East London has a station with a slightly misleading promise. Stratford International was built for high-speed rail, opened in 2009, and got its name because it sits on the same route that Eurostar trains use between London St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel. The catch? Eurostar services don't actually call there. The name refers to its international connection, not its timetable.

What you can catch from Stratford International is Southeastern's high-speed domestic service, which runs into St Pancras International in around six minutes. That makes the station surprisingly handy for getting across London fast, especially compared with the slower Underground routes out to the area. Regular 'Javelin' trains link Stratford with Kent too, so it's a commuter and day-tripper line as much as anything else.

For visitors, the station's real draw is its location. It sits in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with Westfield Stratford City — one of the largest shopping centres in Europe — right next door. The Olympic Park itself has been transformed since 2012 into a parkland with waterways, sports venues and the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the spiralling tower you can ride down on the world's longest tunnel slide. The Stratford, a 21-storey hotel and arts hotel with a rooftop restaurant, also makes the area a legitimate place to base yourself rather than just pass through.

There's a practical transport bonus: Stratford station next door is one of the busiest interchanges in London, served by the Central and Jubilee lines, the Elizabeth line, London Overground, the DLR and National Rail. Between the two stations, you can reach central London, the City and Canary Wharf quickly, with tickets from the International station also valid at the mainline one.

Why care? If you're staying in Stratford for the shops, the park or cheaper hotel rates than central London, knowing how the transport links work saves you real time. Just don't turn up expecting to hop on a train to Paris — that departure is still from St Pancras, six minutes down the line.

The story comes from Secret London.