From Heathrow-Gatwick..best way?
 

I arrive at Heathrow at 7:05am and am departing out of Gatwick at 1:25pm, which means I want to be at Gatwick no later than 11:30. I know that there's a shuttle bus but I don't feel like messing around with that after a six hour flight and no sleep. I've been to London numerous times but never had to transfer airports--I'm thinking of hiring a car to play it safe, but would it be just as easy to get a taxi at the airport? I'm thinking it may be a bit cheaper. For the record, flying CO/Virgin.

Thanks!

If by hiring a car you mean renting a self-drive car - that would be a huge hassle. If you mean a car service, that is a choice but quite expensive for 1 person. A taxi will cost your first born child - only a <i>slight exaggeration.

The National express coach is easy, cheap, and takes about the same time as a car service or cab. Only difference being the short wait for the next scheduled bus.</i>

It's actually for two people, not one.

And yes, I mean having a car pick us up, NOT driving ourselves, no no no..

The pick-up services I was looking at were about 75gbp, which is just fine. Do you think just getting a taxi at the airport would be about the same price? Any companies you'd recommend for a driver to pick us up at heathrow? Thanks.

You do realize that 75 GBP is about $160,right?

&quot;<i>Do you think just getting a taxi at the airport would be about the same price?</i>&quot;

No - a taxi will cost quite much more. Probably between &pound;90 and &pound;100 depending on traffic delays.

A car service will not be any faster (nor much easier) than just taking the Coach. But if you want to book one - check out justairports.com They give a discount for cash.

vslparis, yep, aware of the exchange rate.

&quot; . . . quite much more . . . &quot; Where did <i>that</i> come from. sheesh! :)

but a taxi would cost much more.

&pound;75 as opposed to &pound;38 by coach - with no guarantee that you'll get there any quicker

hmm..now I'm thinking it might be nice if my gf can see a wee bit of london, if only through a car. About how much would a taxi from Heathrow to Victoria station cost? That way we could just catch the GEX from there..thanks!

You do realize a car or taxi from LHR to Victoria during the morning commute would take longer than the tube?? Of course you wouldn't see anything except on the above ground portion of the tube line.

A taxi would cost about &pound;50 or so depending on the traffic. A car service about &pound;30. But the route in from LHR is not at all scenic.

And taking the Tube at that time of day (assuming weekday) with luggage won't be pleasant as it's rather busy

Why not get the National Express coach to Victoria Coach Station (&pound;4 per person), leave your luggage at Victoria TRAIN station (&pound;6 per bag), have a wander in the local area then return, pick your bags up &amp; take the SOUTHERN Trains service to Gatwick - but you'll need to leave Victoria at 11:00am or so

The shuttle bus between the two airports is not bad at all. You can find the bus desk with no problem. I don't remember the exact amount of time it took between Gatwick and Heathrow, but I am thinking it was close to an hour. So you won't be stuck in the airport too long. Grab a Starbucks.

At 0705, if I wanted to see a bit of London, I'd get the tube to Victoria, lesve my bags there, walk round Parliament Square, St James's Park and the Palace, then get a train to Gatwick. Faster and a great deal more reliable than getting a coach at that time of the morning - and the cross-platform tube connection with a bag is a lot less hassle than hoiking a bag from the coach station to the railway station.

BUT, you'd be pushed for time if you wanted to be at Gatwick for 1130. Why, though? Check in online beforehand, and 75 mins before takeoff should be just fine, unless you're on a low-cost.

By the way: what's a shuttle bus?

How does it differ from an ordinary bus? If it doesn't, why complicate things? If it is different, do the criteria for shuttlehood apply to an every 20 minutes, &pound;20, 60-90 minute, service?

If they arrive at LHR at 7:05 then it's likely it will 8:05 before they get on the Tube. Whilst the Tube will be empty there, by the time they change at Hammersmith they'll be trying to get on a train that will probably be full.

AFAIK the coaches can use the bus lanes into town and so would be quicker than a car service and cheaper than a taxi

Yeah, no way am I messing with the tube with luggage--been there done that, not to mention it's a relatively long ride. I think I'm just going to play it by ear..if we get in on time we can take the HEX and then have a taxi take us around before dropping us at Victoria (I've been to London already, my partner has not); if we're pressed for time, we'll take the coach.

Thanks everyone!

Ok, we're leaving in two days, I've decided taking the shuttle bus just makes more sense.

Where do I purchase tickets? Can and should they be bought on the internet in advance, or do I buy them on the bus? We're flying in from DC on Virgin, how do I find the bus from there?

thanks!

If you don't want to worry about hassles, luggage, etc., you can get a taxi very quickly at either airport for the transfer. For me, the $$ was well worth the piece of mind and not having to lug the luggage.