I’m not sure what it is about kids and cable cars but as soon as they see one they want to go on it. The IFS Cloud Cable car previously known as the Emirates Air Line Cable Car runs from the o2 in North Greenwich across to the Excel Exhibition Centre on the other side of the River Thames. And is the only London cable car.
We are up in London for the Young Voices concert and to spend the weekend in Greenwich. As we had to travel from the o2 to our hotel on the other side of the river. The easiest way to do this was to catch the Greenwich cable car. During our weekend visit to Greenwich, we travelled on the IFS Cloud Cable Car several times. The first time was at night on the way back from our concert to the hotel. We also used it after visiting the Shard in London city and returning to pick up the car to drive home.
It is not a particularly long ride, but the boys still enjoyed it nonetheless. And it gives you some iconic London views across the Thames and Royal Docks.
How to get to the North Greenwich cable car
If you’re looking to join the Greenwich cable car at the o2, you will need to catch public transport. The nearest transport options are the Jubilee line to North Greenwich tube station which is the nearest station. We caught the tube directly from London Bridge to North Greenwich station. This is the only line that services North Greenwich underground station and the closest tube stop to the London cable car. The alternative is a boat journey along the river Thames, catching an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers to the North Greenwich Pier. The Thames Clipper is very popular in the Summer months. If you’re looking to join from the Excel Exhibition side the closest DLR station is Royal Victoria station. Which is only a few minute’s walk away.
How much does it cost to go on the cable car?
Ticket prices are not cheap a return journey adult ticket costs £12 and a return trip child ticket costs £6 for the London cable car. Children under the age of 5 are free with a fare-paying adult. Single trip are £6 for an adult and £3 for a child. It is possible to have a discount on the fare.
This can be either because you have an Oyster card or a Travel Card which reduces the prices down to £5 for an adult one way and £2.50 for a child with the same discount on a return ticket. You can also secure the same discount if you buy your tickets in advance via online booking on the website. This is what we did buying them literally just before boarding rather than queuing at the ticket office or using contactless card at the terminal. They do not accept cash payments.
If you have an Oyster card then you can just use it as you would normally. A travel card can be shown at the kiosk to get the discount.
Opening times of the Greenwich cable car
Opening times for the London cable card vary depending on the time of year and also if there’s anything going on at the o2. The night we visited, it was showing that it closed at 9 o’clock on Google. However, we did not have any other option to get to the hotel without having to travel the long way around on the underground and DLR. I decided I would chance our luck and double-check. As I had read somewhere that the cable car stays open later when there is an event at the o2. I was very pleased to find that this was the case and that the cable car was still running at 9.30 pm.
There is a clock next to the ticket office which will show you the first and last cable cars of the day. During the week it is open from 7 am to 9 pm, Fridays from 7 am to 11 pm, Saturdays from 8 am to 11 pm and then on Sundays and Bank holidays from 9 am to 9 pm.
How long does the ride last?
It’s not the longest cable car ride, with the journey time lasting up to 10 minutes although it is dependent on how busy it is and how long the queues are. However, it is the only cable car in London. When we visited there were no queues at all but January is not exactly peak tourist time.
What will you see from the Greenwich cable car?
If you can do what we did, which is travel both in the evening and during the day, then you’ll get some breathtaking views of the city. Especially in the nighttime as you can see the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf and the city lights of the surrounding office buildings. The O2 in the foreground is particularly spectacular.
During the day you will obviously see the same great views of London but in the daylight, the Thames river is much clearer winding off into the distance and you can spot London City airport easily. If you look carefully, you can see the Thames Barrier and also have views across Docklands towards the Excel indoor arena and Greenwich peninsula. It is not the most scenic part of London but it is extremely popular with tourists and daytrippers visiting the o2. We were really lucky when we visited having a lovely sunny day.
What is there to do at the end of the Greenwich cable car
On the North Greenwich side, there is the o2, which will have various events throughout the year. There is also the cinema complex and the Ikon shopping centre where you can pick up designer bargains at a fraction of the price. With plenty of different restaurants to try out contained within the complex.
However, on the other end, there is little to do unless you are planning on going to Excel London for a particular exhibition. During the weekend you might see some street food stalls and vans. But outside of that, there are only a few hotels, such as the Crowne Plaza, the Ibis and the Novotel, which is where we stayed.
If you do not want to get the cable car back then you can pick up the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) at Royal Victoria. Which is literally two minutes walk away from the base of the cable car allowing you to access other local tourist spots such as Greenwich, Canary Wharf and the London underground.
Final thoughts…
We found that on each trip we had a whole London cable car o2 to ourselves. The most the passenger gondolas will seat is ten. Having an IFS Clouse cable car to ourselves meant that we could move around to take pictures of the views on this unique ride. Each time we travelled on it there were very few queues. It is the sort of thing that once you’ve done it you probably won’t do it again. But the boys really enjoyed it and it added a different variety to our transport options while we were in London for the weekend.
Have you been on the IFS Cloud Cable Car? Let me know about your experiences in the comments below.
Related Blog Posts
If you have found this Greenwich Cable Car blog post interesting then you may also be interested in some others I have written about the area local to the o2.
- Climbing the o2 – Up at the o2 – The husband and I braved walking across the o2. It was so much fun!
- Have children singing at the Young Voices Concert? Here is a Young Voices Parents Guide for everything you need to know.
- While in London for the weekend we visited maritime Greenwich for the day which is where you can see the Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory. We got up to so much on our visit including visiting the National Maritime Museum and the Museum of the Moon in the Painted Hall. Alternatively, you could consider visiting the Tower of London.
- If you are looking for a hotel to stay in close to the o2 then we visited the Novotel Excel Docklands which I was very impressed with.
- Looking for some views across central London, have you considered visiting the Sky Garden or The Shard? Perhaps you are trying to work out which one would be better. The Shard or the Sky Garden. We visited both during the same weekend and caught some spectacular aerial views of the capital including the beautiful Tower Bridge.
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