Getting from Luton Airport to SE1

August 8, 2005 2:27 PM

What's the easiest and best way to get from Luton Airport to Central London (Waterloo/Elephant and Castle area), on a Friday night at about 23:00?

A friend is flying in to Luton on Friday (landing at 22:10, so I'm guessing through baggage/passport/etc an hour later), staying over at mine and going on in the morning. I've never used that airport, so I have no experience of getting here from there, and it seems like a very tricky time to do it (drunks, etc).

I have checked out the timetables and so forth, but I would like to be able to give simple instructions for how to get here. Does any experienced via-Luton traveller have any suggestions for the best way?

posted by Grangousier to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

You can catch a train to Kings Cross - from memory it takes about 45mins. They leave fairly regularly, never had to wait that long and I've travelled later than 11.

From Kings Cross to Waterloo at around midnight should be pretty straightforward.
posted by selton at 2:32 PM on August 8, 2005

The Transport For London journey planner has a bus station listed at Luton Airport - you can key in whatever you need from there.
posted by TheDonF at 2:51 PM on August 8, 2005

Thameslink has lots of info on taking the bus from the airport to Luton Airport Parkway. Expecting the Tube to still be running when your friend gets to London would be questionable. That said, Thameslink should take you all the way to Blackfriars if you think that's more convenient.
posted by grouse at 3:00 PM on August 8, 2005

I'd stay away from the Luton bus station - Luton Airport Parkway is the train station there. The simplest, speediest mode would be to hope on a Thameslink train (TFL says there's one at 6 minutes past 11), in the direction of Blackfriars. You could dismount at Kentish Town on the way and hop down onto the Northern Line (tube) southbound.

If you wanted to go to Waterloo, get on a Charing Cross branch train. If you wanted to go to Elephant and Castle, get on a Bank branch train. Northern Line trains run til 1am on Fridays, so no worry of your friend missing the last one. I wouldn't heartily recommend Elephant and Castle at midnight on a Friday, though.
posted by armoured-ant at 3:00 PM on August 8, 2005

You could also do as I've done dozens of times and take the Green Line 757 bus from Luton Airport to Victoria or Finchley Road (and here you could easily change for the Jubilee line to Waterloo). Here's a link to the bus service website. It's cheap, quick, and doesn't require a big search at the airport-- the bus terminal is directly outside the main airport entrance.
posted by yellowcandy at 3:13 PM on August 8, 2005

Not sure about timings, but the Thameslink trains from Luton go through london and on to Elephant.
posted by brettski at 1:46 AM on August 9, 2005

You're right about the Elephant on a Friday. Can't be helped. And it could be worse - it could be Peckham or something.
posted by Grangousier at 11:58 PM on August 9, 2005

Thanks all, by the way.
posted by Grangousier at 11:59 PM on August 9, 2005