getting from London to Gatwick

I've used it twice. It's a quick and easy way to get to and from Gatwick. If you can get a discount, great. But most London ticket machines do not accept swipe cards, only chip and pin. So an American card might not work, even for picking up pre-paid tickets.

There are cheaper alternatives to the Gatwick Express. Southern trains go from Victoria to Gatwick. First Capital Connect trains go to Gatwick from St Pancras, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, and London Bridge. National Express coaches (highway buses) go from Victoria Coach Station to Gatwick. The fare is cheap, but it's a very slow ride.

Barry Your decision might depend on time of day and day of the week. The non express (and cheaper) trains mentioned by Tim are fine outside of rush hour. On the other hand they can be very full especially as commuters leave London in the late afternoon and early evening. If I was travelling at that time I would probably opt for the Express which has superior luggage room. Cheers Alan

I thought I was well prepared for our trip, having done a lot of research and questioning folks on these boards, and thought I knew every discount option available, but when my wife and I boarded the Gatwick Express it felt like every person around us was paying a different fare than we were. I guess there's always some deal yet to be found for the person willing to find it. As for the trip, while not inexpensive, the Gatwick Express was convenient, right on time for us, and on the morning we left was comfortable and not very crowded. So I am glad we took it. It turned out to be a good way to ease out of our vacation and head home. Worth the £s in my opinion.

While I've taken the Gatwick Express, I've used the Southern from Victoria on my last few trips. It is less expensive and only takes 5 to 10 minutes longer. As it is a commuter train, it can be quite full during rush hour, so I might avoid it if your journey were during that time. All of my trips to Gatwick have been at offpeak times (late evening) and the Southern train has worked fine for me. On my last trip, I just bought my ticket at a kiosk at the station and paid with cash.

Thanks for all of the input, everyone (and please keep it coming :-).