Transfers between Gatwick Airport and London

London Gatwick (LGW) is the second largest airport in London and is about 46 kilometers north of the city. Although there is a train from Gatwick to London, the most comfortable and direct way to get there is by private or shared transfer.

If you want to save time and invest in comfort on your arrival in London, it is best to book a transfer (you can choose between private or shared option) to ensure a smooth journey from door to door.

This shared car transfer service between Gatwick and central London is the most comfortable. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which makes it especially convenient for the first and last flights of the day. In addition, the drivers speak Spanish, English and Portuguese, so you will find it very easy to communicate with them.

The quality-price ratio is very tight, because despite being a premium service, the fact of sharing the vehicle with more travelers -up to a maximum of 15 passengers-, makes it affordable. Its price is around 55€ per way and person.

As it is a shared car, each traveler is only allowed to carry one suitcase and one handbag. If you travel with more luggage or with a large one, please inform about it at the time of booking, as it may involve additional fees. The vehicles are equipped with car seats for small children and are wheelchair friendly, provided that the seats are folding.

Shared Transfer from Central London to Gatwick

The car sharing service between London and Gatwick is the same there and back, so it works in the same way. At the time of booking you will have to select what time you want to be picked up and you can get to Gatwick airport from your hotel in about 30/40 minutes, (depending on traffic it can be up to 60 minutes) and making no more than 3 stops on the way.

If instead of waiting for the driver at your hotel you prefer to spend the last hours sightseeing around the city, there are also different points around the city where they can pick you up:

For an even easier and faster arrival at your hotel, there is the possibility to book a private transfer service from Gatwick to your hotel that you will not have to share with other travelers, but will be available exclusively for you and your group. As with the shared transfer, you will specify your flight number and arrival time and the driver will be waiting for you at the airport exit.

The duration of this trip will be, if possible, shorter than the shared transfer, as you will not have to make intermediate stops to drop off other travelers at their hotels. From the moment you leave the airport, you will go directly to the door of your hotel.

Each traveler can bring one suitcase and one handbag or backpack. Although it is true that since the vehicle will be at your total disposal, if you are traveling alone, you will be able to carry more luggage. In any case, if you are traveling in a group and you plan to bring more luggage than recommended, it would not hurt to contact via email when booking to check the maximum capacity of the vehicle.

Private transfer from central London to Gatwick

You can also select the private transfer service for the return trip from your hotel to Gatwick and the operation is exactly the same. Once you have made your booking, you will be asked to specify the pick-up address and the time you would like to be picked up. My advice is to calculate the pick-up time adding enough time to arrive at the airport in case there is traffic.

There are different train lines available between Gatwick and central London. Depending on which is your destination stop, you should consider one company or another. Here are the most important options.

Gatwick Express. The fastest

The Gatwick Express is the fastest train that connects Gatwick airport with London Victoria station and does it in half an hour. Trains run from 5:00 am to 23:45 pm and depart every 15 minutes. I recommend you to buy your ticket online, as it is cheaper than at the ticket office: about 20€ per person ( one way ) and about 35€ per person (round trip). Once you arrive at Victoria Station, you can move around London by subway or city bus.

Southern Railway

The Southern Rail way train is cheaper than the Gatwick Express because it is not as fast, covering more stops. You are particularly interested if you are heading to the southeast of the city, as well as stopping at stations in central London it also stops at various points in the area: London Victoria, London Bridge, Clapham Junction, Brighton, Southampton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth. The journey can take between 30 and 60 minutes.

The cheapest option to transfer between Gatwick Airport and central London is to do so on one of the two private bus lines available, National Express and EasyBus, although it has the disadvantage that the transfer may take longer as it has intermediate stops.

Easybus

Going by Easybus from Gatwick airport to London and vice versa is the cheapest transfer option of all, as your ticket costs from 3 to 14 euros, depending on the offers available and the time in advance with which you buy it. Their buses go direct, in just over an hour if there is not much traffic, to the Earl's Court/West Brompton area, with connection to the subway.

They leave every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, all year round, and luggage allowance is limited to one large suitcase per person and one handbag.

National Express

The main advantage of the National Express company is that, although it is slightly more expensive than Easybus, between 10 and 14 euros, it has no baggage restrictions. With National Express you can get to and from the central London Victoria station every 30 minutes. However, their buses do not make direct journeys like Easybus, but make several stops, which makes the journey much longer.

For about 45€ each way you can go from Gatwick airport to London and vice versa in a VTC or Uber. Although sometimes the fare can cost up to 75€, depending on the exact place of destination or origin. This option can be profitable if you go with a small group of people and divide the price of the Uber among several.

Keep in mind that the larger the size and needs of the vehicle, the higher the price of the Uber will be. However, it will always be better than taking a cab, whose prices can range from 100 to 150 euros, being the most expensive option of all.

I leave you a comparative table where you can compare times and prices of each transport, where you can see how much it costs and how long it takes to get there:

If you have not yet bought your flight and you are hesitating which airport to get to, don't worry because all London airports are well connected to the center. I leave here the practical guides I have written about the other main airports so you can see which is the best way to get around in each one: