First, accept that you will not be zipping over in 15 minutes. Heathrow and Gatwick are about 40 miles apart, and London traffic loves to laugh at your plans. Your first move is to ignore the cab driver who offers a flat rate of “only” £150. That’s a week’s grocery budget, or one very fancy sandwich at the airport.
Your best bet? The Gatwick Express from Victoria Station. But here’s the trick: you aren’t at Victoria. You’re at Heathrow. So, you need the Heathrow Express or the Tube (Piccadilly Line) into central London first. Think of it as a prerequisite quest in a video game. You must defeat the commute before you can catch the dragon—er, train—to the coast.
Surprising fact: The Gatwick Express doesn’t actually stop at Gatwick Airport. That’s its only stop. It’s a very specific, very expensive shuttle. It takes 30 minutes from Victoria, costs about £20, and makes you feel important for exactly that half-hour. Then you realize you’re just in another airport, eating overpriced sushi.
