From Brighton station, board the next train that lists Gatwick Airport among its stops, usually a Thameslink service to Bedford or Cambridge, with Gatwick Express adding two an hour from Monday to Saturday. Buy your ticket before you set off, since contactless pay-as-you-go is not valid on this line, and allow extra minutes if your airline uses the North Terminal.
Seven ways from Brighton to Gatwick Airport. Bars share one scale on this page. Hours are first and last departures as recorded; the ochre mark is the time now in London. Paying by contactless has its own rules at Gatwick: read the contactless guide. checked on the date in each option's details · not yet confirmed against a second source.
Option
Journey
Single fare
How often
Hours
Contactless PAYG
Step-free
Details
Our pickOur pick: TrainThameslinkThameslink towards Bedford or Cambridge · Direct
30–33 min
£9.90–£11.50Checked 27 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Off-Peak to Anytime single
up to 4 per hour
Not recorded
No
Yes
From
Brighton station
To
Gatwick Airport station, inside the South Terminal
Fare
£9.90–£11.50, Off-Peak to Anytime single
Usually 13–43% of seats filled on weekdays, busiest 16:00–19:00. Checked (GTR load-weighing counts, 26 Jul–22 Aug 2026)
On time (≤5 min) 78% · weekdays, 28 days to 28 Sep 2026 · Data: National Rail Enquiries (HSP) (1089 of 1405 measured weekday trains arrived within 5 minutes of the timetable, 1 Sep 2026 to 28 Sep 2026)
Off-peak, two trains an hour run to Bedford and two to Cambridge, all calling at Gatwick Airport. Contactless pay-as-you-go and Oyster are not accepted between Brighton and Gatwick. National Rail states fares are frozen until March 2027.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
TrainGatwick ExpressGatwick Express towards Victoria · Direct
28–30 min
£9.90–£11.50Checked 27 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Off-Peak to Anytime single
up to 2 per hour
Not recorded
No
Yes
From
Brighton station
To
Gatwick Airport station, inside the South Terminal
Fare
£9.90–£11.50, Off-Peak to Anytime single
Usually 14–29% of seats filled on weekdays, busiest 16:00–19:00. Checked (GTR load-weighing counts, 26 Jul–22 Aug 2026)
On time (≤5 min) 71% · weekdays, 28 days to 28 Sep 2026 · Data: National Rail Enquiries (HSP) (474 of 672 measured weekday trains arrived within 5 minutes of the timetable, 1 Sep 2026 to 28 Sep 2026)
Runs Monday to Saturday only; on Sundays it does not serve Brighton. Off-peak its only stop before Gatwick is Haywards Heath; between 06:00 and 09:00 on weekdays it also calls at Preston Park, Hassocks and Burgess Hill. The departure board shows London Victoria as the destination.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
CoachNational ExpressNational Express 025 from Old Steine · Direct
40–60 min
£8.00Checked 27 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Online from-price incl. £1.50 booking fee; limited seats, not a guaranteed fare
No fixed interval
02:50–22:45
No
No
From
Brighton Old Steine, stop S4; also Preston Circus, Preston Park, Withdean Park and Patcham
To
South Terminal lower forecourt stops 1–5, then North Terminal lower forecourt about 15 minutes later
Fare
£8.00, Online from-price incl. £1.50 booking fee; limited seats, not a guaranteed fare
Luggage
One large suitcase (or two medium cases) and one soft hand-luggage item per passenger.
Twenty departures a day from Old Steine. Early departures are 02:50 daily, then 03:55 and 04:40 on weekdays or 04:10 and 05:10 at weekends. Old Steine to the South Terminal takes 40–45 minutes; the North Terminal is 55–60. It does not call at Brighton railway station. Book online or in the app; the booking fee is waived for account holders.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Private transferPre-booked private hire (3 firms)Saloon, fixed price, to the terminal · Direct
32–50 min
£55.00–£84.00Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 3 firms, 2026-09-28
No fixed interval
24 hours
No
No
From
Your Brighton address
To
Terminal forecourt drop-off
Fare
£55.00–£84.00, Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 3 firms, 2026-09-28
Luggage
Two large cases in the saloon at Gatwick Taxi Transfer and LondonAirport-Taxi.com; Sussex Airports Taxis says light luggage.
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £55 (same price both ways, Brighton BN1 to BN3, £10 forecourt charge included, no night or weekend premium), Sussex Airports Taxis £75 (up to four passengers; it says the price is for a standard journey and may vary with pickup point, time and luggage), LondonAirport-Taxi.com £84 (drop-off charges included; stated to apply both ways; may vary 23:00 to 06:00 and on bank holidays). Gatwick Taxi Transfer and LondonAirport-Taxi.com say they run 24/7; Sussex Airports Taxis does not state its hours. Journey times stated: about 32 minutes (LondonAirport-Taxi.com), 35 to 45 (Sussex Airports Taxis), 35 to 40 off-peak and 40 to 50 at peak (Gatwick Taxi Transfer). For comparison, Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs lists a £60 guide price that it says may change, Call A Cab quotes from £55 plus a £10 airport drop-off charge, and Brighton City Chauffeur charges £76 for a Mercedes E-Class, an executive car. Airport Cars Gatwick, the airport's official private hire operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Private transferPre-booked private hire (3 firms)Estate, fixed price, to the terminal · Direct
32–50 min
£62.00–£94.00Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 3 firms, 2026-09-28
No fixed interval
24 hours
No
No
From
Your Brighton address
To
Terminal forecourt drop-off
Fare
£62.00–£94.00, Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 3 firms, 2026-09-28
Luggage
Four large cases at Gatwick Taxi Transfer and LondonAirport-Taxi.com; Sussex Airports Taxis sells its estate for extra airport luggage without a case count.
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £62 (same both ways, £10 forecourt charge included), Sussex Airports Taxis £80 for its Estate Plus (standard-journey price that may vary), LondonAirport-Taxi.com £94 (drop-off charges included, may vary 23:00 to 06:00 and on bank holidays). Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs lists a £65 estate guide price, not a fixed fare. Airport Cars Gatwick, the official operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Private transferPre-booked private hire (2 firms)MPV, fixed price, to the terminal · Direct
32–50 min
£80.00–£136.00Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 2 firms, 2026-09-28
No fixed interval
24 hours
No
No
From
Your Brighton address
To
Terminal forecourt drop-off
Fare
£80.00–£136.00, Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 2 firms, 2026-09-28
Luggage
Five large cases in both firms' MPV.
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £80 for a five-to-seven-seat MPV (four to seven passengers, five bags, £10 forecourt charge included, same both ways); LondonAirport-Taxi.com £136 for its seven-seat MPV (six passengers, five large bags, drop-off charges included). Sussex Airports Taxis lists a Large MPV for up to five at £90 and a Family MPV at £85 without a passenger count, so neither is counted in this six-seat range. Brighton City Chauffeur's Mercedes V-Class, an executive seven-seater, is £96 to Gatwick. Airport Cars Gatwick, the official operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Private transferPre-booked private hire (3 firms)8-seat minibus, fixed price, to the terminal · Direct
32–50 min
£95.00–£158.00Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 3 firms, 2026-09-28
No fixed interval
24 hours
No
No
From
Your Brighton address
To
Terminal forecourt drop-off
Fare
£95.00–£158.00, Published fixed price per vehicle, lowest to highest across 3 firms, 2026-09-28
Luggage
Eight large cases at Gatwick Taxi Transfer, seven at LondonAirport-Taxi.com; Sussex Airports Taxis gives no case count.
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £95 (six to eight passengers, £10 forecourt charge included, same both ways), Sussex Airports Taxis £100 for its 8-seater van (standard-journey price that may vary), LondonAirport-Taxi.com £158 for an eight-seat Sprinter-type van (drop-off charges included, may vary 23:00 to 06:00 and on bank holidays). Two Brighton firms print lower non-fixed figures for five to eight passengers: Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs an £80 guide price with the drop-off charge included, and Call A Cab from £74 plus a £10 airport drop-off charge. Airport Cars Gatwick, the official operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Up to 4 per hour · Direct
Details for Thameslink
Contactless
No
Step-free
Yes
From
Brighton station
To
Gatwick Airport station, inside the South Terminal
Notes
Off-peak, two trains an hour run to Bedford and two to Cambridge, all calling at Gatwick Airport. Contactless pay-as-you-go and Oyster are not accepted between Brighton and Gatwick. National Rail states fares are frozen until March 2027.
Usually 13–43% of seats filled on weekdays, busiest 16:00–19:00. Checked (GTR load-weighing counts, 26 Jul–22 Aug 2026)
On time (≤5 min) 78% · weekdays, 28 days to 28 Sep 2026 · Data: National Rail Enquiries (HSP) (1089 of 1405 measured weekday trains arrived within 5 minutes of the timetable, 1 Sep 2026 to 28 Sep 2026)
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Up to 2 per hour · Direct
Details for Gatwick Express
Contactless
No
Step-free
Yes
From
Brighton station
To
Gatwick Airport station, inside the South Terminal
Notes
Runs Monday to Saturday only; on Sundays it does not serve Brighton. Off-peak its only stop before Gatwick is Haywards Heath; between 06:00 and 09:00 on weekdays it also calls at Preston Park, Hassocks and Burgess Hill. The departure board shows London Victoria as the destination.
Usually 14–29% of seats filled on weekdays, busiest 16:00–19:00. Checked (GTR load-weighing counts, 26 Jul–22 Aug 2026)
On time (≤5 min) 71% · weekdays, 28 days to 28 Sep 2026 · Data: National Rail Enquiries (HSP) (474 of 672 measured weekday trains arrived within 5 minutes of the timetable, 1 Sep 2026 to 28 Sep 2026)
Online from-price incl. £1.50 booking fee; limited seats, not a guaranteed fare
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Direct · Last 22:45
Details for National Express
Runs
0006121824
02:50–22:45
Contactless
No
Step-free
No
Luggage
One large suitcase (or two medium cases) and one soft hand-luggage item per passenger.
From
Brighton Old Steine, stop S4; also Preston Circus, Preston Park, Withdean Park and Patcham
To
South Terminal lower forecourt stops 1–5, then North Terminal lower forecourt about 15 minutes later
Notes
Twenty departures a day from Old Steine. Early departures are 02:50 daily, then 03:55 and 04:40 on weekdays or 04:10 and 05:10 at weekends. Old Steine to the South Terminal takes 40–45 minutes; the North Terminal is 55–60. It does not call at Brighton railway station. Book online or in the app; the booking fee is waived for account holders.
£55–£84Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Estate
4
£62–£94Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
MPV (up to 6 passengers)
6
£80–£136Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Minibus (8 seats)
8
£95–£158Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)Details for each vehicle size
Saloon
Operator
Pre-booked private hire (3 firms)
Luggage
Two large cases in the saloon at Gatwick Taxi Transfer and LondonAirport-Taxi.com; Sussex Airports Taxis says light luggage.
Notes
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £55 (same price both ways, Brighton BN1 to BN3, £10 forecourt charge included, no night or weekend premium), Sussex Airports Taxis £75 (up to four passengers; it says the price is for a standard journey and may vary with pickup point, time and luggage), LondonAirport-Taxi.com £84 (drop-off charges included; stated to apply both ways; may vary 23:00 to 06:00 and on bank holidays). Gatwick Taxi Transfer and LondonAirport-Taxi.com say they run 24/7; Sussex Airports Taxis does not state its hours. Journey times stated: about 32 minutes (LondonAirport-Taxi.com), 35 to 45 (Sussex Airports Taxis), 35 to 40 off-peak and 40 to 50 at peak (Gatwick Taxi Transfer). For comparison, Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs lists a £60 guide price that it says may change, Call A Cab quotes from £55 plus a £10 airport drop-off charge, and Brighton City Chauffeur charges £76 for a Mercedes E-Class, an executive car. Airport Cars Gatwick, the airport's official private hire operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Four large cases at Gatwick Taxi Transfer and LondonAirport-Taxi.com; Sussex Airports Taxis sells its estate for extra airport luggage without a case count.
Notes
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £62 (same both ways, £10 forecourt charge included), Sussex Airports Taxis £80 for its Estate Plus (standard-journey price that may vary), LondonAirport-Taxi.com £94 (drop-off charges included, may vary 23:00 to 06:00 and on bank holidays). Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs lists a £65 estate guide price, not a fixed fare. Airport Cars Gatwick, the official operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £80 for a five-to-seven-seat MPV (four to seven passengers, five bags, £10 forecourt charge included, same both ways); LondonAirport-Taxi.com £136 for its seven-seat MPV (six passengers, five large bags, drop-off charges included). Sussex Airports Taxis lists a Large MPV for up to five at £90 and a Family MPV at £85 without a passenger count, so neither is counted in this six-seat range. Brighton City Chauffeur's Mercedes V-Class, an executive seven-seater, is £96 to Gatwick. Airport Cars Gatwick, the official operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Eight large cases at Gatwick Taxi Transfer, seven at LondonAirport-Taxi.com; Sussex Airports Taxis gives no case count.
Notes
Brighton pickup to Gatwick. Gatwick Taxi Transfer £95 (six to eight passengers, £10 forecourt charge included, same both ways), Sussex Airports Taxis £100 for its 8-seater van (standard-journey price that may vary), LondonAirport-Taxi.com £158 for an eight-seat Sprinter-type van (drop-off charges included, may vary 23:00 to 06:00 and on bank holidays). Two Brighton firms print lower non-fixed figures for five to eight passengers: Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs an £80 guide price with the drop-off charge included, and Call A Cab from £74 plus a £10 airport drop-off charge. Airport Cars Gatwick, the official operator, publishes no Brighton fare.
Checked · unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
Bars share one scale on this page. Hours are first and last departures as recorded; the ochre mark is the time now in London. Paying by contactless has its own rules at Gatwick: read the contactless guide. checked on the date in each option's details · not yet confirmed against a second source.
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A pre-booked estate at £62 to £94 fixed collects the cases from your door and unloads them at the terminal kerb, with the airport drop-off charge already in the price at the two firms that itemise it.
With four Thameslink trains an hour a family that misses one has another not far behind, and both Brighton and Gatwick stations are step-free for buggies.
Setting off in the small hours before the 02:50 coach, a pre-booked saloon at £55 to £84 fixed spares you a wait at Old Steine in the dark.
3
Route notes
Check which terminal your airline uses before you work out a leave-by time. The station and the coach's first drop are both at the South Terminal, home to British Airways, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Vueling, Jet2 and Norse Atlantic. Emirates, Qatar Airways and easyJet are listed at the North Terminal, and TUI splits by flight number. North Terminal passengers need a few extra minutes for the free shuttle from the station, or an extra quarter of an hour on the coach.
At Brighton station, do not look for Gatwick as the headline destination. Thameslink trains are shown as going to Bedford or Cambridge, and Gatwick Express trains as going to London Victoria, so read the list of stops. Between 06:00 and 09:00 on weekdays Gatwick Express picks up at Preston Park, Hassocks and Burgess Hill as well, which narrows its lead over Thameslink. Contactless is not accepted on this journey, so buy a ticket first; the ticket office is open from 03:45.
The 025 coach leaves from Old Steine, stop S4, not from the station, and then picks up along Preston Road and London Road at Preston Circus, Preston Park, Withdean Park and Patcham within a quarter of an hour. That makes it handy from the north of the city for an early flight: 02:50 every day, then 03:55 and 04:40 on weekdays, or 04:10 and 05:10 at weekends.
For timing, count about half an hour on the train, or 40 to 45 minutes on the coach from Old Steine to the South Terminal and 55 to 60 to the North. When weekend engineering work turns trains into replacement buses, the coach and a cab are unaffected, so check a few days ahead.
Does Gatwick Express run from Brighton on a Sunday?
No. On Sundays it only shuttles between London Victoria and Gatwick, so take a Thameslink train from Brighton instead.
Which Gatwick terminal does the 025 coach from Brighton reach first?
The South Terminal, at lower forecourt stops 1 to 5, about 40 to 45 minutes after leaving Old Steine. It reaches the North Terminal roughly 15 minutes later.