Insider Tip London: The Emirates Air Line

You wouldn’t meet a lot of tourists if you went and bought a ticket for the Emirates Air Line, which opened in 2012. Far off the touristic ho-hum-sports of London City there is this neat ropeway near the ExCel arena. Not many people find their way here outside the fair times. Ho bad for all of those who miss this wonderful part of London. Good for me as I do not like crowded places…

The Emirates Air Line at the o2 arena.

If you had an oyster card you would receive a reduced ticket and save about 1 £. You can choose between one way and return. I recommend both directions just because it’s so nice. Beware: The return ticket doesn’t allow you to drop off and I therefore suggest buying two single tickets, even if they are more expensive. The driving time is about 5 minutes.

View from the Emirates Air Line to the o2 arena and Canary Wharf.

The best time to ride that cable car is when the weather is nice of course. Anyway you should test it at different daytimes with different illuminations. The airline is frequented the most between 10 am and 3 pm. Outside these hours they (if possible) try to double the time of one ride to 10 minutes. So if you like to experience a longer ride you should go either earlier or later on the day. The Emirates Air Line opens in the morning at 7, 8 or 9 am, depending on the weekday, and it closes, depending on the season, between 8 and 9 pm. During summer they often extend the later rides up to 25 minutes (return)!

It’s only five minutes from the Emirates Air Line to the o2 arena.

To get to the Emirates Air Line you simply have to get off the underground station Greenwich Peninsula (Jubilee) or Royal Docks (DLR). Both are included in your zone 3 underground ticket. From inside the cable car, you’ll have an amazing view. Lean back, relax, and enjoy both the Canary Wharf skyline, as well as the City of London skyline.

City of London – that is the view from the Emirates Air Line.

I was thinking for a long whether to include this insider tip on my blog or not. In the worst case it would become a crowded hotspot soon and would have to share my cabin with strangers. But it is just too wonderful to keep it to myself. My must-do’s for this area: the Crystal, the o2-arena, incl. the Nissan Innovation Station, and Canary Wharf including using the Rotherhithe Ferry. A great choice for your hotel close to the Emirates Airline is the Aloft London Excel.

Best wishes,
Claire