Discover Gatwick

Gatwick is more than a starting point for air travel: it brings together an important cycle route, fascinating aviation history and unusually diverse transport connections. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Gatwick can therefore plan their stay in very different ways – with active cycling stages, a visit to the aviation museum or a well-planned onward journey by train, bus and car.

Cycling through Gatwick and beyond

National Cycle Route 21 (NCR 21) runs directly through Gatwick’s South Terminal. The route runs from Greenwich in London via Horley and Crawley, where it meets NCR 20, to Groombridge, Eastbourne and Pevensey. This offers an interesting perspective for anyone who does not want to limit their trip exclusively to the airport area, but instead plans individual day stages by bicycle.

The surrounding area can also be included in your travel plans on foot: several footpaths lead to and away from London Gatwick from nearby locations. When choosing your accommodation, it may therefore be decisive whether you primarily want to use Gatwick as a transport hub, as the starting point for a cycling tour or as part of a more varied trip.

Getting there and finding your way around

The transport connections make it easier to plan your stay flexibly. Direct trains from Gatwick Airport reach 120 railway stations; more than 700 additional stations can be reached with one change. Gatwick is also directly connected to the M23 at junction 9 and to the A23 London–Brighton road. Bus and coach services connect Gatwick directly with more than 100 cities and towns in the United Kingdom all year round.

For orientation, the airport maps show facilities such as check-in areas, shops, restaurants, toilets and lifts. The free shuttle between the North and South Terminals connects both terminals in around two minutes. Anyone travelling in an electric vehicle will find 30 charging stations at the Electric Forecourt at London Gatwick.

Discover aviation history

Gatwick became an airfield in the 1930s. The Beehive terminal was built in 1935 and is considered the world’s first circular terminal building. The Beehive terminal’s first scheduled flight was a 1936 flight by Jersey Airways to Paris. The new Gatwick was officially opened by the Queen in 1958. This development also makes the area interesting for travellers interested in architecture, transport history and the beginnings of modern air travel.

Gatwick Aviation Museum is located near the airport and displays a wide selection of aircraft and artefacts illustrating the history of Britain’s aviation heritage. Gatwick Aviation Museum also includes a viewing area near the runway, from which visitors can observe airport operations. For a stay with children, the Plaza Premium Lounge in the North Terminal offers a dedicated children’s area; My Lounge has a games room.

Combine different ideas for your days out

Quieter and more contemplative moments are also part of what is on offer locally. The chapels in the North and South Terminals provide space for services, private prayer and meditation. The chapel and prayer rooms are open to people of all faiths and are open around the clock. In Surrey, visitors can explore wooded hills, rolling chalk landscapes and river valleys, as well as lively market towns, idyllic villages, award-winning vineyards and historic houses. Leonardslee Gardens is recommended as a destination for a three-hour visit.

More places to include in your travel plans

If you would like to compare other destinations in addition to Gatwick, you can find further places here for your search: Banstead, Salfords, Guildford, Crowhurst, Godalming, Effingham, Redhill and Leatherhead. This allows you to decide whether a holiday apartment in Gatwick suits your desired mix of mobility, aviation history and active excursions.

For the overview of the broader travel area: Surrey.