Heathrow to Gatwick: coach, train or car for your transfer?

The quickest simple way from Heathrow to Gatwick is the direct coach, timetabled at around 50 to 75 minutes. A pre-booked car is the easiest door-to-door option, especially with heavy luggage or a group. The train works, but it means changing in central London and usually takes longer once you include the connection.

Whichever you choose, it’s a self-transfer between two separate airports. You go through UK passport control at Heathrow, collect your bags, travel about 40 miles by road around the M25, and check in again at Gatwick. This guide covers each option, how much time to allow, and what to do about luggage.

Why Heathrow to Gatwick is a self-transfer

Heathrow and Gatwick are separate airports with no airside link. Unless your airline has told you otherwise, assume that:

• You clear immigration at Heathrow. Even if you are only passing through the UK, you leave the airport landside.
• You collect your checked bags from the Heathrow baggage hall and carry them with you.
• You check in again at Gatwick, including bag drop and security, within your second airline’s deadlines.
• Separate tickets mean separate responsibility. If your two flights are on different bookings and the first one is late, the second airline may not be obliged to rebook you. Check your ticket terms and travel insurance.

Heathrow’s own travel between airports page advises allowing plenty of time for passport control, bag reclaim, check-in, security and possible delays.

Heathrow to Gatwick by coach

National Express runs direct coaches between the two airports. As of October 2026, its Heathrow to Gatwick page lists:

• Journey time: from about 50 minutes (Terminal 5 to Gatwick North), and under an hour from Heathrow Central Bus Station. Heathrow’s own page quotes around 70 minutes. Traffic on the M25 can add more.
• Pickup points: Heathrow Central Bus Station (for Terminals 2 and 3), outside Terminal 4 and outside Terminal 5.
• Drop-off: both Gatwick North and South Terminals.
• Frequency: up to 56 departures a day across several routes, with first and last departures from Central Bus Station at around 00:40 and 22:40.
• Luggage: one large suitcase or two medium cases, plus one small soft item of hand luggage per passenger.

Heathrow’s page also lists FlixBus and the Oxford Bus Company’s The Airline on this route, at around 70 to 75 minutes. Timetables and fares change, so check with the operator before you travel.

The coach is good value and drops you at the terminal door. The drawbacks are the luggage allowance, a fixed timetable, and the wait if you just miss one.

Heathrow to Gatwick by train

There is no direct train. You travel into central London and change. Heathrow’s travel page (as of October 2026) gives these legs:

Add the change itself: walking between platforms, waiting for the next train, and, on the Victoria route, a change of line with luggage on the Underground. In practice the train is rarely quicker than the coach for this journey. It can be more predictable when the M25 is badly congested, though, and it suits someone travelling light who wants to stop in London on the way.

Heathrow to Gatwick by pre-booked car

A pre-booked private hire car takes you from the Heathrow terminal to the Gatwick terminal with no changes. The drive is about 40 miles, mostly on the M25 and M23. Off-peak, it takes roughly the same time as the coach, and it can be much longer in the weekday rush hours or after an incident on the M25.

A car makes most sense when:

• You have more luggage than the coach allows, such as several large cases, a pushchair, golf clubs or skis.
• You are a family or group, where one car can cost less per person than several coach tickets.
• Your timings are tight or awkward, like an early-morning arrival or a landing after the last coach.
• You want to be met inside the terminal. Many operators offer meet and greet. See our guide to airport meet and greet.

On MinicabTransfer you can compare fares from TfL-licensed operators for the Heathrow to Gatwick run and request a quote from the one you prefer. The operator confirms the final price and terms directly with you, including waiting time and whether airport drop-off or parking charges are included. Our Heathrow airport page and Gatwick airport page have more detail.

How much time to allow for the connection

There is no official minimum connection time for a self-transfer between Heathrow and Gatwick. You need to work it out yourself, backwards from your second airline’s check-in or bag-drop deadline.

1. Landing to kerb at Heathrow. Taxiing, disembarking, passport control and bag reclaim. This varies widely by terminal, time of day and queue length.
2. The transfer. Allow up to about 75 minutes by coach or car on a normal day, plus waiting time for the next coach. Allow more in the weekday peaks.
3. Gatwick check-in. Gatwick advises arriving at least two hours before short-haul flights. Long-haul check-in can open around four hours before departure. Bag drop often closes earlier than you expect, so check your airline’s deadline.
4. A margin. Add time for a late inbound flight, a missed coach or traffic.

Plan generously. Adding those steps together, a gap of several hours between your scheduled Heathrow landing and your Gatwick departure is sensible, and longer if you have checked bags or a long-haul inbound flight. A tight self-transfer is one of the most common ways to miss a flight.

If your inbound flight lands late at night, consider staying near Gatwick rather than chasing an early departure on no sleep.

Luggage: what fits where

If you are travelling with lots of bags, say so when you request a quote. The operator can then offer a larger vehicle, such as an MPV. You can see the vehicle types partner operators offer on our fleet page. Travelling with young children? Read about child car seats in London minicabs before you travel.

Which option should you choose?

• Travelling light, with a few hours to spare: take the coach. It’s direct and good value.
• Want to stop in central London: the train lets you break the journey at Farringdon or Victoria.
• Heavy luggage, children or a group: a pre-booked car from a licensed operator is the least stressful.
• Late-night or very early landing: check the coach timetable first, then request a quote for a car if nothing suitable runs.

For more on getting into London rather than across it, see Heathrow to central London: chauffeur, taxi or train?. Our airport transfers page covers every London airport, and you can see which TfL-licensed operators are listed on the operators page.