The Greenwich Peninsula is the only hotel district in London built around an arena. Several large modern hotels stand within a few minutes' walk of the O2's doors, North Greenwich station puts Oxford Circus about 24 minutes away on the Jubilee line, and on a night when nothing is on the rooms are among the better value in Zone 2. On the night of a sold-out concert they are not, and there is exactly one night bus out of here.
That is the whole calculation. This is a purpose-built district: new towers, wide pavements, a shopping outlet, a cable car and very little else. What it does, it does better than anywhere else in London, and it is a poor choice for almost any other kind of trip.
Our guide to staying in Greenwich explains why the peninsula and Greenwich town are two different places with one name, and how to get to the O2 covers arriving for an event. This page is about sleeping here.
The Greenwich Peninsula as a base
- Fare zone
- North Greenwich is on the Zone 2 and 3 boundary
- Single to Oxford Circus
- £3.60 at peak, £3.10 off-peak, which is a Zones 1-2 fare
- Journey times
- Oxford Circus about 24 minutes with one change; London Bridge 9 minutes; Canary Wharf 2 minutes; all on the Jubilee line
- Greenwich town
- Not walkable. About 17 to 18 minutes by bus 188, or by Jubilee line and DLR
- Night trains
- Jubilee line night service on Friday and Saturday nights only
- Night buses
- One: the N472
- Step-free
- Yes. Three lifts at North Greenwich in TfL's station data
- Best for
- A concert or a sporting event at the arena, and modern rooms at Zone 2 prices
What a concert night does to the rates
The arena seats around twenty thousand people and there are smaller halls in the same building, so it holds events on most evenings of the year. Hotel demand on the peninsula follows the calendar almost exactly, and on a night with a big name on stage the rooms next door sell out at the top of their range, sometimes with a two-night minimum attached.
The bands below are our own estimate from the market in September 2026, not a published tariff. The variable that moves them is not the day of the week or the season: it is whether the arena is full.
| Band (our estimate, September 2026) | What it usually buys on the peninsula |
|---|---|
| Under £90 | A weekday night with nothing on at the arena, in a budget or compact-room hotel |
| £90 to £150 | A full-service modern hotel on a quiet night, often with a gym included |
| £150 to £250 | The same room on a night with an event, or a family room on a quiet night |
| Over £250 | Sold-out arena nights, and any night when a big exhibition is also on in the Royal Docks |
Check the arena's own event calendar before you pick your dates, not after. It is published months ahead and it is the single best predictor of what a room here will cost. Two nights either side of a sold-out show can differ by more than the price of the concert ticket.
The same logic works in reverse, and it is the best piece of advice we can give here. If you are going to a concert and the peninsula is expensive that night, stay on the Jubilee line instead: London Bridge is nine minutes away and Canary Wharf is two, and neither of them notices that the arena is full.
Photo: DiscoA340 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
Getting out after an event, which is the real problem
Twenty thousand people leave one building at the same moment onto one Underground line. TfL manages it well, with queueing systems outside the station, but it takes time, and what you do next depends on the day of the week.
- On a Friday or Saturday the Jubilee line runs a night service through North Greenwich, so there is no last train to catch.
- On every other night there is, and after it has gone your options are the N472 night bus or a taxi. One night bus is not much of a network, and this is the strongest argument for sleeping within walking distance of the arena rather than travelling home.
- The cable car is not an escape route. It closes at 21:00 Monday to Thursday and on Sundays, 22:00 on Fridays and 23:00 on Saturdays, and it shuts in strong wind, lightning or extreme heat.
- The river is not one either after dark. The pier here is served by the river bus at some times of day, and the separate boat to Trinity Buoy Wharf is out of service.
Our guides to the Night Tube and London night buses explain what runs when, and the O2 and London's big arenas covers the venue itself.
What the rooms are like, and why that suits some trips
Almost every hotel here was built since about 2000 for arena and exhibition trade, which produces a very specific kind of room: a lift, cooling you control yourself, blackout curtains, a desk, soundproofing that works, and a 24-hour reception. Several have a gym, and some have a pool, which in central London would be a separate membership.
That is the opposite of the Bayswater or Bloomsbury terrace conversion, and for three groups of travellers it is better. Families get two double beds in one room more often than in central London. Anyone arriving on a long-haul flight gets a dark, quiet, cool room. And wheelchair users get a step-free station with three lifts and a district built flat and new, which is rare in a city this old.
What you will not find is a high street, a corner shop of any character, or a pub that has been there for two hundred years. The food is mostly inside the arena's own entertainment strip, and our guide to where to eat near the O2 and in Greenwich is honest about what that means, including which walk fixes it.
The peninsula is not Greenwich, and the bus proves it
This is the mistake that spoils stays here. Greenwich town, with the market, the park, the Cutty Sark and the Observatory, is a separate place about two miles upstream. TfL's journey planner gives 17 to 18 minutes from North Greenwich to Cutty Sark, either on the 188 bus or by taking the Jubilee line and changing to the DLR. It is not a walk.
So if the reason you chose "Greenwich" was the park and the village, this is the wrong half of the borough, and the Greenwich page linked above is the one you want. If your reason is the arena, this is the right half, and Greenwich Park and the town itself are an easy morning out from here.
What is on the peninsula itself
Less than the towers suggest, but not nothing, and it is all within a walk of the hotels.
- The arena complex, which includes a cinema, a bowling alley, an indoor climbing wall and the roof walk described in our guide to Up at the O2.
- The cable car across the Thames to the Royal Docks, £7.00 one way and £13.50 for a return, which accepts contactless and Oyster but does not count towards the daily cap: see the London Cable Car.
- A designer outlet under the arena roof, which is useful on a wet afternoon and is open when most things on the peninsula are not.
- The Thames Path, which runs round the whole peninsula with a view of Canary Wharf from an angle nobody photographs, and the ecology park, a small freshwater reserve behind the towers.
Arriving, and the airport nobody thinks of
The Jubilee line is the way in from every main-line terminus except Paddington and King's Cross, and from Bankside and London Bridge it is nine minutes. London City Airport is the closest airport to any hotel district in London: the DLR from Royal Victoria is on the other side of the cable car, or a road journey takes minutes. Heathrow is the awkward one, needing at least one change and closer to an hour and a half.
For the line itself, see our guide to the Jubilee line, which explains why it is the most reliable deep line for a visitor with luggage.
What to ask before you book
- Is anything on at the arena during your stay? It changes the price, the pavements and the queue at breakfast.
- How many minutes from the hotel door to the station, and to the arena door? The peninsula is bigger than it looks and some hotels are across a dual carriageway.
- Does the room face the arena approach? Crowds leave an event for about an hour.
- Is the gym or pool included in the rate? Some hotels here let their gym to local members and charge guests separately.
- Are you here on a Sunday to Thursday night after a show? If so, check the last Jubilee train before you book a seat at the back of the arena.
Who should stay here
Stay on the peninsula if
- You have tickets for the arena, particularly on a Sunday to Thursday night
- You want a modern, cool, quiet room with a lift at Zone 2 prices
- You need step-free access from the street to the train
- You are flying from London City, or combining London with the Royal Docks
Stay elsewhere if
- You came to see Greenwich town, the park and the Observatory
- You want to walk out of the door into an evening with a choice of restaurants
- Your week is built around the West End and the theatres
- You are travelling on a tight budget on a night when the arena is sold out
To set it against the alternatives, see our comparison of the best areas to stay in London.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth staying next to the O2 for a concert?
On a Sunday to Thursday night, yes, and clearly so: twenty thousand people leave the arena at once onto one Underground line, and the Jubilee line runs no night service on those days. Walking to your room beats queueing for a train. On a Friday or Saturday the night service removes most of that advantage.
How long does it take from North Greenwich to central London?
About 24 minutes to Oxford Circus with one change, 9 minutes to London Bridge and 2 minutes to Canary Wharf, all on the Jubilee line. The single fare to Oxford Circus is £3.60 at peak times and £3.10 off-peak, which is the same as a Zones 1-2 journey.
Can you walk from the O2 to Greenwich town?
Not sensibly. TfL gives 17 to 18 minutes by bus 188, or a similar time using the Jubilee line and the DLR, for a journey of about two miles along a road with little to look at. Treat Greenwich town as a short trip out rather than as your neighbourhood.
Are hotels near the O2 cheaper than central London?
Usually, on nights when the arena is quiet, and not on nights when it is full. The rooms are newer and larger than an equivalent rate buys in Zone 1, and North Greenwich is charged as a Zones 1-2 journey, so travel costs no more. Check the arena's calendar against your dates before assuming either way.
Does the cable car run late enough to get back after a show?
No. The London Cable Car closes at 21:00 from Monday to Thursday and on Sundays, at 22:00 on Fridays and 23:00 on Saturdays, and it can shut in strong wind, lightning or extreme heat. It is an attraction here, not a way home, and it is not included in the daily fare cap.
Sources
- Transport for London - Daily and weekly fare caps (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Single Fare Finder, North Greenwich to Oxford Circus (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Journey Planner (sample journeys, Tuesday 29 September 2026) (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - detailed station data: lifts, ramps and step-free routes (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Night Tube lines and stations (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - London Cable Car opening hours (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - London Cable Car fares (checked September 2026)