In this guide
Nine London terminals have a staffed left-luggage desk. Four of the six airports do too. Two attractions on every first-time itinerary — the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament — will turn a suitcase away at the door with nowhere on site to leave it. None of that is obvious until the queue is in front of you, so here is where an item actually goes, what it costs, and who is holding it, sourced to the operator that runs each desk.
💡 The Short Version: King’s Cross, Euston, Paddington, Liverpool Street, Victoria, Waterloo, London Bridge, Charing Cross and St Pancras all have a staffed desk, mostly run by Excess Baggage Company, from £10 for up to 3 hours and £40 for up to 72 hours per item. Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton have the same desks and the same tariff; London City and Southend don’t. The storage apps — Stasher, Bounce, Radical Storage, LuggageHero and Nannybag — undercut every counter, from £1.49 a bag a day, booked online for a drop-off at a nearby shop or hotel. And two big-ticket sights will not take a suitcase in at all: the Tower of London refuses one outright, and the Houses of Parliament caps a bag at 60cm x 40cm, both with no cloakroom.
Stations: nine desks, one operator, one tariff (Victoria excepted)
King’s Cross, Euston, Paddington, Liverpool Street, Victoria, Waterloo, London Bridge, Charing Cross and St Pancras International all have a staffed left-luggage desk on the main concourse. Excess Baggage Company runs eight of the nine; at London Bridge, Network Rail lists the station’s own Left Luggage unit.
The published tariff is identical at every desk except Victoria’s, per item:
| Time band | Standard tariff | Victoria |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 hours (6 at Victoria) | £10.00 | £10.00 |
| Up to 24 hours | £15.00 | £15.00 |
| Up to 48 hours | £27.50 | £25.00 |
| Up to 72 hours | £40.00 | £35.00 |
| After 72 hours | £12.50/day | £10.00/day |
| After 7 days | £10.00/day | £10.00/day |
Excess Baggage Company gives a 20% discount on 15 or more items, and its own FAQ caps its liability for loss, theft or damage at £200 per transaction. It publishes no maximum bag size, and won’t cover damage to anything over 32kg, the EU’s recommended safety limit.
Desks open 07:00–23:00. Network Rail lists Liverpool Street, London Bridge and Charing Cross as open every day; for King’s Cross, Euston, Paddington, Waterloo and Victoria it lists weekday hours only, so ring the desk before a weekend drop-off (each number is on the station’s Network Rail page). St Pancras International’s desk is in The Circle, on the ground floor.
Why a staffed counter rather than a bank of coin lockers? Excess Baggage Company’s own FAQ answers it directly: every bag is security-screened as required under the National Rail Security Programme, which is why the service is over the counter rather than self-service.
Airports: four with a desk, two without
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton all have a left-luggage desk, and all four are run by Excess Baggage Company on the same tariff as the stations (£10 up to 3 hours, up to £40 for 72). Heathrow has ten of them, six in check-in and one in each terminal’s arrivals hall. London City and Southend have neither a desk nor a locker.
Heathrow arrivals. Every terminal has a left-luggage desk out here as well as in check-in — a separate counter from the reclaim belt, on the same tariff as the station desks.
| Airport | Location | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow, check-in | T2 zones A and C, T3 zone E, T4, T5 zones B and F | 05:00–21:00 |
| Heathrow, arrivals | One desk in each of T2, T3, T4 and T5 | 06:00–22:00, except T3 at 05:00–21:00 |
| Gatwick North Terminal | Level 1, before security, next to Costa Coffee | 04:00–22:00 |
| Gatwick South Terminal | Level 2, before security, behind check-in zone E | 04:00–22:00 |
| Stansted | Arrivals Hall | 06:00–22:00 |
| Luton | Check-in area | Daily, 04:00–22:00 |
| London City | — | No left-luggage service |
| Southend | — | No left-luggage service |
Gatwick’s own site is explicit about why there’s no locker option: “due to security reasons there are no lockers available for storing your luggage at Gatwick”.
At London City and Southend, book a storage app instead, with a shop or hotel near the airport or at your first stop in town. Southend’s terminal only opens three hours before each day’s first departure.
The storage apps: cheaper than any counter, if you can find one nearby
Five networks book a bag into a nearby shop, hotel or storage room rather than a dedicated counter: Stasher, Bounce, Radical Storage, LuggageHero and Nannybag. All five work the same way — pick a location and a date online, get a confirmation code, drop the bag and show the code, then collect it any time before closing with the same code. Most also take a walk-up booking on the day if a slot is free.
| App | London locations | Price | Cover included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stasher | 550+ (22 Aug 2026) | From £1.49/bag/day | Up to £10,000 per booking |
| Bounce | 608 | From £1.95/day (most shops £3.50–£4.50) | £10,000 bag protection |
| Radical Storage | 762 | From £3.90/day | €10,000 guarantee |
| LuggageHero | 881 | From £1.49/hour or £4.90/day, + £1.60 one-time fee/bag | £500 included; paid upgrades available |
| Nannybag | Not published separately | £3.40/day small bag, £4.90 regular, £6.90 odd-size | £10,000 included |
Every figure here beats a station counter on price, though a shopfront rather than a manned rail concourse is a different kind of trust — each network’s own guarantee is the thing worth reading before a valuable bag goes into one. Nannybag is now run inside the Bounce network: partner shops sign up and manage bookings on Bounce, while Nannybag keeps its own branding and pricing for customers.
Hotels, and the day-room alternative
Most hotels will hold bags for their own guests before check-in or after check-out, usually free and logged with nothing more than a name tag at the desk — it’s worth asking even if a room won’t be ready for hours. It’s a courtesy rather than a guaranteed service, and it’s for guests: a hotel you’re not staying at has no obligation to take a stranger’s suitcase.
If the gap is long enough to want a bed rather than just a shelf, a day-use hotel room is the better trade. About 245 London hotels sell one, from roughly £50 for a seven- or eight-hour window — a bed, a shower and somewhere to sit rather than a locker and a coffee shop. Our day rooms guide covers which hotels sell one, when the windows start, and the ones open early enough for a 6am landing.
Where you can’t take a bag in
Four big venues publish bag limits that turn a suitcase away at the door.
| Venue | Bag limit | If you’re carrying one |
|---|---|---|
| Tower of London | No suitcases, large bags or rolling luggage at all | No cloakroom on site; Historic Royal Palaces’ own FAQ points visitors to Stasher |
| Houses of Parliament | Nothing larger than 60cm x 40cm | No cloakroom; airport-style security on entry |
| Wembley Stadium | One small bag per person, no bigger than A4 (297mm × 210mm × 210mm) | Folding a bigger bag down doesn’t count; no storage on site |
| The O2 | One bag per person, A4 or a standard handbag | Paid bag store outside the main entrance, £10 (free for American Express cardholders) |
The Tower of London’s own FAQ is unambiguous: “Visitors must always keep their belongings with them. No left luggage or bag storage facilities are available. Suitcases, large bags, and any rolling luggage will not be permitted inside the Tower.” The Houses of Parliament’s own site is just as direct: “There are no cloakrooms, so you need to keep your belongings with you at all times. Luggage larger than 60cm x 40cm is not allowed.” If you are carrying a case, book a storage app near the attraction rather than a desk at the station you arrived at.
The bag check at the Tower’s entrance is where a suitcase stops. There is no cloakroom on the other side of it.
Continue planning your London trip
- ✈️ Heathrow Airport to London, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend — every airport’s own transport options compared
- 🛏️ London Day Rooms — booking a hotel room for a few hours rather than the night
- 🎒 Best Hostels in London — including which ones store bags for free
- 🏟️ Wembley Stadium Guide and The O2 Travel Guide — full bag rules for an event day
- 🗓️ London Itineraries by Days and Interests — planning what to see between a landing and a check-in
Prices, hours and rules are from Excess Baggage Company, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London Luton Airport, London City Airport, London Southend Airport, Historic Royal Palaces and UK Parliament’s own sites, and from Stasher, Bounce, Radical Storage, LuggageHero and Nannybag’s own sites, checked 17 September 2026. Wembley Stadium and The O2’s bag rules are sourced to the venues in our own venue guides, checked the weeks of 9 and 13 September 2026 respectively. Storage prices, locations and opening hours change; check the operator’s own site before you travel.
Common questions
Which London stations have left luggage?
Nine of the main terminals have a staffed desk: King's Cross, Euston, Paddington, Liverpool Street, Victoria, Waterloo, London Bridge, Charing Cross and St Pancras International. Excess Baggage Company runs the desk at every one of them except London Bridge, where Network Rail lists the station's own Left Luggage unit. Every bag is security-screened before it's accepted.
How much does left luggage cost at a London station?
£10 for up to 3 hours, £15 for up to 24 hours, £27.50 for up to 48 hours and £40 for up to 72 hours, per item, at every Excess Baggage Company desk except Victoria, which is cheaper: £10 for up to 6 hours, £15 for 24, £25 for 48 and £35 for 72. Both scales drop to a lower daily rate after that — £12.50 a day after 72 hours (£10 at Victoria), falling to £10 a day after a week.
Is there left luggage at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton?
Yes, at all four, run by Excess Baggage Company on the same tariff as the stations. Heathrow has ten desks across its four terminals — its own shop directory lists six in check-in, open 05:00–21:00, and one in each terminal's arrivals hall, open 06:00–22:00 except Terminal 3's, which runs 05:00–21:00; Gatwick's North and South Terminal desks, both before security, run 04:00–22:00; Stansted's Arrivals Hall desk runs 06:00–22:00; and Luton's check-in-area desk is open daily, 04:00–22:00.
Can you store luggage at London City or Southend airport?
No. Neither London City nor Southend has a left-luggage service in the terminal, so book a storage app with a shop or hotel nearby instead.
Are luggage storage apps like Stasher and Bounce insured?
Each runs its own guarantee rather than an industry standard. Stasher covers up to £10,000 per booking, Bounce £10,000, Radical Storage €10,000 and Nannybag £10,000, all included in the price. LuggageHero includes £500 of cover in its one-time service fee and sells optional insurance upgrades on top. All of them beat the £200 per transaction that Excess Baggage Company caps its own station and airport liability at.
Will a hotel store my bags before check-in or after check-out?
Most will, for their own guests, and it's usually free and no more formal than a name tag at the desk — worth asking even hours before a room is ready. For a longer gap than a bag drop covers, a day-use room from around £50 buys a bed and a shower rather than just a place to put a suitcase; see our day rooms guide for which hotels sell one and when the windows start.
Which London attractions won't let you bring a suitcase?
The Tower of London refuses all suitcases, large bags and rolling luggage outright and has no cloakroom, per Historic Royal Palaces' own site. The Houses of Parliament bans any bag over 60cm x 40cm and has no cloakroom either. Wembley Stadium and The O2 both cap bags at A4 size with no exceptions for folding a bigger one down; The O2 sells paid bag storage outside its main entrance from £10, and Wembley has none on site.
Why do London stations use a staffed desk instead of coin lockers?
Security screening. Excess Baggage Company's own FAQ says every bag it accepts is screened as required under the National Rail Security Programme, which a self-service locker can't do. Gatwick Airport's own site gives the same reason for its own terminals: due to security reasons, it says, there are no lockers available.
