moo

Flying from Dublin to London and have a choice between London airports Gatwick or Stansted. Which airport has easier and cheaper ground transportation into the center of London specifically the City of London neighborhood near Barbican tube station? There will be four of us with minimal luggage (hopefully). Please offer an opinion. Thanks!

PalenQ

Each airport has Airport Expresses that are geared for folks with luggage but from Gatwick you also have other trains that go to lots of places in London - may involve once train but you could go to say Holborn Viaduct or St Paul's - Stansted aoirport trains I think only go to Liverpool Street Station then you take the Tube- so I'd say Gatwick but either will be easy - buy a return ticket so you can qualify for 2 for 1 offerings the whole time you are in London (not positive Standsted Express qualifies but trains from Gatwick do - but if they don't Gatwick may have a huge advantage):

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/?gclid...FY-EaQodnX8Aiw

tom_mn

Thameslink trains go directly from Gatwick to the City, stopping at Blackfriars, Farringdon, St. Pancras, and more. Farringdon is just west of Barbican. Nice to avoid the tube with luggage if you can.

jent103

If you're staying in the City, Stansted is a bit easier because the Stansted Express goes right to Liverpool Street Station. From there you can take the Tube one stop to Barbican, or it's a quick cab ride, or you could walk depending on where exactly you're going. It's not cheap, but it's not terribly expensive either.

https://www.stanstedexpress.com/tickets-fares/fares

From Gatwick there are connections to Victoria Station and St. Pancras, and looks like London Bridge as well, but any of those would be a longer journey to the Barbican area.

http://www.gatwickairport.com/to-and...ick-to-london/

With four of you, you could also look at just getting a car service like Just Airports; with four train fares it might even out in terms of costs.

tom_mn

For Thameslink, 4 adults travel on a group ticket for 27 pounds (it's 10 pounds for a single ticket).

Barbican is one tube stop east of Farringdon so it might be an easy tube connection also, not sure how the tracks line up between the two rail systems at Farringdon.

PalenQ

If I recall correctly you exit the trains at Farringdon and corss a wall and there is the Tube - if I recall correctly!

tom_mn

This is for Thameslink Rail
https://tickets.southernrailway.com/...anning/Wizard/

jent103

Cool - I wonder why Gatwick's site doesn't mention the Thameslink trains? That's good to know!

tom_mn

That site is old, Thameslink is the new (old!) name for First Capital Connect, which is a horsesh-t name for a railway.

chartley

Holborn Viaduct station closed in 1990. You want the nearby City Thameslink, which is on the cross-London Thameslink line. There are frequent direct trains from Gatwick.

janisj

>> may involve once train but you could go to say Holborn Viaduct . . . <<

You need a tube/rail map from <i>this</i> Century.

In actuality - either airport works fine. I'd go w/ whichever gets you the best schedule and/or fare.