Victoria Station question

[blambition]

Sorry to keep asking questions, but I have yet to figure out this whole train situation in London. We arrive at Gatwick and if we take the Gatwick Express I believe from everything I have read it lets us off at Victoria Station. Would we then take a taxi to our hotel in central London? We are at the Sumner which is by the Marble Arch at 54 Upper Berkley Street. The other consideration is Hotelink which is about 10 pounds per person extra over the cost of the Gatwick Express. I have no idea what a taxi will cost.

I have read that Paddington station is 5 minutes from the hotel and we leave from Heathrow so I believe a taxi is the best was for our return trip to the airport and use Heathrow Express. I know I have posted before, but I am trying to make sure I understand all the directions. Sorry for having to clarify.

Thanks for any additional help.

[lord of the seas]

Yes, you're on the right track.

[jeanlyon]

Hi there. Make life easy for yourself. Take the train from Gatwick to Victoria and grab a taxi to the Sumner. It's about a mile. Any other way is just giving yourselves extra hassle. My husband knows London like the back of his hand. Trust him - it's easier.

[blambition]

Thank you both!!! I now feel confident that all we have to do is hop on the train with our luggage and then take a taxi to and from the hotel. We were worried because we might have a couple of pieces of luggage each, but I'm sure their are porters around to help. I am no longer going to stress over this. Again thank you.

Vicki

[Globaliser]

You're unlikely to find porters at Victoria station, but there will be luggage trolleys that you can use. I think that you need a £1 coin deposit to operate them, but you get the money back when you've finished with it and returned the trolley to a trolley park.

[blambition]

OK, now my next question would be I will be getting off a ship that will of been in Italy and if anything we will have Euros and US dollars. I am thinking they will have an ATM at the airport for me to get pounds and then I could get change when I buy the ticket for the train. I hadn't quite thought that far. I guess I could bring some pounds with me from the states before we even leave for the trip. That is the only problem with traveling to these different areas that require different forms of money.

Vicki

[Twickenham]

Their should be ATMs at the airport, definitely lots of Bureaux de Change if you want to convert either Euros or USD to Pounds. Personally, I like having a bit of hard currency with me just in case, since last time I was at Victoria Station I tried to use the ATMs and my card wouldn't work! Fortunately I found a taxi that took credit cards... (yes, they do exist, although certainly not all of them do).

 

You should be able to purchase your ticket on the train for the Gatwick Express - I'm not sure if they still do that (last time I took it was in 1998), or I see on their website (https://www.gatwickexpress.com) that you can purchase your tickets online. Yes, there will be luggage carts which require a 1 pound coin as a deposit. When you get off the train, you should be able to just walk straight down across the main concourse to one of the doors to outside, where there's usually plenty of taxis waiting (the last time I was there at 6am there were at least a dozen!). I took a taxi from Victoria to Paddington and it cost me about 7-8 pounds - in light traffic, mind you - but even so, I doubt your fare would be much more than that, since your hotel is slightly closer.

 

Another point to reassure you - signage in the UK is excellent; you really need to make an effort to get lost! As well, I find people in general very eager to help, so don't hesitate to ask.

[Globaliser]

I am thinking they will have an ATM at the airport for me to get pounds and then I could get change when I buy the ticket for the train.

There are plenty of ATMs at Gatwick airport. You don't say which airline you're arriving on, so I don't know which terminal you'll be using, but you'll find PDF terminal maps here:-

North Terminal (see page 3)

South Terminal (IIRC, the most convenient ATMs are on the wall of shop 10 on page 1 - en route to the railway station)

 

ATMs will usually dispense £20 notes, sometimes £10 notes as well (rather more rarely, £5 notes). There's no particular need to get change until you actually pay for things. You can buy train tickets with a credit card, anyway.

[blambition]

Thank you. We are coming in on British Airlines to Gatwick. I think the new terminal will be open at Heathrow when we leave to go home as we are flying home from there on April 29th. I hope it is up and running smoothly by then.

Vicki

[Globaliser]

British Airways is at the North Terminal at Gatwick (as you probably already know).

 

And yes, Heathrow Terminal 5 should be well up and running by 29 April. You'll probably beat me to it: my only trip booked for 2008 so far is on Easter weekend, just before T5 opens.

[Kindlychap]

Very often luggage trolleys will take either a pound or a one euro coin.

 

Matthew

[pcur]

You can buy your train ticket online, and there is an ATM at Victoria Station. If you bank with Bank of America, there is no ATM fee.

[Globaliser]

If you bank with Bank of America, there is no ATM fee.

I think that this only applies if you use a Barclays Bank cash machine - these banks are part of the Global Alliance, which don't charge each other's customers fees to use ATMs.