Location Transport

Going from London Gatwick to Dover and back again?

I have a Swedish friend coming to visit me for a couple of days during the Christmas holidays. The only direct flights from Stockholm Skavsta are to London Gatwick, which is about 80 miles away from Dover (where I live). I would ask my parents to pick him up from Gatwick (they have offered) but unfortunately they are in Kenya during the time of his visit. Can anyone suggest the best way for my friend to leave get to Dover, then (after a couple of days) return to London Gatwick again? He would have to travel alone as I can't afford 2 journeys, I will probably have to pay for the journey seeing as he is paying for the flights, so preferably something cheap. I found the following infomation on the internet: Dover - Gatwick Airport Public Transport (Adult price per person) Transport; National Express Bustakes 5 hours, return price is £36.30 (note: as this is quite cheap and the journey is too long to spend alone, I would be happy to pay for me to go to the airport, pick him up and travel back to Dover on the Nat. Ex. Bus. I would, however, have to send him back to the airport alone.) Rail (Off Peak Fare) takes 2 to 3 hours, return price is £46.60 Rail (Anytime Fare) takes 2 to 3 hours, return price is £79.20 I also found out that it will cost £90 for a taxi from Gatwick to Dover (meaning that it would be, altogether, £180 to send him back to the airport again and he would have to go alone or that £180 would double for me to go there and back twice), so taxi is not really an option unless his parents are paying and he can just taxi straight to my front door from the airport. What are the rail routes, or can you take a coach? How much would it be for either, and are there discount sites? Please give me as much information as possible, any help will be greatly appreciated! In other words, I need to get my friend from Gatwick airport to Dover (not the port) as cheaply and as easily as possible. He has never been to England before and I rarely use trains, so I need clear instructions on train routes etc if that is the best way. Thanks SO much.

Public Comments

1. Looking at the Trainline website, if you book soon, an open return (off peak, returning within one month) will cost approximately £30.50 with one or two changes depending on the time of day. The journey takes around 2.5 hours. I can't use the National Express website, for some reason it crashes my browser, but if you check on the trainline website, you could book now and save money.
2. By rail is the best way not via London; change trains at Redhill and Tonbridge. With good connections the journey should take about 2 hours. A single fare is £25.10; off peak period return is £30.50. There are plenty of staff and information screens at Gatwick,Redhill and Tonbridge to guide your friend to the correct platform www.nationalrail.co.uk (Don't bother with the Trainline; they will charge you a credit card fee and postage; this ticket can be bought for the same price at the station ticket office at the time of travel. Make sure your friend specifies he is travelling via Redhill and Tonbridge. Via London is more expensive)
3. Train gatwick to tonbridge (via redhill) then change to a train to Dover