Home / London /Heathrow / National Express coach to Stansted vs Elizabeth line and Thameslink to Gatwick
LHR → London · head to head
National Express coach to StanstedorElizabeth line and Thameslink to Gatwick?
The short answer
For one traveler the National Express coach to Stansted is cheaper by up to £1.80. The National Express coach to Stansted fare is sold "from" a price rather than at it, so this comparison holds only at the advertised prices and the real answer can change with the day you travel.
The Elizabeth line and Thameslink to Gatwick is quicker: 1 h 16 against 1 h 30. The National Express coach to Stansted varies between 80 and 110 minutes.
National Express coach to Stansted: 07:35–23:30. Elizabeth line and Thameslink to Gatwick: 05:36–23:36.
Priced against each other
Whole-party totals · adult fares
What each costs for the whole party, in GBP. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row.
Travelers
National Express coach to Stansted
Elizabeth line and Thameslink to Gatwick
Difference
1
from £21.30
£23.10
up to £1.80
2
from £42.60
£46.20
up to £3.60
3
from £63.90
£69.30
up to £5.40
4
from £85.20
£92.40
up to £7.20
5
from £106.50
£115.50
up to £9
6
from £127.80
£138.60
up to £10.80
7
from £149.10
£161.70
up to £12.60
8
from £170.40
£184.80
up to £14.40
Side by side
Where each one leaves you
shuttle · National ExpressNational Express coach to Stansted
From
Heathrow Central Bus Station for Terminals 2 and 3, outside Terminal 5 (stops 11 to 15) or outside Terminal 4 (stops 12 to 14)
To
Stansted Airport coach station, bays 20 to 22
Luggage
One large suitcase (or two medium) and one soft hand-luggage item per person.
Runs
07:35–23:30
Journey
80–110 min
There are only about a dozen coaches a day and most start from the coach station at Stansted, so a missed coach costs hours.
National Express advises being at the airport three hours before a flight, so do not plan a connection tighter than that by coach.
Elizabeth→Thameslink · Transport for London and ThameslinkElizabeth line and Thameslink to Gatwick
From
Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, Terminal 4 or Terminal 5 rail station; changing at Farringdon
To
Gatwick Airport station, in the South Terminal, beside the coach stops
Luggage
Racks at the ends of the Elizabeth line carriages; racks by the doors and overhead on Thameslink.
Runs
05:36–23:36
Journey
75–101 min
Change at Farringdon: TfL's planner allows as little as four minutes between the trains, so a missed change costs a quarter of an hour. The Thameslink leg is longer in the evening and at weekends, up to an hour.
The coach is cheaper (from £14.90) and quicker, but it runs on a timetable of its own and can sell out.
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