A taxi from Covent Garden to Gatwick Airport with Esskay Cars costs from £99 in a saloon. That is a fixed fare for the whole car, with the airport charge included. We collect from hotels, apartments and offices around Covent Garden, the Strand, Holborn and Seven Dials, and drop you at the North or South Terminal. The return from Gatwick to Covent Garden costs the same.

Covent Garden is at the heart of London’s West End, with Theatreland, the Royal Opera House, the market and dozens of hotels within a few streets of each other. Many people flying to Gatwick from here are visitors heading home after a stay in London. A fixed-fare car from the hotel door saves you carrying luggage down to the Tube or across to Victoria.

Covent Garden to Gatwick taxi fares

Live fares from our booking system, checked on 24 October 2026 for a weekday. Each price is per vehicle, with the airport charge included.

Vehicle	Seats and luggage	Covent Garden to Gatwick	Gatwick to Covent Garden
Saloon	3 passengers, 3 large cases	£99	£99
Estate	4 passengers, 4 large cases	£109	£109
Executive	3 passengers, 2 large cases	£125	£125
People Carrier	6 passengers, 5 large cases	£125	£125
8-Seater Minivan	8 passengers, 8 large cases	£151	£151
Executive Minivan	6 passengers, 6 large cases	£184	£184
12-Seater Minibus	12 passengers, 10 large cases	£347	£347
16-Seater Minibus	16 passengers, 14 large cases	£407	£407

The price is the same to both terminals. Four people in an estate pay about £28 each. Six in a people carrier pay about £21 each.

Route and journey time

Gatwick is about 30 miles from Covent Garden. The driver usually crosses the river at Waterloo Bridge or Westminster Bridge and heads south through Kennington, Brixton and Streatham on the A23, through Croydon to the M23. When south London is heavily congested, the A3 to the M25, and round to the M23, can be quicker.

When you travel	Typical journey time
Early morning (before 6am)	45 to 55 minutes
Weekday off-peak	60 to 75 minutes
Weekday rush hour	80 to 100 minutes
Friday evening or after a big event	Up to 1 hour 45 minutes

When to leave Covent Garden

Flight	Leave Covent Garden by
Short-haul, hand luggage only	2 hours 45 minutes before departure
Short-haul with checked bags	3 hours before departure
Long-haul	3 hours 30 minutes before departure
Weekday morning peak	Add 30 minutes

Where we pick up

Covent Garden: the Piazza, Long Acre, Floral Street, Neal Street and Seven Dials.
The Strand and Aldwych: the riverside hotels, Somerset House and Charing Cross.
Holborn: Kingsway, High Holborn and Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Leicester Square and Soho: hotels and apartments in WC2 and W1.
Bloomsbury: Russell Square and the British Museum area.

Covent Garden has many pedestrian streets and restricted roads. Give us the hotel or building name, and we will meet you at the nearest point a car can reach. If you cannot see the car, call or WhatsApp us.

Hotel pickups for visitors

If you are staying in a Covent Garden hotel, we will collect you from reception at the time you choose. Visitors often leave London with more luggage than they arrived with, so if you have been shopping on Long Acre and Regent Street, an estate or people carrier gives you more room. The driver helps load the bags at the hotel door.

Taxi, Gatwick Express or Thameslink?

Option	How it works	Best for
Esskay Cars taxi	Door to door, fixed fare per car	Families, groups, heavy luggage, early flights
Gatwick Express	From Victoria, about 30 minutes, after a Tube or taxi to Victoria	Solo travellers with light luggage
Thameslink	From Farringdon, City Thameslink or London Bridge	Travellers near those stations

The train is fast once you are on it, but you have to get yourself and your bags from Covent Garden to the station first, and the trains do not run all night. For two or more people with luggage, or for an early flight, the car is usually simpler.

Theatre and business visitors

Covent Garden is busy with theatre-goers, performers and production crews, as well as the law firms around Holborn and the offices along the Strand. For business trips, the executive saloon, a Mercedes E-Class or similar, is £125. Companies can book cars for guests arriving at Gatwick, and the driver will meet them in arrivals with a name sign.

Arriving at Gatwick and staying in Covent Garden

For visitors arriving at Gatwick, the driver meets you in arrivals and drops you at your West End hotel door. You do not have to find your way across London on the train and Tube with your cases. We track your flight, so a delay is covered, and the fare does not change.

Early flights

For a 6:30am departure with checked bags, you would need to leave Covent Garden around 3:30am, before the Gatwick Express starts. A pre-booked car is the practical way to make an early flight from central London. The fare is the same at night.

Late arrivals and after the show

If you land late at Gatwick, the Gatwick Express and Tube may have stopped by the time you reach London. A pre-booked car is waiting in arrivals however late your flight comes in. The same goes for travellers leaving straight after an evening performance to catch a night or early-morning flight. Tell us the time and the theatre, and the driver will be waiting nearby.

Families visiting London

For families who have spent a few days in the West End, the end of the trip often means tired children, extra shopping bags and a deadline at the airport. An estate or people carrier from the hotel door is far easier than the Tube and train. Tell us about pushchairs and car seats when you book, so the vehicle has room.

Accessibility

If anyone in your party uses a wheelchair or needs help getting in and out of the car, mention it when you book. We will send a suitable vehicle, allow extra time at the pickup, and drop you at the best entrance at Gatwick if you have booked special assistance.

Our drivers

All Esskay Cars drivers are licensed private hire drivers, insured and DBS-checked. They know the West End well, including where a car can stop near the pedestrian streets, and they choose the quickest route out of London on the day.

Choosing your vehicle

A saloon takes three passengers and three large cases. An estate takes four of each. A people carrier, at £125, takes six people with five cases. The executive minivan, a Mercedes V-Class or similar, seats six in comfort for £184. Groups can book the 8-seater minivan or a minibus.

Is a taxi worth it compared with an app cab?

App-based cabs can be cheaper at quiet times, but fares often rise in the early morning, late at night, in bad weather and after big events in the West End. Our fare is fixed when you book, with the airport charge already included. The car is booked in advance, so you are not left waiting for a driver to accept the job.

Booking

Use the booking form at the top of this page for an instant fixed price, or call 0207 8400 344. You can also WhatsApp us on 020 3355 8186, 24 hours a day.

Related routes

See also our Tower Bridge to Gatwick taxi, Shoreditch to Gatwick taxi and the main Gatwick airport taxi page. Flying from Heathrow instead? See our Heathrow airport taxi page.