I understand that public transportation may be difficult to find on Boxing Day. My husband and I are considering arriving in London on 12/26/18 (likely in the morning) and wondered how difficult it would be to find transport from Gatwick or Heathrow into Central London. X. We have not booked anything yet and are simply investigating when it makes sense to arrive. Thanks in advance for any info.
Posted by
Anchorage, Alaska
108 posts
You should not have a problem taking the Gatwick Express to London Victoria on Boxing Day, maybe!
Last December I arrived at Gatwick on Christmas morning. I did not remember until after I had purchased the ticket that EVERYTHING shuts down on Christmas day. No problem though, I spent the night at an airport hotel and planned to take the Gatwick Express into London the next day, on Boxing Day.
Surprise!, even though the Gatwick Express was scheduled to be in operation on that day, the authorities decided to close it an additional day for maintenance.
They did however provide an alternative - buses for the ride to London Victoria. You purchase a regular GE ticket and join the que just outside the terminal. There were plenty of staff around to help direct everyone to the correct ques. If this happens then you want to be sure to dress warm and que up as early as possible. The que seemed to get longer as time went by. The bus ride took about 2 hours or so.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5466 posts
It is a bit early to know definitively what transport services will be available over Christmas. I would expect the Heathrow Express / Connect will be likely not to run on Boxing Day for Crossrail work. There would still be the Piccadilly Line though.
Posted by
Land of La
9261 posts
Can say from experience do not expect the Heathrow Express to be running on Boxing Day. That was the case in 2016.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5466 posts
It did used to run prior to Crossrail construction. With those works closing out next year it may run again. This year is another matter.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
No, no rail service to Gatwick on Boxing Day. The bus services will be running, but expect them to be busier than usual due to the lack of trains.
Posted by
USA
163 posts
To Marco's point, I arrived at Heathrow in the early morning on Boxing Day 2015 and took the Piccadilly line straight to my hotel in Mayfair. Straight shot, no problems.
Posted by
OP
St. Louis
5 posts
Thanks for all the good feedback! It is certainly helpful.