 minutes from the market: the Jubilee line and the DLR take 22 to 25 minutes back to the airport.

Opening hours. St Paul’s is open for sightseeing from 8:30am Monday to Saturday, with last entry usually at 4pm, for £27 (children £10.50). Tate Modern is free, 10am to 6pm from Sunday to Thursday and to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Borough Market opens Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm, and is closed on Mondays.

Bags. St Paul’s refuses anything over 45 x 30 x 25 cm and has no cloakroom. Tate Modern refuses bags bigger than a cabin bag, and its cloakroom has closed; lockers cost £4 to £8.

7 to 10 hours: the Tower of London

About 3.5 to 6.5 hours in town: enough for the Tower and the bridge without rushing.

The Tower of London and Tower Bridge

The Tower of London and the Crown Jewels, on one DLR ride with a change, then a walk over Tower Bridge.

1. Take the DLR to Tower Gateway, changing at Canning Town or Westferry (26 to 27 minutes).
2. Walk to the Tower of London: Tower Gateway is 2 minutes from Tower Hill station, and Historic Royal Palaces puts the Tower 5 minutes from there. Historic Royal Palaces suggests at least two hours inside, and up to three with queues.
3. Walk 5 minutes to Tower Bridge and 5 more across it.
4. Walk back to Tower Gateway, 11 minutes from the bridge’s north end, for the DLR to the airport (26 to 27 minutes).

Opening hours. 9am to 4:30pm Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4:30pm on Sundays and Mondays; last entry 3pm. Adults pay £38 and children aged 5 to 15 £19. GetYourGuide sells Tower of London tickets (opens in a new tab).

Bags. The Tower has no left luggage and doesn’t allow suitcases or large or rolling bags, and London City has no left luggage either.

10 hours or more: the Thames on foot

About 6.5 hours or more in town: the river from the Tower to Big Ben, for a morning landing.

From the Tower to Westminster along the Thames

The Tower, Tower Bridge, a market lunch, Tate Modern, the South Bank and Big Ben, walking west along the river.

1. Take the DLR to Tower Gateway (26 to 27 minutes) and spend about 2.5 hours at the Tower of London.
2. Cross Tower Bridge and walk 20 minutes along the south bank towards London Bridge.
3. From Tuesday to Sunday, stop for lunch at Borough Market, then walk 11 minutes to Tate Modern.
4. After the gallery, walk 24 minutes along the South Bank to the London Eye.
5. Cross Westminster Bridge to Big Ben and walk 7 minutes to Westminster station, for the Jubilee line and the DLR back (26 to 29 minutes).

Pick your time. The Tower’s last entry is at 3pm, so this plan suits a landing in the morning; later in the day, the shorter plans fit better.

Overnight: a hotel by the airport, then the Tower

London City closes at night, so an evening arrival sleeps nearby and sees London in the morning.

A night by the airport, then the Tower at opening

The terminal closes at 10pm from Sunday to Friday and at 1pm on Saturdays, and nobody may stay inside overnight. Walk 7 to 11 minutes to the Courtyard by Marriott London City Airport, or take a taxi to a hotel by the ExCeL.

• The first trains leave the airport at 5:25am from Monday to Saturday and 6:55am on Sundays, long before anything opens.
• Take the DLR to Tower Gateway for the Tower of London at 9am (10am on Sundays and Mondays), and leave your bags at the hotel.
• After about 2.5 hours there, the DLR has you back in time for a departure from about 2:20pm (3:20pm on Sundays and Mondays). London City has no flights on Saturday afternoons.

What opens earliest: the Old Royal Naval College’s grounds at 8am; the London Cable Car at 8am Monday to Thursday (9am Friday to Sunday); St Paul’s at 8:30am from Monday to Saturday; the Tower at 9am from Tuesday to Saturday; Borough Market at 9am on Saturdays; Tate Modern, the National Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark at 10am.

24 hours: stay over

• Book a night at a hotel near the airport and leave your bags there; London City has no left luggage. At the airport lists the nearest.
• Start at the Tower of London when it opens, then walk the Thames to Westminster as in the 10-hour plan.
• Or spend the morning in Greenwich and take the DLR to Bank for St Paul’s, Tate Modern and, from Tuesday to Sunday, Borough Market.
• On a Friday or Saturday, Tate Modern stays open until 9pm.

Rest at the airport

London City has no airside rooms, no lounge to pay for until early 2027 and no showers, and its terminal closes at night. So a short wait is in the departure lounge, and a night means a hotel. At the airport has the details.

The departure lounge, after security

Once you’ve cleared the border and security, the departure lounge has large seating areas, a desked area with sockets and USB chargers, and seats with USB chargers by the gates on the East and West Piers. The AeroSpa offers treatments after security, and Wi-Fi is free throughout. The terminal opens at 4:45am (10:30am on Sundays) and closes at 10pm (1pm on Saturdays).

Courtyard by Marriott, a walk from the terminal

The Courtyard by Marriott London City Airport, at 10 Connaught Road, is the nearest hotel. London City calls it a 7-minute walk; TfL’s planner makes it 11 minutes from the terminal. Its front desk is open 24 hours; check-in is from 3pm and check-out by noon.

Hotels by the ExCeL, a short taxi ride

London City’s own list puts the Novotel London ExCeL 5 minutes away by car and the Holiday Inn Express London - ExCeL 5 minutes by taxi. The Sunborn London Yacht Hotel is about a mile away, near Royal Victoria DLR and Canning Town.

Tips that make a London City layover easier

• Get your ETA or visa first. You’ll pass the UK border to change planes here, so you need it whether or not you go into town.
• Travel light. There’s no left luggage at the airport, and the Tower, St Paul’s and Tate Modern all refuse big bags.
• Tap in and out with the same contactless card or phone; London City’s DLR desk doesn’t sell Oyster cards.
• Watch the clock on Saturdays. London City’s last flights leave by 1pm, and the terminal closes then.
• Check TfL on the day. Planned works change DLR and Jubilee line times, mostly at weekends.