Gatwick to Heathrow

[skyboy]

We are landing in Gatwick around 10pm and have to be on a flight out of Heathrow at 11am the next morning. We heard that there are bus companies that transport you from one airport to the other. Can anyone recommend one and is it safe to do this at night?

[greatam]

We are landing in Gatwick around 10pm and have to be on a flight out of Heathrow at 11am the next morning. We heard that there are bus companies that transport you from one airport to the other. Can anyone recommend one and is it safe to do this at night?

 

National Express runs a coach service about every thirty minutes between the two airports. http://www.nationalexpress.com/

 

There are also lots of car services that make transfers between the two airports. Do a google search if you want car service.

 

If it was me, I would make the transfer when you arrive Gatwick in the evening and get an airport hotel at Heathrow. I would not try to make the transfer in the morning. Just too busy at both airports early morning.

 

You will have to get up at 6:00AM to get on the 7:00 coach to get to Heathrow by 8:30. Much easier to do the transfer in the evening when it is NOT so crowded.

[Globaliser]

Can anyone recommend one and is it safe to do this at night?

There's nothing unsafe about the transfer whatever time of the day. greatam's advice about doing it in the evening is very sound (as always!), as the morning peak hour is when delays are more likely to occur because of heavy traffic or accidents.

 

You will need to bear two things in mind when you're working out where you're going to stay at Heathrow. First, the terminal from which you're flying in the morning. Second, the way to get from the airport to your hotel. There is one hotel that's directly connected to a terminal: the Hilton at Terminal 4. The transfer bus drops off at T4, IIRC.

 

Otherwise, all other hotels are off-airport. There are no hotel shuttles, but there are the Hotel Hoppa bus (chargeable) and taxis from the terminals, or free local (commuter) buses from the central bus station where the Heathrow-Gatwick bus will drop you if you don't get off at T4.

[skyboy]

Thanks, that was really helpful.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We stayed at the Heathrow Jury's Inn last summer. It's off-airport, but very close, and we got the hoppa bus for a few pounds. It was a very decent hotel, at an affordable price, and we were well-situated for our early morning flight.

[handfordr]

If your flight arrives at Gatwick at 22:00 it will be 23:00 or there abouts when you exit customs. You will therefore arrive at Heathrow Central Bus Station using the National Express Bus at around midnight at the earliest. By this time all of the transfer buses to the hotels have ceased. (At Heathrow there are no complimentary buses to hotels, the airport authority licences the Hoppa Bus that services all hotels at a flat rate of 4 GBP, but these stop before midnight)

The only hotel within walking distance of Heathrow terminals is the Hilton at T4, the most expensive of Heathrows's 25+ hotels)

Also if your flight is late there is a gap in schedules of the National Express Bus between 24:00 and 02:00

 

At Gatwick there are two expensive hotels (Hilton & Sofitel) linked to the terminals - south and north respectively. There is also the Premier Travel Inn within walking distance of North Terminal that has rooms about 62 GBP and isa good hotel.

I'd recommend you stay at Gatwick at one of these three hotels.

 

In the morning the motorway between Gatwick and Heathrow suffers from chronic traffic congestion between about 07:00 and 10:00 during weekdays. The National Express bus will take 90-120 minutes at this time, other times its about 60-75 minutes. Between 5 and 7 in the morning there are at least 8 buses an hour between Gatwick and Heathrow.

[skyboy]

Thanks for your responses. We were able to get a flight that gets us into Gatwick at 8pm so I think we have enough time to go to Heathrow at night and then get the hopa bus to our hotel. We made reservations at the Heathrow Renaissance.