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Gatwick Airportto Heathrow Airport

Our pickCoachNational Express65–75 min£14.90

After landing at Gatwick, the National Express coach is the simplest way to Heathrow: it leaves from both terminals, needs no change and is planned at 65–75 minutes on the road. Rail via Thameslink and the Elizabeth line suits you if you would rather tap a contactless card than book a coach, but it takes 81–101 minutes with a change at Farringdon and costs £23.10–£31.70.

Last checked Heathrow to Gatwick

Compare 7 ways

  1. Our pick:

    Coach

    National Express

    National Express direct coach

    65–75 min

    £14.90

    Online from-price incl. £1.50 booking fee; limited seats, not a guaranteed fare

    Checked unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)

    Direct · Runs 24 hours

    Details for National Express

    Runs

    24 hours

    Contactless
    No
    Step-free
    Yes
    Luggage
    Allowance per passenger: one large suitcase or two medium cases, plus one soft hand-luggage item.
    From
    South Terminal lower forecourt coach stops; North Terminal lower level outside International Arrivals
    To
    Heathrow Central Bus Station (Terminals 2 and 3) or Terminal 5; Terminal 4 only on the 205
    Notes
    National Express lists 58 departures a day across several route numbers, so there is no fixed interval. Tickets are bought online in advance or at the coach desks in the Gatwick arrivals halls; you cannot tap a contactless card on board as you would on a train. A night departure at 01:10 is scheduled to reach Heathrow Central at 03:05. A standard ticket is valid on a similar service up to three hours either side of the one booked.
    Other sources (3)
  2. Bus

    Thameslink or Southern + TfL Superloop SL7

    Train to East Croydon, then SL7 bus

    102–139 min

    £5.85–£8.35

    Contactless pay as you go, train plus bus combined

    Checked unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)

    1 change

    Details for Thameslink or Southern + TfL Superloop SL7
    Contactless
    Yes
    Step-free
    No
    Luggage
    Ordinary London bus with no dedicated luggage hold.
    From
    Gatwick Airport station, inside South Terminal
    To
    Heathrow Central Bus Station (Terminals 2 and 3)
    Notes
    Combined fare adds the contactless rail fare from Gatwick to East Croydon (£4.10 off-peak, £6.60 peak) to the £1.75 bus fare. The SL7 stop is on Dingwall Road, a short walk from East Croydon station. Night journeys were planned at 102–107 minutes end to end; at midday the bus leg alone was timetabled at 107–108 minutes. Adult Oyster pay as you go works on both the train and the bus.
    Other sources (5)
  3. Private transfer

    Private transfer

    4 vehicle sizes

    45–90 min

    Vehicle sizes and single fares
    VehicleSeatsSingle fare
    Saloon4£75–£125Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
    Estate4£75–£150Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
    MPV (6–7 seats)6£85–£225Checked 28 Sep 2026, unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
    Minibus (8 seats)8£115–£225Checked 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 (5 firms)
    Luggage
    Most firms size the saloon for four passengers and two large cases; BA Transfer allows three passengers in its saloon.
    Notes
    Saloon prices for Gatwick to Heathrow, lowest first: Rapid Airport Transfers £75 (same price to every Heathrow terminal and in the other direction; includes meet and greet, 45 minutes' free waiting from touchdown, motorway fuel and the airport pick-up and drop-off charges, and, it says, no surge or holiday surcharge), LTR Minicab £82, Blackberry Cars £85 on its Gatwick price list (includes its £9 airport pick-up surcharge for waiting and parking), BA Transfer from £95 (meet and greet, flight tracking, free waiting and tolls included) and Heathrow Gatwick Cars £125. Blackberry's Heathrow page shows £108 for the same trip, so its two pages disagree. Firms state journey times from about 45 minutes to 90 minutes depending on traffic on the M23 and M25. Airport Cars Gatwick, the airport's official private hire operator, offers fixed rates only on a pre-booking quote and publishes no Heathrow fare; no rank or black-cab tariff is published for this trip.
    Checked unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
    Other sources (5)

    Estate

    Operator
    Pre-booked private hire (4 firms)
    Luggage
    Blackberry Cars and Heathrow Gatwick Cars size the estate for four passengers and three large cases; BA Transfer says three passengers and three bags.
    Notes
    Estate prices for Gatwick to Heathrow: Rapid Airport Transfers £75 (the same as its saloon), Blackberry Cars £100 on its Gatwick price list, BA Transfer from £105 and Heathrow Gatwick Cars £150. What each price includes is as listed for the saloon; Rapid does not state the estate's case limit. Blackberry's Heathrow page shows £126 for this vehicle, higher than its Gatwick list. Airport Cars Gatwick publishes no Heathrow fare.
    Checked unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
    Other sources (4)

    MPV (6–7 seats)

    Operator
    Pre-booked private hire (4 firms)
    Luggage
    Blackberry's six-seater, BA Transfer's seven-seater and Heathrow Gatwick Cars' seven-seater each take six large cases; Rapid does not state a case limit for its six-seater.
    Notes
    Six- and seven-seat MPV prices for Gatwick to Heathrow: Rapid Airport Transfers £85 (six-seater), BA Transfer from £122 (six to seven passengers), Blackberry Cars £135 (MPV6 on its Gatwick price list) and Heathrow Gatwick Cars £225 (seven-seater). Smaller five-seat MPVs are also listed: Blackberry £115 and Heathrow Gatwick Cars £175. Blackberry's Heathrow page shows £168 for the MPV6. Airport Cars Gatwick publishes no Heathrow fare.
    Checked unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
    Other sources (4)

    Minibus (8 seats)

    Operator
    Pre-booked private hire (3 firms)
    Luggage
    Rapid Airport Transfers and Heathrow Gatwick Cars take eight large cases in an eight-seater; BA Transfer lists seven.
    Notes
    Eight-seat prices for Gatwick to Heathrow: Rapid Airport Transfers £115, BA Transfer from £143 and Heathrow Gatwick Cars £225. Blackberry Cars lists no eight-seater on this route. Airport Cars Gatwick publishes no Heathrow fare.
    Checked unconfirmed (not yet confirmed against a second source)
    Other sources (3)

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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Which should I pick?

  • Early flight

    CoachNational Express

    National Express direct coach

    Connecting to a morning departure at Heathrow, the coach is the only public service moving in the small hours: National Express lists a 01:10 departure from Gatwick, whereas the first Thameslink and Elizabeth line combination leaves at 04:41.

  • Lots of luggage

    Private transferPre-booked private hire (4 firms)

    Estate, fixed price, Gatwick pickup

    The coach allows one large case or two medium ones plus a soft bag each, and rail means hauling cases between two trains at Farringdon, so with more than that a car from the terminal kerb is the practical choice.

  • Group or family

    Private transferPre-booked private hire (5 firms)

    Saloon, fixed price, Gatwick pickup

    Whole-car saloon quotes of £75–£125 split four ways can undercut four peak contactless rail fares at £31.70 each; check the suitcase count, as some saloon prices cover only two cases.

  • After midnight

    CoachNational Express

    National Express direct coach

    The last rail combination leaves Gatwick at 22:36, so after midnight the coach is the public option left; the evening's last listed coach goes at 23:45 and the next at 01:10, so expect a wait in the terminal.

Route notes

No railway joins the two airports, so only the coach gets you there in one seat. At South Terminal the coaches leave from the lower forecourt; at North Terminal they stand on the lower level outside International Arrivals, and each terminal has a coach ticket desk in the arrivals hall. Before boarding, check where your coach finishes: most end at the Central Bus Station for Terminals 2 and 3 or at Terminal 5, and National Express lists only the 205 for Terminal 4.

Miss your booked coach after a late landing or a slow passport queue and a standard ticket still covers a similar service up to three hours either side.

The train route starts at the station inside South Terminal. If you landed at North Terminal, ride the free inter-terminal shuttle first; the TfL planner allows nine minutes from the North Terminal bus station to the railway station. Tap in at the Gatwick gates and out at Heathrow with the same bank card, phone or adult Oyster card; concession Oysters and Freedom Passes do not travel free on the Gatwick leg. Stay on Thameslink to Farringdon and change there for a westbound Elizabeth line train. Only two of the six Heathrow trains each hour run to Terminal 5 and four run to Terminal 4, so read the destination before stepping on.

Landing on a weekday afternoon costs more by rail: the contactless fare jumps from £23.10 to £31.70 between 16:00 and 19:00, which is also when the Farringdon change is most crowded.

The SL7 Superloop bus from East Croydon is the cheapest way across, but at midday the bus leg alone runs 107–108 minutes. For a car, Airport Cars Gatwick is the airport's official private-hire firm and will quote on request.

Guides for this route

Questions

Is there a direct train from Gatwick to Heathrow?

No. Every rail journey needs at least one change, usually Thameslink to Farringdon and then the Elizabeth line, and the TfL planner puts it at 81–101 minutes. The National Express coach is the only direct public service.

Can I pay for the rail route with contactless?

Yes. TfL prices Gatwick to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 on contactless pay as you go at £23.10 off-peak and £31.70 at peak times. An adult Oyster card on pay as you go is accepted at Gatwick too, but concession Oysters and Freedom Passes do not travel free on the Gatwick leg.