| By
far the most popular option connecting Heathrow and Gatwick are the
frequent bus / coach shuttles providing a near 24x7 service between
Heathrow and Gatwick airports. These are run by National
Express Airport. |
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|
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However,
the service though convenient is not the cheapest connection between
the two airports. If there are more than six in your party its cheaper
to use private
charter buses.
Using public transport the cheapest route involves taking the London
Underground or National Express coach from Heathrow to London's Victoria
Station. From there, National Express
operate coaches to Gatwick. Total
journey time is around 3 hours. You can reduce the journey to about
2 hours by using the train
between Gatwick and Victoria which is slightly more expensive
but obviously not prone to delays due to traggic congestion..
Heathrow
To London Victoria
The
Heathrow London Underground link is on the Piccadilly Line, you
will need to change onto the District Line mid journey. The best station
to change is Hammersmith where both lines are on adjacent platforms,
barely 5 metres apart.
Heathrow is in zone 6, Victoria is in Zone 1. We have a detailed page
on using the
London Underground.
You can see the current fare for a zone 1-6 ticket below.
National Express also run a Heathrow
- Victoria bus. These are less frequent than the London Underground
trains and buses depart from the Central Bus Station at Heathrow requiring
a free train connection if you are using Terminal 4 or 5. |
| London
Underground Cash Fares (from 2 Jan 2009 ) |
|
Zones
|
Adult
|
Child*
|
Oyster
Card PAYG |
| Peak |
Off
Peak |
|
1
|
£4.00
|
£2.00
|
£1.60 |
£1.60 |
|
1-2
|
£4.00
|
£2.00
|
£2.20 |
£1.60 |
|
1-4
|
£4.00
|
£2.00
|
£2.80 |
£2.20 |
|
1-6
|
£4.00
|
£2.00
|
£3.80 |
£2.20 |
*
Childrens Fares
Children under 11 can travel free (see below), 11-15 years can pay £0.50
with an Oyster Card.
Free Travel For Children On Buses & Underground
Under-5s
Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses
and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket.
Children in this category do not need Photocards.
Children 5-10
Under-11s can travel free at any time on buses and trams without the need
for a Photocard.
They can also travel free at any time on the Tube and DLR when they are
travelling with an adult who has a valid ticket. Up to 4 children under
11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free on the London Underground.
Under-11s travelling
with an adult will not be issued with tickets but will be allowed to pass
through the ticket gates at stations. Again no Photocard is required for
children travelling with adults.
Unaccompanied children between 5 and 10 must have a valid Photocard.
11-15s
Children aged 11-15 travel free at any time across the bus network, but
must have a Photocard.
11-15 year olds have a £1 daily cap and £0.55 single journey
fare with Oyster Card on the Tube but must have a Photocard.
Obtaining a Photocard
Visitors to London can order a Photocard in advance for their children and
collect on arrival.
Note you must apply at least three weeks in advance of your visit.
Advance
application for Child Photocard
Child Discounts Without Photocards
Child Travelcards
For visitors with accompanied children of 11-15 years old you can avoid
the whole photocard issue by simply purchasing a child Travelcard.
There are children's Travelcards available where no photocard is required,
Accompanied Child Day Travelcard £1
Adults with valid Travelcards can buy child rate Off-Peak Day Travelcards
(valid in all zones) at a reduced price of £1 for up to 4 children
(aged 5-15 years inclusive). The adult must accompany these children at
all times. These £1 Travelcards are only valid at off peak times,
so if you want to travel at peak times you need a 'standard' child's Travelcard
that is more expensive.
No Photocard is required for an accompanied Child Day Travelcard.
Underground Child Fares
There is a cash child flat fare of £2 per journey on the London Underground.
No Photocard is required. |
Gatwick
To London Victoria
The Gatwick
National Express bus departs from Victoria Coach Station, about 10
minutes walk from the rail and underground station.
There is a street map with both shown and further details about Victoria
Coach Station at our Victoria
Coach Stations page.
If you
have time there is a left luggage office in both Victoria Coach Station
and Victoria Rail Station (the coach station is cheapest) and do some
sightseeing. Buckingham Palace is about 800m from Victoria Station
and Big Ben, Westminster and London Eye only about a kilometre.
|
|
Gatwick Express Fares 2009 |
| *
Indicative fare only, promotions and changes happen, check for current fare
and timetables and purchase tickets at
Gatwick Express Timetables / Tickets |
Economy
Single : £16.90
Return: £28.80
Child (4-15 yrs) half price |
Business
Single :
£24.50
Return: £48.00
Journey time 30 minutes (35 minutes Sunday) |
| National
Express Bus Between Gatwick & Central London |
 |
For up to
date timetables and tickets follow the link below to the National Express
Web Site.
You will save yourself time by purchasing tickets in advance. Tickets ordered
online are e-tickets, emailed to your inbox immediately after ordering.
You have to stipulate a specific transfer time reserving you a seat. If
flight is late or early, travel on other schedules but seat is not reserved. |
Fare
: £7.50
Single, £14.00 Return.
(Children 3-15 Half Price, Seniors Fares)
National
Express Tickets & Timetables Between Gatwick & London |
Journey
Time : Around 90 minutes, but allow much longer
Frequency:
Broadly hourly |
Airport
To Airport Private Tour Transfers
via
Windsor, Stonehenge, Central London etc
Affordable Windsor Stopover Option - Leave The Luggage With Us!
(Stay as long as you like in Windsor With
No Waiting Charges Before The Airport) |
If you have a very long wait for your connecting flight or are overnighting
at an airport hotel, why not consider some sightseeing rather than just
kill time at the airport.
Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Central London are popular options.
Amongst others we have an affordable Windsor stopover. Leave your luggage
in the vehicle. You are free to explore Windsor and Eton as long as you
like.
We will collect you at a stipulated time and take you to the airport, (Heathrow
is only 20 minutes). We will not charge you waiting time. We charge a single
flat fee over our normal airport transfer charge per vehicle.
Airport to
Airport Tour Transfers - More Information |
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