pete

Assuming there are no problems, my flight will arrive at Gatwick at 7:45. My next flight will leave there at 13:15. If I deplane and clear customs by 8:45 I will then have slightly over 3 hours until I need to check in for my next flight (intra Europe with a 1 hour check-in). Is there any place interesting or charming (not really a tourist destination but more a place for regular people) that I could quickly take a bus or train to and then grab a bite to eat or just walk around for a bit? Just a little interesting taste of England for a couple of hours. If there is, plese give me the details of how to get there. Thank you.

jw

topping for you, pete, and I hope you get some good replies. I don't have any of my Brit info w/me so cannot be any help. Actually, I know that there are easy and quick trains into London and back from Gatwick, because we zipped to and fro when we spent our last night in an airport hotel many years ago. J.

Wayne

Don't go into London. The Gatwick Express, fastest train to and from London, will still take essentially an hour each way, considering that you will have to wait a bit for the train unless you are incredibly lucky to make exact connections.<BR><BR>There are several small communities near Gatwick, but to me it doesn't make much sense to venture out away from the airport just for a visit of perhaps an hour or so. However, if you are determined to do so, you should find a taxi outside the terminal and ask the driver to take you to a nearby village with a decent restaurant and a few shops. I'm not familiar with specific towns around Gatwick, but I know there are several. The closest town of any size is Crawley, which is only a few miles from Gatwick and won't cost an arm and a leg by taxi. And Crawley should have plenty of places to stroll around, plus several restaurants, and a lot of hometown British ambience.<BR><BR>Given only 3 hours, and with no really appealing spots close at hand, my choice would be to stay inside the terminal, stroll the shops, and pick one of the several restaurants in the terminal for lunch.

bettyk

Pete, I could have easily spent 3 hours shopping at Gatwick! They have so many wonderful shops. I would just have lunch and shop!

Judy

Last December I had three hours transfer in Gatwick too,after checking in my bag,received the boardingpass,I took train to Brighton.<BR><BR>Trains departure from south terminal every half a hour,it took a bit over 30 minutes. The sameday reuren ticket was cheap.<BR><BR>I admit Brighton is not my most favorite,it is a far too typical English seaside resort town. But it was nice to walk around on promenade,enjoyed the sea breeze,marvelled(?) at Royal Pavillion,besides there are lots restaurants around .

janis

With only 3 hours free time you would be crazy to take the train anywhere from LGW. All you need is a 30 minute delay in the train service and you would miss your flight. Trains in the UK are better than in the States - BUT they are very unreliable and stoppages are very common.<BR><BR>So either stay at LGW and eat and shop or take a cab to Corsham, Horley or central Crawley. One problem though is that you arrive very early and have to be back at the airport before lunchtime. Most town shops and restaurants won't open until 10AM. So I would just recommend just staying at LGW.

Jo

Pete, there are plenty of fast trains up to Croydon. It's not pretty(it's really a city in its own right) but there are plenty of shops, pubs, and restaurants close to East Croydon station. In my experience, trains on this service are reliable and run frequently

jane

Just resurrected this post and have basically the same question. Is there really nothing intersting near enough to Gatwick to make sense leaving there for a couple of hours. Shopping really isn't my thing, so the airport shops really aren't calling to me. I'd be more interested in just walking around a typically British small town since I have never been to the UK. Any suggestions?

curious

Seem to be a lot of recommendations for Gatwick as an airport. Is is comparable to Schipol in amsterdam (which I did think was nice as far as airports go) or DeGaulle which I thought was a boring dump?

Ben Haines

I second the idea of Brighton, half an hour down the line. I do not think it a typical English seaside town: it is too prosperous, the rows, Pavilion, pier and homosexual part of the population are unique or rare, it is rich in the arts and in restaurants, and all in all it has great style.

Ben Haines

PS: You might start with brwakfast at the Old Ship Hotel<BR><BR>Ben Haines