Getting to Ravensbourne University London: the campus, the stations and a smooth arrival

London's leading specialist in digital media and design, Ravensbourne University London traces its roots to 1962 and the merger of the Bromley, Sidcup and Beckenham schools of art, moving to its current home on the Greenwich Peninsula in 2010. Its single, RIBA-award-winning building houses some 4,000 students across fashion, broadcast and television, product and architecture design, graphic design, animation, moving image and music production — with industry-standard studios, a broadcast facility and prototyping labs. For students arriving for the first time and the families helping them settle, there's just one address to find — and this guide covers exactly how to reach it.

01 / LOCATIONWhere exactly is Ravensbourne?

Ravensbourne is at 6 Penrose Way, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 0EW, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, right next to The O2 in North Greenwich. It sits at the heart of the Greenwich Peninsula's Design District, a regenerated riverside quarter of studios, restaurants and cultural venues. The campus has only a small loading bay of its own (for set-down and pick-up), so for arrivals a drop-off by Penrose Way rather than a park-and-stay is the sensible approach.

02 / CAMPUSESOne landmark campus on the Peninsula

Ravensbourne's great convenience is that it's a one-building university: nearly everything happens inside its distinctive, anodised-aluminium-clad campus on Penrose Way, with TV studios, a fashion atelier, prototyping and VR labs, and a roof garden with Thames views across some 17,000 square metres. The newer Institute for Creativity and Technology sits just a couple of minutes' walk away. With no confusion about which site your lecture, studio or open day is on, the journey is refreshingly easy to plan — you're simply heading for The O2.

03 / STATIONSNearest stations and getting around

The Greenwich Peninsula is surprisingly well connected for somewhere that feels like a riverside enclave:

• North Greenwich (Jubilee line) is about a four-minute walk, alongside North Greenwich bus station — direct to the West End, London Bridge and Canary Wharf.
• North Greenwich Pier (Thames Clipper river bus) is close by, a scenic route to the City, Canary Wharf and central piers.
• The IFS Cloud Cable Car crosses the river to the Royal Docks and London City Airport area, a few minutes away.

Numerous buses serve North Greenwich too. For getting around day to day, the Jubilee line is fast and frequent. The familiar catch applies on arrival day: easy with a backpack, far harder with a term's worth of luggage and a change onto the Jubilee line, then the walk past The O2.

04 / AIRPORTSAirport transfer times to Ravensbourne

The Peninsula's east-London position is a real advantage for one airport in particular. The board below gives realistic door-to-door driving times for a pre-booked private hire car. Treat them as a planning guide; the Blackwall Tunnel approaches have their own ideas at rush hour.

From London City

London City Airport is the easy one — only about four miles away, just across the river, so for guests flying via LCY a transfer to the Peninsula is short and simple. By public transport it's the DLR and a change, or the cable car; a quick London City airport transfer by car is simpler still, straight to Penrose Way.

From the other airports

Heathrow is the long haul from the far west; Gatwick sits to the south, with Luton and Stansted to the north. From each, the rail route ends in a Tube ride out to North Greenwich with bags; for a family or anyone with luggage, one car and one fixed price is the gentler option.

Right by London City Airport and a Jubilee-line stop — for the longer runs, the door-to-door car still wins on luggage day.

05 / MOVE-IN DAYArriving with luggage on move-in day

Move-in day is where the Peninsula's destination feel makes a plan pay off. A pre-booked private hire transfer handles it cleanly: a car sized to the boxes and cases, a driver who knows the approach to Penrose Way and your hall, and a drop-off by the building rather than a haul from North Greenwich station past The O2 with a trolley. With only a small loading bay on site, a drop-and-go beats trying to park — choose an MPV if the family is helping and everyone arrives together for one fixed fare.

06 / VISITSOpen days, applicant days and graduation

For open days, applicant days and graduation, families travel together and to a timetable — and the Peninsula has limited parking. A pre-booked car means everyone arrives at the same time by the building, with no circling and no rush-hour stress on a day that matters. Graduation in particular, with smart clothes and proud grandparents in tow, is far more relaxed door-to-door than via the Jubilee line and the walk past The O2.

07 / NEARBYWhat's around Ravensbourne

The campus sits at the centre of one of London's most distinctive destinations:

• The O2 — the world-famous arena, cinema and restaurants quite literally next door.
• The Design District & The Tide — the creative quarter and London's first elevated riverside park, on the doorstep.
• IFS Cloud Cable Car — the river crossing to the Royal Docks, a few minutes' walk.
• Greenwich & Canary Wharf — historic maritime Greenwich and the Docklands skyline a short hop away.

08 / FAQFrequently asked questions