Gatwick Parking

Gatwick Airport parking

Gatwick Airport Transfers

Guide to Gatwick Airport

• +44 (0)844 892 0322
• RH6 0NP
• South Terminal, North Terminal
• Car, bus, coach, train, taxi, bicycle
• Free for 90 minutes
• www.gatwickairport.com

Gatwick Airport (LGW), also known as London Gatwick, is the second-busiest airport in the UK behind its fellow London-serving airport, Heathrow (LHR). Serving a staggering 44 million passengers in the year to March 2017, it is officially the busiest single-runway airport in the world and operates chiefly with low-cost deals from easyJet and Ryanair and charter flights from British Airways and Thomson Airways.

Location of Gatwick Airport

Gatwick is right on the modern border between Surrey and West Sussex. Geographically, it sits in West Sussex today, but is part of the small town of Horley, Surrey, and was formerly part of that same county until the borders changed in 1974.

It is located 29.5 miles (47.5 kilometres) south of Central London and just 3.1 miles (five kilometres) north of Crawley town centre.

There’s a multitude of accessible parking options close to both the South Terminal and the North Terminal and it’s reachable by rail from London Victoria – the Gatwick Express runs every 15 minutes from there and takes around 30 minutes. Heathrow is 43 miles (69 kilometres) north west of LGW by road and can be reached via dedicated National Express coach services in around an hour, so connections between the two major airports for transferring passengers are frequent and straightforward.

Since Gatwick has its own train station, it’s reachable from Crawley Station in eight minutes and from Brighton in 22 minutes. Delays are common by both road and railway due to passenger numbers, but the drive from Brighton usually takes 40-60 minutes depending on traffic, so Gatwick is a hugely popular airport for passengers who live in the areas south of London.

History of Gatwick Airport

Gatwick’s name comes from the Old English for ‘goat farm’ and is taken from that of the former-owner of an old manor house that stood in the neighbouring village of Charlwood in the 13th century. De Gatwick family may never have envisaged the international connections that the land they sold in the 14th century would develop, but 700 years later, people from all over the world set foot on it at a rate of 44 million times a year.

The current airport began life as an aerodrome in 1930 and brought commercial flights to passengers in 1934 after the Air Ministry, a former RAF-focussed branch of the Government, gave the go-ahead. During World War II, RAF night-fighters used the site by order of the Air Ministry, but it was decommissioned once the war was over.

It was officially labelled London’s second airport in 1950 and its now-South Terminal underwent significant development in the recuperative years after the war. It was, in fact, the first airport to be served directly by train when it officially opened again in 1958 – Gatwick Airport Station was fully operational to the east of the runway.

The East Coast of the USA was the destination of the first long-haul flight to take off from Gatwick as the 1970s ushered in a new age of international travel for the region. It’s since been used by a pope, facilitated the first commercial Concorde flight and had a second terminal, the North Terminal, opened by the Queen.

March 2017 marked 49 consecutive months of growth for Gatwick, maintaining its position as the world’s busiest single-runway airport.

Airport facilities

Gatwick Airport hotel and parking

Many of the options to stay the night at Gatwick Airport offer the opportunity to save money by combining the room with parking for your vehicle.

BLOC Gatwick, for instance, is located mere yards away from departures at the South Terminal and combines its services with the valet parking at LGW at special rates. Some rooms come with views of the runway, whilst all of them come with free WiFi and the option to control everything from the lights to the temperature to the TV from your smartphone (traditional key cards are also available).

Hampton by Hilton near the North Terminal provides off-site valet (Meet and Greet) parking for as long as you need for your stay and, with free WiFi, working stations and meeting rooms, is perfect for business-related trips.

Other hotels, such as the Hilton London Gatwick Airport, Crowne Plaza Felbridge and Sofitel Hotel North Terminal, can include long-stay, short-stay or valet parking facilities for added upgrade fees.

Top things to do in Gatwick Airport

Toast your trip

One thing you’re not short of in LGW is places to have a drink, so, if you’ve got the time before your gate closes, there’s no excuse not to raise a glass to the trip you’re about to take. There are classic pubs and modern bars galore as well as foodie choices inspired by top chef, Jamie Oliver, spread throughout the airport, so you can start as you mean to go on before you’ve even boarded that plane.

Get stuffed

An airport that serves 44 million passengers in a year needs to have good places to feed 44 million mouths – and that Gatwick does. There’s everything from a hot dog and milkshake joint (Shake-a-Hula) to a Middle Eastern restaurant where kids can eat for free (Comptoir Libanais), which is just the international selection you need when you’re jetting off to a faraway land.

Be a premium passenger

Gatwick’s airport lounges are of the quality you would expect from the second airport in England’s capital city. Available in both terminals and offering a selection of food and drinks, fast WiFi, newspapers and kids’ packs, the various lounges are the preferred way to while away a few hours in the airport for those who want to escape the crowds.

You can pre-book your place in one of the lounges here.

Keep the kids happy

Both terminals contain a Kids’ Zone to work them up so you can settle them down when they get on the plane. The brightly-coloured areas have mini games, spongy seats and large TVs, so they’re a good way to break away from the masses and wait for your boarding call on the screens.

Marvel at the Monarch

Artwork is becoming a common feature of many modern airports and Gatwick is part of the club. Artist Helen Marshall created mosaic portraits of Her Majesty the Queen out of images sent in by BBC Radio listeners from across the region and they’re on display in both terminals. They may not be admired on the scale of the Mona Lisa, but they are seen by millions of people every day.

Get a 60-second makeover

The duty free shop in Gatwick offers a complimentary makeover for anyone – and you don’t even need to pre-book. You can simply ask a member of staff when you’re there to get a pampering that will leave you hankering for the first social selfie of your trip.

Top things to do near Gatwick Airport

Experience the British seaside

The beautiful seaside resort of Brighton is a mere 22 minutes away from Gatwick Airport by train. There are unique shopping experiences on The Lanes and at the flea market, terrific performances at the Theatre Royal and Brighton Little Theatre and the best of British beaches and the famous Brighton Pier on the coast, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better way to spend a sunny afternoon either before or after your flight.

Gatwick Aviation Museum

If you only have a short while to spend in the area before you fly, there’s no better way to get in the mood than spending a couple of hours at Gatwick Aviation Museum. It is, of course, dedicated to its huge neighbouring airport and post-World War II accounts of plane production, with exhilarating runway views and even the opportunity to sit in a cockpit of a light aircraft, so the kids will love it.

Go off-road

Tulleys Farm is home to the adrenaline-filled Southern Pursuits just east of Crawley, which gives visitors the chance to get muddy on quad bikes, get wild with axe throwing and archery and get speedy on go karts. It’s best for big groups, so if you’re landing in England and looking for something to raise your heartrates straight away, you can make the 15-minute trip by taxi as soon as you leave the airport.

Go wild at Go Ape!

A 15-minute drive south from Gatwick Airport will take you to the tree tops of Tilgate Park at Go Ape!, an adventure ground for all ages that lets you explore the forest canopy from up high. Officially part of ‘The Best Day Out in West Sussex’ with everything from a Tarzan swing to a tricky twister, this place is sure to blow away the cobwebs of a long flight.

Put on a picnic

Tilgate Park doesn’t have to be all about exhilaration – it is the perfect place for relaxation, too, with a stunning lake and lush green grass on which to spread out for a bite to eat and a tipple. You’ll be able to watch the planes fly into Gatwick in the background as the ducks fly into the lake in the foreground at Tilgate and, better still, it’s only seven miles (11.3 kilometres) south of the airport.

Explore human history

The Gatwick Express or Southern Rail can get you to Central London in only half an hour from LGW, which opens you up to a whole host of cultural activities. One of the best of them is the British Museum in Bloomsbury. It’s a world-renowned account of art and human history with ever-changing exhibitions from establishments around the world. What’s more, admission is completely free.

Taste the world at Borough Market

One of city’s most enlightening experiences, Borough Market must be on your London to-do list. With herbs and spices from around the world and enough meats, cheeses and fruit and veg to feed the entire district for a year, it’ll transport you to faraway cultures and cuisines in a way that Gatwick can’t.

Get a sheer view at the Shard

If you didn’t catch enough of London from above when you came in to land at Gatwick, head to the Shard to see it from a completely new perspective. The 1003-ft (306-metre) skyscraper gets its name from its shard-of-glass-like appearance and offers an unrivalled 360-degree view of the city, day and night, from The View from the Shard viewing gallery – it’s the highest and most spectacular in the UK.

Which terminal?

Gatwick Airport’s two terminals, the South Terminal and the North Terminal, are used by 53 airlines to serve 44 million passengers a year. The biggest of the airlines by percentage of flights at LGW are easyJet, British Airways and Norwegian, with easyJet using the site as a major base and BA using it as a hub for their operations.

Virgin Atlantic joined British Airways and easyJet in a terminal relocation in 2017; they moved to the North Terminal with easyJet, whilst BA went from North to South.

How to get to Gatwick Airport

Useful tips

Use the long-stay car parks for dropping off and picking up

The long-stay car parks at Gatwick are free to use for the first two hours, so they’re ideal for anyone who’s only swinging by to make a drop-off or a pick-up. Put RH6 0LL into your sat nav for the South Terminal long-stay and RH6 0RN for the North Terminal equivalent.

You can park at the South Terminal and fly from the North Terminal

And vice versa – the free shuttle connects the on-site car parks at both terminals and runs every few minutes, so your parking options are doubled no matter which terminal you’re flying from at LGW. The North Terminal car parks typically experience higher demand, too, so it can often be better to park at the South Terminal anyway.

easyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have moved terminals

In January 2017, terminal relocations for three of Gatwick’s major airlines were completed. easyJet and Virgin now operate out of the North Terminal at different peak times, whilst British Airways is now based in the South Terminal.

Gatwick is very busy most mornings

Any airport that serves over 40 million passengers a year is bound to be busy most of the time, but peak time every day of the week is typically 6am-12pm. Moreover, heavy traffic can clog the roads around the airport, so plan your journey carefully to make sure you can get parked up and through security in time for your flight. Two or more hours is a good guide for the amount of time you’ll need to catch a typical flight at LGW.

Kids eat for free at Comptoir Libanais

There’s a nice restaurant in Gatwick that lets children eat for free (May 2017), so it takes a little strain off the purse-strings before you go away. Comptoir Libanais is a Middle Eastern takeaway-concept eatery that’s as casual as it gets in an airport.

Gatwick Airport FAQs

Do I need to pre-book parking?

It is possible to drive up and park for short stays, but Gatwick can only guarantee a space for customers who pre-book at least 24 hours before arrival.

Can I use a Blue Badge in Gatwick Airport car parks?

Yes, there are designated Blue Badge bays in every on-site car park at LGW. There are, however, no discounts available on stays of any length. You don’t need to leave your Blue Badge in your car whilst you’re away, but you do need to notify the attendant before you leave your car.

How do I transfer between terminals?

There’s a free shuttle service that runs every few minutes between the South and North Terminals and it takes just three minutes.

I have lost property – what do I do?

If you’ve lost baggage at the airport, you can contact the relevant department here. If you’ve lost baggage on the plane, you need to contact your airline immediately.

Can I book a meeting at Gatwick Airport?

Yes, the North Terminal’s No 1 lounge and the South Terminal’s Regus Express business lounge have meeting rooms that are available to book by the hour.