Airport transfer · LTN → central London

Luton (LTN) to central London

In short

The cheapest way from Luton (LTN) to central London is National Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31): from £7, about 60–90 min.

The fastest is Luton Airport Express + Luton DART, about 22–32 min, from £10.

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

Data updated October 23, 2026

Every way from Luton (LTN) to central London

Journey times are to London St Pancras International (rail); London Victoria (coach). Fares are standard adult fares as each operator publishes them.

Cheapest

National Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31)

from £7 · 60–90 min

Fastest

Luton Airport Express + Luton DART

22–32 min · from £10

Late at night

Thameslink + Luton DART
National Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31)

Luton (LTN) to central London: every option compared
Option	Journey time	Fare (GBP)	Hours
Luton Airport Express + Luton DARTExpress train	22–32 min	from £10	Last to St Pancras 23:25 Mon–Fri
Thameslink + Luton DARTTrain	24–45 min	£12.30–£16.60	Through the night
National Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31)Express bus	60–90 min	from £7	Around the clock
Green Line 757 coachExpress bus	Not stated	Varies	Day and night, seven days a week
Taxi (Hackney carriage rank)Taxi	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
Luton (LTN) (this page)	from £7 · 60–90 minNational Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31)	22–32 min · from £10Luton Airport Express + Luton DART
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
London City (LCY)	£3.30–£3.90 · 23 minDocklands Light Railway (DLR)	23 min · £3.30–£3.90Docklands Light Railway (DLR)

The options in detail

Express train · East Midlands Railway (train); Luton Rising (DART shuttle)

Luton Airport Express + Luton DART

Route: Terminal → Luton DART (under 4 min) → Luton Airport Parkway → London St Pancras International (non-stop)
Journey time: 22–32 min
How the time is measured: Rail leg Luton Airport Parkway ↔ St Pancras: 22–32 minutes (London Luton Airport). Add the Luton DART transfer of under 4 minutes plus connection time.
Fare: from £10
Fare details: Advance fares from £10 one-way, quoted for journeys from London. The airport's Luton Airport Express page says this includes the DART when booked to 'Luton Airport' (not 'Luton Airport Parkway'); its London travel page says the £10 Advance excludes the DART — conflicting. Standalone DART adult single £4.90.
Hours: Last train from Luton Airport Parkway to St Pancras: 23:25 Mon–Fri; 22:28 Saturday; 21:58 Sunday. Trains from London from 05:45 weekdays, 05:33 Saturdays, 12:14 Sundays.
Frequency: Every 30 minutes Monday–Saturday; regular services on Sunday
Luggage: Maximum of three items on board — up to two larger items and a smaller bag
Good to know: Luton DART runs 24/7: every 5 min at peak (06:00–09:30, 14:00–18:00), every 8 min off-peak, every 15 min 22:00–04:00. eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk could not be read (security block), so figures are from london-luton.co.uk.

Verified on: London Luton Airport · London Luton Airport · London Luton Airport

Train · Thameslink (train); Luton Rising (DART shuttle)

Thameslink + Luton DART

Route: Terminal → Luton DART → Luton Airport Parkway → St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, London Bridge
Journey time: 24–45 min
How the time is measured: Rail leg Luton Airport Parkway ↔ St Pancras: 24–45 minutes (London Luton Airport; Thameslink says from 24 minutes). Airport's table gives averages of 41 min Farringdon, 43 min City Thameslink, 46 min Blackfriars, 49 min London Bridge. Add the DART (under 4 min) plus connection time.
Fare: £12.30–£16.60
Fare details: Adult contactless/Oyster pay-as-you-go single Luton Airport Parkway → St Pancras International: £12.30 off-peak, £16.60 peak (Mon–Fri 06:30–09:30) — TfL fare data; excludes the DART (£4.90 standalone adult single). London Luton Airport also quotes Advance from £6.50 (London → Parkway, excluding DART; table data dated 26/03/26). Thameslink through-tickets to 'Luton Airport' include the DART.
Hours: Thameslink trains run through the night from St Pancras and Blackfriars (London Luton Airport); Luton DART runs 24/7
Frequency: Up to 8 trains an hour to Luton Airport Parkway (weekday morning peak, per Thameslink); approximately every 10–15 minutes during the day (London Luton Airport)
Luggage: Luggage rack space on board
Accessibility: Lifts and escalators give step-free access to all platforms at Luton Airport Parkway; the DART is fully accessible with step-free access (Thameslink).
Good to know: Most frequent rail option and serves the City directly.

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

Express bus · National Express

National Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31)

Route: Luton Airport Bus Station (stands R and S) → Golders Green, Baker Street, Marble Arch → London Victoria Coach Station (A2 ends at Paddington)
Journey time: 60–90 min
How the time is measured: National Express: the full route to London Victoria typically takes around 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic (fastest 40 min is to Golders Green, outside central London).
Fare: from £7
Fare details: From £7 one-way, limited availability; includes a £1.50 booking fee waived via National Express My Account. Fares stated correct for travel 14.09.2026–11.01.2027.
Hours: Around the clock; first departure 00:10, last 23:35
Frequency: Up to 47 departures a day; three times an hour during the day and every 30 minutes overnight (London Luton Airport)
Luggage: 1 large suitcase (or 2 medium cases) plus 1 soft hand-luggage item

Verified on: National Express · London Luton Airport

Express bus · Green Line

Green Line 757 coach

Route: Luton Airport Bus Station (stop K) → Brent Cross, Finchley Road, Baker Street, Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner → London Victoria
How the time is measured: London Luton Airport gives 'as little as 50 minutes' or about 60–90 minutes for coaches generally, without a 757-specific time.
Hours: Day and night, seven days a week
Frequency: Every 30 minutes during the day, hourly overnight
Good to know: The airport's linked Green Line timetable is labelled 2025.

Verified on: London Luton Airport

Taxi · Licensed Hackney carriages

Taxi (Hackney carriage rank)

Route: Taxi rank just beyond Bus Bay A, near the terminal → central London address
How the time is measured: No official journey time to central London published.
Fare details: Metered fares; no central London price published by the airport.
Good to know: Pre-booked taxis meet passengers in the Pick Up Zone (pick-up charges from £7 apply to the vehicle).

Verified on: London Luton Airport

Search flights to LTN

Not verified yet

Whether the £10 Luton Airport Express Advance fare includes the DART (London Luton Airport pages contradict each other). · Luton Airport Express and Thameslink fares specifically in the airport → London direction for Advance tickets (quoted only from London). · Whether contactless pay-as-you-go is valid on East Midlands Railway Luton Airport Express and on the DART. · Luton Airport Express first trains from Luton Airport Parkway towards London. · Green Line 757 fares (greenline.co.uk unreachable) and 757-specific journey time. · Taxi fares to central London. · Minicab / rideshare prices (no official source states them).. We only publish a figure once an official source states it.