ExCeL charges Blue Badge holders exactly the same to park as everybody else. They are asked the question directly on their own FAQ page, and the answer is one word.
“Q. Is your blue badge parking free of charge? A. No.”
£27.50 per calendar day pre-booked. £30 per calendar day paying on the day. Identical to the standard rate.
And there is a penalty on top: “An £80 fine will be issued if a valid blue badge is not displayed.” So you pay the full price and still have to display the badge to use the bay you paid for.
Most London venues give Blue Badge holders free or discounted parking. ExCeL does not, and knowing that before you arrive is worth £30.
If the accessible bays are full, email them
This is the genuinely useful part, and almost nobody will think to do it.
There are 134 Blue Badge bays, and when the pre-booking system shows none left:
“please contact parkingonline@excel.london. With best endeavours we will temporarily convert some standard parking spaces into additional blue badge spaces.”
They will convert standard bays on request. A full booking page is not the final answer.
Where the 134 bays are, because the venue is enormous and the wrong car park means a long walk:
West Parking, Pink Zone: West 2 has 28 bays, West 3 has 42.
East Parking, Yellow Zone: East 1 has 28.
Waterfront Parking, Blue Zone: Waterfront 1 has 20, Waterfront has 16.
The bays are 5.90m by 3.60m, which is published and generous.
The car park has a 1.9 metre height limit
The trap for anyone in a van, a campervan or a tall people carrier.
“The general car park has a height restriction of 1.9 meters, but we offer a limited number of spaces for vehicles between 1.9 meters and 2.8 meters tall. When reserving an overheight space, please make sure to choose the appropriate booking option for your vehicle’s requirements.”
So over-height spaces exist but must be booked as such. Turning up in a 2.2 metre vehicle with a standard booking leaves you at a barrier you cannot pass.
Access to the car park under the venue is only via Royal Victoria Dock Road or the A112. The satnav postcode is E16 1FR.
Two more parking points worth having:
Motorcycle parking is free, but cannot be pre-booked. Follow the one-way system to the upper level, designated bays in Zone East 1.
There is no EV charging. Their words: “We are currently reviewing the provision of electric car charge points which will be available soon.” At a venue of this size, in 2026, that is worth planning around.
Parking refunds: cancel up to 12 hours before your booked arrival time for a full refund through Manage Reservation. Past bookings go through a form and are reviewed within 3 working days.
You cannot leave a laptop in the cloakroom
At a venue that exists largely for business events, this is a genuine problem.
The cloakrooms are free, which is good: “Venue cloakrooms are open during event hours and are provided complimentary (subject to organiser discretion).”
Then the restriction: “we are unable to store any items overnight and cameras, laptop equipment or any other electronic devices cannot be stored in cloakroom at any time.”
No laptops, no cameras, no electronics, ever. And nothing overnight, which matters across a multi-day exhibition.
The cloakrooms are on level 0, down the stairs between hall entrances N4 and S4, and at the east end of the venue on level 0. The ICC Capital Suite and the Platinum Suite have their own.
Rent a power bank for £2
Better value than most airport equivalents, and you can walk off with it.
Joos power bank rental units sit along the boulevard, next to Venue Services and at hall entrances N4, N7 and S9.
£2.00 for the first hour, capped at £4.00 per day. Or £30.00 to buy one outright.
The useful bit: “Return the power bank to any Joos unit in London.” So you can take it with you for the rest of the day and drop it off elsewhere in the city. Pay by the Joos app or the contactless terminal on the unit.
The Elizabeth line is three minutes from Canary Wharf
ExCeL’s transport position is better than its reputation, and the two entrances matter.
Custom House for the west entrance. Prince Regent for the east entrance and the ICCs.
Pick the wrong one and you walk the length of a building with halls numbered to N11 and S11.
Published Elizabeth line times: Heathrow in 43 minutes, central London in 15 minutes, Canary Wharf in only 3 minutes.
From Canning Town, change to the DLR towards Beckton for Custom House or Prince Regent, or walk, about 20 minutes, with a walking route map on their site.
Cycle racks are by the west entrance near the taxi rank, free to use.
They also use what3words across the estate, which given the number of entrances is genuinely the quickest way to direct someone to the right door.
The cable car runs later in summer, and later again on Fridays
The cable car lands beside the venue, and its timetable is published here in full.
Summer, 1 April to 30 September: Monday to Thursday 07:00 to 22:00, Friday 07:00 to 23:00, Saturday 08:00 to 23:00, Sunday 09:00 to 22:00.
Winter, 1 October to 31 March: Monday to Thursday 07:00 to 21:00, Friday 07:00 to 23:00, Saturday 08:00 to 23:00, Sunday 09:00 to 21:00.
Note what does not change. Friday and Saturday run to 23:00 all year round, while the weeknight close drops an hour in winter and Sunday drops an hour too. So a winter Friday evening is the same as a summer Friday evening, which is unusual.
The family room is better than most airports manage
Specific and genuinely well equipped.
The family room is near S9, and contains: two changing mats, seating for breastfeeding, a bottle warmer, a microwave for heating baby food, a sink for general washing up, and toilet facilities.
A microwave and a bottle warmer in a public family room is rare. Baby changing is also on Level 0 in both the male and female toilets along the boulevard, and within the accessible toilets in the ICC areas.
Support animals, not just assistance dogs
A more generous position than most venues, with a clear process.
Guide and assistance dogs are welcome as of right under the Equality Act 2010.
Beyond that: “we endeavour to welcome personal support animals to the venue during events.”
The conditions are fair. Individual event organisers may restrict them where the nature of the event makes it unsuitable, so you contact the organiser directly in advance, copying info@excel.london.
And the warning: “welfare facilities for support animals are not available onsite”, with the animal to be kept on a lead, harness or in a carrier at all times.
The rest of the practical detail
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme: recognised.
Accessible toilets at eight published points, including between South Halls S9 and S10, between North Halls N10 and N11 on level 0, at the back of N4/S4, South Gallery level 2, the Platinum Suite levels 2 and 3, the Prince Regent walkway, and the Capital Suite levels 2 and 3.
Contacta hearing loops at the information desks, cloakrooms, traffic office and security offices, needing the hearing aid switched to the ‘T’ setting. Portable loops at the exhibitor services desks.
Multi-Faith Prayer room: through the grey door next to the S9 entrance on the boulevard.
First aid: level 0 on the boulevard, down the stairs by N4/S4, or ask any member of staff.
Bureau de Change and photocopying at the shop on level 0 at the bottom of the stairs near N4/S4. A Travelex ATM sits by the S11 entrance.
ATMs: one between N4 and N5, one on the lower ground car park level between S5 and N5, and one outside at the Tesco Express near the Royal Docks cable car station.
One post box, at the west of the venue by the taxi rank.
Lost property is held for 30 days from the point you are notified, then donated to a local charity.
Where it is
ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, London. Satnav E16 1FR. Management office at Warehouse K, One Western Gateway, London E16 1XL. 020 7069 5000.
How to plan it
Blue Badge: parking is not free. £27.50 pre-booked, £30 on the day, £80 fine if the badge is not displayed.
No accessible bays left online: email parkingonline@excel.london. They will convert standard bays.
Tall vehicle: the limit is 1.9m, and over-height spaces must be booked specifically.
Motorcycle: free, Zone East 1, no pre-booking.
Electric car: there is no charging on site.
Cancel parking at least 12 hours ahead for a full refund.
Do not plan to leave a laptop or camera in the cloakroom. It is refused at all times.
Flat phone: rent a Joos power bank for £2, and return it anywhere in London.
West entrance: Custom House. East entrance and ICC: Prince Regent.
With a baby: the family room near S9 has a microwave and bottle warmer.
Bringing a support animal: clear it with the event organiser first.
Excel London
- Address
- Royal Victoria Dock, London. Satnav E16 1FR
- Nearest
- Custom House for the west entrance and Prince Regent for the east entrance and the ICCs, on the Elizabeth line and DLR. Canning Town is a 20 minute walk. The Elizabeth line reaches Canary Wharf in 3 minutes, central London in 15 and Heathrow in 43
- Hours
- By event. Cloakrooms open during event hours
- Booking
- Parking should be pre-booked and can be cancelled up to 12 hours before the booked arrival time for a full refund. Event tickets come from individual organisers
- Price
- Parking 27.50 pounds per calendar day pre-booked or 30 on the day, including for Blue Badge holders, with an 80 pound fine if a valid badge is not displayed. Motorcycle parking free. Cloakrooms complimentary subject to organiser discretion. Joos power bank rental 2 pounds for the first hour, capped at 4 a day, or 30 to buy
- Standing
- London’s largest exhibition and conference centre, on Royal Victoria Dock, with halls numbered N1 to N11 and S1 to S11 along a central boulevard, plus the ICC Capital Suite and Platinum Suite
How to get in
Blue Badge parking is not free and costs the same as standard parking, 27.50 pounds pre-booked or 30 on the day, with an 80 pound fine for not displaying a badge. There are 134 accessible bays measuring 5.90 by 3.60 metres, and if none are bookable the venue will convert standard bays on request by email. The car park has a 1.9 metre height limit with limited over-height spaces that must be booked specifically, and there is no electric vehicle charging. Cloakrooms are free but will not take cameras, laptops or any electronic devices at any time, nor anything overnight. Custom House serves the west entrance and Prince Regent the east, which matters at a venue this long.
Where to go next
The London cable car lands beside the venue, and London City Airport is the nearest airport, two DLR stops away.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the nearest day out, and the hotels page covers where to stay.
Questions we get asked
Is Blue Badge parking free at ExCeL London?
No. ExCeL answers this directly on its own FAQ with a flat no: Blue Badge parking costs £27.50 per calendar day pre-booked or £30 on the day, the same as standard parking, and an £80 fine is issued if a valid Blue Badge is not displayed. There are 134 accessible bays, measuring 5.90m by 3.60m.
What if there are no accessible parking spaces left at ExCeL?
Email parkingonline@excel.london. The venue states that if no Blue Badge spaces are available when you book, it will use best endeavours to temporarily convert some standard parking spaces into additional Blue Badge spaces. A full booking page is not the final answer.
What is the height limit for ExCeL London's car park?
1.9 metres in the general car park, with a limited number of spaces for vehicles between 1.9 and 2.8 metres. Over-height spaces have to be booked using the appropriate option for your vehicle, so arriving in a tall van with a standard booking will leave you unable to enter. Car park access is only via Royal Victoria Dock Road or the A112.
Can you leave a laptop in the cloakroom at ExCeL?
No. The cloakrooms are free, subject to organiser discretion, but the venue states that cameras, laptop equipment and any other electronic devices cannot be stored at any time, and that nothing can be stored overnight. That is worth planning around at a venue built largely for business events and multi-day exhibitions.
Which station is best for ExCeL London?
Custom House for the west entrance, and Prince Regent for the east entrance and the ICCs, both on the Elizabeth line and DLR. Getting this right matters because the halls run from N1 to N11 and S1 to S11 along one boulevard. The Elizabeth line reaches Canary Wharf in 3 minutes, central London in 15 and Heathrow in 43. Canning Town is about a 20 minute walk.
Is there electric car charging at ExCeL London?
Not currently. The venue states it is reviewing the provision of electric charge points, which will be available soon, and directs drivers to Zap-Map for the nearest points elsewhere in London. Motorcycle parking, by contrast, is free, in Zone East 1 on the upper level, though it cannot be pre-booked.
Can you take a support animal to ExCeL London?
Guide and assistance dogs are welcome as of right. Beyond that, ExCeL says it endeavours to welcome personal support animals, but individual event organisers may restrict them where the event is unsuitable, so contact the organiser in advance copying info@excel.london. Note that no welfare facilities for support animals are available on site, and animals must be on a lead, harness or in a carrier at all times.
Does ExCeL London have a family room?
Yes, near S9, and it is unusually well equipped: two changing mats, seating for breastfeeding, a bottle warmer, a microwave for heating baby food, a sink and toilet facilities. Baby changing is also available on Level 0 in both the male and female toilets along the boulevard, and within the accessible toilets in the ICC areas.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 396 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
