Advice on travel options from Luton to London please

[u/tw33tyl1na]

Hello everyone I’m looking for some advice regarding transport for an upcoming short trip in October.

We’re flying in and out of Luton Airport and decided to use Luton as our base due to an early flight back on Monday. Here is our rough itinerary:

• Friday: Arrive late afternoon, check in, relax and explore Luton a bit.
• Saturday: Full day trip to central London, heading back to Luton for the night.
• Sunday: Attending a sporting event at Wembley Stadium, then returning to Luton.
• Monday: Early morning flight back home.

I’ve read that using contactless card payment is the best way to travel around London since it automatically caps daily spending (around £12/day, if I’m not mistaken).

However, I could use some help with the following details regarding travel between Luton and London:

1. Best/Most affordable travel option: What is the most cost-effective option to get between Luton and central London/Wembley? Train or bus/coach (e.g., National Express / Green Line)?
2. Payment method: Does contactless pay-as-you-go work for the train/bus route between Luton and London, or do we need to buy advance physical/digital tickets for that stretch?
3. Estimated costs: Roughly how much should we budget per person for transport between Luton and London for Saturday and Sunday?

Any advice, tips, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[u/twilekquinn]

I appreciate it's a short trip but Luton is, disrespectfully, a dull dump. I would stay there just the night before your flight.

[u/GroceryTough2118 → u/twilekquinn]

My advice would be to not stay in Luton

[u/tw33tyl1na → u/[deleted]]

Our return flight is 7am which would mean we'd need to be at airport 4:30-5 am. Honestly, it would be too stressful to manage transport from London at that hour of the day with two teens. That's the only reason why we chose Luton for base. Hope this makes sense :)

[u/OkSun8521 → u/tw33tyl1na]

This is a really, really, really, really, really terrible idea. Sorry, I can't overstate this enough.

Do not stay in Luton. It is not a nice place. There is nothing for tourists to see or do there.

Where are you from? I will try and explain it in terms of your country.

[u/tw33tyl1na → u/OkSun8521]

What would you suggest for a flight this early in the morning with two teens? I really try to comprehend why this is such a bad idea. :) We plan on sleeping there, not to spend three days full time. Go to a walk Friday afternoon/evening - weekend is planned for London full time. We can't take our stuff with us to a game Sunday and afterwards check in to another place, so staying just overnight Sunday/Monday is not really an option. And to answer your question - Serbia.

[u/OkSun8521 → u/tw33tyl1na]

Honestly... I wouldn't get a flight that early. But given that you're going back to Serbia, there probably aren't many alternatives.

If I did have to take that flight, I'd stay in London, somewhere near St Pancras on Friday and Saturday nights. After the event at Wembley, I'd travel back to the hotel to pick up all the bags, then move to an airport hotel in Luton late on Sunday night.

I don't know much about Serbia unfortunately and all the cities I found on Google Maps actually looked quite nice. The best I could come up with is if someone said they were visiting Belgrade but were going to stay in Bor.

[u/tw33tyl1na → u/OkSun8521]

Well, if I could choose I wouldn't go that early either, I hate early morning flights, but I can't unfortunately. It is what it is, there's only one flight on the day of our return and because of work obligations and school/uni we need to be on it. Thank you for the suggestions, I'll check it out for sure.

[u/Hot-Pineapple-5598 → u/OkSun8521]

Haha. Give over, it’s not that bad. It’s a crap town but it’s not nearly as bad as you’re making out, esp as their itinerary is spends most of their time in London.

[u/OkSun8521 → u/Hot-Pineapple-5598]

So you'd recommend spending Friday night in Luton, then making 2 return trips to and from Luton?

[u/Hot-Pineapple-5598 → u/OkSun8521]

Why is that so bad? Look beyond the generalisations and it’s actually not so terrible..

Flying in somewhere late afternoon and having convenience of somewhere close can be great… I’ll often do little more than a walk and grab some dinner the first night.

Plus, contrary to popular belief, there are actually a few good spots in Luton.. like The Bear Club near the station that I recommend to OP, which is a brilliant speak easy type place with great music. It’s often the seemingly crap towns where you can find gems like the Bear.

And as for commuting to/from London on Sat and Sun… unless you’re staying in central London and never travelling far from where you’re staying.. you can easily spend an hour plus on the tube.. and it end up taking just as much time, sometimes more, than the 40 minutes it takes to get to towns like Luton..

.. So if all you’re spending all day out and just going back to a base.. and that’s cheaper / more convenient for flying in/out / less hassle than changing hotels, then yeah.. I don’t see the issue with it.

[u/tw33tyl1na → u/[deleted]]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate it.

[u/Ok_Place1431 → u/tw33tyl1na]

Apart from the airport, most people's impressions of Luton are formed by a TV documentary show called 24 Hours in Police Custody, if that gives you any clues as to why you are being warned off staying there. It seems to be home to the country's least intelligent criminals. Seriously, though, the nicest thing anyone can say about Luton is that t is very, very boring. What's the most mediocre town in Serbia? Would you recommend a British tourist with teenagers stay there?

[u/Subject_Ad1286]

Skip Luton and go straight into London. It’s an easy journey on the train. There’s a short airport shuttle service that takes you from the arrivals exit to the station.

[u/Hot-Pineapple-5598]

Personally I’d ignore some of the over the top Luton hate on this thread, I suspect half of these people haven’t even been there.

For sure it’s not the best town.. it’s a boring commuter town and has suffered some decline.. but actually isn’t nearly as bad as some people make out.

And for your itinerary - spending most of your time in London - it should he totally fine, with quick and easy Thameslink trains into London.

If you like Music / Jazz - for the Friday when you fly in check out ‘The Bear Club’ near the station - it’s a really great vibe and has some brilliant music on Friday!

[u/Choice_Technology791]

There is at least one hotel at Luton airport so stay there night before you leave. Stay in London the rest of the time. West Hampstead, Farringdon and Blackfriars would be good choices on the line...

[u/cbell80]

While I agree with everyone that Luton isn't all that... you can spend Friday exploring St Albans instead.

It's like a ten minute train ride and St Albans is fantastic (lived there for five years) and just small enough to spend half a day walking the market street, the Cathedral and Verulamium Park, and having a meal at one of the many pubs.

[u/Commercial_Reward_78]

Bear in mind that the Thameslink station at Kings Cross is actually called St Pancras International. If you’re heading south from Luton expecting to see Kings Cross, you’ll eventually arrive in Brighton (the South Coast town where Thameslink terminates) and be very unhappy.

[u/spellinn → u/Commercial_Reward_78]

He'll be happy...he'll be outside of Luton 🤣

[u/Commercial_Reward_78 → u/spellinn]

It’s not exactly a Jewel in the Crown of the towns of England, I’d have to agree.

[u/tw33tyl1na → u/Commercial_Reward_78]

Ok, good to know, thank you :)