Travelling to London Gatwick Airport

The cheapest ways to get to Gatwick airport

Finally, it’s holiday time! Though this post was meant to go up earlier for better planning, it’s still packed with tips to make your trip smooth and budget-friendly. Whether your London itinerary includes Gatwick Airport as your gateway or just part of your journey, these transport options will help you save money while ensuring a hassle-free experience.

So, Gatwick Airport is around 45 kms south of the centre of London and you can go by car, rail and bus. An ideal trip would start like this… if you (or at least one of your mates) have a nice and comfy car you’ll be our ideal case A, if not you’ll be the less ideal but still charming case B.

Case A: Imagine a beautiful morning in December, clear sky and thankfully no rain. You get in the car and drive to pick up your friends, fill it up with plenty of luggage and start to make your way to Gatwick airport. You have a great smooth trip to the airport without delays. Arrived! Sounds nice eh? The bad thing is that most of us don’t have a car so let’s skip to our case B.

Case B: You are a bit less lucky comparing to case A but don’t take it personal, just in terms of budget. However, if you arrange everything in advance, so you’ll also have an amazing trip, don’t worry!

Travelling by coach and bus

This is by far the cheapest way to travel between Gatwick Airport and Central London. However you should take in consideration that the airport buses take twice as long as the train and are much more prone to disruption and delays through traffic congestion. If you finally decide to go by bus you can meet up with your friends at London Victoria, Earl’s Court or West Brompton and wait for the bus. Journey time is around 1hr 05 minutes and you can either take the National Express or the easyBus. Check out below some key info for both options.

National Express:

• Services run hourly throughout the day and night.
• Tickets from just £5 one-way plus £1 booking fee (Limited availability. Book at least 30 days in advance.)
• If you book at least 30 days in advance you can get return tickets from £16.
• You can buy your tickets online or at Victoria Coach Station.
• Pick up and drop to/from both North and South Terminal.

easyBus:

• Ticket prices start from £2 one-way.
• Services run every 15-20 minutes (from 4am until 1am).
• You can buy your tickets online or on the bus.
• Pick up and drop to/from both North and South terminals to Earls Court/West Brompton and London Victoria coach station.
• easyBus runs every day except Christmas Day.
• It’s for all airline passengers, whoever you fly with – not only easyJet.

Travelling by Train

Travelling by train it’s a bit more expensive than travelling by bus but it’s the fastest link between the London Gatwick airport and central London. If you decide to travel by train you can book your tickets via Thetrainline.com (tickets start from £19.40 one-way plus booking fee £0.75) or via Eastcoast.co.uk. The fastest train is Gatwick Express and the journey time is around 30 minutes from London Victoria. There are also direct services to London Bridge, City Thameslink, London Farringdon and Clapham Junction. You can also take the Thameslink or Great Northern trains.

Extra Tips:

• If you hold a Tesco clubcard you can use your points to book your tickets via the Redspottedhanky website. They’ll give you £10 to spend at redspottedhanky for £5 in Clubcard vouchers. Find out more.
• If you travel with friends you can get a group ticket and save up to 50%.  Groupsave tickets can be booked online as well as at the station. Find out more via the Gatwick Express website.
• You can also go to St. Pancras International station which is literally next to King’s Cross Station and take the Thameslink. The trip will take around 1 hour but the ticket will cost around £10 one-way.
• If you decide to book via Thameslinkrailway website you should know that children under 5 travel for free and up to four kids can travel for just £2 each.
• For useful information and reviews on travel gear, visit Product of travel

So, if you’ve opted for the train, we are sure that you arrived and caught your flight (unless you took the wrong train and you’re now lost in Essex). However, keep in mind to check before you travel because there are major changes to rail services to and from Gatwick due to rail works. If you’ve opted for the bus…well…the possibility of missing the flight increases a lot, but we’re still positive that you’ll make it!!

Finally, whatever way you have decided to follow, whoever you are we hope you’ll have an unforgettable holiday and be sure to check out our tips for saving money at the airport.

If you want to comment or share any suggestion related to this topic of travel to London Gatwick, please do it! We’re craving for new tips!!

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You may also want to check out our article about the 5 cheapest European gateways.