Hello! We are flying into Gatwick airport and staying in Soho. I am wondering what is the best and reasonably priced form of transportation from the airport to the hotel. There are only two of us.
We will have luggage and have just gotten off a red eye so the train would not be the first choice but if it is the fastest and cheapest we will do it.
What is the typical price of an uber on that route and are they easy to come by? A Taxi?
Any insider information? Any advice would be appreciated!
(Note, I am a New Yorker and am very used to stairs, carrying heavy loads, and long taxi lines - I'm also very good with rail systems)
Thank you in advance!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32740 posts
Lauren
Well if you are very good with rail systems use one. The train from Gatwick (directly under the south terminal) to Victoria station in London is fast, frequent, and comfortable. Don't even consider a taxi or yukkie uber if you don't want to burn a pile of money and get frustrated with the traffic. There is no motorway into London from the south so it is 15 miles or more after the motorway ends at the M25 of creeping traffic, traffic lights and impatience.
From Victoria it will depend on what you are defining as Soho (nothing like SoHo where you are from).
A little more precision will allow a much more comprehensive answer.
What time of day/day of the week, where in Soho?
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
A most important piece of information for getting to any location in London, what is the name of the nearest tube (underground) station? I imagine it is the same in New York.
Train from Gatwick to London Victoria is, as Nigel says, fastest, (nearly) the cheapest and the most comfortable. What route to take from there depends on which tube station you are heading to.
Posted by
San Francisco area
1803 posts
Going the other way from Trafalgar Square to Gatwick. I usually take a taxi from hotel to Victoria station. IIRC the cab fare is abou £10 or £12. I take the taxi as the nearest tube stops are either uphill at Leicester Square or trying to cross multiple heavily trafficked streets around Trafalgar to Charing Cross. I also avoid having to transfer lines which may involve multiple sets of stairs.
I’ve taken the Gatwick Express to gat to the airport but I think there are cheaper non Express train options.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3753 posts
We just returned from London last week. I will caution you not to use Uber. We have a cabbie we call every time we are in London for various trips. A very nice fellow; we have been using him for years. An Englishman with a cockney accent. During a long ride last week he was telling us about rapes committed by Uber drivers. He said 2,500 complaints; 900 rapes since the first of this year. And many complaints about them (from customers who were not raped) not knowing their way around and circling the city resulting in a bill of a couple of hundred pounds instead of 20 or so pounds. This happened to his brother-in-law who was delivered to the wrong address at the end of this nightmare. The Uber driver had no idea how to find the address in London that the brother-in-law had given as his destination. I would always use a cabbie/taxi instead of Uber. Even Nigel referred to them as "yukkie Uber".
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Side note: if you'll be in New York City on Saturday May 19, join us at the Rick Steves Travel Group meeting at Panera Bread at 40th Street and 5th Avenue at 1 PM. Details here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/travel-meetings/new-york-city-meeting-saturday-may-19-2018
As for your question, if you really want to take a taxi, you can book a "minicab," which is Brit-speak for a pre-booked car service, and is cheaper than a taxi picked up from the rank at the airport. I have no personal experience, but Just Airports, Simply Airports, and Blackberry Cars are three services often recommended. Go to their websites and put in all your details, and you can get price quotes, so you know just how much this will cost. Note that Just Airports has a substantial discount for cash; don't know about the other two.
The Heathrow Express has a discount for advance booking and for round trips; if you book it 90 day ahead, it's downright cheap (bought on the day of travel, or worse on the train itself, it's very expensive). I haven't looked at the Gatwick Express, but you should check if it too has a discount on advance tickets.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3753 posts
Emma, you are right. It is to the cabbie's advantage to exaggerate the figures. He said young women who have been out drinking with friends late into the night call Uber, then pass out in the back seat on the way home, then is when the driver takes advantage of them. So it is a crime of opportunity. Just wanted to warn people, be aware some of this is happening. No, I'm sure not all Uber drivers are rapists. You would know the true figures for this; I don't, only listening to the cabbie. Thanks for the real scoop on this, Emma!