How to Get to Emirates Stadium (and Why You Can't Drive)

Emirates Stadium sits in Holloway, north London at N7 7AJ — Arsenal's ~60,000-capacity home since 2006, which also hosts major summer concerts. The catch is parking: there is none to speak of at the ground, and an extensive residents-only scheme rings the area on matchdays. The good news is it's one of the best-connected grounds in the country, with several tube stations within a short walk. So the real question is which way in works best for you.

So this guide runs through every way to reach the Emirates, and is honest about how each one copes with the end of an event, when ~60,000 people head for the surrounding stations at once.

The ways in and out, honestly compared

Arsenal (Piccadilly line)

The closest station, a few minutes' walk, and the default for most fans. The catch is everyone else uses it too — Arsenal is a small station that gets very congested, and the even-closer Holloway Road and Drayton Park stations are closed or part-closed on matchdays for crowd safety. Brilliant for getting in; the pinch point is leaving.

Finsbury Park & Highbury & Islington

The smart move for the way out: both are about a 10–12 minute walk and far better connected — Finsbury Park (Victoria and Piccadilly lines, Great Northern rail) and Highbury & Islington (Victoria line, Overground, Great Northern). They're usually much less crowded than Arsenal, so many regulars walk the extra few minutes precisely to dodge the post-match squeeze.

King's Cross & national rail

Arriving from elsewhere in the UK? King's Cross is the main hub, just a couple of stops away — hop on the Piccadilly or Victoria line for the Emirates, or take a one-stop overground to Finsbury Park. It's the natural gateway for anyone coming in by train for a match or concert.

Bus

Main bus stops sit on Holloway Road, Nag's Head, Seven Sisters Road, Blackstock Road and Highbury Corner. Cheap and frequent, and a good way to hop a short distance to a higher-capacity station — though buses are slowed by congestion around the ground on event days.

Drive and park — the honest answer

Don't. There is no real parking at the ground, and an extensive residents-only scheme rings the area on matchdays — park illegally and you risk a fine. The club's own advice is to park well out of town and take the tube in. The only sensible version of "by road" is a pre-booked transfer that drops you right at the gate.

Private hire transfer

The option built for a venue with no parking. A fixed-price Emirates transfer means your car and driver are arranged in advance and waiting near the stadium at the final whistle or encore — no Arsenal-tube queue, no surge-priced app, no hunt for a cab. For groups, hospitality, or anyone who doesn't want a match or concert to end in a scrum, it's the calmest way home, at one fixed fare with no surge.

Costs: what to expect by car

Indicative fixed private-hire fares to the Emirates, calculated from Rushxo's current tariff, start from around £81 from central London, £121 from Heathrow and £125 from Kent for a saloon, with MPVs and minibuses for groups. The headline figure matters less than the value per person and the certainty: split across a group the per-head cost drops sharply, and unlike a rideshare the fare won't surge the instant the event ends. Your exact price is confirmed at booking.

The Match-Day Problems a Fixed Transfer Solves

Most of the value of a pre-booked car at a venue like this is in the headaches it quietly removes:

1. There is simply nowhere to park

The Emirates has no real parking and an extensive residents-only scheme on matchdays; park illegally and you risk a fine. For most visitors, driving isn't an option at all. A transfer sidesteps the whole problem: no parking to chase, no permit, and a drop right at the gate so you walk straight in.

2. The station crush you can't rely on

Arsenal is a small station that's packed after a full house, with Holloway Road often closed, and strikes or signal failures can land on any day. A single disruption turns the journey home into an ordeal. A private car answers to none of it — door to the gate, on your schedule, whatever the network is doing.

3. Sharing an MPV brings the cost right down

The fixed fare doesn't change with the number of passengers, so the more of you who travel together, the less each person pays. A six-seat MPV or eight-seat minibus split across a group routinely works out cheaper per head than separate fares — and it keeps the whole party together, both ways. For groups, combining into one vehicle is almost always the smartest value.

4. Fuel prices that move with the headlines

Pump prices rarely sit still. Global events and geopolitical shocks can squeeze oil supply and send fuel costs — and with them metered taxi fares and rideshare pricing — climbing with little warning. A Rushxo fare is fixed the moment you book, so those swings are the operator's concern, not yours: the figure in your booking is the figure you pay.

5. Self-driving cars aren't built for an event day

Autonomous taxis are appearing on some city streets, but an Emirates event day exposes their limits. A driverless car can't read the residents-only streets around the ground, can't hold a spot at the set-down, and won't wait at a pre-agreed point while ~60,000 people stream out. A professional, TfL-licensed chauffeur does all three — which is why, on an event day, a human driver still wins.

Practical tips for event day

• Don't plan to drive. There's no real parking and it's residents-only on matchdays — come by tube, rail or a pre-booked car.
• Walk to Finsbury Park or Highbury & Islington out. They clear crowds far better than Arsenal station.
• Remember Holloway Road is closed. Don't plan your exit via the nearest stations — they shut on matchdays.
• Check the event travel notice. Concerts sometimes have different line/station arrangements than football.
• Use a pre-arranged car at the gate. No surge and no scramble when ~60,000 leave at once.

Frequently asked questions