UK Layover - Can I leave airport??

Hi. There will be others who will chime in with specific advice about Gatwick, but in general (assuming you are a US citizen):
- yes, you can leave the airport regardless of whether or not you check your bags; obviously more convenient if your bags are checked all the way to Spain, which they likely will be.
- if you leave the airport (or maybe even if not, depends on airport / gate / configuration), you will go thru immigration / passport control. as far as a 'visa', your passport acts as your visa to enter Europe - no separate visa needed.
- it's confusing, but 'customs' is technically a separate process to inspect any luggage you are carrying. But it's generally a non-event, and if your bags are checked, doesn't apply to you.
Great idea to go into London since you have a long layover. Enjoy you trip!

You could go into London, if there was something you really wanted to see, but to me it's not worth the hassle. You would have to go thru Immigration (passport control). You wouldn't have to deal with Customs, since your bags are checked thru to Spain. Then you'd have to get into London, which would take an hour. With another hour to get back to the airport, and needing to be there 2-3 hours before your flight and going back thru security, you'd only have 2-3 hours actually in the city.

your passport acts as your visa to enter Europe

Actually in this case it only acts as a document to allow you into the United Kingdom for an amount of time, as the entry stamp in your passport will say. You will get another stamp when you leave the UK, and then a stamp will be applied at Barcelona allowing entry into the Schengen group of countries (the UK are not Schengen members) and you will collect your luggage and clear customs in Barcelona.

All hand luggage that you leave the airside at Gatwick with will also clear customs at Gatwick, just before you go through the frosted glass doors into the landside of the airport. You will be given a choice of two corridors to go down - red for something to declare, like firearms, drugs, some food, excess cash, alcohol, etc., and green for nothing to declare. If you go through the green door you will be observed but you may not see anybody, and most people walk straight through unless the Customs agents want to have a discussion or believe that you should have gone through the red door; if you go through the red door you will be met and asked what you are declaring.

9 hours isn't actually very long. Or, in your case, almost 9 hours. It may be faster but I would allow 2 hours from touchdown to walking through the frosted glass doors, if your plane is on time, then 30 minutes to 45 to orient yourself (maybe use the toilet or grab a bite, buy a ticket for the train, and wait for the next train, 30 to 40 minutes for the train to reach Victoria Station (more if Thameslink to The City), 15 minutes to work out the route to your first sightseeing stop, walk to the bus or Tube and wait for the tube train or bus to go, and who knows, maybe 15 to 30 minutes to get to that destination. That's nearly 4 hours gone and you haven't done anything yet.

OK, so after you finish your last sightseeing item, 15 minutes back to Victoria, up to a 15 minute wait for a train if you just missed one, 30 minutes on the train, 2:30 (with current security issues) minimum needed before takeoff, and the security theatre begins. So you need to stop sightseeing at least 3 and a half hours before your flight, and I'd make it 4. You don't want to miss that flight to Barcelona at any cost, right?

That gives you about an hour for sightseeing, not much for all that hassle.

But - - - maybe you like cutting it close, maybe your flight from home caught the back end of a hurricane and you arrive in London early, maybe you whizz through Immigration and all the chips fall just right and you can have more time in London.

Are you sure that the incoming flight and the continuation flight are in the same terminal at Gatwick?

just call me an optimist... and somebody who has used Gatwick a lot.

Passport/border control is for people, customs is for things.

If you stay in the airport you may not be technically entering the UK, i.e. crossing the UK border. If you want to leave the airport then you cross the border and enter the UK. You’ll need to show your passport.

If your bags are being checked through to Spain you won’t see them at Gatwick and won’t collect them. Customs is a non-event unless you are carrying guns and drugs and so on.

As for your nine hour layover - it depends which nine hours; from 9pm to 6am would be a waste of time.

much depends on what happens when you check-in. We assume the luggage will be checked, but they may also give you the boarding card for the Gatwick-Barcelona flight, this would make a difference. If you already had the second boarding card then you don't need to check yourself in at Gatwick - which means one less line to stand waiting in.

So assuming you don't have to worry about luggage and already have the second boarding card, and a US passport then when you arrive Gatwick you should be outside within an hour (there will be the inevitable slow taxi-ing to the stand and a meander around corridors plus a wait at immigration, get a landing card on the plane and fill it in ready, don't worry about the UK address bit, explain to the immigration officer that you are just killing time.. I'm always amazed at the number of people who race to immigration and then stand at the side filling in the cards whilst others overtake them.

If you have the second boarding card you don't have to allow time to checkin, just the security screening, plus a walk to the gate, so a clear hour should be enough. So allowing some time for transport schedules not aligning exactly with yours, you'd have about 6 hours to kill. If you didn't have the boarding card you'd need extra time to get that.

It would take about 40 minutes by train to get from Gatwick to central London, and 40 back so you would have about 4.5 hours. There is no doubt you could see a few sights but you'd have to be aware how far from the station you were - London is big city and even the central area is a 6 miles wide. The good news is that the railway station is at South Terminal - make sure both flights are!

The alternative is to head south and go to Brighton which takes about 25 minutes and is harder to get lost in. It's a seaside town with some features. Plenty of time to walk around, have lunch in an English pub. If your spending was restricted to train tickets and lunch you could pay by card and not worry about changing money, which is a question you didn't ask but need to consider.

Not sure about time it takes to clear through immigation at Gatwick, but I have waited on line for an hour at LHR. If you are flying Business Class you'll have FAST TRACK for immigration. You would walk through Nothing to Declare for Customs.

Let me throw something else into the mix.....jet lag. If this is your first international trip, you won't know how well you will sleep on your overnight flight. It might not be at all. If that is the case, traveling into London might be very taxing on you.

If you get off the plane exhausted, think about staying at the Yotel. It's in the south terminal and rents rooms by the hour. You will have to go through passport control but it might be an alternative to keep in the back of your mind. (Assuming rooms will be available)

I'd second Frank II on this one. You will be tired and the Yotel is made for that. You can book in advance. But, if you want to use a little time here is a pub we visited a short cab ride from Gatwick. http://www.thefarmhousehorley.co.uk All locals, great beer, decent food, in the country. I would not go to central London. While the Gatwick Express is reliable you really don't have enough time to make it worthwhile.

Yes, do clear immigration and leave the airport. Nine hours there is torture by boredom.

But do not think of it as 'sightseeing' per se. Think of it as a chance to stretch your legs, get some lunch, and get the fresh air and sunshine that will help you get over jet lag. (The Yotel nap option just delays the inevitable) Then after lunch, walk around, browse a shop or two- even if it's a strip shopping center with an Iceland, Poundland, TK Maxx, and a Carphone Warehouse, it's a glimpse into everyday UK life, walk through a park or check out some attraction you just have to stumble across, then some herbal (non-cafenated) tea and a piece of cake and then back to the airport.

Don't feel like 'I'm here and I need to Do Something'. The idea is to relax and meander. Get the blood flowing properly again after a long haul flight. I like the Brighton option because you're less inclined to get caught up too much in touristy things in a smaller place.

The main question is what country are you a citizen of and during what time is your layover (during the day, or overnight).

And really the only important question is what country you're a citizen of, as that has implications for what is possible with all the rest.

In a topic started yesterday SLORD says "Hello, I'm a US citizen flying to Spain".

Some years ago, we flew through Heathrow and had an 8 hour stay. I thought we should go to London to the British Museum , which is free. Everything was fine. However, they suggested we take the high-speed train in for 16 L each. At 4 people, that is 64 L, almost $100 at that time. We could have taken the local train for 8L, which would have added a full 15 minutes to our transit time. Take the local, do not fall for the hype about the high-speed train.