Getting Around Ilford
Ilford is a large town in East London, part of the London Borough of Redbridge, and it sits on the transport corridor between London and coastal Essex. For a visitor, the practical upshot is simple: Ilford is woven into the same public transport system that serves the rest of Greater London, so you can move around by train, Tube, bus, and taxi without needing a car. The town's commercial and retail centre is surrounded by extensive residential development, and the main streets where you'll find transport stops include the High Road, Cranbrook Road, Longbridge Road, and Eastern Avenue.
Rail, Tube and Overground
Ilford's growth was accelerated by the arrival of the railway, and rail remains the backbone of getting in and out of the town. Ilford has a central railway station on the corridor linking London with Essex, and mainline services connect the area with London Liverpool Street. From Liverpool Street you can also reach Chingford and Ilford, while services from London Fenchurch Street run out to Southend and Grays. Greater Anglia services from the Stratford area reach Southend-on-Sea, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich, Braintree, Clacton-on-Sea, Bishop's Stortford and Hertford.
The London Underground also serves the area. The Central line runs to Woodford or Hainault, the District line runs to Upminster, the Hammersmith and City line runs to Barking, the Jubilee line runs to Stratford, and the Victoria line runs to Walthamstow. The Elizabeth line, shown in light purple on maps, serves Harold Wood and Custom House. The Central line's arrival in this part of London in the mid-20th century is part of what turned Ilford into the connected suburban town it is today.
The London Overground is useful for crossing the district. Its lines were being renamed with their own colour schemes, and the ones relevant to this side of London include the Mildmay line from Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford, the Suffragette line from Gospel Oak to Barking and Blackhorse Road, the Weaver line to Chingford, Enfield Town and Cheshunt from London Liverpool Street, and the short Liberty line between Romford and Upminster via Emerson Park. Note that the Liberty line is disconnected from the rest of the Overground network.
Nearby Stratford is a major interchange worth knowing about. It has National Rail, London Overground and Elizabeth line services, is the eastern terminus of the Jubilee line, and is also served by the Central line and the Docklands Light Railway. It sits in fare zones 2 and 3.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Buses are the most flexible way to move around Ilford itself and into neighbouring parts of East London. The town is served by a dense network of bus routes, with key corridors along Eastern Avenue, Cranbrook Road, the High Road, Longbridge Road, and Station Parade. Because so many routes converge here, you can generally reach a nearby destination without returning to a rail station first.
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is another option for heading south and east. The DLR runs to Canning Town, where it branches toward Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich. This is particularly handy if you are connecting to the airport or to the Docklands area.
On fares: London's public transport uses Oyster and contactless payment cards on a "touch in, touch out" basis, and Travelcards are valid on the DLR and on buses as well as on rail and Tube services. If you are spending several days in London, a Travelcard or contactless pay-as-you-go is usually the simplest approach, since the same card covers buses, Tube, DLR and most rail services in the London fare zones.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are available in Ilford and are a straightforward option for short trips, late nights, or when you have luggage. They are also a practical way to reach London City Airport, with a journey time of roughly half an hour and a typical fare in the region of £20–35.
Walking
Ilford's centre is compact enough that walking is a realistic way to get between the station, the shopping area, and nearby streets. The main shopping centre, The Exchange, is the focal point of the retail area, and the High Road and Cranbrook Road corridors are lined with stops and amenities. For a visitor staying near the centre, most day-to-day needs — shops, food, and transport connections — are within walking distance. For anything beyond the centre, the bus network fills the gaps.
Getting There from the Airport
The most relevant airport for Ilford is London City Airport (LCY), which sits east of the City of London and a short distance from Canary Wharf. It is a commuter airport specialising in short-haul business flights to major European cities, with some holiday routes such as Malaga, Ibiza and Mallorca. Because of operating limitations it only handles restricted small airliners, and full-service carriers generally offer flights to major European cities. It can often be the cheapest London airport to fly into once you factor in transfer costs from the outlying airports.
From London City Airport you have several options:
- DLR: The airport has its own DLR station in fare zone 3. Direct trains run to Woolwich Arsenal, Canning Town, Stratford and Bank. Change at Poplar for DLR services to Canary Wharf and Greenwich. Pay with Oyster or contactless on a touch-in, touch-out basis; Travelcards are valid.
- Taxi: Around 30 minutes, typically £20–35.
- Bus: Take the 474 to Canning Town station, then the 115 or N15 into central London. Route 473 goes to Stratford. Travelcards are valid.
- Car hire: Avis, Europcar and Hertz have desks near the airport. From the airport, follow signs for Canary Wharf and The City westbound, or the A13 eastbound. For east, north and west London, follow the A406 North Circular Road. For south London, use the Woolwich Ferry.
If you are driving to London City Airport in a private car, note that Ultra Low Emission Zone charges may apply to a small number of vehicles.
For arrivals from further afield, Stansted Airport has rail connections toward Ipswich, Colchester and Norwich via Liverpool Street, which puts you on the same mainline corridor that serves Ilford. From central London, the simplest approach to Ilford is a train from Liverpool Street, or a Tube journey on the Central line toward Woodford or Hainault.