Taxi from Gatwick Airport to Kensington

From the M23 to the Cromwell Road

There are two common routes. The first follows the A23 north through Croydon, Streatham and Clapham, crosses the river at Battersea or Chelsea Bridge, and comes up through Chelsea to South Kensington. The second uses the M25 and the A3 through Kingston and Wandsworth, crossing at Wandsworth or Putney Bridge, which suits addresses in the west of Kensington, around Earl's Court and Holland Park.

Either way, plan on an hour to an hour and twenty minutes. Most of the time is spent in the last few miles, where London traffic and lights slow everything down. Late evenings and early mornings are much quicker.

Hotels, museums and homes

• South Kensington: the hotels around Cromwell Road and Queen's Gate, close to the Natural History Museum, the V&A and the Science Museum. Exhibition Road is a shared-space street with restricted parking, so the driver will stop at the nearest convenient point.
• Kensington High Street and Kensington Church Street: hotels, embassies and mansion blocks near the park and the palace.
• Earl's Court and Gloucester Road: many mid-sized hotels in converted townhouses, with limited space outside.
• Holland Park and the garden squares: private residences, often with resident parking only. The driver will stop briefly to unload.

Give us the hotel name or full address, and for private squares and mews, any access instructions.

The train and tube alternative

The quickest rail option is the Gatwick Express to Victoria, then the District or Circle line to South Kensington, Gloucester Road or High Street Kensington. It takes about an hour. Southern trains also run to Victoria, and some Southern services run to Kensington Olympia via Clapham Junction.

For a solo traveller with a small bag, that is quicker and cheaper. With heavy luggage, the stairs and crowds on the District line are hard going, and many of the hotels are a walk from the station. For families, older travellers and anyone after a long-haul flight, the car to the door is much easier.

Congestion Charge and ULEZ

Parts of Kensington are inside the central London Congestion Charge zone, and the whole area is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Our vehicles meet ULEZ standards. If the Congestion Charge applies to your journey, we will confirm it when you book.

Students and universities

Imperial College London, the Royal College of Art and the Royal College of Music are all in South Kensington, and many international students fly in through Gatwick at the start of term. Give us the hall of residence or college building and the driver will take you there. With a year's luggage, choose an estate or MPV.

Gatwick meet and greet

Your driver tracks your flight and waits in arrivals with a name board, then walks you to the car in the short-stay car park. If your flight is delayed, the pickup moves at no extra charge.

Gatwick's drop-off charges

For your return flight, if someone drives you to Gatwick, the forecourt drop-off zones cost £10 for the first ten minutes since January 2026, then £1 a minute up to thirty minutes. The free Long Stay car park allows two hours with a shuttle bus. With a pre-booked taxi from Kensington, the fixed fare covers it.

Executive cars

For business travel, diplomatic visits and special occasions, our executive saloon, the Mercedes S-Class and the electric BMW i7 come with experienced chauffeurs.

Booking for guests and visitors

Many Kensington bookings are made by hotels, embassies, schools and families on behalf of someone arriving from overseas. Put the passenger's name and mobile number on the booking so the driver can contact them, and the driver will hold a name board with that name. We can send the confirmation to both of you.

Frequently asked questions