London Gatwick Airport - Terminals

Heathrow is nearer to Central London but Gatwick Airport is closer to South London.

Heathrow airport is located 25 kilometres or 16 miles west of the capital. Travel time by car is usually around 1 hour. Whereas a drive from Gatwick Airport to Central London will take you about 1 hour and an half and is 28 miles or 45 kilometres from central London.

From Gatwick Airport you can take the Gatwick Express which will take you around 30 minutes and departs every 15 minutes to London Victoria Station.

You can also take a Southern train to London Victoria from Gatwick Airport with several stops along the way. It takes about 45 minutes but cheaper than Gatwick Express. Operates 24/7. It's a cheaper but more crowded option.

Heathrow by train, you can take the Piccadilly line from Heathrow, which will take you about 1 hour or if you take the more expensive Heathrow Express it'll take you 15 minutes on the train the London Paddington (if that is a handy location for you).

London Heathrow vs. Gatwick: Which airport should I fly into?

Gatwick Airport has two terminals, South Terminal and North Terminal. Different airlines operate from different terminals so double check before you arrive at the airport which terminal you should arrive at.

The North Terminal tends to handle long-haul flights with airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways whilst the South Terminal handles more budget airlines such as Ryanair and WizzAir. Both terminals have an array of shops, restaurants and amenities on landside and airside.

Once you're beyond security there is a no smoking policy at Gatwick Airport. Landside before security you'll find designated smoking areas outside of the terminal buildings.

There are no facilities for smoking for those passengers connecting between international flights.

At Gatwick's South Terminal you can smoke if you have access to My Lounge airport lounge that has an outdoor terrace. More information on the lounge here: https://www.gatwickairport.com/premium-services/lounge-airport/lounge-my-lounge.html

The same rules apply to e-cigarettes and vaping, they can only be used outside the terminals in the designated areas.