Airport transfer · LCY → central London

London City (LCY) to central London

In short

The cheapest way from London City (LCY) to central London is Docklands Light Railway (DLR): £3.30–£3.90, about 23 min.

Fares and times are from the operators’ own pages, checked 23 October 2026.

Data updated October 23, 2026

Every way from London City (LCY) to central London

Journey times are to Bank (City of London). Fares are standard adult fares as each operator publishes them.

Cheapest

Docklands Light Railway (DLR)

£3.30–£3.90 · 23 min

Fastest

Docklands Light Railway (DLR)

23 min · £3.30–£3.90

Late at night

No option here states night service. Check the last departure in the table.

London City (LCY) to central London: every option compared
Option	Journey time	Fare (GBP)	Hours
Docklands Light Railway (DLR)Metro / subway	23 min	£3.30–£3.90	05:25–00:15 Mon–Sat
Licensed black cab (taxi rank)Taxi	Not stated	Varies	Not stated
Pre-booked minicab / executive carCar service	Not stated	Varies	Not stated

Which London airport is easiest for central London?

The same comparison from each airport, so you can weigh the ground trip when you pick flights.

Into central London from each London airport
Airport	Cheapest	Fastest
London City (LCY) (this page)	£3.30–£3.90 · 23 minDocklands Light Railway (DLR)	23 min · £3.30–£3.90Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
Heathrow (LHR)	£5.90 · 47–62 minLondon Underground – Piccadilly line	15–21 min · £10–£26Heathrow Express
Gatwick (LGW)	from £6 · Not statedNational Express coach	30–31 min · £24Gatwick Express
Stansted (STN)	from £9.90 · 48–50 minStansted Express	48–50 min · from £9.90Stansted Express
Luton (LTN)	from £7 · 60–90 minNational Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31)	22–32 min · from £10Luton Airport Express + Luton DART

The options in detail

Metro / subway · Transport for London (DLR)

Docklands Light Railway (DLR)

Route: London City Airport DLR station (connected to the terminal) → Canning Town → Shadwell → Bank
Journey time: 23 min
How the time is measured: TfL scheduled running time London City Airport → Bank: 23 minutes (Canning Town 6–7 min). Other central destinations need a change; the DLR connects with the Elizabeth line, London Overground and London Underground (London City Airport).
Fare: £3.30–£3.90
Fare details: Adult contactless/Oyster pay-as-you-go single London City Airport → Bank: £3.30 off-peak, £3.90 peak (Mon–Fri 06:30–09:30); paper cash single £7.00 (TfL fare data). Airport is in fare Zone 3.
Hours: Bank-bound trains from London City Airport: first 05:25 Mon–Sat, 06:55 Sun; last 00:15 Mon–Sat, 23:15 Sun (TfL timetable data)
Frequency: Every 4 to 10 minutes depending on destination (London City Airport)
Accessibility: The DLR is step-free and a lift connects the DLR platforms with the terminal (London City Airport).
Good to know: London City Airport also points to the Elizabeth line via 'a quick and easy switch' from the DLR, but publishes no route or times.

Verified on: Transport for London (TfL Unified API, single fare finder data) · Transport for London (TfL Unified API, timetable data) · London City Airport

Taxi · Licensed London taxis

Licensed black cab (taxi rank)

Route: Cab rank outside the terminal building → central London address
How the time is measured: No official journey time published.
Fare details: Metered; London City Airport says fares vary with time of day and traffic and links to TfL's taxi fare estimates (tfl.gov.uk page could not be retrieved).
Accessibility: Many of the rank's black taxis have built-in wheelchair access (London City Airport).

Verified on: London City Airport

Car service · Licensed private hire operators

Pre-booked minicab / executive car

Route: Pick-up area in the Short Stay car park → central London address
How the time is measured: No official journey time published.
Good to know: Must be pre-booked.

Verified on: London City Airport

Search flights to LCY

Not verified yet

Elizabeth line connection route and journey time from London City Airport (airport page gives no detail). · Black cab fare and journey time to central London (TfL taxi fare page blocked by a security check). · DLR off-peak frequency specific to Bank-bound trains (only the airport's general 4–10 minute figure is published here). · Minicab / rideshare prices (no official source states them).. We only publish a figure once an official source states it.