London has two Westfield centres, one at each end of the city: Westfield London at White City in the west, and Westfield Stratford City in the east. They are the two largest shopping centres in the capital, they hold most of the same brands as Oxford Street under one roof, and Stratford is the easier of the two to reach from the middle of town.
Our guide to Stratford as a neighbourhood explains what surrounds the eastern centre. This page compares the two directly: what each has, how long it takes to get there, which one suits which trip, and when a mall is genuinely a better idea than the West End.
The honest starting point is that neither is a sight. They are well-built, warm, dry, clean shopping centres with the same shops you will find in any large European city. They earn their place in a London trip for specific reasons: bad weather, a family that has run out of patience, a long list of practical purchases, or a day already being spent in east or west London.
The two centres compared
- Westfield Stratford City
- Montfichet Road, Olympic Park, London E20 1EJ; opened 2011
- Westfield London
- Ariel Way, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 7SL; opened 2008, extended 2018
- Easier from the centre
- Stratford, thanks to the Elizabeth line and the Central line
- More luxury
- Westfield London, which has a dedicated luxury quarter called The Village
- Sunday hours
- Larger shops open six hours only; the centre itself opens longer
- Both have
- Cinemas, big food courts, restaurants, family facilities and paid car parks
Getting there: the real comparison
This is what decides it for most visitors, and the gap is wider than people expect.
| Westfield Stratford City | Westfield London (White City) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main station | Stratford | Shepherd's Bush and White City |
| Tube lines | Central, Jubilee | Central (both stations) |
| Elizabeth line | Yes, direct | No |
| Other rail | DLR, Mildmay line, Greater Anglia; Stratford International for high-speed | Mildmay line at Shepherd's Bush; Circle and Hammersmith & City at Wood Lane |
| From Liverpool Street | A few minutes on the Elizabeth line or Central line | Around half an hour on the Central line |
| From Oxford Circus | Central line, direct | Central line, direct, slightly shorter |
| Walk from station | Through the centre itself; you cannot avoid it | Two to five minutes from any of the three stations |
Stratford wins on connections. The Elizabeth line put it within a few minutes of Liverpool Street, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street, and the Central and Jubilee lines cover everything else. The walkway from Stratford station runs straight into the centre, which is why so many people passing through the Olympic Park end up inside it whether they meant to or not.
White City is simpler but less connected: the Central line from Oxford Circus takes you to two different stations on either side of the site, and the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines stop at Wood Lane. White City station is not yet step-free, and TfL lists it among the stations still at the design stage for step-free access, so check the step-free map before you travel. Both centres are outside Zone 1, so a return journey fits comfortably inside the daily cap; see our page on how the zones work.
Neither centre is a reason to buy a separate ticket. Both are inside the ordinary pay-as-you-go network, and the journey counts towards your daily cap like any other. If you are already travelling around London that day, the trip costs you nothing extra once the cap is reached.
Photo: DiscoA340 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
Westfield Stratford City: what it is like
Stratford's centre opened in 2011, built at the same time as the Olympic Park and designed as the main gateway to it. It sits directly between Stratford station and the park, on a raised deck, with the shops spread over several levels around two long arcades.
Strengths: it is enormous, it has a wide range of mid-market fashion, electronics and sportswear, a very large food court plus dozens of restaurants, a cinema and a casino. It also has the practical shops visitors often need, such as chemists, phone shops and luggage retailers, which the West End has fewer of at street level.
Weaknesses: it is relentlessly busy at weekends, it is confusing in the way all large malls are confusing, and there is nothing about it that is specific to London.
The redeeming feature is what is next door. Walk out of the western end and you are in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park within two minutes, with the stadium, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Aquatics Centre, and with the East Bank cultural quarter beyond. Our guide to the Olympic Park today explains what is there. That combination, an hour of shopping and an afternoon in the park, is the best use of the place.
Westfield London at White City: what it is like
The western centre opened in 2008 and was substantially extended in 2018, which is why it feels like two buildings joined together. It has a glass-roofed central atrium, several department store anchors, and a separate luxury quarter, The Village, where the higher-end brands are grouped.
Strengths: better for luxury and premium brands than Stratford, a quieter atmosphere on weekdays, a good spread of restaurants, and a growing amount of paid entertainment, from cinema and bowling to immersive attractions. It also holds private medical and dental clinics, which is occasionally useful for a visitor who needs a dentist at short notice.
Weaknesses: it is further from the centre in journey time than the map suggests, and the surrounding area has less to offer than Stratford's park.
What is nearby: Shepherd's Bush Market, a long-established street market under the railway viaduct, is a five-minute walk and is the opposite of the mall in every respect. Holland Park is fifteen minutes south, and Notting Hill and Portobello Road are twenty minutes east.
Which one should you choose?
Go to Stratford if
- You are staying in the City, Shoreditch or east London
- You want to combine shopping with the Olympic Park
- You are travelling with children who need somewhere to run afterwards
- You are arriving on the Elizabeth line from Heathrow or Paddington
Go to White City if
- You are staying in west London, Kensington or Notting Hill
- You want premium and luxury brands under one roof
- You prefer a quieter centre on a weekday
- You are combining it with Portobello Road or Holland Park
If neither is convenient, the answer is usually not to go. Oxford Street and Regent Street between them have most of the same shops and are where you already are, and if the point is discounted prices rather than convenience, our guide to outlet shopping near London covers the centres that actually cut prices.
Practical points inside
- Opening hours vary and are published per centre. Check the centre's own opening hours page before a special trip, particularly for Sundays, when large shops can trade for only six continuous hours even though the building opens longer.
- The food courts are the cheapest hot food in either area, and they are one of the few places in London where a family of four can eat quickly for a predictable amount.
- Toilets, baby-changing and seating are plentiful and free, which makes both centres useful on a long day out with small children.
- Car parks are large and paid. Both are outside the Congestion Charge zone but inside the ULEZ, so check your vehicle before driving.
- Left luggage is not a standard service at either centre; use the station facilities instead.
Boxing Day and the first week of January are the worst possible days. Both centres open early for the sales and fill within the hour, and the approach roads and stations are at their busiest of the year. The same applies to the four Saturdays before Christmas. Our page on holiday closures and crowds sets out which dates to avoid.
When a mall is the right answer
Three situations genuinely favour a Westfield over the West End. Heavy rain, because everything is indoors and connected; see our list of things to do in London when it rains. A practical shopping list, because you can do six errands without crossing a road. And a day when you are already at that end of the city, whether that is the Olympic Park, a flight from London City Airport, or a hotel in Shoreditch and the east.
Outside those situations, a visitor with limited days is usually better off in the streets. Even the best mall is a building you could be in anywhere, and a walk through the City of London costs nothing at all.
Frequently asked questions
Which Westfield is better, Stratford or White City?
Stratford is easier to reach from central and east London and sits beside the Olympic Park, which gives you something to do afterwards. White City has more luxury and premium brands and is calmer on weekdays. Choose by where you are staying rather than by the shops, since the ranges overlap heavily.
How do I get to Westfield Stratford City from central London?
Take the Elizabeth line or the Central line to Stratford, or the Jubilee line, the DLR or the Mildmay line. The journey from Liverpool Street takes only a few minutes. The walkway from the station leads straight into the centre, so there is no separate walk at the end.
How do I get to Westfield London at Shepherd's Bush?
The Central line to Shepherd's Bush or White City, the Circle or Hammersmith & City line to Wood Lane, or the Mildmay line to Shepherd's Bush. All three stations are within a few minutes of an entrance. White City is not step-free, so wheelchair users should check TfL's step-free map before choosing a route.
What are the opening hours at the Westfield centres?
Each centre publishes its own hours, and they change with the season and at Christmas. The building typically opens longer than the shops inside it, and larger shops are limited by law to six continuous hours of trading on a Sunday. Check the centre's opening hours page before a long journey.
Is it worth going to a Westfield on a short London trip?
Usually not, unless it rains, you have practical shopping to do, or you are already in Stratford or Shepherd's Bush. The brands are the same as on Oxford Street, and a short trip is better spent on the streets, markets and museums you cannot find at home.
Sources
- Westfield Stratford City - address, centre information and opening hours (checked September 2026)
- Westfield London - address, The Village, entertainment and opening hours (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Step-free access programme (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Daily and weekly capping (checked September 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk - Sunday Trading Act 1994, Schedule 1 (checked September 2026)