susieq22

We have a flight out of Gatwick on December 3rd at 2:05pm. We are taking the Eurostar from Paris that morning to Waterloo. We were planning on then taking a taxi to Victoria Station and then the Gatwick Express to Gatwick.

Is this the best way? We have to check luggage, but are trying to pack light. Would it be easier to just take a train from Waterloo to Gatwick?

Excuse the question if it has been asked before. I tried to search but was not completely satisfied. Please send some tips on searching if this question has been answered before.

Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.

Susan

sandi_travelnut

I asked the same thing, but in reverse. Here's the advise I rec'd and will take from GeofHamer just remember to flip it around.

"If you want to get from Gatwick to Waterloo, there is no point going to Victoria. The easiest route would be by Thameslink train from Gatwick to London Bridge - these run every 15 minutes - then, from the same platform at London Bridge, get a train to Waterloo East. Total journey time is 38 to 41 minutes. From Waterloo East, there are ramps and escalators to Waterloo International."

susieq22

Wonderful! Thanks Sandy! I thought it might be that simple. I had read some of the posts to your questions, but I was not sure if I was getting the whole picture. Thanks for the info on the ramps and escalators. That helps make the decision a lot easier.

Cheers! Have a great trip!
Susan

David_London

Hi Susie

I agree that going to Victoria doesn't make much sense. Besides going via London Bridge and the Thameslink train you could also take the train from Waterloo to Clapham Junction and change there to the Gatwick service which runs out of Victoria. Both journeys to Gatwick via London Bridge or Clapham Juction take roughly 40 to 45 minutes depending on connections. For specific timings have a look at www.qjump.co.uk

David_London

Susie

I should point out that you will need to change platforms at London Bridge to get to the Thamelink train. On the inward journey from Gatwick the Thameslink does stop at the same platform as all trains to Waterloo East but it doesn't work on the reverse journey. You will need platform 5 at London Bridge for Gatwick. I hope this makes sense!

susieq22

I am assuming we buy tickets for Waterloo to Gatwick and just change trains at London Bridge without having to buy a new ticket? We do not have a lot of experience in train travel in the UK, so we want to make sure we understand how it works.

Thank you for the information so far
Susan

David_London

Yes Susie, the one ticket from Waterloo will cover your whole journey to Gatwick.

susieq22

Thanks David! Now I can mark one more thing off my list. We are looking forward to another nice winter week in London. This time we are going to do a bit more relaxing instead of running around trying to see EVERYTHING.

Thanks to all for the great information.
Susan

Robespierre

Or, you can get on the 9:10 Eurostar at Gare du Nord, then change at Ashford Junction and arrive at Gatwick at 11:55, with two hours in hand, having avoided the entire London Olympics.

susieq22

Would we then just purchase a ticket from Ashford Junction to Gatwick? Is the train station at Ashford Junction easy to navigate?

Any special information we will need to do this? It sounds like a really great idea and we won't need to leave Paris as early.

Thanks,
Susan

Thomas_Milligan

I don't recommend cutting it that close (an arrival by rail at Gatwick at 11:55 for a 2:05 flight.) Besides if you depart the Eurostar at Ashford Junction, you have to change trains again at Tonbridge with only a 9 minute connection time.

Go to reiseauskunft.bahn.de and enter "Paris" and "Gatwick Airport" as the departure and arrival stations. You will get several possibilities (via London Bridge, via Clapham Junction, etc)

earl30

can't you get a flight from paris direct to gatwick? the eurostar makes sense if you're staying in the city, but why not just fly directly to the airport and not worry about those connections?