Custom House

History: The station is named after the government building, Custom House, now buried beneath the Excel Centre. Custom House was the hub of the old Docklands community, the place taxes were collected, duties paid and ships cleared to arrive or depart the dock.

Station: A bit of an effort from Canary Wharf in that you have to change trains. Two stops to Poplar then get on a Beckton bound train you won't have to change again at Canning Town. The whole journey should take under 20 minutes. The platform is a skip and a hop from the Excel centre and the route is covered for those inclement days.

What's there: The Excel Exhibition centre, this year hosted the Clothes Show Live, Grand Designs Live and the London Boat Show others. For eating out, there are a number of restaurants close to the station offering a variety of cuisine. Caribbean Scene on the edge of Excel Marina offers traditional Caribbean fare and upmarket Italian brasserie Zero Sette specialises in Sicilian dishes. Novotel, Ibis, Ramada and Premier Inns all have hotels in sight of the station.