Gatwick Airport
Getting between Gatwick Airport and London, both directions.
Heathrow and London City sit inside the zones your contactless or Oyster card already covers, and London City is the only one of the six with no airport premium on top. Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Southend lie beyond the zone edge on National Rail, where the operator you board sets the fare, sells its own discounts, and runs its own caps or none at all. The daily limit on what your card can be charged in town does not necessarily reach that far.
Gatwick Airport ↔ London
The best ways into London
Public transport
- National Express coach Cheapest
- Costs
- from £6.00
- Takes
- About 105 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by app ticket or paper ticket.
- Southern (Gatwick - London Victoria) FastestSimplest
- Costs
- Mid-priced
- Takes
- About 30 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by contactless, Oyster card, e-ticket or paper ticket.
- Thameslink
- Costs
- Mid-priced
- Takes
- About 35 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by contactless, Oyster card, e-ticket or paper ticket.
- Gatwick Express
- Costs
- Premium fare
- Takes
- About 30 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by contactless, Oyster card, e-ticket or paper ticket.
Taxis and ride apps
- Airport Cars Gatwick gatwickairport.com
- Takes
- About 105 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by cash or card.
- Get one
- Take one from the taxi rank or book it by phone or in the app.
- Uber uber.com
- Takes
- About 105 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by in-app payment.
- Get one
- Book it in the app or online. The pickup point is below.
- Pickup
- Not at a fixed point: the app shows where to meet the driver once you book.
- Bolt bolt.eu
- Takes
- About 105 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by in-app payment.
- Get one
- Book it in the app.
- FreeNow free-now.com
- Takes
- About 105 minutes to the centre
- Pay
- Pay by in-app payment, cash or card.
- Get one
- Book it in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Pickup
- Freenow provides in-app walking directions from arrivals to the driver at airports it serves.
Every way in and out, in full
Train 3
Southern (Gatwick - London Victoria) southernrailway.com ~30 min
- How you pay
- Pay by contactless, Oyster card, e-ticket or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- South Terminal station only.
- Worth knowing
- Cheapest rail fare on the Gatwick-Victoria corridor (GTR's own comparison vs Gatwick Express).
i
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
content.tfl.gov.ukfetched 19 Jul 2026
Thameslink thameslinkrailway.com ~35 min
- How you pay
- Pay by contactless, Oyster card, e-ticket or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- South Terminal station only.
- Worth knowing
- Standard (non-express) PAYG fare, cheaper than Gatwick Express on the same corridor.
i
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
content.tfl.gov.ukfetched 19 Jul 2026
Gatwick Express gatwickexpress.com ~30 min
- How you pay
- Pay by contactless, Oyster card, e-ticket or paper ticket.
- Terminals
- South Terminal station only.
- Worth knowing
- Premium any permitted PAYG fare vs Southern's cheaper fare on the same corridor - the fare charged at London Victoria is determined by WHICH GATELINE you use: Gatwick Express platforms 13-14 vs Southern platforms 15-19.
i
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
gatwickexpress.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
content.tfl.gov.ukfetched 19 Jul 2026
Bus & coach 1
National Express coach nationalexpress.com ~105 min
- How you pay
- Pay by app ticket or paper ticket. No contactless. No Oyster card. Operator ticket.
- Terminals
- Both terminals directly - coaches depart from forecourt bus stops outside each terminal building (North Terminal: stops 4-5; South Terminal: stops 1-5).
- Worth knowing
- From £6.00 one-way; fixed-price ticket, no TfL cap interaction.
i
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
nationalexpress.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
Taxi & ride apps 6
Airport Cars Gatwick gatwickairport.com ~105 min
- How you pay
- Pay by cash or card. Card not guaranteed.
- How you get one
- Take one from the taxi rank or book it by phone or in the app.
- Terminals
- North Terminal and South Terminal
- Worth knowing
- Gatwick's own page:, confirming a fee exists that can be passed through into the fare.
i
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
airportcars-gatwick.comfetched 18 Aug 2026
Uber uber.com ~105 min
- How you pay
- Pay by in-app payment.
- How you get one
- Book it in the app or online. The pickup point is below.
- Where to get one
- Not at a fixed point: the app shows where to meet the driver once you book.
- Terminals
- North Terminal and South Terminal
i
Bolt bolt.eu ~105 min
- How you pay
- Pay by in-app payment. No cash.
- How you get one
- Book it in the app.
i
bolt.eufetched 19 Jul 2026
No public page for this onefetched 19 Jul 2026
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
FreeNow free-now.com ~105 min
- How you pay
- Pay by in-app payment, cash or card.
- How you get one
- Book it in the app. The pickup point is below.
- Where to get one
- Freenow provides in-app walking directions from arrivals to the driver at airports it serves.
- Worth knowing
- Freenow confirms airport fees exist and are pre-included in the quoted fare.
i
free-now.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
Gett gett.com ~105 min
- How you pay
- Pay by in-app payment. No cash.
- How you get one
- Book it in the app.
i
gett.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
No public page for this onefetched 19 Jul 2026
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
Addison Lee addisonlee.com ~105 min
- How you pay
- Pay by in-app payment or cash.
- How you get one
- Book it in the app or online.
i
addisonlee.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
No public page for this onefetched 19 Jul 2026
gatwickairport.comfetched 19 Jul 2026
Other airports for London
Heathrow AirportLHR
- Cheapest
- Piccadilly line (London Underground) · from £5.50 · ~55 min
- By
- Train, Tube, Coach and Taxi
- Fastest
- Train · ~15 min
- Cheapest
- National Express airport coaches A6/A8/A9 · from £5.00
- By
- Train, Coach, Taxi and Ride apps
- Fastest by public transport
- Train · ~48 min
- Cheapest
- Thameslink · from £6.50 · ~24 min
- By
- Train, Coach, Taxi and Ride apps
- Fastest by public transport
- Train · ~4 min
- Cheapest
- DLR (London City Airport station) · ~25 min
- By
- Tube, Taxi and Ride apps
- Fastest by public transport
- Tube · ~25 min
- Cheapest
- Greater Anglia · from £13.40 · ~55 min
- By
- Train, Taxi and Ride apps
- Fastest by public transport
- Train · ~55 min
Paying on the rest of the network: London guide · Contactless in London