Bus route N53 in London runs between “Orchard Road / Griffin Road” and “Horse Guards Parade”. This is a night route. The return journey starts at “Whitehall / Horseguards Avenue” (150 m from “Horse Guards Parade”).
The route of bus N53
Towards “Horse Guards Parade”: 59 stops. After “Orchard Road / Griffin Road”, the bus calls at “Conway Road”, “Griffin Road / Brewery Road”, “Heavitree Road”, “Warwick Terrace/Plumstead C Rd”, “Plumstead Common Road”, “Plumstead Common / The Ship”, “Kirk Lane”, “Trinity Church”, “Herbert Road (SE18)”, “Frederick Place”. Then “Crescent Road (SE18)”, “Burrage Road”, “Woolwich Station”, “Woolwich Arsenal Station”, “The Woolwich Centre”, “Artillery Place/J ohn Wilson St”, “Artillery Place / Frances Street”, “Erwood Road”, “Cemetery Lane”, “Charlton Park Road”. Then “Charlton House”, “Charlton Road / Victoria Way”, “Wyndcliff Road”, “Blackheath / Royal Standard”, “Vanburgh Park/Stratheden Road”, “Vanbrugh Pk / Beaconsfield Rd”, “Maze Hill”, “Greenwich Park”, “Wat Tyler Road”, “Lewisham Road”. Then “Egerton Drive”, “Deptford Bridge”, “Florence Road (SE14)”, “New Cross Station”, “Marquis of Granby / Goldsmiths”, “New Cross Gate Station”, “New Cross Bus Garage”, “New Cross Road / Besson Street”, “Briant Street”, “Pomeroy Street New Cross”. Then “Old Kent Road / Ilderton Road”, “Commercial Way Peckham”, “Peckham Park Road”, “Malt Street”, “Trafalgar Avenue”, “Dunton Road”, “Old Kent Road / East Street”, “Bricklayer’s Arms”, “Bricklayers Arms / New Kent Rd”, “Rodney Place”. Before “Horse Guards Parade”: “Elephant & Castle / New Kent Road”, “London College of Comm”, “St Georges Rd/Imperial War Mus”, “Lambeth North”, “Lower Marsh”, “St Thomas’ Hospital / County Hall”, “Westminster Station / Parliament Square”.
On the way back the bus takes a different route, from “Whitehall / Horseguards Avenue” to “Orchard Road / Griffin Road” (51 stops). Only in this direction does it call at “St George’s Circus”, “Elephant & Castle / London Road”, “Burgess Park / Dunton Road”, “Marquis Of Granby”, “Deptford High St/New Cross Rd”, “Charlton Way / Maze Hill”, “Charlton Village”, “Vincent Road/Woolwich Arsenal”, “Burrage Road / Arthur Grove”, “Bloomfield Road / Plumstead Common Road” and “Blendon Terrace”. Only in the direction of “Horse Guards Parade” does it call at, among others, “Warwick Terrace/Plumstead C Rd”, “Plumstead Common Road”, “Kirk Lane”, “Herbert Road (SE18)”, “Crescent Road (SE18)” and “Burrage Road”. For the way back, board nearby: “Warwick Terrace/Plumstead C Rd” → “Plumstead Common / The Ship” (250 m), “Plumstead Common Road” → “Plumstead Common / The Ship” (200 m), “Kirk Lane” → “Blendon Terrace” (100 m) and “Herbert Road (SE18)” → “Bloomfield Road / Plumstead Common Road” (50 m). Towards “Horse Guards Parade”, board nearby: “St George’s Circus” → “Lambeth North” (250 m), “Elephant & Castle / London Road” → “London College of Comm” (100 m), “Burgess Park / Dunton Road” → “Dunton Road” (50 m) and “Marquis Of Granby” → “Marquis of Granby / Goldsmiths” (100 m).
Left column runs down, right column runs up. Filled stops are served both ways, dashed ones only one way: 21 towards “Horse Guards Parade” and 13 the other way. Tap a stop to see its name.
Where to change
On part of the route, between “Marquis of Granby / Goldsmiths” and “Bricklayer’s Arms” it shares the road with route N21; between “Egerton Drive” and “New Cross Bus Garage” it shares the road with route N89; between “London College of Comm” and “Horse Guards Parade” it shares the road with route N155.
Connections by stop, in route order:
- “Orchard Road / Griffin Road”: buses N1 and N472
- “Conway Road”: buses N1 and N472
- “Burrage Road” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): buses N1 and N472
- “Woolwich Station” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): buses N1 and N472
- “Woolwich Arsenal Station”: buses N1 and N472
- “The Woolwich Centre”: buses N1 and N472
- “Lewisham Road”: bus N199
- “Egerton Drive”: bus N199
- “Florence Road (SE14)” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): bus N136
- “New Cross Station”: buses N136 and N171
- “Marquis of Granby / Goldsmiths” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): buses N136 and N171
- “New Cross Gate Station”: buses N136, N171 and N343
- “New Cross Bus Garage”: buses N136, N171 and N343
- “New Cross Road / Besson Street” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): buses N136, N171 and N343
- “Briant Street”: buses N136 and N171
- “Peckham Park Road”: bus N381
- “Malt Street”: bus N381
- “Bricklayer’s Arms” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): bus N1
- “Bricklayers Arms / New Kent Rd” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): buses N1 and N343
- “Rodney Place”: buses N1, N68, N171 and N343
- “Elephant & Castle / New Kent Road”: buses N1, N68, N133, N171 and N343
- “London College of Comm” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): buses N1, N68, N133, N171 and N343
- “St Georges Rd/Imperial War Mus” (only towards “Horse Guards Parade”): buses N1, N68 and N171
- “Lambeth North”: buses N1, N3, N68 and N171
- “Lower Marsh”: bus N381
- “St Thomas’ Hospital / County Hall”: bus N381
- “Westminster Station / Parliament Square”: buses N3, N11, N26, N44, N87, N136 and N381
- “Horse Guards Parade”: buses N3, N5, N11, N18, N20, N26, N44, N87, N91, N97, N113, N118, N136, N343 and N381
- “Whitehall / Horseguards Avenue”: buses N3, N5, N9, N11, N15, N18, N20, N26, N29, N41, N44, N87, N91, N97, N113, N118, N136, N199, N279, N343, N381, N550 and N551
- “St George’s Circus” (only towards “Orchard Road / Griffin Road”): buses N1, N68 and N171
- “Elephant & Castle / London Road” (only towards “Orchard Road / Griffin Road”): buses N1, N68, N133, N171 and N343
- “Marquis Of Granby” (only towards “Orchard Road / Griffin Road”): buses N136 and N171
- “Vincent Road/Woolwich Arsenal” (only towards “Orchard Road / Griffin Road”): buses N1 and N472
- “Burrage Road / Arthur Grove” (only towards “Orchard Road / Griffin Road”): buses N1 and N472
- “Griffin Road / Plumstead Station”: buses N1 and N472
Pages for these routes: bus N1, bus N11, bus N113, bus N118, bus N133, bus N136, bus N15, bus N155, bus N171, bus N18, bus N199, bus N20, bus N21, bus N26, bus N279, bus N29, bus N3, bus N343, bus N381, bus N5.
Passes and concessions
Which passes are available and who travels free is explained on a separate page: how to pay for public transport in London.
Questions and answers
Where does bus N53 start its return journey?
At “Whitehall / Horseguards Avenue” (150 m from “Horse Guards Parade”).
Where can I change from bus N53 to another bus route?
Most routes stop at “Horse Guards Parade” (N3, N5, N11, N18, N20, N26, N44, N87, N91, N97, N113, N118, N136, N343 and N381) and “Whitehall / Horseguards Avenue” (N3, N5, N9, N11, N15, N18, N20, N26, N29, N41, N44, N87, N91, N97, N113, N118, N136, N199, N279, N343, N381, N550 and N551). All other stops with connections are listed above.
Checked on 4 October 2026. Source of the route and stops: Transport for London (TfL).