george_scott

I believe that there are other cheaper alternatives into Central London other then the Gatwick Express which currently is 19 pounds one way..OUCH!!

Are there other train options from Gatwick into Central London?

WillTravel

Look here:

http://www.baa.com/main/airports/gat...ere_frame.html

ballbuster

19 pounds is first class

its 12 pounds round trip

Kayb95

There are mainline train services from Gatwick into London which are cheaper than the Gatwick Express. Check here: <b>www.thetrainline.com</b> for fares and frequencies.

PalQ

cheapest way is Thameslink or SouthCentral trains, but about 10 pounds at full fare - two for one specials on this and gatwick ex at times possible (Time Out Mag sold in US and UK often has special offer, need no coupon in last time i looked but just refer to TimeOut 2 for 1 offer. Don't know currently but go to bookstore and look. Best deal? Take Thameslink Gatwick to East Croydon, then buy a London Transport Travelcard and take trains from East Croydon to virtually anywhere in London, and travel rest of day in London area for free. In US you cana buy Gatwick Express tickets for $20 in 2nd class thru RailEurope- alot better than 19 pounds, which seems high to me, are you sure that is the real full fare?

bob_brown

On the Gatwick - Victoria train, the express class fare is &pound;12 one way; &pound;23.50 return. Dr. Ballburster is right on the 19 pounds first class fare, but the &pound;12 is one way.

Not cheap at any rate. I peeked at the fares to make sure I remembered correctly.

You can pre-order an E ticket if you desire. But I had no trouble finding a ticket last summer. I also found a very handy Barclay's ATM on the side wall of one of those greedy money changers where you deal with a person.
I paid 1% on what I took out at the bank wholesale rate. The human changer wanted 10% and lord knows what his base rate was. I did not get close enough to find out.

janis

Why anyone would buy a 1st class ticket for a 30 minute journey is beyond me. As the others say, it is &pound;12 2nd class. And you do not need to buy a ticket ahead of time - conductors on board sell tix and take cash or credit cards.

&pound;12 doesn't seem that high to me - it is a non-stop train and LGW is more than 30 miles from central London. Just think what a cab or car service would cost you. But you can save a bit by taking Thameslink . . . . . .

george_scott

Thanks everyone...yes, your all correct in that I looked at the fare incorrectly of first vs a regular fare. I guess that's not bad considering it is so far from Central London.

We are trying to economize as much as possible due to our sagging dollar

Thanks again everyone!

WillTravel

You can take the National Express for 6 pounds and a much longer ride, but this probably isn't a savings I would consider worthwhile.

Chatters

The Victoria Express is so convenient, that after a long flight, 12 pounds seemed to me like a bargain. BTW, you can pay with a CC for the fare once seated at the train....now, how convenient is that?

ben_haines_london

The idea of a ticket to East Croydon then a day travel card for London all zones is a good one. I can add some detail. In Gatwick you can buy the London day card at the same tim as you buy the ticket to the edge of zone 5. You then need not step off at East Croydon. You can use the ticket on both Thameslink (quarter hourly for London Bridge, Charing Cross, and Kings Cross) and South Central rail (quarter hourly for Victoria and hourly for Kensington Olympia). If you will be in London more than four days you should buy in Gatwick a travel card for zones 1 and 2 for a week, and a ticket to the edge of zone 2. London travel cards cover tubes, trains, and busses.

You buy your tickets before you board. For the Gatwick Express you can buy on the train, but you pay a pound extra, take only five minutes less than South Central rail, and cannot go to Kensington Olympia, Charing Cross, or Kings Cross. Queues (lines) can build up at Gatwick ticket office. If you have drawn cash from the Barclays ATM you can buy your tickets at a ticket machine, with no queue.

If you would like to tell me your touch down time and day and the name of your hotel I shall be glad to pick you the right line from Gatwick. Victoria is not always what you want.

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jay

Just took it. it is only 12p not 19. it is actually less than a half hour.

george_scott

Hey everyone...thanks for the feedback. My partner and I eneded up buying the Southern Train ticket for 10lbs each/one way to Victoria Station which included unlimited travel on the tube for the remainder of the day as well. The Southern Train only took us 10 minutes longer than the Express would have but that is 4lbs for 2 or $8 US, plus the tube free for today to boot!!

With the exhange rate so poor every pound saved is 2 US dollars.

Happy Holidays!