Flights booked, luggage checked, keys, tickets, all
checked. And then you remember : your flight is coming into Heathrow and out of
Gatwick. The next logical questions that pops into your mind is : “How am I
going to get from one to the other.”
No worries, we have you covered. You can have your pick
between bus, train & taxi.
Heathrow -Gatwick
Natioanl Express:
The most popular and direct choice is with the National
Express coach to Gatwick. The service runs around-the-clock, up to six times an
hour. Journey time is aproximatly 75 minutes and it costs £25 one way or if you
book online it only costs £20 one way and £40 return.
Let us take
you step by step :
First you need to walk to the Central Bus Station. All buses start/terminate at the Central Bus station (Terminals 2 and 3).
Buses will always visit Terminal 5, but not all schedules visit Terminal 4.
The walk from Terminals 2 or 3 to the bus station takes about 10 minutes. Its luggage trolley friendly and is mostly along moving walkways and lifts. Its also underground so need to worry about the weather.
You can travel free from Terminal 4 to the Central Bus station by Heathrow Express train which runs every 15 minutes.
Train:
Unfortunately,
there is no direct rail service between Heathrow to Gatwick. You must go via central London as follows:
train ( Heathrow Express)- tube or taxi - then train ( Gatwick Express/First
Capital Connect).
The
fastest rail route is as follows:
It takes approximatley 5 to 10 minutes depending on terminal to arrive at
the rail station.
Take the Heathrow Express to Paddington station (15 minutes from Heathrow
Central Rail station for Terminals 1 and 3, 23 minutes from Terminals 4 or 5.
It comes every 15 minutes and the cost
is £19).
From Paddington you go to Farringdon by Circle Line (it takes 16 minutes,
but allow 7 minutes for the interchange) - £4.30
From Farringdon you get to Gatwick by First Capital Connect (41 minutes,
allow another 5 minutes for the interchange) - £9.90
Gatwick station to South Terminal - 5 minutes
Gatwick station to North Terminal - 15 minutes via shuttle
Total cost: £33.20, travel time at least 1 hour 40 minutes if connections
are instant with no waiting for trains to arrive. Sometimes this journey can be
significantly longer.
Minicab & Taxi:
Book a
private-hire car to take you between Heathrow and almost anywhere in mainland
Britain. Alternatively, hail a classic London black taxi from the rank outside
the terminal.
With Minicabit the estimated time is
50 minutes and the cost between Heathrow Airport and Gatwick is £56.
London's famous black taxis stop
at the ranks outside each Heathrow terminal. Drivers are fully licensed and
have passed the Knowledge of London examination. All taxis operating at Heathrow
have wheelchair access and take credit cards. The cost will likely exceed £100
and you could find a longer wait for one at peak times.
Gatwick-Heathrow
National Express:
Now if you need to get the other
way around, you can take the National Express 707 line towards Northampton. Get
off at the Heathrow Airport London station ( wich is near Terminal 5). At
Gatwick the National Express bus visits both North and South Terminals. For
boarding and drops the coach bays are well signed and are directly in front of
the passenger terminals, a few yards out of the door.
Train:
From the
airport take the Gatwick Express towards London Victoria, get off at the
Victoria Station, hop onto Paddington line, get off at Paddington Station, take
the Heathrow Express to the terminals. Gatwick Express trains run non-stop
between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport. The journey takes 30 minutes and a
standard-class single costs £17.70.To make the link with Heathrow your options
include: Heathrow Express between Heathrow and London Paddington, Underground
between Paddington and Victoria (45min, £27). London Underground between
Victoria and Heathrow (50min, £4.80).
Taxi:
Black
Taxi cabs can only pick up at Gatwick if they are there for an advance booking.
There are other Licensed taxi services available from Gatwick, though. If you
have not prebooked, go to the Airport information desk for assistance. Fares
vary depending on number of passengers, amount of luggage and time of day.Can
be slightly cheaper than London Black Taxis but not by much.
Sources:
1. National
Express:
2. Heathrow
Airport :
3. London
Toolkit:
4. Gatwick
Express:
5. Minicabit
