Gatwick to Victoria

When should you take the Gatwick Express?

When you are travelling alone or as a couple, with luggage you can manage on the train and through the station, heading for Victoria or somewhere close to it, at a time when trains are running. Southern trains run the same route with more stops, often at a lower fare. Both beat a car comfortably at busy times of day.

When does a car make more sense?

When there are three or more of you, when you have more than one large case each, when you are travelling with young children or someone with limited mobility, or when you land very early or very late. For a family of four, a car is often similar in cost to four train tickets, and it saves carrying bags off the train, through the concourse and into a taxi queue at Victoria.

A car also makes sense if your final destination is not Victoria but somewhere beyond it, such as Pimlico, Belgravia, Chelsea or Westminster, where the train leaves you with a second journey.

Does your terminal change the answer?

It can. The railway station is attached to the South Terminal. If your flight arrives at the North Terminal, you first take the free inter-terminal shuttle to the South Terminal, then walk to the platforms. With a small bag, that adds ten minutes or so. With a trolley full of cases and children, it adds effort as well as time, and it tips the balance further towards a car, which waits in the car park beside your own terminal.

What about weekends when the line is closed?

The Brighton Main Line, which carries the Gatwick Express and Southern trains to Victoria, is closed for planned engineering work on some weekends and bank holidays, with buses replacing trains for part of the journey. On those days, a train journey with luggage can take much longer and involve a coach transfer. Check the planned works for your date; when the line is closed, the car is usually the better choice, and weekend roads into London are often lighter.

Which route does the car take?

Interestingly, not always the most direct one. Our routing often sends the car west round the M25 and in on the A3 through Wandsworth and Battersea, crossing the river at Chelsea Bridge. It is about 40 miles, longer than the A23 through Brixton, but it avoids the slowest south London high streets and is often quicker. At other times, the A23 is the better choice. The chauffeur decides from live traffic.

Where does the car drop you around Victoria?

For hotels on Buckingham Palace Road and Victoria Street, at the hotel entrance. For the smaller hotels and homes in Pimlico’s grid of one-way streets, as close to the door as the street allows. For Victoria Coach Station, at the nearest stopping point on Buckingham Palace Road. Tell us the exact address, and the chauffeur will plan the approach.

How early do holiday flights land at Gatwick?

Many holiday and long-haul leisure flights land at Gatwick in the early morning, from about 05:00, when trains are running but less frequent. A family arriving at 05:30 with a fortnight’s luggage, tired children and a car seat in tow will usually find a car the calmer option. At that hour, the drive to Victoria can take under an hour.

Where will the chauffeur meet you at Gatwick?

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. The short stay car park is a few minutes’ walk from each arrivals hall, and the chauffeur will handle the luggage.

Does the Congestion Charge apply?

Yes, for addresses inside the zone during charging hours. Victoria is inside the zone, as are most of Pimlico and Westminster. When the charge applies, it is part of your fixed price. For Chelsea and most of Belgravia, which are outside, it does not.

And going back to Gatwick?

For the return, the Gatwick Express from Victoria is again an excellent choice for light travellers. If you prefer a car, allow about two and a half hours before a short-haul flight and three before a long-haul one on a weekday afternoon. Gatwick’s £10 drop-off charge is included.