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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
Gatwick is one several airports which serve London. Other London airports include Heathrow, Luton, Stansted and the small London City Airport.
Be sure to check which of these airports your flight leaves from or arrives at, and in the case of Heathrow or Gatwick, which terminal (Terminal 1, 2, 3 or 4 at Heathrow; North or South Terminal at Gatwick).
Direct flights to a small number of North American cities are also available from a small number of UK regional airports, especially Manchester I believe.
In addition, flights to many cities in North America are available via Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, with feeder flights from numerous UK regional airports. For anyone who lives some distance from London this can often be a less expensive and much more convenient option than flying via Heathrow or Gatwick.
The two terminals are connected by a free "transit" (light railway). The trip between the terminals takes about five minutes and the service runs at the same interval. Anyone with time to spare can freely take the transit and explore the other terminal.
The South Terminal also has a satellite building, connected via a similar transit, but since this is beyond security it is only accessible by passengers.
Both terminals have numerous shops and restaurants. At the South Terminal these are to be found in an area rather confusingly called the Gatwick Village, on the first floor. Prices in shops and restaurants in the airport are fairly expensive.
Hotels in the immediate airport area tend to be expensive. There is a Travelodge at Five Oaks, not too far from Gatwick.
The M23 motorway runs close to the airport. From Junction 9 of the motorway take the signposted short spur road west and follow the signs to each terminal. The two terminals are reached via separate entrances from the same spur road. If you end up at the wrong terminal you can take the free transit to quickly cross to the other terminal as described above. The M23 motorway runs north to intersect with the M25 motorway which circles London. Just north of the M25 intersection the M23 changes into a normal road. The M23 also runs south towards Brighton although it changes to a non-motorway dual carriageway a few miles south of Gatwick.
Because of severe congestion and parking problems and the difficulty of navigation I would not advise anyone without local knowledge to drive into the area inside the M25 and especially not into central London.
Remember that rental cars in the UK are nearly all manual transmission and that we drive on the lefthand side of the road so the driver sits on the righthand side of the car. Visitors from North America should also be prepared for roundabouts which are very common in Europe. In Britain roundabouts must always be traversed in a clockwise direction and when entering a roundabout you must give way to traffic which is already on the roundabout. Also remember that you cannot turn right or left on a red light in any European country.
Taking a taxi between the airport and Central London is an extremely expensive option.
A map of the entire very complicated London Underground system can be found at every station on the system and a map of the line you are travelling on can be found above the windows in every carriage. Station names are clearly indicated at every station. I believe that the price structure is by zones - you pay according to the number of zones you will be travelling through.
If you wish to explore London then it may be possible to obtain a "rover" ticket giving you unlimited travel on the Underground. However, the price may depend on the number of zones the ticket covers. I believe that the official London Tour bus offers an alternative method of exploring London, allowing you to hop on and off and spent as long as you like at each place of interest, as well as offering a commentary. This information is tentative and would need to be checked.
If you are travelling to or from other parts of the UK by rail, remember that London has a separate mainline railway terminus for trains from each region and that separate railway companies now operate train services in different areas of the country. The various London mainline railway termini are all linked by the Underground system.
For information on the London Underground and London bus services, see the Transport For London site (external link verified May-04).
There are long distance coach services direct from a few UK towns and cities to Gatwick Airport.
A number of companies operate off-airport long term car parks.
Some hotels in the airport area may offer a combination of accommodation and long term car parking.
In my experience receipts for suitcases are never checked when leaving the baggage return area, allowing any passenger to easily take anyone else's property by accident or on purpose.
For information about travel and tourism in London and the UK generally, please refer to the UK Travel Links page.
For up-to-the-minute travel news for London and the UK generally, the Travel section of BBC1 and BBC 2's Ceefax teletext service is very highly recommended. The Travel section index is on page 430. ITV's teletext service has similar information with an index on page 160. This information might also be available on the teletext services' web sites: BBC and ITV/Channel 4 Teletext.
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Most recently modified 19-May-04
