London Stansted Airport to London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick is about 125 km from Stansted, across London. By rail via Tottenham Hale and Victoria, or Liverpool Street and Farringdon, it takes about 1 h 45 for one contactless fare of £25 off-peak. Private cars start at about £158.
Stansted to Gatwick is the longest of the London airport transfers, from north-east Essex to West Sussex. No train runs straight through, and the coach timetable is thin. One contactless fare covers the whole rail journey, though, and there are two good ways through central London. This guide explains both and when a car is the better choice.
How far is London Gatwick Airport from London Stansted Airport?
London Gatwick Airport is 125 km (78 miles) from London Stansted Airport by road, about 1h 42m by car outside rush hour. In a straight line it is 86 km. By public transport, Train takes about 1h 42m including a change and costs £25.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: Train is the one to take: £25 with a change on the way, and about as quick as going by car. Timetable: From Stansted about 05:30 (05:55 Tue–Thu) until the last train at 00:30 (check onward connections late at night).
What it costs for your group
The train is charged per person, while a private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Train (per person) | Private transfer (per car) | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | £25 | £158 | Train |
| Couple · 2 travellers | £50 | £158 | Train |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | £100 | £158 | Train |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Train | From £25, about 1h 42m, with a change on the way. |
| Speed | Train | 1h 42m, from £25. |
| A group of 4 | Train | Four tickets still come to about £100 — less than a car. |
| A late-night arrival | Pre-booked transfer | Train stops overnight — timetable: From Stansted about 05:30 (05:55 Tue–Thu) until the last train at 00:30 (check onward connections late at night). |
By transport mode
Train
One contactless fare: £25.00 off-peak, £35.00 Mon–Fri 06:30–09:30 and 16:00–19:00 (TfL default route). Changes at Tottenham Hale and Victoria. Check the price before taking the Gatwick Express.
Where to catch it: Stansted Airport station, below the terminal
Times: From Stansted about 05:30 (05:55 Tue–Thu) until the last train at 00:30 (check onward connections late at night)
Best for budget travellers near a stationTrain
Same contactless fare. Ride to Liverpool Street, then one stop to Farringdon and Thameslink to Gatwick, about 40 minutes.
Where to catch it: Stansted Airport station, below the terminal
Times: From Stansted about 05:30 (05:55 Tue–Thu) until the last train at 00:30
Best for budget travellers near a stationPrivate transfer
From about £158 for a saloon. The fare is fixed when you book, whatever the M25 is like that day.
Where to catch it: Arrivals meeting point given in your confirmation
Times: 24 hours
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsLondon Gatwick Airport & London in photos
Buying tickets in London
Trains. The Stansted Express and Greater Anglia accept contactless bank cards and phone wallets at the station gates. Since 8 March 2026 the fare is worked out by Transport for London's system. Tap in at the airport and out at your London station. To Liverpool Street it costs £21.00 off-peak, or £23.00 Monday to Friday between 06:30 and 09:30. Oyster cards are not valid to or from Stansted. You can use them on the Tube once you reach Tottenham Hale or Liverpool Street.
Advance Stansted Express singles start at £9.90 online, but they are tied to one train. Railcard discounts do not apply to contactless, so railcard holders should buy a ticket. CrossCountry trains (towards Cambridge and Birmingham) do not take contactless, so buy a ticket online, from the machines, or at the ticket office. The office is open 06:30–00:00 every day.
Coaches. National Express has desks and touch-screen machines in baggage reclaim and the arrivals hall. Booking online is cheaper, and the £1.50 booking fee is dropped when you are logged into My Account. A standard ticket is valid on a similar departure up to three hours either side of the booked one. For £5 more, Change & Go lets you board any coach within 12 hours either side. Flibco tickets are cheapest online and valid on any departure that day until 04:00 the next morning. First Essex X20 tickets cost £3 and you can pay the driver in cash or by contactless, or use the First Bus app.
Taxi scams & safety in London
Stansted has no rank of metered London black cabs. The airport's on-site car operator is Street Cars. Its desk is in the international arrivals concourse, and there is a courtesy phone in the domestic baggage reclaim area that rings the desk. Street Cars quotes a price for your exact address before you travel, takes cash or card, and its cars collect from right outside the terminal. Agree the fare at the desk before you go to the car.
In England a private-hire car must be booked through a licensed operator. Turn down anyone who approaches you in arrivals offering a ride. Pre-booked transfers and app cars use the collection points given in the booking, not the kerb. The most common expensive mistake here is not a scam at all: tapping an Oyster card at the station gate. Oyster is not valid at Stansted, so use a contactless bank card, a phone wallet or a paper ticket.
Step-free access in London
The rail station is directly under the terminal. The airport says the walk takes about two minutes and is step-free by lifts, escalators and ramps. The coach station is opposite the main terminal entrance and is also reached step-free.
- National Rail lists Stansted Airport station as step-free category A, with step-free access to every platform, lifts, accessible toilets, a Changing Places toilet and baby changing.
- Station staff are available around the clock, and the ticket office opens 06:30–00:00 daily. Induction loops are fitted.
- To book help with a train journey, email Greater Anglia's passenger assistance team ([email protected]) at least 24 hours before you travel.
- The airport says the coach station has a full range of accessibility services. For help inside the terminal, use the airport's Assisted Travel service.
Getting from STN to London Gatwick Airport
The geography problem
The two airports are about 125 km apart by road, with all of London between them. By car that means the M11 and then a long stretch of the M25. By rail it means getting into central London on one line and out again on another. There is no direct train. Even so, the rail route is usually the most predictable option, because nothing on it depends on the M25 being clear.
Route A: Victoria line and Victoria
Take the Stansted Express only as far as Tottenham Hale (32–34 minutes). Change to the Victoria line to Victoria (about 19 minutes), then take a Southern train or the Gatwick Express to the airport (about 31 minutes). In TfL's planner this added up to 102 to 109 minutes on a weekday afternoon. The changes are simple: Tottenham Hale is an easy step-free interchange, and at Victoria the Gatwick trains leave from the main-line station above the Tube.
Route B: Liverpool Street and Thameslink
Stay on the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street (46–48 minutes). Take the Circle line or the Elizabeth line one stop to Farringdon, then a Thameslink train south to Gatwick (about 40 minutes). TfL's planner gave about 106 minutes for this version. It suits people who would rather stay on the airport train to the end than change at Tottenham Hale. Thameslink trains are also long and have plenty of luggage space.
Paying for it
You tap in at Stansted and tap out at Gatwick, and TfL calculates one fare for the whole journey. Its fare finder gives £25.00 off-peak and £35.00 at peak times. On this route, peak means Monday to Friday 06:30–09:30 and 16:00–19:00. That is TfL's default-route fare. If you take the Gatwick Express instead of Southern or Thameslink, check the price first. Oyster is not valid at Stansted. A railcard holder may do better with a paper or e-ticket, because discounts are not applied to contactless.
Avoid the 16:00–19:00 window if you can. The £10 peak premium comes on top of the most crowded trains of the day, and you will be carrying luggage on them.
Costing it for more than one
Two people off-peak pay £50 between them on contactless, against about £158 for a car. Four people at peak times pay £140, and the car starts to compete, especially with suitcases, two changes and an evening rush. Each traveller needs their own contactless card or phone, as one card cannot pay for two people.
All rail routes arrive at Gatwick's station, which is attached to the South Terminal. If you fly from the North Terminal, allow a few extra minutes for the airport's inter-terminal shuttle.
What about a coach?
The two sources disagree here. The airport's page describes a National Express coach between the two airports about every two hours, taking about 2 h 45. National Express's own Gatwick–Stansted page currently shows up to five services a day with a change in London. In its example, the first coach leaves Gatwick at 03:35 and arrives at Stansted at 08:30. Check the National Express journey planner for your date before you rely on it. As things stand, it is a backup plan, not the default.
The car, and when it makes sense
Comparison sites list private transfers from about £158 for a saloon, quoted at about two hours. For one or two people the train is cheaper. For a family arriving at Stansted late in the evening with a dawn flight from Gatwick, a fixed-price car avoids the late-night changes. Street Cars can quote longer journeys from its desk in Stansted arrivals.
Timing it
The last Stansted Express leaves the airport at 00:30, but the connecting trains thin out late at night. If you land after about 22:00, check the full journey in a planner rather than assuming it connects. On a same-day self-transfer, give yourself a wide margin. This trip crosses two of the busiest corridors in London.
STN to London Gatwick Airport — FAQ
How far is Gatwick from Stansted?
What is the cheapest way from Stansted to Gatwick?
What is the fastest way?
Is there a direct coach from Stansted to Gatwick?
How much is a taxi from Stansted to Gatwick?
When is the last train I can use?
Do I need separate tickets for each train?
Sources
Fares and times on this page were last held against their official sources on 21 October 2026. Operators change prices without notice — if you spot a difference, the operator’s own page is the authority. How we check fares.
- TfL Unified API — single fare finder (pay as you go fares from Stansted Airport) · checked 2026-10-21
- TfL Journey Planner — sample journeys from Stansted Airport, 27 Oct 2026 · checked 2026-10-21
- London Stansted Airport — travel by train (Stansted Express, contactless, first/last trains) · checked 2026-10-21
- London Stansted Airport — travel between London airports · checked 2026-10-21
- National Express — Gatwick to Stansted · checked 2026-10-21
- Kiwitaxi — Gatwick to Stansted private transfer prices · checked 2026-10-21
- London Stansted Airport — taxi services (Street Cars desk, courtesy phone) · checked 2026-10-21
Other destinations from London Stansted Airport
