historytraveler

A taxi is the worst possible choice from either but especially from Gatwick.

ssander

Gatwick is great for the 2-for-1 vouchers. We used to fly there from PHL, before USAir (now American) switched to LHR.

I may be wrong, but I think all the Heathrow trains go to Paddington -- which may be convenient, or may require an additional tube ride.

Since we stayed very near Victoria station, the Southern Railway trains to Victoria qualified us for the 2-for-1 deals, and the trip was about 35 min...a small bit of extra time compared to the Gatwick Express, but faster than taking the tube from LHR, and also probably faster than the Heathrow Express + Tube combination we would need.

Also, as previously stated, the station is right under the central area...very easy to get to.

If you're hotel is near Paddington, LHR is likely more convenient. If not, find out whether a train from Gatwick goes where you want to go.

SS

janisj

Just an FYI - this is an old thread that was topped by someone pushing a transfer service (though she didn't in THIS post).

I've seen othe posts by her but they seem to have been deleted.

Still, good info being posted.

ssander

janisj...

Thanks...I just realized that I was repeating stuff I had posted a year ago. Doh!! I guess I need to read threads entirely.

ssander

mes2525

Much prefer Heathrow. You can take the tube into London. It has easy coach connections with Oxford, Bath, & Bristol. The shopping in terminal 2 and 5 is great. It is big, but if you use LHR a few times, you will figure it out. I think it is much easier to use than CDG or JFK or example.
Gatwick is like Philadelphia or New Orleans - pretty countryside but get me to a "real airport".

flanneruk

"Gatwick is similar Philadelphia or New Orleans - attractive scenery but take me to an actual airport."

Gatwick handles more international passengers every year than any airport in the US.

Now obviously, since no American ever travels outside their own country, most US air travel is domestic. But Gatwick's 34 million international passengers in 2014 was more than the TOTAL number of passengers using ANY US airport apart from Atlanta.

Given the crumbling infrastructure, inept management and tyrannical government officials that typify American airports, it's clearly tempting to dismiss all of them as amateur-hour job creation programmes for corrupt local government.

But comparing a serious international airport like Gatwick with any of them is simply silly.

PatrickLondon

Calm down and don't feed the spammers, flanner. There seems to be a rash of sock-puppet profiles for different transport companies at the moment.

ssander

Yo, Flan...

The international section of PHL is actually very well run...easy to get through security and pretty fast getting back into the country.

Our only complaint here is that USAir (now American) controls 2/3 of all the domestic flights, and all but a few of the trans-Atlantic flights so the price competition is not as good as Dulles, JFK or Newark.

But have mercy on us...London is over five times the size of Philadelphia.

The airport I love is Schiphol...though it has been awhile since we were last there. If I remember correctly, you could jump on a train (below the central area) and go to almost anywhere in the country...not just into Amsterdam. Not many airports can claim that benefit.

CDG is a madhouse sometimes.

ssander

Cjar

Hi flanner- I'm sorry Americans are so offensive. It's true our infrastructure is crumbling. It's also true we seem to need to make every decision by committee and those committees rarely agree. It's also true many U.S. citizens never leave the states, but whereas you can find cheap international flights in Europe, the same thing doesn't apply U.S. to..... Well anywhere. Remember we only have Canada and Mexico near our borders and although many people on the southern border do frequently travel to Mexico, they don't get much further. One of our problems seems to be that 1100 miles will only get you from Los Angeles to Kansas City, still within the continental U.S. That same roughly 1100 miles will get you from London to Rome. We're a big country.

Another problem seems to be a festering, unhealthy nationalism which isn't being helped by our current political circus, but that's another post.

Now that I've got that off my chest. Can anyone explain how to get from Gatwick to Trafalgar Square by train? Our family is trying to break the cycle of thinking America is perfect and see some of the rest of the world : )

janisj

>>Gatwick to Trafalgar Square by train?<<

Train to Victoria and taxi from there (or tube from Victoria to Embankment and walk from there -- but it is up hill and then a bit of a hike from Embankment station so I'd just take a taxi)

janisj

oops -- didn't mean to submit. Meant to add -- you could also take a bus from Victoria but w/ jet lag and all the various bus lines to suss out I'd take a taxi myself.

thursdaysd

If you don't have a smart phone with a maps app, you will find tfl.gov.uk's travel planner very useful.

Cjar

Thank you, Janisj and Thursdayd.

I will be sure to keep this thread. Do you need to buy train tickets in advance and if so is there a website for that?

thursdaysd

Not for that route.

Read seat61.com for train info.

janisj

no need -- buy at LGW.

janisj

Oh -- and if you are flying out of LGW later on, buy round trip train tickets. They will qualify you for the Days Out 2for1's discounts.

https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london

Cjar

Flying out of CDG, but thanks for the suggestion.

EYWandBTV

Since we veered a little off topic above, mentioning a few other airports, let me put in a word of praise for ***Glasgow*** airport. We just flew from Glasgow yesterday back to Montreal. Not only was the airport clearly organized, spotless, and efficiently operated, but management does something I've never seen before in airports: as you file in toward the security check, there are tv screens above the lines showing the real-time results of passenger evaluations on the security check process, broken down in terms of speed and staff courtesy. As you complete your security screening, you can enter your own evaluation. Brilliant attention to the customers!