If you are looking to travel by train between Gatwick Airport and central London or vice versa, then the Gatwick Express is one of your quickest options. The train leaves directly from Gatwick Train Station and is just a 2 minute walk from the South Terminal. The Gatwick Express is a premium service and will get you to London Victoria in just 30 minutes! Once there you will have easy access to rail, tube and bus services across the city.
At Parkhero we want to help you find the best ways to get to and from Gatwick Airport and in this quick guide we will tell you all you need to know about travelling on the Gatwick Express. Below you will learn where to buy tickets and how much they cost and the routes and schedules of the service. Read on and start planning your trip!
Gatwick Express price can vary depending on where you buy your ticket. As you will see in the table below, tickets bought online in advance can save you 10% compared to purchasing a ticket on the day. Despite the convenience, Gatwick Express Oyster and contactless payments also work out more expensive than buying your tickets online.
| Ticket Type | Online price | On the day price |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Class Single | £26.70 | £29.90 |
| 1st Class Return | £53.30 | £59.80 |
| Standard Single | £17.80 | £19.90 |
| Standard Return | £34.70 | £38.90 |
| Oyster or Contactless Payment | N/A | £19.80 |
The information in the table is sourced from www.gatwickexpress.com.
It is important to note that children under 5 travel free of charge and that children between the ages of 5 and 15 travel for half the price of the fares stated in the table.
There are several ways to purchase tickets for the Gatwick Express:
Online
For the lowest Gatwick Express cost, you will need to head to the Gatwick Express website (gatwickexpress.com). Bookings made via this website will receive a 10% discount compared to bookings made on the day at the airport. You can also find discounts of up to 34% for groups of 3 to 9 people travelling together and with the Web Duo ticket, valid for 2 adults or one adult and one child, you can save £25 on 2 Anytime Return tickets.
You can also book tickets online via www.thetrainline.com.
When booking a ticket online you can either choose to receive an e-ticket with a downloadable PDF, which you can print or show on a mobile device, or you can opt to collect your tickets at the ticket machines in the airport.
At Gatwick Train Station or London Victoria
You can buy London Gatwick Express tickets at the self-service ticket machines at both stations. It is possible to pay by cash, credit or debit card at these machines.
At Gatwick Airport
You can buy tickets at the many Money Bureaux and Airport Concierge desks around the airport at both the North and South Terminals and at the Gatwick Connects desks in the luggage reclaim halls. At the South Terminal, you can also purchase tickets in the Onward Travel area of the arrival’s hall.
At the time of writing, the Gatwick Express has been temporarily suspended until further notice. This is due to the reduced demand for services at Gatwick Airport caused by the Covid-19 crisis. Passengers can still find transfers to London via rail links provided by Thameslink and Southern at Gatwick Train Station. You can find updated information and a live Gatwick Express timetable on the official website.
When the Gatwick Express is back up and running it will run every 15 minutes around the clock. The service is usually available 24/7 and there are 4 trains per hour, so there is no need to worry about Gatwick Express times as you will not have long to wait!
The Gatwick Express is primarily known for transporting passengers between London Gatwick and London Victoria. From Victoria, you can find rail and coach links to other parts of the city and across the country with rail services from Southern and Southeastern to Kent and the south coast and coach services from National Express, Megabus, Flixbus and others to destinations across the country. London Victoria is also great for onward travel via the London Underground, as it is on the District and Circle lines.
However, the it is not just the Gatwick Express to Victoria line, as you can also take the train in the opposite direction towards Brighton during peak times. The Gatwick Express Brighton leg of the journey includes stops at Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Burgess Hill, Hassocks and Preston Park. During off-peak times, the train runs every half an hour and takes just 30 minutes to reach Brighton. If have a stop-over at Gatwick or have a bit more time to spare, you can easily slip in a quick trip to Brighton with this efficient and convenient service!
Gatwick Train Station is located just a 2-minute walk from the South Terminal and is not difficult to find. The station is well-equipped with clear signage, as well as escalators and lifts to make travelling with luggage as easy as possible.
If you are travelling to or from the North Terminal, you can catch the monorail to the South Terminal and walk 2 minutes to the train station from there. It is located near to Gatwick Train Station. The monorail runs every 3 minutes and takes just 2 minutes to transfer between each terminal and runs 24/7.
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All train prices mentioned serve as a guide only. Travellers should ensure that they check the price of their proposed journey with the service provider before booking. Please note that the information above is provided for reference only, and does not constitute as travel advice.
