Last Updated on 22 November, 2023
If you are travelling from Stansted Airport to Chelsea your nearest stations are Sloane Square, Knightsbridge, or if you are staying near Chelsea Harbor or Chelsea Football Stadium, then you might also want to consider looking at Imperial Wharf Overground Station or Fulham Broadway station for the Football Club.
For getting into the central part of Chelsea, that is towards, Kings Road, Sloane Square, below are some tips for getting from Stansted Airport to Chelsea.
Stansted Express/Tube/Bus
The quickest and most affordable way to get to Chelsea from Stansted is by taking a combination of train tube and possibly bus services. First, grab the Stansted Express train service from the airport.
Make sure it is the train travelling towards London Liverpool Street. Stay on for 3 stops or about 35 minutes and get off at Tottenham Hale.
From there, change platforms for the Southbound Victoria (blue) line and stay on the southbound tube for 8 stops or 17 minutes until you reach Green Park.
- Option 1: (Easiest) Once you have arrived at Liverpool Street, find the entrance to the underground with is just across from the arrival gates of the overground trains from the airport. From Liverpool Street, take the circle line. Marked in yellow on the map above and the Circle line from Liverpool Street to Sloane Street. You will have arrived in the heart of Chelsea! For the underground ensure you have an Oyster card or a contactless bank card.
- Option 2: At Green Park station, exit the underground and wait at Bus Stop H for Bus 19 or 22, both of which will take you to Carlyle Square (stop KD) in 11 stops and 22 minutes. Get off the bus at the Carlyle Square(heart of Chelsea) bus stop and you’ve arrived in Chelsea.
- Option 3: If you would prefer to stay on the Tube system rather than getting a bus, then simply swap platforms at Green Park, grabbing the westbound Piccadilly (purple) line and stay on it for 3 stops or 5 minutes until you reach South Kensington Station in Chelsea.
Note: The Stansted Express requires buying a specific ticket in advance or from the ticket desks available at the airport.
In order to travel on the London Underground system, you can use an Oyster Card, buy a paper underground ticket or travel pass or use a contactless payment card. If you use the last option, the system will simply calculate your fare and take the payment from your bank account at the end of the day.
Coach / Bus
There are coach services operating from Stansted Airport to London Victoria Coach Station. The National Express is the most popular, with tickets costing around £5-£7 and the trip taking a total of 2 hours and 5 minutes.
From London Victoria, there are a few red inner-city busses you can grab, all from Bus Stop V, including the 211, 11 or 170. For the 211, get off at Sydney Street Chelsea Old Town Hall (Stop KH).
For the 11 get off at Chelsea Old Town Hall (Stop KC). Finally, for the 170 get off at the National Army Museum bus stop.
Black Cab / Uber
The black cab option from Stanstead to Chelsea takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes but can cost your around £205, depending on traffic levels and the time of day.
Black cabs can be booked through the Gett app, but they are one of the least affordable transport options. In this case, Uber offers the more affordable alternative to the black cab, with prices around £68.28 for the same length trip.
Car Rental
It is, of course, possible to rent a car at the Stansted airport, but considering the cost of parking in central London and how difficult it can be to manoeuvre a car in the densely packed city, it is ill-advised to use a privately rented car; instead, I would suggest public transport as the easier and more affordable option.
