What is the cheapest way!!
 

I will be arriving Friday Sept.17,04 at Gatwick Airport. I would like some information about getting to and around London. The taxi fares are incredible.

Where are you staying? Are you traveling light? Can you manage your luggage going up and down stairs? If so, you can use public transport and save money.

The cheapest way to get to central London (Victoria Coach Station) is by the National Express bus from Gatwick, at a cost (I think) of 6 pounds.
However, I would not recommend this economy.

Take the Gatwick Express (about 12 pounds) or the ThamesLink trains (about 9 pounds) instead. The Gatwick Express goes to Victoria Station. The Thameslink trains go to various locations in central London.

Once you arrive in central London, you can then take the tube to your hotel - http://www.thetube.com .

Don't be afraid of using trains and the tube - it is straightforward and the attendants at the ticket window will help you.

Buy a travel card - it covers all of the tube and buses - but work out where you'll be travelling most. For example, if you're mostly going to be in central London, then just get a zone 1-2 which is £20 for unlimited travel. This won't cover Gatwick so you will have to pay extra to get into town, I'd suggest just getting the train (either the normal stopping trains or the Gatwick Express but the GE is more expensive)

For more info go to www.tfl.gov.uk - this is the official London transport webpage where you'll find info on pretty much everything you need.

And for Gatwick:

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

Some advice if you get the Gatwick Express into Victoria and plan to take the tube to your hotel: Check online before you leave and find out if any of the Tube lines are shut down for the weekend. District and Circle lines will be shut down through November. We didn't know that before we left. Instead of a quick and easy transfer from Victoria to Embankment station on one of those lines, we had to take the Picadilly line up to Oxford Circus and the Northern line down to Charing Cross. This was quite a lot of lugging and hauling luggage up and down staricases. We would have taken a taxi to our hotel if we had known. The particular closure I mentioned should only affect you if your hotel is in Westminster or Covent Garden.. But other closures may occur so my advice is to check before leaving..