For most people the National Express coach is the right choice. A direct coach is the only public service between the two airports with no change, it picks up at both Gatwick terminals, the timetable allows 65 to 75 minutes, and the lowest online fare was £14.90. A pre-booked car is quicker when the M25 is clear and becomes good value for groups. Rail through London is slower than the coach and dearer, and the best-known rail pairing, Gatwick Express with Heathrow Express, is the poorest value of all. Times and fares were checked on 2026-09-27 and can change.
The options side by side
| Option | Journey time | Changes | Price | First and last from Gatwick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Express coach | 65–75 min | none | from £14.90 per person | 01:10 and 23:45 |
| Thameslink to Farringdon, then Elizabeth line | 81–101 min | one | £23.10–£31.70 contactless | 04:41 and 22:36 |
| Train to Victoria, then Tube or bus to Paddington, then Heathrow Express | 87–90 min | two or more | £38.45–£53.00 | not checked |
| Train to East Croydon, then SL7 bus | 102–139 min | one | £5.85–£8.35 contactless | not checked |
| Pre-booked private hire | 45–70 min | none | £62–£108 per saloon | any hour, booked ahead |
| Airport Cars Gatwick, the official taxi firm | depends on traffic | none | fixed quote on request | ask at the desk |
Scroll sideways to see all columns
Times exclude waiting for the first departure. The Victoria row comes from the TfL journey planner for a weekday midday departure (source: https://api.tfl.gov.uk/Journey/JourneyResults/910GGTWK/to/910GHTRWAPT?date=20260929&time=1200&timeIs=Departing&via=910GVICTRIC, checked 2026-09-27).
The coach
National Express lists 58 departures a day across routes 025, 200, 201, 210 and 230, so there is no fixed interval. Coaches leave the South Terminal from the lower forecourt and the North Terminal from the lower level outside International Arrivals, so nobody needs the inter-terminal shuttle. At Heathrow most finish at the Central Bus Station, which serves Terminals 2 and 3, or at Terminal 5; National Express lists only the 205 for Terminal 4.
You buy online or at the coach desks in the arrivals halls; there is no tapping on. A standard ticket is valid on a similar coach up to three hours either side of the one booked, which matters when a flight lands late. Flixbus and The Airline also run between the airports; we have not priced them.
Rail through London: two routings
Thameslink and the Elizabeth line. Take Thameslink north to Farringdon and change to a westbound Elizabeth line train. The TfL planner gave 81 to 101 minutes, and Gatwick itself suggests allowing about an hour and a half. The contactless fare is £23.10, rising to £31.70 on weekdays from 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00. All six Elizabeth line trains an hour serve Terminals 2 and 3; four go on to Terminal 4 and two to Terminal 5. Moving between Heathrow terminals on the Elizabeth line is free on contactless.
Victoria and Heathrow Express. This pairing goes to Victoria by Gatwick Express or Southern, crosses to Paddington by Tube or bus, then takes the Heathrow Express. At midday the TfL planner timed it at 87 to 90 minutes, no faster than the Farringdon route, and priced it at £38.45 to £53.00, the top figure being the version that uses Gatwick Express. That is more than twice the off-peak Farringdon fare, for more changes. Use it only when the Farringdon route is disrupted.
The SL7 alternative. A train to East Croydon and the Superloop SL7 bus costs £5.85 to £8.35 but took 102 to 139 minutes, on an ordinary bus with no luggage hold. Only for the light-travelling and unhurried.
Private hire and taxi
Independent firms publish fixed fares of £62 to £108 for a saloon, covering two suitcases. One firm prices a six-seat MPV with six cases at £168 for the Heathrow to Gatwick direction. The M23 and M25 decide the time: 45 to 70 minutes. For four or more people the car can cost less than rail; the transfer guide works through it by group size.
Airport Cars Gatwick, the airport’s official firm, has desks in both terminals and quotes a fixed price that does not move with traffic, but publishes no Heathrow fare. Coming the other way, a black cab from a Heathrow rank can agree the fare to Gatwick before setting off, because the trip ends outside Greater London, and a rank pick-up adds £1.60.
Terminal transfers at each end
At Gatwick every train leaves from the station inside the South Terminal. From the North Terminal the free shuttle ride is about two minutes, and the TfL planner allows nine minutes from the North Terminal bus station to the railway station. The coach calls at both terminals, so North Terminal arrivals skip that step.
At Heathrow, know your departure terminal before you board: rail lands you at Terminals 2 and 3 unless you catch one of the fewer trains to 4 or 5, and the coach ends at the Central Bus Station or Terminal 5.
How long to leave between flights
Neither airport publishes a minimum connection time for a change between them. Build your own from four parts:
- Leaving the aircraft, passport control and baggage reclaim at Gatwick. No figure is published and it varies.
- Reaching the coach stop or the station, plus the wait for the next departure.
- The journey: 65 to 75 minutes by coach, 81 to 101 by the Farringdon route, 45 to 70 by car.
- Your airline’s check-in and bag-drop deadline at Heathrow, which is on your booking.
For scale: Gatwick’s general advice for its own departures is to arrive at least two hours before the flight. If you applied the same margin at Heathrow, the coach journey plus that margin already comes to 3 hours 5 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes, before anything that happens at Gatwick. If the two flights are on separate bookings, assume a missed connection is not covered unless the second airline tells you otherwise, and leave more room. The leave-by calculator works out the departure time for the Gatwick end.
Luggage
The coach allows one large case or two medium ones plus a soft hand-luggage item per person. Extra hold items cost £10 each online for a single journey, up to three, and hard-shell cases and wheelie bags go in the hold free. By rail you carry everything through the Farringdon change, and trolleys are not allowed on the platforms at Gatwick station. The saloon quotes cover two suitcases.
Full timetables and scenario advice are on /gatwick-to-heathrow/ and /heathrow-to-gatwick/. Everything above was checked on 2026-09-27; confirm with the operator before travelling.