Dec 3, arriving at Gatwick Airport ~ 10am, departing from Stansted Airport ~ 11pm. Assuming customs and such will eat up 1h per airport and transportation to and from London 1h per travel, plus needing to be at Stansted 2h before departure (i.e. removing 6h in total),I'm left with 7h to spend in London (not my 1st visit) on a hitherto forecasted rainy Saturday. Any recommendations on what to do/see?
Also, aside from London, any must-see in, around or between Gatwick and Stansted?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33997 posts
where did you get a reliable weather forecast 21 days out?
Will you be humping your luggage? Will you be in a taxi or on the trains? An hour is a long time for a 30/35 minute train Gatwick to London.
I don't see why you are adding an hour for "customs and such" at Stansted if you are already allowing a 2 hour check-in.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33997 posts
since it isn't your first trip, must sees (awful term - everybody's musts are different) are hard to project not knowing what you liked (or didn't like) before....
Posted by
Freedonia
16413 posts
Additionaly, rail works are done on weekends so some of the transportation lines may be down for work which could hinder your plans. Or, another strike could be called.
Since we don't know what you've already seen, we don't know what to suggest.
There will be no customs or immigration departing Stansted.
Posted by
Missouri, USA and Essex, UK.
1055 posts
There is really not much to see around the Stansted area that would be feasible for you to get to without a car. I do not know where you are heading to or what airline from Stansted, but you may need to check in with an actual person at the counter as you have a non-European passport. ( I had to do this one time flying with Ryan Air). Stansted can be quite hectic at times, so do allow yourself plenty of time. I am not so sure if I would detour much. Traffic on the M25, rail strikes, etc can all be problematic in England these days. Taking the train from Gatwick you will have a transfer in central London. You could put your luggage in storage for a few hours and head out for lunch and an afternoon walk in London before heading onto Stansted in the evening.