Home / London /Heathrow / N9 night bus vs National Express coach to Gatwick
LHR → London · head to head
N9 night busorNational Express coach to Gatwick?
The short answer
These do not go to the same place, so price is not the comparison. The N9 night bus reaches Paddington, and the whole of Zone 1 beyond it; the National Express coach to Gatwick does not. The other airport, not the city. For a connection between Heathrow and Gatwick; for central London take the Elizabeth line, the Piccadilly line or Heathrow Express.
The National Express coach to Gatwick is quicker: 1 h 10 against 1 h 22. The N9 night bus varies between 79 and 89 minutes.
N9 night bus: 23:43–04:45. National Express coach to Gatwick: 00:40–22:40.
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
N9 night bus
National Express coach to Gatwick
Difference
1
£1.75
from £14.90
up to £13.15
2
£3.50
from £29.80
up to £26.30
3
£5.25
from £44.70
up to £39.45
4
£7
from £59.60
up to £52.60
5
£8.75
from £74.50
up to £65.75
6
£10.50
from £89.40
up to £78.90
7
£12.25
from £104.30
up to £92.05
8
£14
from £119.20
up to £105.20
Side by side
Where each one leaves you
N9 · Transport for LondonN9 night bus
From
Terminal 5 and Heathrow Central Bus Station
To
Green Park in 79 minutes, Piccadilly Circus in 82, Charing Cross in 86
Luggage
A London bus. There is a luggage rack by the door and no guarantee of space on a full one.
Runs
23:43–04:45
Journey
79–89 min
It only exists at night. Between 04:45 and 23:43 there is no N9, and this is the only option here that runs in the small hours at all.
It is slow: 82 minutes to Piccadilly Circus against the Express's 15 to Paddington. You are trading an hour for £24.25.
It runs every night of the week, unlike the Night Tube, which runs on Friday and Saturday nights only.
shuttle · National ExpressNational Express coach to Gatwick
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
Gatwick Airport, North Terminal (stops 4 and 5) first, then the South Terminal (stops 1 to 5), beside the station
Luggage
One large suitcase (or two medium) and one soft hand-luggage item per person.
Runs
00:40–22:40
Journey
50–95 min
About 50 minutes from Terminal 5 to the North Terminal, an hour or more from the Central Bus Station, which the coach calls at first. The South Terminal, where the station is, is ten minutes after the North.
National Express advises being at the airport three hours before a flight, so do not plan a connection tighter than that by coach.
A Standard ticket boards a similar coach up to three hours either side of the one booked; Change & Go, £5 each way, widens that to twelve hours.
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