How to Get to The O2

Published 21 September 2026 · By the Guide to London editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

Take the Jubilee line to North Greenwich. It is three minutes from Canary Wharf, nine from London Bridge, twelve from Waterloo and about eighteen from Bond Street, and the station sits directly beneath the entrance plaza. Everything else, including the boat, the buses and the cable car, is a supporting act.

The O2 stands on the Greenwich Peninsula, a loop of land inside a bend of the Thames in south-east London, with an arena, a cinema, an outlet centre and a long row of restaurants under one roof. Our guide to The O2 and London's big arenas covers what a 20,000-seat night is like and how to leave at the end of it. This page is about arriving: the times from each direction, the bus routes, the boat, and what it actually costs to drive there now that both river tunnels are tolled.

The Jubilee line, station by station

North Greenwich is one of the easiest big venues in London to reach, because the Jubilee line runs under the river on a route that happens to pass most of the places visitors stay. Trains are frequent all day and the platform-to-plaza walk is short and level.

North Greenwich straddles Zones 2 and 3, which puts a ceiling of £10.50 on everything you pay for travel that day if you use contactless or an Oyster card. Use the same card or device for every tap: two devices count as two travellers and neither reaches the cap. Our explainer on Oyster, contactless and daily caps covers the rules, including what changes if you are staying further out.

On Friday and Saturday nights the Jubilee runs through the night. At two in the morning a train leaves North Greenwich roughly every ten minutes and reaches Waterloo in eleven. That single fact decides whether a late finish is relaxed or stressful; our page on the Night Tube lists which lines run and when.

Nine bus routes, and the one that runs round the clock

Buses are the underrated way in. Nine daytime routes call at North Greenwich bus station, which is built into the same structure as the Underground station: the 108, 129, 132, 161, 180, 188, 335, 422 and 486, plus the SL11, one of the express Superloop routes, which runs across to Abbey Wood.

The one to remember is the 188. The O2 describes it as a 24-hour service running directly to and from central London by way of Waterloo, and Transport for London's route data has it terminating at New Oxford Street. On a Tuesday night when the Jubilee has stopped, that is the difference between a bus and a minicab fare. The N472 also runs overnight, but only eastwards towards Abbey Wood.

A single bus journey costs £1.75, rising to £1.85 on 1 November 2026, and the Hopper lets you change buses as often as you like within an hour for that one fare. Buses do not take cash. Our guides to riding London's buses and to the Superloop network explain how both work, and there is a separate page on London's night buses.

Arriving by river

North Greenwich Pier is a few minutes from the arena doors, and Uber Boat by Thames Clippers calls there roughly every 20 minutes through the day, from early morning until late evening. The service links the peninsula with London Bridge, Tower, Embankment, Westminster and the London Eye, which is a better list of central destinations than most bus routes manage.

Two things to hold in mind. River fares are zonal and separate from the Tube: they are not covered by the daily cap, so this is money on top of whatever else you spend on travel that day. And the boat is slower than the Jubilee line by some distance. As a way of arriving on a summer afternoon with time in hand it is excellent; as a way of getting somewhere by 19:30 it is a gamble. Our guide to the river bus explains the zonal system and the ways of paying; the operator publishes its own peak and off-peak hours, which are worth reading rather than guessing at.

The cable car from the Royal Docks lands beside North Greenwich station and is a fine way to arrive on a clear afternoon. It closes in the evening, earlier than most events finish, so treat it as an arrival and not a departure.

From a London airport, or from Eurostar

Every London airport connects to the Jubilee line without much drama, but the changes differ. From Heathrow, the Elizabeth line to Bond Street and then the Jubilee is the cleanest run; our comparison of the routes from Heathrow into town covers the options and fares. From London City Airport, take the Docklands Light Railway to Canning Town and change to the Jubilee for two stops, which is the shortest airport journey to the peninsula by a wide margin.

From St Pancras, The O2 puts the trip at about 25 minutes using the Underground from King's Cross St Pancras; the Journey Planner gives 25 to 27 via London Bridge. If you are arriving on a Eurostar with luggage, though, drop the bags first: the arena's bag rules are strict and there is no cloakroom worth the name. Our guide to crossing between London's terminals has the timings for that detour.

Driving: the charge that catches people out

The Greenwich Peninsula sits at the southern mouth of the Blackwall Tunnel, and since April 2025 both that tunnel and the new Silvertown Tunnel beside it carry a charge. Transport for London increased the rates on 21 September 2026. For a car or small van the charge is £1.55 off-peak with an Auto Pay account and £4.20 at peak times; without Auto Pay, paying online or by phone, you pay £4.20 at every charging hour. It applies per crossing and in both directions, and Transport for London's tunnels charge page has a vehicle checker.

Charging hours are 06:00 to 22:00 every day except Christmas Day, and crossings are free overnight. There are no barriers or booths: cameras read the number plate, and you have until midnight on the third day after the journey to pay or you risk a penalty. That timing has a useful consequence for concerts. Driving in at 18:00 costs you the charge; driving home at 23:15 costs nothing.

On top of that, the whole of London is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, which costs £12.50 a day if your vehicle falls short of the emissions standard, as our guide to driving charges in London explains. The O2 also warns that major roadworks around the peninsula are affecting traffic and that delays are long at peak times and after events.

What parking costs at The O2

Arena and indigo audiences use Car Park 1 and are told to book ahead through the venue's parking partner. Booking closes at midnight the day before the event, and the cheapest tariff disappears three weeks out.

If you are not going to an arena event, Car Parks 2, 3 and 4 charge by the hour instead: £7 for up to two hours, £11 for up to four, £15 for up to six and £52 for a full day, with Car Park 2 open around the clock. Spend £35 or more in the outlet centre and four of those hours are free if you take your receipts to the welcome desk. Cinema customers get the same four hours in Car Parks 2 and 3. There is a free drop-off and collection point in Car Park 1 off Millennium Way, and blue badge spaces in every car park.

Add it up for an evening show: £4.20 each way through the tunnel without Auto Pay, £35.28 to park, and £12.50 more if the car is not compliant. Two adults on the Tube reach the Zones 1-3 cap at £21.00 between them. Our guide to parking in London explains the wider rules, but the short version is that the peninsula is the wrong place to drive to.

Walking and cycling in from Greenwich

Old Greenwich, with the market, the park and the Cutty Sark, is a mile and a half south-west of the peninsula and the two are easy to combine. The 188 covers the gap from the Cutty Sark in about 13 minutes on the bus, and the 129 does the same run more slowly. On foot, the Thames Path follows the river round the peninsula and is an agreeable hour in daylight and a bleak one after dark.

For cyclists there are more than 400 racks beside North Greenwich station and in Car Parks 2, 3 and 4, which is generous by London standards. Our guide to cycling in London covers the routes and the hire bikes, and our page on Greenwich describes what is worth an hour either side of a show.

Step-free arrival and travelling with children

North Greenwich is step-free from the street to the train, and The O2's own travel pages point wheelchair users and anyone with a pushchair at it for that reason. The station, the bus station and the plaza are all on one level, so there is no hidden staircase between the ticket gates and the doors.

Staff on the Underground provide turn-up-and-go assistance without any booking. Children aged 5 to 10 travel free on the Tube with a fare-paying adult, up to four per adult, and free on the buses. Our pages on step-free transport and travelling with a pushchair have the practical detail.

How early to turn up

For a show with doors at 18:30, leaving central London at 17:15 is comfortable and leaving at 18:15 is not, because the bottleneck is the security queue rather than the train. The restaurants between the station and the arena fill up from about 18:00, so either book a table or eat before you travel; our guide to eating near The O2 and in Greenwich covers what is around, including the better options one stop away.

If you are coming for the outlet centre, the cinema or the roof climb rather than an arena event, none of this applies. Weekday mornings on the peninsula are quiet, the hourly car parks are cheap, and you will have the river path to yourself. For the equivalent planning at the other end of the Jubilee line, see our guide to reaching Wembley Stadium.

Frequently asked questions

What is the nearest Tube station to The O2?

North Greenwich, on the Jubilee line, which is built into the same structure as the arena's entrance plaza. It is in Zones 2 and 3, it is step-free from street to train, and the bus station is part of the same building.

How long does it take to get to The O2 from central London?

Twelve to thirteen minutes from Waterloo on the Jubilee line, nine to ten from London Bridge and about eighteen from Bond Street. From King's Cross St Pancras allow 25 to 27 minutes, changing at London Bridge.

Is there a night bus to The O2?

Yes. The 188 runs 24 hours and links the peninsula with central London by way of Waterloo, which matters on nights when the Jubilee line is not running late. The N472 also runs overnight, heading east towards Abbey Wood. On Friday and Saturday nights the Jubilee line itself runs all night.

What does it cost to drive to The O2?

Pre-booked event parking is £29.39 at the early-bird rate or £35.28 standard, and £40 if you pay on the day. Coming from north of the river adds the Blackwall or Silvertown tunnel charge, £1.55 off-peak with Auto Pay or £4.20 without it, each way. If the car falls short of the emissions standard, add £12.50 for the day.

Can you get a boat to The O2?

Yes. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers calls at North Greenwich Pier about every 20 minutes through the day, connecting with London Bridge, Tower, Embankment, Westminster and the London Eye. The boat is slower than the Jubilee line, and river travel is priced separately and sits outside the daily cap.

Sources

• The O2 - Getting to The O2 (checked September 2026)
• The O2 - Bus and coach routes (checked September 2026)
• The O2 - Parking tariffs and drop-off (checked September 2026)
• The O2 - Uber Boat by Thames Clippers (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Paying the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charge (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels: where and when (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Journey Planner, sampled journeys for 23 and 26 September 2026 (checked September 2026)
• Transport for London - Daily and weekly fare caps (checked September 2026)