Transport Between Gatwick Airport And London
Prices, frequencies and ticketing for all services compared
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| Gatwick Express Train |
There is wide range of rail and bus transport options for passengers using London Gatwick Airport. Rail options predominate though.
The roads between Gatwick and Central London are not motorway/freeway standard but wind through suburbia with traffic lights making for a tedious stop, start journey. Road transfers are really for groups and those where lowest cost is the overriding factor using the bus services available. Rail is at least twice as fast as transfers by road vehicle.
Gatwick - Central London Public Transport Options
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Gatwick Express train. This is the fastest, and most comfortable and expensive option. The terminus in Central London at Victoria is also very central and a good transit point to your accommodation.
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First Capital Connect Train runs a different route into Central London. It is almost as fast and is significantly cheaper than the Gatwick Express. It stops at several stations mostly in the City Of London. St Pancras is the exception, a major cheap hotel district and terminus for the Eurostar trains to Paris.
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| London Transfers |
| Transfer Overview |
| Gatwick Express Train |
| First Capital Train |
| Local London Trains |
| National Express Bus |
| easyBus |
| Taxi / Private Car |
| Small / Large Groups |
| Inter Airport Transfers |
| Heathrow - Gatwick |
| Gatwick - Stansted |
| Gatwick - Luton |
| Cruise Port Transfers |
| Gatwick - Southampton |
| Gatwick - Dover |
| Gatwick - Harwich |
| UK Transfers |
| South East |
| South |
| South West & Wales |
| Midlands |
| North |
| Gatwick Airport Hotels |
| Gatwick Hotel Overview |
| Gatwick Bed & Breakfast |
| Gatwick Travel Lodges |
| Family Rooms |
| Day Rooms |
| Terminal Lounges |
| Airport Hotel Districts |
| Gatwick Airport Terminals |
| Horley |
| Crawley |
| Long Term Car Parking |
| Hotel + Parking Packages |
| Airport Car Parking |
| London Hotels / B&B |
| Best Buy Hotels |
| Bed & Breakfast |
| 2 & 3 Star Hotels |
| 4 Star Hotels |
| Family Rooms |
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Local stopping trains mostly run by Southern Trains run the same route as the Gatwick Express. They take about 15 minutes more to Victoria as they are stopping trains. They can get very crowded at peak times , but are much cheaper than the Gatwick Express. There are also direct services to the Kensington area of London along another branch line.
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National Express Coaches provide a full size bus connection and also between Gatwick and London Victoria. Whilst fares are cheaper than rail. Journey time is at least double.
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easyBus provide a frequent minibus shuttle between Gatwick and London Fulham Broadway Underground. Buses are 16 seat and fares are variable and done on the low cost airline model, the earlier you book (on-line) the cheaper the fare.
| Overview Of Gatwick - Central London Transfers With Links To Detail Pages |
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| Public Transport | One Way | Return | Travel Time |
Promotional Tickets |
| Gatwick Express | £16.95* | £27.90* | 30 mins | 4 for 2, and 5 for price of 3 tickets |
| First Capital Trains | £9.90# | £18.00# | 45 mins | Common track closures at weekends. |
| Southern Trains | £13.50# | £27.00# | 40 mins | Some advance tickets £5.00-£10.00 |
| National Express Bus | £5.50/£8.00 | £11.00/£14.00 | 90 mins | Cheap fares are on-line. |
| easyBus | From £2 each way* | 70 mins | £10 each way buying ticket on day. | |
| * Online fare | # Standard travel anytime fare | |||
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Private Transfers |
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| Transfers by vehicle will be highly variable in time and is highly dependent on traffic congestion and destination in Central London. 60-90 minutes is typical |
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8,12,16 Seat + Bigger Buses
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Private Gatwick - Central London Transfers By Car, Van, Bus
We can provide private transfers for those that require it. For groups of eight or more the economics become more compelling. If you have a long time between flights its perfectly feasible to do some serious sightseeing.
We offer a customised transfer tour service for all sized parties from couples to large tour groups.
Buses can take outsize items like wheelchairs, electric scooters, surfboards and bicycles.
More Details Of Gatwick - Central Private Transfers
Gatwick Station
The station platforms are located directly below the airport’s South Terminal, and the ticket office is adjacent to that terminal’s concourse.
Although there are three major train companies that use Gatwick, ticketing is integrated and there is one large ticket hall at passenger terminal level.
Purchasing Train Tickets & Timetables
As a general rule of thumb for journeys of around an hour or so there is no financial advantage in pre purchasing, you may as well buy at the station on day of travel. For longer journeys, advance purchase fares offer great savings. The three types of tickets are broadly :
| Advance Purchase | Buy in advance, sold in limited numbers and subject to availability. These tickets are only valid on the date/train specified. |
| Off Peak | Buy any time, travel off-peak. these tickets may require you to travel at specific times of day, days of the week or on a specific route. Where there is more than one Off-Peak fare for a journey, the cheaper fare with more restrictions will be called Super Off-Peak. |
| Anytime | Buy any time, travel any time. Anytime fares are fully flexible tickets, with no time restrictions on when you can travel. With an Anytimeticket you can also break your journey at stations along the route of travel. |
At train stations there are manned ticket offices and also ticket machines. All major credit cards are taken as well as cash.
For fares and timetables use 'The Trainline' web site.
You can purchase tickets at 'The Trainline' web site. Tickets are mailed to UK addresses only or you can opt to collect them from machines at main stations. You are sent a unique code which you enter into the machine which dispenses the tickets.
Note, most trains are only confirmed up to 3 months in advance. So if you search for a journey further ahead than 3 months you may well get an incomplete picture of available schedules and tickets.
If you want to purchase train tickets in advance, for the overseas visitor this can present problems as there are with few exceptions no true etickets delivered by email at present. One of the notable exceptions is the Gatwick Express.
Tickets can be sent to UK addresses only. You can however order tickets on-line and pick up the tickets from machines at Gatwick Airport, St Pancras, London Bridge, Victoria and Blackfriars stations among others.
Discounted Train Tickets - Central London to Gatwick Return
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Deep discounts and free tickets for children! There are strict conditions on these bargain tickets: |
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