How to get from London Gatwick to Central London.
By Travel Blogger, Mr Plane Guy
Here it is in a simple info graphic, screen shot it, save it
*prices are approximate as of July 2024
London Gatwick is the UK's and London's second busiest airport behind London Heathrow,
How many miles is London Gatwick to central London?
London Gatwick sits 28 miles south of the city of London (thats around 43 Km) it is in the county of Surrey and is between the towns of Horley and Crawley.
The City of Brighton & Hove is 27 miles away to the South coast of the UK.
Different ways to get to central London
Train
Bus
Hire car
Taxi
Uber
The BEST way to travel from London Gatwick to Central London is by Train
It's the quickest and cheapest option taking just over 30 minutes and from around £13.
With 3 different train options, most tourists won't know about this and they will just follow the signs and marketing and jump on the Gatwick Express the most expensive option and probably join the queue for a ticket, when you don't have too!
(they are all in the infographic above for easier reference, who doesn't love an infographic?)
1.London Gatwick to London Victoria with Gatwick Express
This takes around 30 minutes and it costs around £23 per person
2. London Gatwick to London Victoria with Southern Rail
This also takes around 30 minutes and is £14.60 per person
This train usually stops at East Croydon and Clapham Junction.
3. London Gatwick to London Bridge with Thameslink
This takes 29 minutes! and is £13.80! This usually has one stop at East Croydon
This train also continues to other stations in London, BlackFriars (super central) City Thameslink, Farringdon, London St Pancras (From St Pancras you can connect to trains in Europe, Paris, Brussels etc.)
Do check the day you're arriving or departing London Gatwick airport to check on any delays or cancellations as strikes by UK train staff are very frequent as is disruption to the train line due to engineering work. Don't worry though check out my back up plan below....
Link to service updates here,
You could always buy the tickets in advance using the trainline, even download the tickets to your phone/apple wallet. Download the app. Here is a link to The Trainline
I've put all of the info
How to get from London Gatwick to central London into a tik tok video which may explain it better, oh and don't forget to hit the follow!
Don't get caught out without data, or get data roaming charges when in the UK, get yourself an eSim and they are super easy to download straight to your phone!
TOP TIP! You don't need to queue and buy a ticket, use contactless credit or debit card or apple pay to tap in and tap out of the station.
It will also be cheaper as no booking fee's, you get booking fee's when you use a machine or buy them online. Now if you don't have a contactless card or apple/android pay then I would recommend getting an Oyster card. Topping it up then use the Oyster as your contactless card.
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What if the trains are cancelled?
If engineering works or industrial action are effecting train services from London Gatwick to central London here are the other options. Usually they will offer a bus replacement service using your train ticket.
Bus, but beware, if the trains are not operating then by default people will book in advance to use the buses! The busses will be very busy!
The Bus is National Express, they go usually every hour and mostly via London Heathrow, you could get off at London Heathrow and get the under ground. (Bus to Heathro on average 1 hour) Underground from Heathrow to central London 50 minutes.
How long is the bus from London Gatwick to central London?
Around 2 hours subject to traffic! The Bus will arrive at London Victoria coach station.
Uber, have you thought about car sharing? their will be a long queue at the taxi rank outside the arrival, make friends and share a ride. Uber is between £40 to £80 depending on demand and if the trains are not working expect demand to be high!
Consider this option! Can you get a cab to Redhill or Croydon, perhaps the trains are working from those stations, they are the next big stations with regular trains to London.
Taxi, Gatwick taxi's are controlled by Gatwick Airport and they take a large fee from the taxi driver, fares are between £50 to £100 to central London.
Things to do in London
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Hello I’m Paul a Travel and flight expert, I spent most of my career working in and around planes with 15 years providing top-notch service with a London-based airline. I became an expert in travel after soaring across the Atlantic up to 10 times a month!
I’m now, producing travel content, reaching millions of viewers monthly. Reporting on travel news, sharing travel tips, reviews, and deals with a sprinkle of humour and a whole lot of authenticity!
I hope you found this guide to the best way to get to central London from London Gatwick Airport useful? Do let me know in the comments.........
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