The simplest way between Heathrow and Gatwick is a direct coach, which takes about an hour in normal traffic and costs from £14.70 with National Express. By train, the best route is the Elizabeth line to Farringdon and then Thameslink to Gatwick, which takes about an hour and a half; a taxi is the easiest option with heavy bags, but much more expensive.
Heathrow and Gatwick are London's two biggest airports, and they are not close to each other. Heathrow lies west of the city and Gatwick well to the south, beyond the edge of Greater London. There is no train that links them directly, so travellers who land at one and fly out from the other have to choose between a coach round the motorway, a train through central London, or a taxi.
If your two flights are on separate tickets, you will also have to collect your bags, pass through UK border control and check in again. This guide explains each route, what it costs, how long to allow, and what to check before you book a tight connection.
Heathrow to Gatwick: the options
- Coach
- About 1 hour (longer in traffic); from £14.70 with National Express
- Train via Farringdon
- Elizabeth line plus Thameslink, about 1 hour 30 minutes; £23.10 off-peak or £31.70 peak with contactless
- Train via Paddington and Victoria
- Heathrow Express, Tube or bus, then Gatwick Express; about 1 hour 30 minutes; over £50
- Taxi
- Door to door; agree the fare before you set off or pay by the meter
- Time to allow
- We suggest at least 4 hours between flights on separate tickets
Before you choose: through tickets, bags and the border
How you travel between the airports matters less than how your flights were booked. If both flights are on one ticket with an airline or an alliance that uses both airports, ask the airline how your bags will be handled and whether it provides a transfer. Don't assume your bags will follow you from Heathrow to Gatwick.
If your flights are on separate tickets, treat the connection as two separate journeys. You land, go through UK border control, collect your luggage, travel to the other airport, and then check in and pass security again. That takes time even when everything runs smoothly.
Changing airports means entering the UK, so you may need an ETA. Airside transit, where you stay inside the airport without passing border control, does not require an Electronic Travel Authorisation. A Heathrow to Gatwick transfer is landside: you pass through border control, so most visa-free visitors need an ETA (£20) before they fly. Check the rules on GOV.UK.
Our page on UK entry requirements and the ETA explains who needs one and how long approval takes. Apply well before you travel, not at the gate.
Photo: Sunil060902 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
The direct coach: the easiest option with luggage
Coaches are the only public transport that runs directly between the two airports, and they are the least tiring option with suitcases because you load your bags once. National Express runs 63 services a day between Heathrow and Gatwick, from £14.70, with a journey time of about 1 hour 5 minutes. That fare includes a £1.50 booking fee, and the cheapest seats have limited availability. Gatwick Airport says its other coach operators, Airline and Flixbus, also run direct services to Heathrow.
The weak point is the road. The route uses the M25, the motorway around London, and delays are common at busy times. A sample weekday journey on TfL's Journey Planner, with a coach leaving Heathrow at 11:00, took about an hour and a half including the terminal shuttle at Gatwick. Build in a margin.
At Heathrow, National Express coaches leave from the Central Bus Station next to Terminals 2 and 3, with stops at Terminals 4 and 5. At Gatwick, check whether your coach stops at the North or South Terminal. If it drops you at the wrong one, the free shuttle between the terminals takes about 2 minutes. Book on the National Express Gatwick page and check the terminal on your ticket.
By train via Farringdon: Elizabeth line and Thameslink
The Gatwick Airport website calls this the easiest rail route, and we agree. You take the Elizabeth line from Heathrow to Farringdon, a station in central London, and change there to a Thameslink train that runs straight to Gatwick. The Gatwick site says to allow about 1 hour 30 minutes. In a sample weekday search on TfL's Journey Planner, the whole trip took between about 87 and 95 minutes.
The change at Farringdon is simple: the Elizabeth line and Thameslink platforms are in the same station complex, and all Elizabeth line stations are step-free. Thameslink trains to Gatwick run frequently from Farringdon, and at Gatwick they arrive at the station in the South Terminal. Our guide to the Elizabeth line explains the trains and stations.
You can pay with a contactless card or an Oyster card for the whole journey. Touch in at Heathrow and touch out at Gatwick with the same card. TfL's fare data for a journey from Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 to Gatwick through central London gives £31.70 at peak times and £23.10 off-peak. Peak hours are 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00 on weekdays that are not public holidays. Check your exact fare on the TfL single fare finder.
One card from Heathrow to Gatwick keeps the fare correct. If you touch in at Heathrow with your phone and touch out at Gatwick with a plastic card, the system sees two incomplete journeys and may charge maximum fares. Use the same card or device at both ends, and keep other contactless cards away from the reader.
TfL's data also lists cheaper routes that avoid Zone 1, going round west and south London via Ealing Broadway, Shepherd's Bush and Clapham Junction, for £22.10 peak and £17.00 off-peak. They involve several changes and pink card readers along the way. With luggage after a long flight, we would not recommend them.
By train via Paddington and Victoria: faster trains, more changes
The second rail route uses the two airport express trains. Take Heathrow Express to Paddington (15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3), cross to Victoria by Tube or bus, then take Gatwick Express non-stop to Gatwick (about 30 minutes). The Gatwick website suggests the Circle line for the middle leg; TfL's planner also offered bus 36. Either way, the Gatwick site again suggests allowing about 1 hour 30 minutes in total.
It is expensive. Heathrow Express costs £26.00 and Gatwick Express £24.00 with contactless or Oyster, and neither counts towards daily caps. Add a Zone 1 Tube fare between Paddington and Victoria and you pay more than £50 per adult, roughly double the off-peak fare via Farringdon, for no saving in time.
The one group for whom it can make sense is families. Children aged 15 and under travel free on Heathrow Express. Even so, the Tube change at Paddington and Victoria with bags and children is harder work than the single change at Farringdon. Not every Tube station has step-free access, so if stairs are a problem, our guide to step-free transport in London can help you plan the middle leg.
Taxi between the airports
A taxi takes you from one terminal door to the other, which is worth a lot if you have heavy luggage, small children or limited mobility. It is also the only door-to-door option in the middle of the night.
The price is the problem. Gatwick is outside Greater London, and TfL says fares to Gatwick can be agreed with the driver before the trip; otherwise the meter applies. A black cab driver at Heathrow is not obliged to take you that far, so ask before you get in. Many travellers pre-book a private hire car instead, which should always be booked in advance rather than taken from someone who approaches you in the arrivals hall. Our guide to black cabs, minicabs and ride apps explains how to check that a driver and operator are licensed.
Traffic on the M25 affects taxis just as it affects coaches, so a taxi is not necessarily faster than the train. For a group of three or four with a lot of luggage, the cost per person comes closer to rail, and the convenience may be worth it.
How much time to allow between flights
There is no official minimum connection time for changing between Heathrow and Gatwick on separate tickets. Your airline sets check-in and bag-drop deadlines for the second flight, and those are what matter. Work backwards from them.
| Step | Time to allow (our estimate) |
|---|---|
| Landing to leaving the terminal (border control and bags) | 45 to 90 minutes, longer after long-haul arrivals at busy times |
| Travel between the airports | About 1 to 1.5 hours, plus a margin for delays |
| Check-in, bag drop and security at the second airport | Follow your airline's advice; often at least 2 hours before departure |
Added up, we would not book separate flights with less than about four hours between the scheduled landing and the next departure, and we would want more for a long-haul arrival or a peak-hour transfer. On separate tickets, the airline operating your second flight has no link to your first one, so a delayed arrival can simply mean a missed departure. A generous gap is cheap insurance.
If the gap is very long, or runs overnight, a night near the departure airport can be more relaxing than a late transfer. Our guide to staying overnight at a London airport compares hotels at Heathrow and Gatwick.
Terminals at each end
At Heathrow, Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 are in use, and airlines move between them from time to time. Moving between Heathrow terminals is free on the Elizabeth line, Heathrow Express (Terminals 2 and 3 to Terminal 5) and the H30 bus. Our guide to Heathrow's terminals explains the layout, and the Heathrow airport guide covers facilities.
At Gatwick, the railway station is at the South Terminal, and a free shuttle runs to the North Terminal in about 2 minutes. If you arrive by train and fly from the North Terminal, add that step to your plan. Our Gatwick guide has more on the airport.
Late at night and early in the morning
Thameslink runs through the night on the Gatwick line, roughly hourly in the small hours in a sample weekday search. The Elizabeth line from Heathrow does not run all night, although the Piccadilly line runs overnight on Friday and Saturday nights, and night bus N9 links Heathrow with central London every night. A very late transfer by public transport can therefore involve a slow bus and a change in central London. Our guide to night and early-morning airport transport covers each airport.
Other airport-to-airport links
Heathrow and Gatwick are not the only pair. National Express runs about 13 coaches a day between Heathrow and Stansted, taking about 1 hour 20 minutes. From Gatwick, Thameslink trains run directly to Luton Airport Parkway in around 75 minutes, where the DART shuttle takes you to the terminal. Our guides to Stansted Airport and Luton Airport explain the onward details.
If you are only passing through London for a day or two between flights, our comparison of Heathrow's routes into the city centre will help you plan the first leg, and our overview of how the London airports compare covers the rest.
Take the coach if
- You have heavy suitcases and want to load them only once
- You are travelling outside the rush hour
- You want the lowest fare and have booked ahead
Take the train if
- You are travelling at a time when the M25 is likely to be slow
- You want a predictable journey time
- You want to pay with contactless and not book in advance
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get from Heathrow to Gatwick?
About an hour by direct coach in normal traffic, although delays on the M25 can add a lot more. By train via Farringdon it takes about an hour and a half. Allow extra time for leaving the terminal, border control and baggage reclaim before you set off.
What is the cheapest way from Heathrow to Gatwick?
The direct coach is usually cheapest, from £14.70 with National Express when booked ahead (limited availability). By train with contactless, the route via Farringdon costs £23.10 off-peak and £31.70 at peak times, according to TfL's fare data.
Is there a direct train from Heathrow to Gatwick?
No. You need at least one change. The simplest rail route is the Elizabeth line from Heathrow to Farringdon, then a Thameslink train to Gatwick. The alternative is Heathrow Express to Paddington, the Tube to Victoria and Gatwick Express, which is more expensive.
Do I need an ETA to change from Heathrow to Gatwick?
Probably, if you are a visa-free visitor. Changing airports means passing through UK border control, which counts as landside transit, and GOV.UK says landside transit needs an ETA. Airside transit within one airport does not. Check the rules for your nationality on GOV.UK.
How much time do I need between flights at Heathrow and Gatwick?
There is no official minimum for separate tickets. We suggest at least four hours between the scheduled landing and the next departure, and more after a long-haul flight or at busy times, because you need to clear the border, collect bags, travel and check in again.
Sources
- Gatwick Airport - To and from London (and other airports) (checked September 2026)
- National Express - Gatwick Airport coaches (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Single fare finder (Heathrow to Gatwick) (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Journey Planner (sample Heathrow to Gatwick journeys) (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Taxi fares (checked September 2026)
- GOV.UK - Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) (checked September 2026)
- Heathrow Express - Fares and timetable (checked September 2026)