Need to find a hostel in LONDON - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**ScarlotteDorian** · 02-28-2006, 07:42 PM

we'll be flying into gatwick at 5:50pm on march 20th. and departing gatwick at 12:05 pm on march 21st. we need to find a place to stay that night that is quick and easy to get to by train. we'd love to be able to spend the night in london, but i'm not sure how far that is away from the gatwick. can anyone suggest a hostel for us?

thanx as always!

**agriadam** · 02-28-2006, 07:57 PM

Well All that I can really tell you is that Gatwik is not close and will take about 20 pounds to get to london from gatwick.

We made the mistake of doint that as well we arrived in london and had to leave gatwik in the morning....

sorry not much help but....mehh

**ScarlotteDorian** · 02-28-2006, 09:33 PM

well, i did a little research and found that Thameslink might be our best choice. it runs every 15 minutes from gatwick to london (30 min train ride) and costs $17 US each way. the Thameslink also connects to bedford...where we will be staying the first night we get there (march 11th). now i just have to figure out if it's worth $68 US

to train it back and forth to london the night before we leave (march 20th). i'd hate to just hang around the airport.

looks like you can purchase a 'daysaver' pass for $17 US as well. hmmm, all this crap is so confusing.

**Diorama** · 02-28-2006, 10:10 PM

I took a train to gatwick. I'm pretty sure it was called the gatwick express. It went right to central london and the main train station. Shit yeah It was expensive but hey it's the most convenient. As for hostels I stayed at a few with the st. christophers chain and they were both really clean. The downfall is that they don't have kitchens, but so what a $10 kabab is always down the street.

**agriadam** · 02-28-2006, 11:09 PM

yeah I stayed with st christophers as well and thought that it was plenty nice.

as for expensive......what isn't in London?

**omisan** · 03-01-2006, 12:08 AM

Gatwick Express is expensive indeed - £25 round trip (£14 on the same day).

It goes directly from Gatwick to Victoria Station, so it'd be best to find a hostel near there (or Sloane Square). I like the Astor hostels, and they've got one around there called Astor Victoria Hostel.

Of course, once you're at Victoria Station, everything's a fairly short tube ride away.

While I could fathom spending a night at Heathrow (the place is like a small city), it's still a pretty unpalatable thought, so I can't imagine spending the night at Gatwick would be very cool. For $35-50, i'd say it's worth the trip in. I've been on the Express with passengers who are going into town during a 6-7 hour layover just not to get cabin fever - and, of course, see London.

Your other option, if your airline allows it, is to check your bags that day before, hop into town, and pull an all-nighter

It wouldn't be unheard, of, believe me!