Gatwick to Croydon

Train or car?

If your destination is within a short walk of East Croydon station and you are travelling light, take the train. It is quick, frequent and unaffected by traffic on the A23.

Take the car if you are going anywhere else in the borough, if you have more than a couple of bags, if you have children or a pushchair, or if you land very early or late. From the station, a second journey by bus or taxi with luggage often takes as long as the whole drive from the airport, and the car goes from the terminal kerb to your door.

How long does it take to different parts of Croydon?

Coulsdon and Purley are the closest, on the A23 itself, often about 25 minutes from the airport on a clear road. Central Croydon and East Croydon take around 35 minutes. Addiscombe, Shirley and Selsdon add a few more minutes. Norbury, Thornton Heath and South Norwood, on the northern side of the borough, can take 45 minutes or more at busy times.

In the weekday rush, the A23 through Purley is the slowest part, and around 46 minutes to the centre is realistic.

Which way does the chauffeur go?

Usually the M23 north to its end at Hooley, then the A23 through Coulsdon and Purley into Croydon. For addresses in the east of the borough, such as New Addington and Selsdon, the chauffeur may leave the M23 for the M25 eastbound and come in on the A22 through Caterham and Whyteleafe, which avoids central Croydon altogether. The chauffeur decides from live traffic and your address.

Arriving at a flat in central Croydon?

Central Croydon has many new apartment towers around East Croydon and West Croydon stations, often with a single entrance and a concierge, and some on streets with trams or restricted access. Give us the building name and the entrance with a drop-off point, and the chauffeur will go there. For hotels near East Croydon, the chauffeur will stop at the hotel entrance.

Visiting an office near East Croydon?

Croydon has a large business district around East Croydon station and along Wellesley Road, with regional offices, government departments and a growing number of technology firms. Business visitors flying into Gatwick often have a meeting the same morning. The drive to the offices near the station takes around 35 minutes outside the rush, and the chauffeur will drop you at the building’s entrance or the nearest point where a car can stop on the one-way system. For a team arriving together, the V-Class takes six with luggage.

What about Selhurst Park and the north of the borough?

Crystal Palace play at Selhurst Park in South Norwood, in the north of the borough. On match days, the roads around the ground, including Whitehorse Lane and Holmesdale Road, are busy for a couple of hours before and after the game, and parking is restricted over a wide area. For an address in South Norwood, Thornton Heath or Upper Norwood on a match day, we will plan the route around the crowds and may suggest a slightly different arrival time.

The hills around Upper Norwood and Crystal Palace also slow the final approach at busy times. Allow about 45 minutes from Gatwick to those addresses on a weekday.

Going to Croydon University Hospital?

Yes, we take patients and visitors straight from Gatwick to the hospital on the London Road in Thornton Heath. Tell us the entrance and any mobility needs, and the chauffeur will allow extra time and help with bags.

How early do holiday flights arrive?

Many holiday flights land at Gatwick in the early morning or late evening, when trains are less frequent. For a family arriving at 05:30 or 23:30 with luggage, the car is the more comfortable choice, and at those hours the drive often takes under half an hour.

Where will the chauffeur meet you?

In the arrivals hall of your terminal, North or South, holding a board with your name. The chauffeur follows your flight and adjusts to delays, then walks you to the short stay car park beside the terminal.

And the journey back to Gatwick?

The return is just as short. For a short-haul flight, a pickup about two hours before departure is usually enough from central Croydon; for a long-haul flight, about two and a half hours. Gatwick’s £10 drop-off charge is included, and there is no Congestion Charge on this route.