Zoë Sumra Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Urgent question - is it better to fly to Heathrow (which in the past, was labelled a nightmare) or Gatwick? My opinion? Heathrow. Last time I flew into Gatwick I was left on a station platform for three quarters of an hour while several national rail trains were cancelled, whereas from Heathrow you have the tube, which is not subject to the same delays. Also my brother in law was once locked in immigration at Gatwick for four hours by racist border control officers: all the Americans with WASP surnames walked straight through while he (passes for white, is half Lebanese) was detained. I'd only ever use Gatwick if there were no other option or if the finances absolutely demanded it. The finances may absolutely demand it from your perspective! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 There's no difference in the cost of the flight, in fact the Heathrow option is now slightly cheaper. (a pittance cheaper :) ) Thanks for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Urgent question - is it better to fly to Heathrow (which in the past, was labelled a nightmare) or Gatwick?Heathrow is fine. If its cheaper, go for it. I know as many people who have had problems with Gatwick as with Heathrow. No major airport is going to be much different. But one thing to consider is the amount of time you have and if you are only going straight from the airport to the con/Excel area and back or if you are staying elsewhere in London before or after the con. Because I think technically Gatwick would be closer to the Excel area with it taking maybe about an hour to travel between the two but more like 1-1/2 hours to get from Heathrow there. But if you are staying elsewhere in London before/after, Heathrow might be a better option. You might want to run a route search on the London transport website and compare travel times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arataniello Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Gatwick is a smaller airport, and I have always found it much quicker to get through all the pfaff before/after a flight there.ISTR reading a recent article that indicated the time (on the express train to either airport) is about the same. Heathrow to Paddington is 15 minutes, gatwick to Victoria is 30 minutes.Everyone should be aware that the cost of tickets on both airport Express services is amongst the highest in the UK (on a pound per mile basis). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alytha Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 When I was at Eastercon a couple of years ago, I had to get from Heathrow to London City Airport on a bank holiday, which took me about 2 hours, and everything went according to plan...so, if you have to do that, plan in enough time to take into account things going wrong on the way ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arataniello Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Gatwick Express takes exactly thirty minutes to get into Victoria in central London. From there to ExCel or any other points in the city, it really depends on how you intend to get there from Victoria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arataniello Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Transport for London has a journey planner, which may help folk. Here is their idea of how long it should take from Victoria station to Prince Regent DLR https://www.tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/results?IsAsync=true&JpType=publictransport&From=Victoria+%28London%29%2C+Victoria&FromId=1000248&FromGeolocation=&ToGeolocation=&ViaGeolocation=&To=Prince+Regent%2C+Prince+Regent&ToId=1002065&TimeIs=departing&Date=20140528&Time=1530&Via=&NationalSearch=false&JourneyPreference=leasttime&Mode=tube&Mode=bus&Mode=dlr&Mode=river-bus&Mode=tram&Mode=cable-car&Mode=overground&Mode=national-rail&Mode=coach&AccessibilityPreference=norequirements&WalkingSpeed=average&MaxWalkingMinutes=40&CyclePreference=AllTheWay&SavePreferences=false Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsManderly Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 There's no difference in the cost of the flight, in fact the Heathrow option is now slightly cheaper. (a pittance cheaper :) ) Thanks for the advice! If you're on a tight budget, and not tight for time, from Heathrow you have the option of taking the tube (Picadilly Line) into town which is cheaper than Heathrow Express/Gatwick Express by probaby around £12 each way. Also depends on where you're staying - if around the Excel, then getting there from Victoria (ie Gatwick) is marginally easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Alternatively, instead of taking the train to Victoria from Gatwick, you take it to London Bridge and then take the tube and the DLR to the Excel area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Thanks for all the suggestions! What is the DLR? How expensive would a cab from Victoria Station to the Excel Centre be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 What is the DLR? Docklands Light Rail. It is essentially part of (or an extension of) the Underground -- you use the same farecards and can transfer between that and the other Underground lines. The DLR has two stations at the Excel Centre, one of which (Prince Regent) is located at the end of Excel where WorldCon is being held. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arataniello Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 After my various posts earlier, I looked at the Lon Con website, and there is a nifty little map there which can show you (complete with animations) what the best way is to get to ExCel from the various airports and mainline rail stations. http://www.excel-london.co.uk/visiting-excel/travel-guide/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arataniello Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 How expensive would a cab from Victoria Station to the Excel Centre be? Google maps says this is about 9 miles, so looks like it will be £35 or more (rough estimate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fragile Bird Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Great! Angalin pointed out to me that the view from the flight into Heathrow is awesome, though. And the train time isn't much of a difference. Decisions, decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsManderly Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Cab from Victoria to the Docklands can run you anywhere between £20 and £40 depending on traffic. Welcome to London! :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baitac Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 I know I tend to live in a fugue state, but do any of you know how I get to Gatwick from the ExCel? I can't seem to figure out what you are saying. I've got the inbound stuff taken care of as we are arriving through Heathrow a few days before the con starts. After the con, we're flying to Edinborough from Gatwick, thus the above question. :) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Take the Docklands Light Rail to the Jubilee Line to London Bridge station, where you can take a train to Gatwick. Also, check out the To & From page on the Gatwick website - it has info about various options and a travel planner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleted01 Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 I also have a question about travel. The last time I went to the ExCel Centre, they'd shut a heap of tube stations for one reason or another, so I'm not entirely sure of the best route. I'll be getting the train into Kings Cross - is there (or should there be) a direct tube to the ExCel? I'm sure my boyfriend could work it out, he travels through London faaar more often than I do*, but just thought I'd ask. *Seems I've been living in the West Country for too long - the tube maps confuse me! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palimpsest. Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 The last time I went to ExCeL (tried to go to MCM, saw the line and noped out of there) I took the Northern line to Bank and then DLR (also part of Underground, so you don't need a different ticket or anything) to ExCeL. It takes about 40 minutes or so (possibly more), but it's the most straightforward route I know of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 The last time I went to ExCeL (tried to go to MCM, saw the line and noped out of there) I took the Northern line to Bank and then DLR (also part of Underground, so you don't need a different ticket or anything) to ExCeL. It takes about 40 minutes or so (possibly more), but it's the most straightforward route I know of. It seems like the simplest route. The TFL website suggests the fastest involves taking the Northern Line to London Bridge, the Jubilee Line to Canning Street and then the DLR to Custom House, which isn't a route I'd have thought of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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