Originally Posted by
khkchan
Found the cheapest way to go to central London is to buy a roundtrip ticket on National Rail - 13.6 pound round trip plus a couple more with the travel card option. Oyster will cost 8.1 pound one-way. I believe oyster is capped at 19.3 pound daily. It takes about 45 minutes from Gatwick airport station to Central London with a change of train at Chapman.
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All trains to London leave from the Gatwick South Terminal location and one can buy a ticket at the train station for whatever service, line or London destination is desired. For my purposes, London Victoria is usually the best choice, as it is close to so many tourist spots, including Buckingham Palace. One's choice of ticket is also dependant on off peak or prime time travel. It is difficult to actually find the exact definition of the cut-off for prime times, but I have interpreted off peak to mean one would have to arrive in London after 11:00, and depart around 16:00. Of course, were one to require a simple one way ticket into the city, travel after 11:00 is all one needs to know. Also, weekends are off peak, so Saturdays, Sundays and holidays benefit from the lower fares and various Off Peak Travelcards. Single ticket prices range from £13.80 to £16.80. A better deal, IMHO, is the Off Peak 1 Day Travelcard at £17.10 offered by Southern Rail. It allows unlimited train travel between London Victoria and Gatwick stations using Southern trains, in addition to zone 1-6 trams, buses and the all important London Underground, or Tube. Zones 1-6 encompass much of London, so one can maximize its use quite efficiently and economically. Trains between London Victoria and Gatwick ran every 30 minutes during the day, and the journey takes approximately 40 minutes. The Gatwick Express at £17.80 for an anytime single fare, or£32.70for an anytime return fare, travels the same route in 30 minutes and has no stops, whereas the Southern train has three.