airport transportation
 

A friend of mine and I are flying into Gatwick. We are trying to decide which would be best: Take gatwick express to victoria station and then take a cab to our hotel, or take a cab the whole way? <BR>We are staying in Northwest London-Brent Cross, two girls with at least one suitcase each. Is gatwick express and victoria station a hassle with luggage?<BR>

A cab from Gatwick to Brent Cross will cost more than your transatlantic airfare! That is only a SLIGHT exaggeration.<BR><BR>You could take the Gatwick Express and then the tube via the Victoria to Picadilly to Northern lines. Or better yet, take the Thameslink train to Kings Cross and the Northern line to Brent Cross.<BR><BR>If that sounds too strenuous, book a car service from Gatwick to Brent Cross - it will be half the cost of a cab.

Do know a car service that you would recommend?

A lot of people on this board have used www.london-transfers.com. It would cost 54 GPB from Gatwick. Another option is Swiss Cottage Cars, which are a little cheaper (at least from Heathrow), but they don't have a website. You'd have to call them at 44-207-431-2700.<BR><BR>According to people here, they are both quite reliable. I intend to use one of them when I go in January.<BR><BR>Happy travels,<BR>Karen

You should take the train to Kings Cross and catch the tube from there to Brent Cross. Not only will you save loads of money (seriously we are talking you will 5% of the cost of a taxi) you will probably save time. London is grinding to a halt with too much traffic. You will do the journey in less than an hour and a half. You would be lucky to do it in an hour and a half by car.

Huh? What train do you catch to get from Gatwick to King's Cross?

I think it is called a Thameslink train that goes from LGW to KX.

We've got a group of 12 people and have contemplated renting a van and a car instead of taking the taxi or the bus. Any advice or suggestions?

Good idea to go for the van option, but twelve + all that luggage = a small bus! Why not ask for 2 x 6-seater people carriers? Keep the luggage to a minimum should help a lot, whatever you decide upon.

Lea,<BR>We've used a car service on many occasions. I highly recommend www.london-transfers.com, we've used them quite a few times and I've recommended them to friends, everyone was pleased.<BR>A regular cab would cost a small fortune.

Lea,<BR>I just returned from London and I was very pleased with the train from Gatwick to Victoria Station. Took a cab to the hotel. Trains were extremely clean and easy to manage luggage.