Short Stay

Five-minute walk from car to Stansted terminal doors

Short Stay at London Stansted targets flyers who’d rather pay more than touch a shuttle bus. All zones sit within roughly a 1–10 minute walk of the terminal, with most people doing it in about five minutes if they’re in Red, Orange or Green. Gates are then another 5–10 minutes after security depending on your airline and queue.

There are five main zones: Red is closest to security, Orange sits by arrivals, Green premium and Green Multistorey are near arrivals, and Blue is the furthest walk but still on foot, not a bus. FlyerTalk regulars call Blue and Green Multistorey the cheapest options “without a bus,” and describe Blue as a “tediously long walk from arrivals” compared with Red or Orange.

Officially this is short-stay parking, priced at a premium per calendar day versus long stay, with drive-up rates that frequent flyers label “relatively expensive.” One regular says they always pre-book Stansted-run car parks, including Short Stay, because the online price comes out “so much cheaper” than turning up at the barrier for a day or two.

Entry and exit run on ANPR cameras reading your number plate; one Purple Parking review mentions the ANPR failing on entry once, forcing a ticket pull, but the booking still matched correctly on exit so no extra charge was taken. You can still tap for help via the barrier intercom if the system doesn’t recognise your plate in under 10 seconds.

What regulars do: business travellers on employer-paid trips grab Red Short Stay to be closest to security, while people meeting arrivals lean towards Orange or the Green areas nearer the arrivals hall doors. Value hunters push to Blue or Green Multistorey and accept the longer walk to shave a chunk off the bill.

Tip: book Short Stay at least a few days in advance, then pick Red or Orange if you care about a sub-five-minute walk, or Blue/Green Multistorey if saving ££ matters more than two or three extra minutes on foot.