Gatwick Airport transfers
Gatwick, from south of the river
Gatwick is about 30 miles south of Westminster. Off-peak, the drive into central London takes around 70 minutes; from Croydon it is closer to 35. Your chauffeur meets you in arrivals at the North or South Terminal and the price is fixed before you fly.
Gatwick sits in West Sussex, just inside the M25 on the London side of Crawley, and it is the natural airport for most of south London and Surrey. It has two terminals, North and South, joined by a free shuttle train that takes a couple of minutes. The road into London is the M23, which becomes the A23 at Hooley and runs up through Coulsdon, Croydon, Streatham and Brixton towards the river.
That last stretch is why Gatwick journeys vary so much. The motorway is quick; the A23 through south London is not. This page explains how our chauffeurs handle it, what changed at the Gatwick forecourt in 2026, and how long the drive takes to different parts of London.
Which terminal are you flying from?
Your booking confirmation names the terminal, and it is worth checking a day or two before you travel, because airlines sometimes move between them. The two terminals are about a mile apart and connected by a free transit shuttle, so arriving at the wrong one costs you time rather than a flight, but it is still time you do not need to lose.
Tell us the terminal when you book. For a departure, the chauffeur takes you straight to the correct drop-off zone. For an arrival, the chauffeur waits in the right arrivals hall, and if your airline has moved you at short notice, a message is enough for the chauffeur to walk across.
What does the Gatwick drop-off charge mean for you?
Since January 2026, every vehicle using the drop-off zones outside either terminal pays at least £10, which covers the first 10 minutes. Each extra minute costs £1, the charge is capped at £30 and the maximum stay is 30 minutes. Payment is due by midnight on the day after the visit, and a missed payment brings a parking charge notice.
When we take you to Gatwick, that charge is part of your fixed price and our responsibility. You step out at the kerb with a trolley and your bags, and the car leaves within the first few minutes. Blue Badge holders are exempt, and free drop-off is still available from the Long Stay car parks with a shuttle bus, but most travellers find the kerb worth it with luggage.
How long does the drive take across London?
It depends heavily on which side of the river you are heading to. South London is quick: Croydon is about 35 minutes off-peak and Wimbledon about 47. Central London takes over an hour. The table below comes from road routing between the airport and each area, with a rush-hour allowance in the last column.
| Destination | Distance | Off-peak | Rush hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croydon | 20 miles | 35 min | 46 min |
| Wimbledon | 24 miles | 47 min | 61 min |
| Bromley | 27 miles | 48 min | 62 min |
| Westminster | 30 miles | 69 min | 100 min |
| City of London | 31 miles | 73 min | 106 min |
| Canary Wharf | 46 miles | 65 min | 85 min |
Notice the Canary Wharf row. It is 16 miles further than Westminster, but often quicker, because the best route runs east around the M25 and in on the A2 rather than through Brixton and over the river. That kind of choice is what a chauffeur who knows Gatwick journeys brings to the trip.
Which route does the chauffeur take into central London?
For Westminster, Victoria and the City, the most direct line is the M23 and then the A23 through Croydon and Brixton. For the West End and Kensington, chauffeurs often prefer the M25 west and the A3 through Kingston and Wandsworth, which is longer but tends to flow better. For east London and Docklands, the M25 east to the A2 or A20 usually wins.
Chauffeurs check live traffic before setting off and decide at the airport. A closure on the A23 or a stalled M25 around Reigate changes the answer, and a flexible route matters more for Gatwick than for any other London airport, because there is no single fast road into the centre.
Is the Gatwick Express quicker than a car?
For a solo traveller with light luggage heading to Victoria, often yes. The train runs directly from the South Terminal station to Victoria in about half an hour, and it does not care about traffic on the A23.
A car makes more sense when Victoria is not where you are going, when you are carrying real luggage, travelling with children or in a group, or flying at an hour when trains are infrequent. From Victoria to a hotel in Kensington or an office in the City is another journey, with your cases, on the Underground or in a taxi queue. From your door to the Gatwick kerb is one.
Where will your chauffeur meet you?
Your chauffeur meets you in the arrivals hall of your terminal, holding a board with your name, and walks with you to the car in the nearby short stay car park. Both terminals have a single public arrivals area where people wait for passengers, which makes meeting straightforward.
The chauffeur follows your flight number, so an early landing or a delay moves the pickup automatically. Gatwick handles many flights from holiday destinations, and early morning arrivals can bunch together at passport control; your chauffeur allows for that queue.
How it works
From Gatwick arrivals to the car
- 01
Book online
Add your flight number and terminal. The price is fixed at that point.
- 02
We follow the flight
An early landing or a delay moves the pickup automatically. You do not need to call.
- 03
Met in arrivals
Your chauffeur waits in the arrivals hall of North Terminal or South Terminal with a board showing your name.
- 04
To the car
A short walk to the car park beside the terminal, with the chauffeur handling your bags.
Every route from Gatwick
From the terminal to every London borough
Choose any airport to compare. Off-peak drive times from road routing.
From Gatwick
LGW
- Westminster30 mi69 min
- Mayfair41 mi73 min
- City of London31 mi73 min
- Canary Wharf46 mi65 min
- Kensington and Chelsea40 mi70 min
- Paddington41 mi74 min
All 58 destinations from Gatwick
| Destination | Distance | Off-peak | Rush hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | 20 mi | 34 min | 44 min |
| Croydon | 20 mi | 35 min | 46 min |
| Merton | 23 mi | 41 min | 53 min |
| Bexley | 39 mi | 47 min | 61 min |
| Wimbledon | 24 mi | 47 min | 61 min |
| Bromley | 27 mi | 48 min | 62 min |
| Kingston upon Thames | 29 mi | 48 min | 62 min |
| Lewisham | 27 mi | 55 min | 72 min |
| Lambeth | 27 mi | 56 min | 81 min |
| Wandsworth | 27 mi | 56 min | 73 min |
| Hounslow | 45 mi | 58 min | 75 min |
| Fulham | 36 mi | 58 min | 75 min |
| Hillingdon | 47 mi | 59 min | 77 min |
| Battersea | 27 mi | 59 min | 86 min |
| Greenwich | 42 mi | 60 min | 78 min |
| Richmond upon Thames | 47 mi | 61 min | 79 min |
| Barking and Dagenham | 48 mi | 63 min | 82 min |
| Havering | 50 mi | 63 min | 82 min |
| Tower Hamlets | 46 mi | 64 min | 83 min |
| Chelsea | 38 mi | 64 min | 93 min |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 38 mi | 65 min | 85 min |
| Canary Wharf | 46 mi | 65 min | 85 min |
| South Kensington | 39 mi | 66 min | 96 min |
| Newham | 50 mi | 68 min | 88 min |
| Redbridge | 51 mi | 68 min | 88 min |
| Belgravia | 40 mi | 68 min | 99 min |
| Stratford | 48 mi | 68 min | 88 min |
| Waterloo | 30 mi | 68 min | 99 min |
| Westminster | 30 mi | 69 min | 100 min |
| Knightsbridge | 39 mi | 69 min | 100 min |
| Victoria | 40 mi | 69 min | 100 min |
| Ealing | 53 mi | 70 min | 91 min |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 40 mi | 70 min | 102 min |
| Hackney | 49 mi | 71 min | 92 min |
| Southwark | 30 mi | 71 min | 103 min |
| London Bridge | 30 mi | 71 min | 103 min |
| Notting Hill | 40 mi | 72 min | 104 min |
| Brent | 55 mi | 73 min | 95 min |
| City of London | 31 mi | 73 min | 106 min |
| Harrow | 53 mi | 73 min | 95 min |
| Mayfair | 41 mi | 73 min | 106 min |
| Covent Garden | 31 mi | 73 min | 106 min |
| Liverpool Street | 49 mi | 73 min | 106 min |
| Shoreditch | 49 mi | 74 min | 107 min |
| Paddington | 41 mi | 74 min | 107 min |
| Soho | 31 mi | 75 min | 109 min |
| Camden | 32 mi | 77 min | 112 min |
| Waltham Forest | 56 mi | 77 min | 100 min |
| Marylebone | 42 mi | 77 min | 112 min |
| Euston | 32 mi | 77 min | 112 min |
| King's Cross | 32 mi | 78 min | 113 min |
| St Pancras International | 32 mi | 79 min | 115 min |
| Enfield | 67 mi | 80 min | 104 min |
| Islington | 51 mi | 81 min | 117 min |
| St John's Wood | 43 mi | 81 min | 117 min |
| Hampstead | 60 mi | 84 min | 122 min |
| Haringey | 62 mi | 87 min | 113 min |
| Barnet | 64 mi | 88 min | 114 min |
Central London
From Gatwick to the centre
The ten central addresses people ask for most, off-peak and in the weekday rush.
| Destination | Distance | Off-peak | Rush hour | Main roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 30 mi | 69 min | 100 min | M23, A23 |
| Mayfair | 41 mi | 73 min | 106 min | M23, M25 |
| City of London | 31 mi | 73 min | 106 min | M23, A23 |
| Canary Wharf | 46 mi | 65 min | 85 min | M23, M25 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 40 mi | 70 min | 102 min | M23, M25 |
| Paddington | 41 mi | 74 min | 107 min | M23, M25 |
| St Pancras International | 32 mi | 79 min | 115 min | M23, A23 |
| Victoria | 40 mi | 69 min | 100 min | M23, M25 |
| Shoreditch | 49 mi | 74 min | 107 min | M23, M25 |
| South Kensington | 39 mi | 66 min | 96 min | M23, M25 |
Quickest from Gatwick
The twelve closest areas
Off-peak and weekday rush-hour times from road routing, fastest first.
| Area | Distance | Off-peak | Rush hour | Main roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | 20 mi | 34 min | 44 min | M23, B2218 |
| Croydon | 20 mi | 35 min | 46 min | M23, A23 |
| Merton | 23 mi | 41 min | 53 min | M23, B2218 |
| Bexley | 39 mi | 47 min | 61 min | M23, M25 |
| Wimbledon | 24 mi | 47 min | 61 min | M23, B2218 |
| Bromley | 27 mi | 48 min | 62 min | M23, M25 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 29 mi | 48 min | 62 min | M23, M25 |
| Lewisham | 27 mi | 55 min | 72 min | M23, A23 |
| Lambeth | 27 mi | 56 min | 81 min | M23, A23 |
| Wandsworth | 27 mi | 56 min | 73 min | M23, A23 |
| Hounslow | 45 mi | 58 min | 75 min | M23, M25 |
| Fulham | 36 mi | 58 min | 75 min | M23, M25 |
Cruise connections
From Gatwick to the ship
Straight from arrivals to the cruise terminal, fastest first.
| Cruise port | Distance | Off-peak | Rush hour | Main roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tilbury | 48 mi | 60 min | 78 min | M23, M25 |
| Portsmouth | 67 mi | 88 min | 114 min | M23, A264 |
| Dover | 83 mi | 102 min | 133 min | M23, M25 |
| Southampton | 81 mi | 106 min | 138 min | M23, A264 |
| Harwich | 105 mi | 125 min | 163 min | M23, M25 |
In every fare
What the price includes
- 01
Flight tracking
The chauffeur follows your flight number, so an early landing or a delay moves the pickup with it.
- 02
Meet and greet
Your chauffeur waits in arrivals with a board showing your name, and takes the bags from there.
- 03
A fixed price
Agreed when you book. Traffic, a longer route on the day or a late landing do not change it.
- 04
The £10 drop-off charge
Paid by us, so you are set down at the terminal doors rather than at a bus stop.
- 05
A route from live traffic
The chauffeur checks the roads before setting off and picks the line that is moving.
Other airports
The rest of London’s airports
Road distance and off-peak time between the two airports.
Good to know
Questions, answered
How far is Gatwick from central London?
About 30 miles from Westminster by the most direct road, and roughly 70 minutes off-peak. From the West End via the A3 the distance is around 40 miles.
Who pays the £10 Gatwick drop-off charge?
We do. It is included in your fixed price when we take you to the airport.
Can you take me from Gatwick to Heathrow?
Yes. It is about 45 miles on the M25 and usually takes around an hour off-peak. Allow more on a Friday afternoon.
Is Gatwick or Heathrow closer to me?
From south London and most of Surrey, Gatwick is usually closer. From west and central London, Heathrow usually is. Tell us your address and we will give you drive times to both.
Do you drive from Gatwick to Southampton or Dover for cruises?
Yes. Dover is about 83 miles and Southampton about 81 miles from Gatwick, each typically under two hours outside busy periods.
Ready when you are
Your chauffeur, already waiting
A named chauffeur, a fixed price and a quiet car, at every London airport.