Stuck on a layover at London’s Gatwick International Airport? Gatwick is located roughly located 5 km (3.1 mi) from Crawley, West Sussex, and 45.7 km (28.4 mi) from downtown London. If you’re trying to determine whether you can leave the airport during your Vietnam layover, click here for useful tips.

If you’re stuck inside the Gatwick airport during your London layover, there’s plenty to do. To help you get situated, view the airport maps, delineated by terminal. The Gatwick airport offers shopping, restaurants and cafes, Internet access in the terminals, and check out the artistic sculptures by William Pye, in the lower departure lounge after security.

There are also a number of places where you can watch the planes taking off and landing on the runways. For good viewing, in the North Terminal, visit Costa (upper level), Red Lion Cafe Bar, Aqua Bar, Garfunkel’s, Starbucks and Lloyds No1. In the South Terminal, stop by The Bridge Bar or Frankie and Benny’s.

CLICK HERE for London Layover Tours (straight from the airport)!

For a little rest and relaxation, London’s Gatwick Airport offers the Servisair Lounge (North Terminal) or Servisair Executive Lounge (South Terminal) which offer comfortable seating, drinks and snacks, and some business facilities.

If you’re looking to drop off your luggage while you explore London, Gatwick airport offers Left Luggage facilities in both the North and South Terminals: North Terminal departures near British Airways, 6am-10pm and South Terminal arrivals, open 24 hours. Rates are £5.50 per item, per day. You can visit the Excess Baggage Company’s North Terminal desk, open from 6am-10pm daily or, for the South Terminal, the 24hr desk located in arrivals, or call: 01293 502013 (North Terminal) or 01293 502014 (South Terminal) with additional questions.

If you arrive at night or are looking for a place to rest, the airport has a number of options including the Hilton London Gatwick located in the South Terminal with facilities including a business center, hair salon, Gym and fitness area, restaurants and bars. The Sofitel London Gatwick is located in the North Terminal, and YOTELs (mini hotel rooms) are located in the South Terminal and prices start at 25GBP for four hours. If you are looking for a London hotel, click here for a comprehensive list with varying price points.

CLICK HERE for the full Layover Guide to London’s Heathrow Airport

If you are planning on leaving the Gatwick airport during your London layover, there are a number of transportation options. The airport offers the Gatwick Express which will get you to London in 30 minutes (and runs every 15 minutes). There are also taxis in front of the airport, trains, and buses. The Gatwick airport website also offers late deals in London, here.

LayoverGuide.com’s Suggestions Of Things To Do On A Gatwick Layover:

Sightseeing Bus
The hop-on, hop-off bus gives a commentary of the sights as you pass them. Tickets can be purchased right on the bus or online. You can “hop on” at Paddington station, and “hop off” wherever you choose.

Tower of London
At The Tower of London, you’ll find torture exhibits as well as the famous Crown Jewels which including 530 carat Star at the Jewel House. Beefeaters, who are the walking tour guides, lead the hour-long tours every hour until 3:30p.m.

Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, home to the British monarch, is another favorite sightseeing spot for those with only a short time in London. Victoria, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner are the closest Tube stations. Also, you can catch the changing of the guard, but should check ahead for the schedule as it does not happen every day.

Westminster Abbey and Big Ben
Exit the tube at the Westminster stop. You will first see Big Ben and further down the street Westminster Abbey, where Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson, Browning, and Dickens are all buried here.

Cabinet War Rooms
Close to the Abby, you can see the actual underground bunker Winston Churchill used during World War II. Everything there from the wall maps, to Churchill’s cot are authentic.

Windsor Castle

The 900-year-old Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world.

Thorpe Palace
Thorpe Park is London’s most popular attractions and theme parks. It opened as a water park in 1970 however more thrill rides were added later.

None of these activities interest you? Here’s a list of more suggestions of places you can visit during London layover at the Gatwick airport.

Have a suggestion for a London Gatwick layover? Leave a comment below!

London offers a number of Layover Tours from Heathrow and Gatwick for passengers stuck on long layovers, to help you see some sights in a hassle free manner.

Customized tours can be personally arranged to pick you up from the airport on your London layover, see the places that most interest you around, and then return you to the airport with plenty of time to catch your next flight. For those who have limited time and might not be familiar with London, it can be the easiest and most efficient way to spend a limited amount of time. If you’re trying to figure out if you can leave the airport during your London layover, click here for useful tips.

Below are some of the Layover Tours available that will pick you up directly from the airport. For our full write-up on tips and suggestions for things you can do (both inside and outside the airport) on a Heathrow layover, click here.  For Gatwick, click here.

London Layover Tours:

London Magical Tours
With customized tours that can pick you up from both Heathrow and Gatwick airports, London Magical Tours will arrive at the airport carrying a sign with your name and will chauffeur you on your tour. Choose from tours to London, Windsor, Hampton Court and Oxford and opt for the layover option!

London Taxi Tour
London Taxi Tour also offers private layover tours to passengers from Heathrow or Gatwick. With a number of tours to choose from including a Harry Potter Tour and a James Bond Tour, you can make sure you see the places that most interest you.

London’s Tours
A comfortable car and your own guide can help you catch London’s sights in this layover tour. London’s Tours will “meet you at the airport and whisk you away to see the lovely countryside and places tour buses never reach! How about including lunch at an olde worlde pub before more delightful exploring en route back to the airport?”

London Sightseeing Tours
With a huge list of tours to choose from, London Sightseeing Tours offers virtually every tour possible in London (even tours from London to Paris). If you’re looking for an airport pickup, however, make sure to check the brochure page of the tour’s web site to find out the specifics on where they can pick up and drop off (tour customization at this site greatly varies depending on the tour).

CLICK HERE For the full Layover Guide to Heathrow, London

With cheap car hire usa you can visit the places you want to experience. Make up your own mind and your own itinerary and see how much fun you will have.

For those looking to ditch their extra luggage to venture out for a London layover, here is a quick guide to the Left Luggage facilities in both Heathrow and Gatwick airports:

Heathrow Left Luggage is available in each terminal:

• Terminal 1 Mezzanine Floor, 6am-11pm
• Terminal 2 departures near Lufthansa, 6am-11pm
• Terminal 3 arrivals area, 5:30am-11:30pm
• Terminal 4 arrivals area, 6am-11pm

Rates are £6 per item per 24 hours, or less depending on the time. You can contact the Excess Baggage Company at +44 (0)20 8745 4599 with any additional questions.

London Gatwick Left Luggage is available in both the North and South Terminals:

• North Terminal departures near British Airways, 6am-10pm
• South Terminal arrivals, open 24 hours

Rates are £5.50 per item, per day. You can visit the Excess Baggage Company’s North Terminal desk, open from 6am-10pm daily or, for the South Terminal, the 24hr desk located in arrivals, or call: 01293 502013 (North Terminal) or 01293 502014 (South Terminal) with any additional questions.

London layovers in Heathrow and Gatwick are common stopovers for many travelers, and sometimes it can be a lengthy stay. Instead of spending half a day in the airport, there’s tons to do and see in London that can keep you greatly entertained. However, keep in mind that Heathrow is a big airport, with two security check points, so you want to leave yourself with more than enough time to make your connection.

For the full Layover Guide To Heathrow, CLICK HERE.

While taking the London Underground is the cheapest way to get into London, it can take up to an hour each way. If you’re strapped for time, the London Heathrow Express train can get you into London for as little as 15 minutes. The trip from Gatwick on the London Gatwick Express will take 30 minutes trip and runs every 15 minutes.

When you get into London, if you’re planning on taking the tube around for the day, look into buying the Oyster Card, which for a small fee will get you unlimited rides on the tube, buses, and riverboat discounts.

If you want the sightseeing to start straight from the airport, the London Magical Tours will pick you up from either Heathrow or Gatwick, and offers three and seven hour-tours of London starting at $60.

For more London layover tours that will pick you up directly from the airport, click here.

Sightseeing Bus

The hop-on, hop-off bus gives a commentary of the sights as you pass them. Tickets can be purchased right on the bus or online. You can “hop on” at Paddington station, and “hop off” wherever you choose. It swings back around to Paddington, if that’s all the time you have, to get back to the airport.

Tower of London

At The Tower of London, you’ll find torture exhibits as well as the famous Crown Jewels which including 530 carat Star at the Jewel House. Beefeaters, who are the walking tour guides, lead the hour-long tours every hour until 3:30p.m.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace, home to the British monarch, is another favorite sightseeing spot for those with only a short time in London. Victoria, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner are the closest Tube stations. Also, you can catch the changing of the guard, but should check ahead for the schedule as it does not happen every day.

Westminster Abbey and Big Ben

Exit the tube at the Westminster stop. You will first see Big Ben and further down the street Westminster Abbey, where Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson, Browning, and Dickens are all buried here.

Cabinet War Rooms

Close to the Abby, you can see the actual underground bunker Winston Churchill used during World War II. Everything there from the wall maps, to Churchill’s cot are authentic.

Windsor Castle

Take a taxi or bus 77 from Heathrow to Windsor Castle in about 40 minutes. The 900-year-old castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world.