Airport transfer · LGW → central London

Gatwick (LGW) to central London

In short

The cheapest way from Gatwick (LGW) to central London is National Express coach: from £6.

The fastest is Gatwick Express, about 30–31 min for £24.

Fares and times are from the operators’ own pages, checked 23 October 2026.

Data updated October 23, 2026

Every way from Gatwick (LGW) to central London

Journey times are to London Victoria (Gatwick Express, Southern, coach); London Bridge / Blackfriars / Farringdon / St Pancras International (Thameslink). Fares are standard adult fares as each operator publishes them.

Cheapest

National Express coach

from £6 · Not stated

Fastest

Gatwick Express

30–31 min · £24

Late at night

No option here states night service. Check the last departure in the table.

Gatwick (LGW) to central London: every option compared
Option	Journey time	Fare (GBP)	Hours
Gatwick ExpressExpress train	30–31 min	£24	Not stated
ThameslinkTrain	30–45 min	£10.70–£19.20	Not stated
SouthernTrain	30–45 min	£10.70–£19.20	Not stated
National Express coachExpress bus	Not stated	from £6	01:00–23:30
Taxi / airport private hire (Airport Cars Gatwick)Taxi	105 min	Varies	Not stated

Which London airport is easiest for central London?

The same comparison from each airport, so you can weigh the ground trip when you pick flights.

Into central London from each London airport
Airport	Cheapest	Fastest
Gatwick (LGW) (this page)	from £6 · Not statedNational Express coach	30–31 min · £24Gatwick Express
Heathrow (LHR)	£5.90 · 47–62 minLondon Underground – Piccadilly line	15–21 min · £10–£26Heathrow Express
Stansted (STN)	from £9.90 · 48–50 minStansted Express	48–50 min · from £9.90Stansted Express
Luton (LTN)	from £7 · 60–90 minNational Express coach (A1 / A2 / A31)	22–32 min · from £10Luton Airport Express + Luton DART
London City (LCY)	£3.30–£3.90 · 23 minDocklands Light Railway (DLR)	23 min · £3.30–£3.90Docklands Light Railway (DLR)

The options in detail

Express train · Gatwick Express (Govia Thameslink Railway)

Gatwick Express

Route: Gatwick Airport station (South Terminal) → London Victoria (non-stop)
Journey time: 30–31 min
How the time is measured: Gatwick Airport: 30 minutes to London Victoria; Gatwick Express: 31 minutes. North Terminal passengers first take the inter-terminal shuttle to the South Terminal station (not included).
Fare: £24
Fare details: Adult contactless/Oyster pay-as-you-go single via Gatwick Express, £24.00 at any time (TfL fare data; not included in caps/Travelcards). Touch in/out at the Gatwick Express gateline (platforms 13–14) at Victoria. Paper Off-Peak/Anytime tickets (10% off when booked online) exist but their prices were not verified. No Advance fares for journeys solely on Gatwick Express.
Frequency: Twice an hour
Good to know: All rail services leave from the station at Gatwick's South Terminal, a five-minute walk from arrivals. Gatwick Express also offers First Class and discounted Fast Track security. Brighton Main Line engineering closures can affect weekend Victoria services — check before travel.

Verified on: Transport for London (TfL Unified API, single fare finder data) · Gatwick Express · Gatwick Express · Gatwick Express · Gatwick Airport

Train · Thameslink (Govia Thameslink Railway)

Thameslink

Route: Gatwick Airport → London Bridge, London Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon, St Pancras International
Journey time: 30–45 min
How the time is measured: Gatwick Airport: London in 30 to 45 minutes with Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express (range shared across operators); Thameslink says non-stop trains reach the airport from central London in under 35 minutes.
Fare: £10.70–£19.20
Fare details: Adult contactless/Oyster pay-as-you-go single to London Bridge or St Pancras International: £10.70 off-peak, £19.20 peak (Mon–Fri 06:30–09:30) — TfL fare data. Paper Advance/Off-Peak/Anytime ticket prices not verified.
Frequency: Up to 8 trains an hour (Thameslink)
Luggage: Luggage rack space on board
Good to know: Best for the City and King's Cross St Pancras. Departs from the South Terminal station.

Verified on: Transport for London (TfL Unified API, single fare finder data) · Transport for London (TfL Unified API, single fare finder data) · Thameslink · Gatwick Airport

Train · Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway)

Southern

Route: Gatwick Airport → London Victoria (via Clapham Junction)
Journey time: 30–45 min
How the time is measured: Gatwick Airport: London in 30 to 45 minutes with Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express (range shared across operators; no Southern-specific Victoria time published).
Fare: £10.70–£19.20
Fare details: Adult contactless/Oyster pay-as-you-go single Gatwick Airport → London Victoria (default route, not Gatwick Express): £10.70 off-peak, £19.20 peak (Mon–Fri 06:30–09:30) — TfL fare data. At Victoria use the Southern gateline (platforms 15–19) or you are charged the higher Gatwick Express fare.
Luggage: Luggage rack space on board
Accessibility: Southern states its trains and stations have step-free access to platforms, wheelchair spaces and accessible toilets on most trains.
Good to know: Cheaper, slightly slower alternative to Gatwick Express for Victoria. No seat reservations. Kids for £2 off-peak with an adult.

Verified on: Transport for London (TfL Unified API, single fare finder data) · Gatwick Express · Southern · Southern · Gatwick Airport

Express bus · National Express

National Express coach

Route: Gatwick North Terminal / South Terminal → London Victoria Coach Station
How the time is measured: Not published: National Express's own page states both '1 hr 5 mins (to London Victoria)' and '1 hr 40 mins (fastest journey)'. Its main route (025) runs via Heathrow before reaching Victoria.
Fare: from £6
Fare details: From £6 one-way, limited availability; includes a £1.50 booking fee waived via National Express My Account. Fares stated correct for travel 14.09.2026–11.01.2027.
Hours: First departure 01:00 from Gatwick South Terminal; last departure 23:30
Frequency: Up to 21 coaches a day
Luggage: 1 large suitcase (or 2 medium cases) plus 1 soft hand-luggage item
Good to know: Usually much slower than rail; mainly useful overnight or on a budget.

Verified on: National Express · National Express

Taxi · Airport Cars Gatwick (Gatwick's official taxi provider)

Taxi / airport private hire (Airport Cars Gatwick)

Route: North and South Terminals → central London address
Journey time: 105 min
How the time is measured: Average, not a range: Gatwick Airport gives an average taxi transfer of 1 hour 45 minutes from the North Terminal to London (King's Cross); times fluctuate with traffic and roadworks.
Good to know: Airport Cars Gatwick operates from both terminals and offers fixed rates on pre-bookings. Other operators may add the airport's forecourt charge to the fare.

Verified on: Gatwick Airport

Search flights to LGW

Not verified yet

Gatwick Express paper Off-Peak/Anytime single prices (gatwickexpress.com pages publish no amounts; only the TfL PAYG £24.00 is verified). · Thameslink and Southern paper/Advance ticket prices from Gatwick. · First/last train times and overnight service from Gatwick for Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink. · Southern frequency to Victoria and a Southern-specific journey time. · National Express Gatwick → Victoria journey time (its page contradicts itself: 1 h 5 min vs 1 h 40 min fastest). · Taxi fares to central London (taxis.gatwickairport.com was unreachable; no other official price found). · Minicab / rideshare prices (no official source states them).. We only publish a figure once an official source states it.