London Stansted Airport is in north-west Essex, just east of the M11 and Bishop's Stortford, with the A120 running along its southern edge. This page covers the road routes from each direction, the trains from London, Cambridge and the Midlands, and the coaches and local buses that stop at the airport. For drop-off charges, how early to arrive and which parking to choose, see our guide to flying from Stansted Airport.
By car: the postcode and the last few miles
For sat-nav, the airport postcode is CM24 1RW. If you have booked parking off the airport, use the postcode in your booking confirmation instead.
There is one terminal, and two M11 junctions lead to it:
- Junction 8a if you are coming from the London direction. It is a free-flowing link that takes you straight onto the A120 eastbound, signed Stansted and Colchester.
- Junction 8 if you are coming from the Cambridge direction. It also serves Bishop's Stortford and Birchanger Green services.
From either junction, follow the airport signs.
Routes from each direction
- From London and the M25: the M11 starts at South Woodford in north-east London. From the M25, join it at M25 junction 27 and head north. Leave at junction 8a.
- From Cambridge, the Midlands and the north: the A14 becomes the M11 at the Girton Interchange, north-west of Cambridge. Head south on the M11 and leave at junction 8.
- From Colchester, Braintree and the east: take the A120 west. From the A12 at Marks Tey it runs past Coggeshall and Braintree, then as a dual carriageway past Great Dunmow to the airport, which sits just north of the road.
- From Hertfordshire and the west (Hertford, Ware, the A10): the A120 runs east from the A10 near Puckeridge, around the north of Bishop's Stortford, to M11 junction 8.
Allow extra time at rush hour. National Highways shows live delays on the M11 and other major roads.
By train
Stansted Airport station is directly under the terminal, about a two-minute walk away by lift, escalator or ramp. Tickets are sold online, from machines and at the rail information desk.
Stansted Express from London
- Route: London Liverpool Street to the airport every 15 minutes, seven days a week, calling at Tottenham Hale, where you can change for the Victoria line.
- Journey time: about 48 minutes from Liverpool Street and about 36 minutes from Tottenham Hale.
- First and last trains: the first train from Liverpool Street leaves between 03:40 and 04:40, depending on the day, and the last at 23:21. From the airport, trains start around 05:30 (05:55 Tuesday to Thursday) and the last leaves at 00:30.
- Paying: you can tap in and out with a contactless card or phone. Oyster cards are not valid to or from the airport.
Trains from Cambridge, Norwich and the Midlands
- Greater Anglia runs direct trains between the airport and Norwich, calling at Cambridge, Ely and Thetford, through the day. Contactless is accepted; Oyster is not.
- CrossCountry runs direct trains between the airport and Birmingham New Street, calling at Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough, Leicester and Nuneaton. CrossCountry does not accept contactless, so buy a ticket online or at the station.
Check times with National Rail before an early flight.
By coach
The bus and coach station is opposite the main terminal entrance, about two minutes' walk away with step-free access. Coaches run 24 hours a day, and pre-booking is the best way to be sure of a seat.
To and from London
- National Express A6: Tottenham Hale, Golders Green, Finchley Road, St John's Wood, Baker Street, Paddington and Victoria.
- National Express A8: Tottenham Hale, Stamford Hill, Shoreditch, Liverpool Street, Southwark, Waterloo and Victoria. Southwark and Waterloo are on the way to the airport only.
- National Express A9: Stratford, Canary Wharf, Bow, Mile End, Whitechapel, Bethnal Green and Liverpool Street.
- Flibco: every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, to Liverpool Street (direct, or via Redbridge and Stratford), Stratford direct, and Finsbury Park (direct, or via Enfield and Wood Green).
To and from the rest of the country
National Express runs direct coaches to Heathrow (727 and 728), Ipswich via Colchester (717), Great Yarmouth via Cambridge (727), Norwich via Cambridge (728), Oxford via Harlow (737) and Birmingham via Coventry (777), as well as to Gatwick and Luton.
By local bus
Local buses leave from the same bus and coach station:
- Bishop's Stortford: Arriva 309 (daily), Central Connect 7 and 7A and Stephensons 305 (Monday to Saturday), and First 42A on Sundays.
- Harlow: Arriva 509 and 510 via Bishop's Stortford and Sawbridgeworth, and the 723 via the M11, all daily.
- Saffron Walden: Stephensons 316, Monday to Saturday.
- Braintree: Central Connect 333 (Monday to Saturday) and 332 (Monday to Friday).
- Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend: First X10 to Basildon and X30 to Southend, both daily via Chelmsford, and the 42A to Chelmsford on Sundays.
- Great Dunmow, Braintree and Colchester: First X20, daily.
Inside the terminal, our page on shops, food and drink at Stansted Airport lists what is before and after security. To compare parking for your dates, see Stansted Airport parking.
Sorted before you fly.
