Airport Parking

Parking at Gatwick Airport LGW.

Short term parking for private cars, without special requirements is well catered for at both terminals BUT you need to know how long and wide your car is as you move about the North Terminal car park! It’s a bit tricky.

Parking 4×4′s Mini-busses and larger people carriers.

With the increasing use of 4×4′s, larger people (that’s larger vehicles, not larger people) carriers and minibuses parking is often a worry. Both North & South terminal have ‘high sided’ vehicle parking facilities to cover this eventuality. They are not covered and both require a short walk.

Parking here is clearly sign posted. However manoeuvring a large car in the carpark is a little troublesome. The designer must have been a mini driver! There is a tendency for drivers to park as near the bottom as possible due to the difficulty of getting around, this leaves more space near the top for the smaller car drivers, or even drivers of smaller cars!

High Sided Vehicle Parking at North Terminal

High sided vehicles are also catered for at north terminal BUT is is a real bugger to get into. High sided parking is at ground level so don’t go up any ramps. Keep to the left hand side and just before the terminal building there is a sharp turn back on yourself to get into the parking area. You will probably need to swing out a bit before turning in. A real nuisance! Getting out is easier, kinda sorta, you have a tricky little turn into the barrier area, which leaves you stretching to insert your ticket, then a turn left into the traffic. I’m sure there are excellent reasons why the entrance/exit positions are not swapped.

Parking at Gatwick Airport South Terminal

At south terminal there are three parking areas, all within the same building. After leaving the motorway spur road keep to the right hand lane. There are three roads leading off, ignore the first two. Follow the signs to ‘Short Term’ parking. After passing through the barrier you will see the entrances to the multi-storey car parks on the left. Car parks 1 & 2 are best for ‘Departures’. Car park 3 is best for ‘Arrivals’. It is my experience that people seldom like to walk so they spend a lot of time driving around the level where the main entrance to the airport is. I always go up at least one floor extra where there is often more space, two levels extra is no big deal as all floors are served by lifts. Within the car park the car park number, level & row is written on a big sign on every pillar. Make a note so you can find your vehicle easily.

High sided vehicle parking at South terminal
High sided vehicles have their own parking area just past the three main car parks. It is in the open, so take a brolly if it looks like rain.

Off Airport (Long term parking)

There are a great many of off-airport parking spaces in the area BUT, I am told, that there is not enough to go around. Many companies have their own web sites. Please be aware that just because you have filled in an on-line booking form it does not mean you have a space reserved! Please ring the company to confirm your booking – unless you have been through a secure online booking facility. In which case the company concerned will e-mail a confirmation.

Coach Parking

Coach parking is available at South terminal – reached by keeping to the near side lane when leaving the motorway spur road. Parking is sign posted (on the left). There is often a mobile snack bar, in the car park, for coach drivers. If you are parked in a coach then you will need support staff in the airport terminal to handle your passengers. You need to register with the coach park staff and advise them of your flight number and e.t.a. They will send you down to the terminal at the correct time.