Taxi, train or parking? Worthing to Gatwick, with the real numbers
People ask us this all the time, usually while we’re already driving them to Gatwick, which is a bit late. 😄 So here it is properly: what a train, a week’s parking and a fixed-price airport taxi from Worthing really cost, with no fiddling. Sometimes we win. Sometimes we honestly don’t.
The short version
🎒 One person, a backpack, a sensible departure time? The train wins on price. Go for it.
👥 Two or more of you, or suitcases, or a 6am flight? A fixed-price taxi is close on cost and miles ahead on everything else.
🏖️ A week away? Booked-ahead parking can be cheaper than a return taxi, but add fuel, the shuttle bus, and leaving your car for a week.
👪 A family of four? It’s not close. The taxi wins on price and sanity.
Option 1: the train from Worthing to Gatwick
Worthing to Gatwick Airport by train is about 50 minutes on a direct Southern service, and a single ticket is typically £14 to £19 depending on the time and how far ahead you book.
Early trains do exist (the first is around 5am), but there are fewer of them, and the ones that connect through Brighton or Hove add time and a change.
The bits people forget: getting to Worthing station with cases (a local cab is £8 to £10, or a walk), and the fact that Gatwick’s station is in the South Terminal, so North Terminal flights mean the shuttle on the other side.
Our honest verdict: for one person travelling light at a civilised hour, the train is cheaper and we’d tell you so. Just allow for the station cab, a possible change, and the risk of a cancelled train. (That one happened to Matthew at 6am.)
Option 2: driving and parking at Gatwick
Driving yourself for a week away sounds free. It isn’t. Gatwick’s official Long Stay car park is around £230 for a week if you just turn up, though booked-ahead off-airport parking can be roughly £45 to £80 for the week, plus the shuttle bus.
Add petrol for the round trip twice over (about 100 miles in total, call it £15 to £20), and the fact that your car sits in a field for a week.
And if someone drops you at the terminal instead: Gatwick’s drop-off charge is £10 for 10 minutes since January 2026, each way. (Ours is included in the fare.)
Our honest verdict: for a couple on a week away, booked-ahead parking can beat a return taxi on price. If you don’t mind the shuttle, the 5am drive, and leaving the car, that’s a fair choice. Where it falls apart is early flights, families with cases, and anyone who wants to start the holiday calm.
Option 3: a fixed-price airport taxi from Worthing
With us, Worthing to Gatwick is £80, fixed when you book, any hour, with the drop-off charge included. Return trips are £150. Two people or four, two cases or six, 4am or 4pm: same price. Door to terminal door, cases carried, we follow your flight.
From the driver’s seat: for four people, £37.50 each for a return, door to door, is less than most of them would pay for the train tickets alone. And nobody has to stand on a platform at Hove with a pushchair.
Side by side: a couple, one week in the sun
So yes: a couple can save £50 to £90 by parking or training it. What you’re buying with us is the 4am pickup from your front door, the lifting, the flight-watching, and the knowing. Plenty of people decide that’s worth it; some decide it isn’t. Either way, now you know.
When the taxi is the obvious answer
⭐ Early flights. A 6am departure means a 3am alarm for the train, if there even is one. We’ll be outside at 3:30 with the heater on.
⭐ Families. Four people, cases, a buggy, snacks. Enough said.
⭐ Long-haul and big bags. Nobody enjoys a suitcase on a Southern train.
⭐ Anyone who’d rather not drive at 4am, or leave their car in a field.
⭐ Coming home. Landing at 11pm after a week away, with the Thameslink cancelled? Your driver’s in arrivals with your name on a board.
Fixed prices from your town
Every one includes the airport drop-off charge. Same price at 4am as 4pm.
Worthing to Gatwick £80Worthing to Heathrow £120Brighton to Gatwick £75Shoreham to Gatwick £80Lancing to Gatwick £80Goring-by-Sea £80Littlehampton to Gatwick £90Findon to Gatwick £80
Done the sums? Let’s get you to the airport.
Worthing to Gatwick £80, return £150, fixed when you book. We follow your flight, every case carried, and a friendly voice any hour.
Here’s the view from the back seat
25 five-star Google reviews. Not one of them written by us, and every one from a real journey.
“Arrived to my home early and got me to Gatwick with plenty of time to spare. Excellent communication. A fixed price meant there was absolutely no stress about getting to the airport on time.”
“Their set price of £80 was great and exactly as their website advertised… Dolly helped with our cases and was friendly and chatty all the way home.”
“Perfect way to start our holiday. H arrived early, loaded our cases, was very friendly, professional, my wife and H chatted all the way to Gatwick.”
Questions we get asked
How much is a taxi from Worthing to Gatwick?
With Sussex Airlink it’s £80 one way, fixed when you book, with the airport drop-off charge included. A return trip is £150.
Is the train from Worthing to Gatwick cheaper than a taxi?
For one person travelling light, usually yes: a single is typically £14 to £19 plus getting to the station. For two or more people with cases, a fixed-price taxi is close on cost and far easier.
How much does it cost to park at Gatwick for a week?
Gatwick’s official Long Stay is around £230 for a week if you turn up on the day. Booked-ahead off-airport parking can be roughly £45 to £80, plus a shuttle bus and your fuel.
What is the Gatwick drop-off charge in 2026?
£10 for up to 10 minutes at the terminal forecourts, since 6 January 2026. It’s included in every Sussex Airlink fare.
How long does it take to get from Worthing to Gatwick?
About 50 minutes by direct train, and typically 45 to 60 minutes by car depending on traffic. We time your pickup for the traffic at that hour.
Train and parking prices are typical figures checked in November 2026 and change with dates and demand; always check before you travel. Our own prices are fixed when you book. More from us: Airport lounges: worth it? · Gatwick North or South? · When to leave · All our guides