London airports

Sam,

My suggestion would be to take the Gatwick Express from the airport to London Victoria. Stay in that area (or other as you prefer) for the night and then head for Heathrow the next day. Be sure to tell the Hotel that you'll be a "late arrival".

Happy travels!

Alternative 1-Either the Gatwick Express or Southern trains from Gatwick to Victoria Station. Enjoy a nice supper, wander the station , even walk around to Buckingham, etc. Then stay at the Victoria Thistle or other Victoria area hotel. Next morning- sleep late or wander around a bit, check out and take Tube to Paddington to catch Heathrow Express or take Tube all the way to Heathrow (Picadilly line).

Alternative 2- Either the Gatwick Express or Southern trains from Gatwick to Victoria Station. Catch Tube to Paddington - stay at Paddington Hilton, or other Paddington area hotel. Next morning- tube or Heathrow Express to airport.

I agree, stay in London. You have enough time for a late dinner in London and a walk around the city in the morning perhaps with some sightseeing.

I rarely take the Heathrow Express. I usually take the tube (Piccadilly line). I would probably choose a hotel on the Piccadilly line, but Victoria also works fine since you arrive there from Gatwick.

Take a Southern train from Gatwick to Victoria. It's cheaper than the Gatwick Express and only five minutes longer. The walk-up fare is 11.80 GBP; but if you book in advance on the Southern Web site, you can get an anytime fare of 9.60 GBP. And if you book a non-refundable, non-exchangeable ticket online, you can get a fare as low as 3.00 GBP. That ticket will be good for a specific departure date and time so allow a generous connection time at Gatwick in case your plane is late.

I agree with the post above regarding staying in London. But there is another option..when you get into London go to Paddington Station and get the train to Windsor, 35 minute ride. By staying in Windsor you would only be a 15 minute taxi ride to Heathrow. So in the morning you would have time to walk around Windsor, tour Windsor Castle and have a great pub lunch before leaving for the airport. Windsor is a great place to stay in.trai

I'd recommend an overnight stay near Victoria station. It's got a lot more going for it than Paddington. Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, River Thames all a short walk from Victoria. Paddington, on the other hand, has very little of interest in the local area.

I wouldn't worry about trying to get an advance fare for Gatwick to Victoria. These sort of tickets are only valid on one specific train and there's no way you can predict which train you will catch when arriving at an airport. If you've got the budget for a 9 day trip to Italy and a night in a central London hotel, just pay the £16.90 and get Gatwick Express. Advantages: Buy ticket on train (no need to wait in huge queue at ticket office or try and understand all the options on the ticket machine), More room for luggage, guaranteed to get a seat rather than getting on a train already packed with passengers from Brighton. Gatwick Express trains run every 15 mins and there's always one waiting at the platform.

If saving a few quid was important then stay in a hotel at Gatwick and get the coach to Heathrow in the morning.

I have had similar stopovers numerous times in places like Singapore, Bangkok, and Amsterdam and have a suggestion - through check your bags all the way to your destination. This way you only have to carry your toiletries and a change of clothes and misc stuff in a day pack. This means you are not burdened with heavy bags and can move around easily.

Hi Sam,

Just because you arrive in London at night, doesn't mean it can't be interesting. There is the London by Night tour, which might be fun. I myself would go on a pub crawl and visit some of the capital's great pubs. beerintheevening.com lists some of the city's finest.

Mark

If your main concern is just transferring to LHR, then you could stay the night at LGW (it's just a 5 minute walk to the Hilton or a new Marriott Courtyard) then take a coach in the morning. You would have time to visit nearby Windsor Castle from Heathrow.

Hello Sam. I recommend : ride in the Gatwick Express train from Gatwick Airport to Victoria station in London. Quickly go to a hotel located near Victoria station. The next morning, you decide what amount of time you can stay in the city London. If you will have time for sightseeing in London that morning, I suggest : ride in a "Tube" train from Victoria station to Westminster -- see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey exterior. And then travel to Heathrow airport. Airline travellers are advised to arrive at Heathrow airport at a time that is three hours prior to the Flight departure time.

No need to ride the tube from Victoria to Westminster..it's about a 5-7 minutes walk.