Please sign in to post.
Holiday Sale! Save 20% Storewide!

Train Tickets from Gatwick Airport to York

Posted by (San Francisco) on

We (3 adults) are arriving at Gatwick Airport (from the US) at 1200 noon and are planning to go straight to York for our trip in May. I was planning on buying the Thameslink train from Gatwick to London St Pancras when I get there since it comes frequently and I don't want to commit to a specific time, just in case I miss that train, or does it matter? Am I able to buy a Thameslink train ticket for use anytime during that day?

I'm looking at ticket prices from London Kings Cross to York and the prices very greatly, some are 37 pounds/person, and another train (same train company) leaving just half an hour later is 95 pounds/person. It's really tempting to take a risk and buy the 37 pound ticket. Is there a way to find out how much the ticket price is for a particular train if I purchase it when I arrive?

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Posted by
8889 posts

Holly, You can buy tickets from Gatwick to St Pancras at Gatwick station after you land, no point in buying in advance. That ticket will be valid on any train that day. Thameslink is a suburban train, no reserved seats.
Just make sure you get a ticket via Thameslink, and not one routing you on the Gatwick Express to Victoria and then the tube. The Gatwick Express/Victoria route is technically slightly quicker, but is a pain, especially with luggage as you have to go up and down stairs and escalators and haul your luggage on the tube.

To find the "walk-up price" price for London to York, just look up prices for trains today or tomorrow on https://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/ The answer is up to £95. The reason you are seeing varying prices is that the cheaper tickets are all sold out on the more popular departures, leaving only the more expensive tickets. When it says "only 3 left" it means only 3 tickets left at that price, then the price goes up.
It is always a gamble buying tickets for trains after a flight which are only valid on one train. You get cheap tickets by buying early, but if you miss that train you then need to pay full "walk-up price" to buy new tickets.

Posted by
2600 posts

When you search for tickets you’ll see prices for Fixed Tickets and Flexible Tickets. Under Flexible Tickets there are Off-Peak (sometimes Super Off Peak as well) and Anytime tickets. Those are the walk up prices for particular trains.

https://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/

Posted by
2805 posts

I just did a search on Nationalrail.com, used dates 11 weeks out, the tickets from a Kings Cross to York was £29.00. You should look for tickets in February and book them for your trip in May

Posted by
16895 posts

The official umbrella site for all the British rail operators is www.nationalrail.co.uk (not .com). On that site, any displayed prices also have a little arrow nearby for "other offers." That will show you the AnyTime fares, as well as some other variables.

Posted by
32 posts

I learn so much from everyone here, this forum makes planning a trip so much easier than me trying to figure it out myself. Thank you.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.