Travelling from Gatwick and Heathrow Airport Into Central London

Getting from these airports into Central London is much simpler than it sounds and it's a lot cheaper than you think. There are various ways to get from Gatwick and Heathrow Airport into Central London which comes with different price tags along with it but there are transport modes to suit everyone's needs. This blog post will focus on these modes of transport: using the
London Underground, trains, taxi and coaches.

Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located in West Sussex which is just 30 miles from Central London. Gatwick airport offers both domestic and international flights - short haul and long haul flights too. Gatwick Airport offers affordable options for travellers staying in hotels such as the Premier Inn which is located just opposite the airport. In the past year I've flown from Gatwick Airport around 6 times as it's the easiest airport for me to get to and by far the cheapest.

• Gatwick Express - The Gatwick Express is a train service that goes directly from London Gatwick to Victoria Station with no additional stops. Tickets can either be prebooked or bought on the day at the station near the ticket barriers - tickets are £19.90 for a standard anytime ticket. However, this price comes with a range of benefits such as having WiFi while on board, a short journey time of 30 minutes as well as an app that users can download to see live service updates and plan their journey.
• Southern Trains - Southern Trains offer a cheaper alternative to those wishing to go to Victoria, Clapham Junction, East Croydon and London Bridge. Tickets can range in price depending on destination, the time of day you're travelling and the date when you purchase your tickets (if you buy them in advance they're a lot cheaper). The cheapest tickets I came across were £12 as I booked a train in July and during off-peak hours to Victoria. However, prices start from £8.80 if you wanted to use your Oyster card to pay for the journey. The journey itself takes around 32 minutes.   
• Thamselink Trains - Thamselink trains offer a service to a range of destinations such as London Bridge, London Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras International. Tickets can range in price depending on destination, the time of day you're travelling and the date when you purchase your tickets (if you buy them in advance they can be a lot cheaper). The cheapest tickets I came across were £12.10 as I booked a train in July and during off-peak hours to London St Pancras International. However, prices can vary depending on your destination as well as the price being slightly cheaper if you use your Oyster card to pay for your journey which currently stands at £8.30. The journey itself can take between 45 minutes and an hour from Gatwick to St Pancras International but stations before these will make the journey time shorter. 
• Taxis - One of the most expensive options of getting from Gatwick into Central London is using a taxi. Some people may prefer getting into a taxi after a long flight and especially if they have a lot of luggage. Taxis also provide the benefit of allowing you to pick your final destination, which could either be the accommodation you're staying at or a landmark in London. Prices range with companies as well as factors such as your destination and time and date of your journey. A journey from Gatwick to Victoria would cost around £60 for a one way journey with an average journey time of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Even though the journey time is longer as well as the price being expensive, if you're travelling with other people then you may find yourself with a better deal if you split the price of a taxi. 
• Coach - There are a range of coach companies that offer journeys from Gatwick into Central London, one of the cheapest and well-known companies being National Express. A journey from Gatwick to Victoria would cost you as little a £4.20 as well as National Express providing 45 coaches throughout the day. The journey time can take a little longer than a taxi service would since certain coach companies stop at stops along their journey, the average time would be just over 2 hours depending on traffic and the time of day you're travelling. 

More Information Can Be Found Here:

• ​https://www.gatwickexpress.com/
• https://www.southernrailway.com/
• ​https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/
• https://taxis.gatwickairport.com/
• https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport is located just 14 miles from Central London and is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom. Heathrow Airport offers both domestic and international flights - short haul and long haul flights too. As it's used so frequently there are a range of transportation options available and a range of hotels located near to the airport as well as ones that require a simple bus ride to get there.

• Heathrow Express​ - The Heathrow Express is a train service that runs directly from Heathrow to Paddington with trains departing every 15 minutes from Terminal 2 & 3 as well as Terminal 5. Tickets can either be prebooked or bought on the day at the station near the ticket barriers - tickets range in price from £5.50 for an advanced single during the weekends to £25 for a single ticket during peak times. This price is reasonable for the quick journey time as well as benefits such as WiFi, power sockets, plenty of luggage space as well as a train that has air conditioning. The journey takes 15 minutes, the quickest way to get into Central London and the price reflects this. 
• London Underground - The London Underground provides a network of stations that connect to the different Heathrow Terminals. These stations are located on the Piccadilly Line and connect with stations such as Leicester Square, St Pancras International and Covent Garden. There are a range of stations included that allow passengers to change onto other lines. The journey takes roughly 40 to 50 minutes depending on your final destination but the London Underground has trains running every 10 minutes at the least. This is the cheapest option to get from Heathrow to Central London as an off peak fare with an Oyster card costs as little as £3.10 (the price of a meal deal!) but fares can range in price depending if you want an unlimited travelcard or whether you just want a single fare which costs £6 (Heathrow to Zone 1). On Friday and Saturday the Piccadilly Line provides a 24 hour service but on other days of the week the service is limited during early and late hours (5am in the morning & either at midnight or 1am - it would be best to check before travelling).
• TFL Rail - TFL Rail provides alternatives to passengers who find the want to go to other destinations. These trains provide travellers with a quick 30 minute journey into Central London with numerous stops such as West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and then reaches it's final destination: Paddington. This service is similar to the Heathrow Express with it's destination being Paddington but there is a major price different for these services, tickets range from £10.50 to £22 with a journey time ranging from 16 minutes to 27 minutes for certain trains. Even though trains depart nearly every 10 or 20 minutes but in some cases you may wait up to 30 minutes, it seems that this option is too expensive compared to the Heathrow Express. 
• Taxi - One of the most expensive options of getting from Heathrow into Central London is using a taxi. Some people may prefer getting into a taxi after a long flight and especially if they have a lot of luggage. Taxis also provide the benefit of allowing you to pick your final destination, which could either be the accommodation you're staying at or a landmark in London. Prices range with companies as well as factors such as your destination and time and date of your journey. A journey from Heathrow to Victoria would cost around £45 for a one way journey with an average journey time of 45 minutes. Even though the journey time is longer as well as the price being expensive, if you're travelling with other people then you may find yourself with a better deal if you split the price of a taxi. For example, if you were travelling with 3 other people then a one way fare would come to around £15 for the privacy and luxury of a taxi. 
• Coach - There are a range of coach companies that offer journeys from Heathrow into Central London, one of the cheapest and well-known companies being National Express. A journey from Heathrow to Victoria would cost you as little as £6 for a one way journey. National Express have 51 coaches leaving throughout the day, the earliest being at 4am and the latest being at 11pm. The journey times range from 45 minutes to just over an hour or more depending on traffic and the time of day you're travelling.

More Information Can Be Found Here:

• ​​https://www.heathrowexpress.com/
• https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube/
• https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/tfl-rail/
• https://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/taxis-and-minicabs
• https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/destinations/london/heathrow-to-london