Gatwick to S.Kensington?

[twoatsea]

We usually reserve a private car for getting to & from airports. However, I have been advised that due to traffic, a private car will take about 1.5 hours, while the Gatwick Express (GEX) to Victoria Station takes 30 minutes, with a taxi to S.Kensington. We will each have a 22" wheelie & a backpack.l

 

Anyone arrived/departed Gatwick & gone into the city of London? What transport did you take?

 

We are scheduled to arrive at Gatwick on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008 at 9:45am (international flight from USA). We depart from Gatwick on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008 at 7:50am (international flight to Italy).

 

Thanks

[Jana White]

Gatwick Express way too easy and right at the airport. I would not do it any other way. And a taxi from Victoris is easy too. Taxi stand is pretty much right outside the door.

[twoatsea]

Thanks, Jana for such a prompt response. Do you know how much the GEX will cost pp one way? I'm wondering if the total for the train & the taxi (for 3 adults) will cost as much as a private car?

 

At the airport, is it clear how to get to the GEX & do we buy the tickets there or onboard?

 

Are there different classes of tickets, like 1st, 2nd, etc.?

[High C's]

twoatsea: someone on these boards was kind enough to post this link for me a while back. It should give you all the info you need:

 

https://www.gatwickexpress.com/index.asp?SID={51D84AF4-B33C-474E-83F2-2F01FEDC49BE}

[Jana White]

You get your tickets before you board. Yes there are 1st and 2nd class trains and yes, it is very easy to find the train. There are also family tickets and I also believe there are family tickets. I do not know if it cheaper for 3 to take a private car

 

https://www.gatwickexpress.com/index.asp?SID={6505B956-D791-4F96-B840-9A8D9C2E4970}

[twoatsea]

TIMING - For our return to Gatwick, our plane is scheduled to depart on Thursday, 11/6 at 7:50am to Italy, which when we flew from Stansted to Italy last year, it was considered 'international'.

 

So, what time do you think we should leave the hotel in South Kensington? First trains are 3:30 & 4:30; then run every 15 minutes beginning at 5:00.

 

How much time do you think we should allow for going thru airport security?

 

thanks so much for the link. don't qualify for the family discount tickets because says you must travel with a child & we are not. the senior tickets had so many 'buts' too them & since I am not familiar with the trains, routes, etc., I think we'll just pass.

[twoatsea]

Sorry to be so pesty, but....noticed online that there are 2 taxi stations at Victoria Station - since we are going to S.Kensington & we will be handling luggage, should we take one over the other?

 

(outside main entrace & upstairs in the Plaza exit in Victoria Place)

 

Thanks

[Twickenham]

TIMING - For our return to Gatwick, our plane is scheduled to depart on Thursday, 11/6 at 7:50am to Italy, which when we flew from Stansted to Italy last year, it was considered 'international'.

 

So, what time do you think we should leave the hotel in South Kensington? First trains are 3:30 & 4:30; then run every 15 minutes beginning at 5:00.

 

How much time do you think we should allow for going thru airport security?

 

thanks so much for the link. don't qualify for the family discount tickets because says you must travel with a child & we are not. the senior tickets had so many 'buts' too them & since I am not familiar with the trains, routes, etc., I think we'll just pass.

 

This should be confirmed with your airline, but in general we allow 2-3 hours for check-in of an international flight. That means I would probably be leaving sometime between 4:30 and 5ish. As for the fares, I found quite a good deal here https://www.gatwickexpress.com/content.asp?SID={0F251ABE-8211-4258-80BB-B758AC4359C2}&pageid=81 where you can get 3 or 4 tickets for the price of 2.

 

Sorry to be so pesty, but....noticed online that there are 2 taxi stations at Victoria Station - since we are going to S.Kensington & we will be handling luggage, should we take one over the other?

 

(outside main entrace & upstairs in the Plaza exit in Victoria Place)

 

Thanks

 

I honestly can't say I remember seeing 2 separate taxi stands at Victoria; it's possible, it's been a few years since I've taken a taxi there. Honestly don't think it matters.

 

As a point of reference, my taxi from Victoria to Paddington station cost around 6-7 pounds, if I remember correctly. As South Kensington is much closer, I doubt it will cost any more than that. Even if you can't get the 3-for-2 deal, half the return ticket price for 3 plus taxi fare shouldn't add up to much more than 50-55 pounds. Gatwick's website says that a taxi to Central London cost about 77 pounds, plus 8-pound congestion charge if applicable (which it is in your case).

[Globaliser]

Anyone arrived/departed Gatwick & gone into the city of London?

A note about terminology, so that you don't get confused when you're here (particularly as it's difficult to indicate capital letters when you speak). The "City of London" (or "the City") refers to the financial district, to the east of the main tourist areas like Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Places like St Paul's Cathedral are actually in the City of London, although the Tower of London and Tower Bridge are just outside it, even further to the east.

 

Victoria and South Kensington are to the west of the main tourist areas, and definitely not in "the City".

At the airport, is it clear how to get to the GEX & do we buy the tickets there or onboard?

You don't say which airline you're flying in on, so I don't know whether you'll arrive at the North Terminal or the South Terminal. The railway station is at the South Terminal.

 

In either case, follow the signs for trains after you exit from Customs. If you're at the North Terminal, you will be taken first to the inter-terminal shuttle. That will tip you out very close to the entrance to the railway station; the ticket office is on the same level - and indeed is on the same level as arrivals/Customs.

Sorry to be so pesty, but....noticed online that there are 2 taxi stations at Victoria Station - since we are going to S.Kensington & we will be handling luggage, should we take one over the other?

I am not even sure that the Victoria Place taxi rank is still in operation, but if it is, the advantages are that it's much closer to the Gatwick Express platforms, and it's rather less busy there. (However, at the time you arrive, you're unlikely to have problems with that.) The disadvantages are that you have to go upstairs to the taxi rank, although there should be a lift (elevator); and there may be fewer taxis because it's less busy. Otherwise, in terms of route it doesn't really matter which you use.

[Globaliser]

For our return to Gatwick, our plane is scheduled to depart on Thursday, 11/6 at 7:50am to Italy, which when we flew from Stansted to Italy last year, it was considered 'international'.

 

So, what time do you think we should leave the hotel in South Kensington?

I presume you're on the early BA to Venice that morning.

 

First: Make sure that you find some time to do online check-in the day before. Check-in opens 24 hours before the flight departs. If you have checked in and you have printed your boarding passes, then you are one step ahead. (If you check-in early, you will also have a better choice of seats.)

 

Second: Seriously onsider staying at Gatwick on Wednesday night. If you stay at the Sofitel, it is attached to the North Terminal and very convenient for early flights. It will ease much of the pain of getting to that flight. As you have to get up very early on Thursday, you're unlikely to be out and about late in London on Wednesday evening anyway, so you're unlikely to be missing very much by moving to Gatwick to stay that night.

 

Third: Look at the minimum check-in time in the Manage My Booking section of the BA website. This should show you the absolute minimum, which is a hard deadline that you can work to as an absolute worst. The usual "2-3 hours" advice is all very well for daytime or evening flights, but you need more precision when knowing what to do in the early morning.

 

On the assumption that 60 minutes is the last time at which bags will be accepted for your flight, that's 0650. You will need to allow 45 minutes to get from your hotel to Victoria, and 45 minutes for the train (15 minutes wait + 30 minutes travel). Plus 30 minutes intra-Gatwick travel (you need to get from the railway station to the North Terminal) and contingency - that means that you must leave the hotel no later than 0450. At that time of the morning, you'd probably need to get your hotel to book a cab for you, as it may not be entirely safe to rely on there being passing empty cabs.

 

Personally, I would not do this. I would stay at Gatwick that night.

[twoatsea]

Such great responses - thank you very much, Twickenham & Globaliser.

 

Staying at a hotel near Gatwick on Wed. nite is a good idea. We can cancel our current hotel without penalty. I'll look into that. Thanks Globaliser for the offer of the Soifitel hotel location.

 

We are flying in from the USA on Delta & flying to Venice on BA.

 

Thanks again!

[Globaliser]

We are flying in from the USA on Delta & flying to Venice on BA.

I'm glad that you've found that helpful.

 

If you're looking to price the Sofitel, have a look at http://www.holidayextras.co.uk in case it might offer a better price than other booking channels. It'll be a pre-pay rate, but that's often the price of getting a lower rate than through other channels.

 

Delta is, like BA, at the North Terminal - so when you arrive you will need to transfer to the South Terminal to get the Gatwick Express.

[PennyAgain]

Yes, do stay at an airport hotel the night before your flight. I often travel alone and find it creepy to depart my hotel so early in the morning. I have learned that if you need a very early morning taxi you have to book it the night before.

[handfordr]

Yes, do stay at an airport hotel the night before your flight.

 

The Sofitel at Gatwick is the money no object option. Being attached to the North Terminal you pay a premium for the convenience and the services of a 4 star hotel that most people don't use for an airport overnight.

 

The Premier Inn Gatwick Central is about 500m from North Terminal and easly walkable with a luggage trolley, (bus available if raining).

Quite a good no nonsense 3 star hotel with rates in the $120-150 range.

[twoatsea]

Thanks for your hotel info, I'll look at them all.

[AF-1]

Let me chime in and ask a few questions. My wife and I will also be arriving on Delta from CVG. How far is the walk from North to South terminal where the Gatwick Express is located?

[handfordr]

Let me chime in and ask a few questions. My wife and I will also be arriving on Delta from CVG. How far is the walk from North to South terminal where the Gatwick Express is located?

 

When you exit the arrivals hall at North Terminal you go up escaltors/lifts one floor and catch the monorail train (free) to the South Terminal, you cannot walk. The trains run every 2-5 minutes depending on time of day.

At South Terminal its about 5 minutes or less to the train station ticket office where there are lifts/escalators down to the Gatwick Express platform.

All this can be done with luggage trolleys

[uk-ladies]

Just read this thread and noticed that someone posted a link for the Gatwick express but there are also questions about travelling "within" London so I hope this may be of help to someone........

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1108.aspx

As pointed out before, it is cheaper (and more comfortable) to travel after 9.30am and it can get very overcrowded between 4.30pm and 6.60pm. The stations on the tube are very close together so it doesn't take very long to get from A to B and if you do lose your way there are officials at every station to assist. Personally, I wouldn't bother with an Oyster card for one day travel, just tell ticket master at the kiosk the places you want to visit and he'll tell you the best one day travelcard to cover the "zones" for those areas.

[twoatsea]

Thanks again, UK-Ladies - great to have your expertise on this board! We need 3 days use of the tube. So, from my research it appears our best deal will be to get the 3 day Travelcard & printing out the 2for1 vouchers on daysoutguide.co.uk for the various tourist sites we plan to see.

 

I've been advised & my research indicates that none of the various kinds of tube tickets have a combo savings with the GEX or the train to Bath. So looks like we will be buying our train & tube tickets separately. However, per the above website, the Travelcard must have the special train emblem on it to qualify for the 2for1 deals. And that special emblem Travelcard can only be purchased at a train ticket office. So, we will buy our tube Travelcard at the GEX ticket office in Gatwick before we head for our hotel in London. Lots of twists & turns to all of this. Wish it was all just straight forward with the ticket prices.

 

BTW, I also priced the London Pass & it appeared to me that after deducting the site admissions saving, it costs more than the 'special emblem' 3 day Travelcard with the 2for1 vouchers.

 

If I've missed anything - oh well! With time invested, I think I've reached the point of diminishing returns! :eek:

[handfordr]

And that special emblem Travelcard can only be purchased at a train ticket office. So, we will buy our tube Travelcard at the GEX ticket office in Gatwick

 

1 and 3 Day Travelcards bought anywhere including Underground stations are OK for the 2 for 1 offers, its just the 7 day Travelcards you need to purchase from a rail station.

[twoatsea]

Thanks, handfordr, good info. Glad to know that. I was 'a little' concerned about looking for that darn emblem!

[handfordr]

Thanks, handfordr, good info. Glad to know that. I was 'a little' concerned about looking for that darn emblem!

 

Sorry about this, it looks like I've given you the wrong information. It seems you do need to buy your Travelcard at a rail station, not anywhere else to qualify for the 2 for 1 offers.

Just seen a discussion on this very subject on TripAdvisor. In that case better get your Travelcard at Victoria Station when you get off the Gatwick Express

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186338-i17-k2257637-Validity_of_Underground_Issued_Travelcards_For_2_for_1_offer-London_England.html

[twoatsea]

thanks, handfordr for taking the time to come back & let me know. Looks like it is quite up in the air. So, since we are taking the GEX into Victoria, I'll just buy ours at the train station, just to be sure.

[Canuker]

Yes, train to Victoria than a taxi is the best choice

[skisteamboat]

If you are staying in the Kensington Area, I recommend the local train service from Gatwick to Kensington Olympia Station. Its cheaper (about half the price) than the Gatwick Express, only takes about 10-15 minutes longer and you stop near Kensington High Street with probably a cheaper cab fare to your hotel.

 

Here's a web iste that discusses various ways to get to London.http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/gatwick_local_trains.htm#train

 

If you are uncomfortable with the local train system, which is really pretty simple, just take the Gatwick Express as others have suggested.

 

Cheers