Long stay parking at Gatwick

The airport's own answer to holiday parking: a much lower daily rate in exchange for a free transfer bus at each end.

Last reviewed 6 September 2026. Prices and car park rules change often — confirm the current details before you travel.

Long stay parking is what most people actually want when they say "airport parking". It is the airport's own product for people going away for a week or a fortnight: park on the airport perimeter, take a free bus to the terminal, and pay a fraction of what the short stay multi-storey would cost.

How it works

Each terminal has its own long stay car park out on the airport perimeter. You drive in, park yourself, keep your keys, and make your way to the transfer bus stop. The bus runs frequently and takes you to the terminal. Coming home, you do the same in reverse from the designated stop outside arrivals.

The transfer is free and included — you are not buying it separately, and you should be suspicious of any quote that implies otherwise.

What it costs, and why

The daily rate is far below short stay, and the gap grows with the length of the trip. Over a fortnight the difference between short stay and long stay is not a rounding error; it is a meaningful sum of money.

What you are paying less for is proximity. The car park is further from the terminal and there is a bus in between. That is the entire trade. Whether it is a good trade depends almost entirely on your luggage and your travelling companions, not on the money.

Long stay rates reward booking ahead, often substantially. Turning up without a booking is normally the most expensive way to use these car parks, and on busy dates it risks the car park being full.

Allowing enough time

Budget for the whole chain, not the bus ride:

• Driving in and finding a space — longer than you expect at peak times, and longer still if you are circling for a spot near the bus stop.
• Unloading and walking to the transfer stop with your bags.
• Waiting for the next bus.
• The ride itself.
• Walking from the drop-off point into the terminal and to bag drop.

None of it is difficult. All of it takes longer than the version in your head. Add it to your airline's check-in deadline and then add a traffic contingency on top.

The return leg

Coming home is where long stay parking is at its least glamorous. You have landed, possibly late, possibly at night, you have your bags, and you now need to find the transfer stop and wait for a bus.

A few things make it much easier:

• Photograph where you parked. Row, zone, bay number — a photo of the sign beats a memory formed two weeks ago at six in the morning.
• Note which car park you are in, not just "long stay". If you have used the opposite terminal's car park, write that down, because it is exactly the sort of detail that evaporates on a long flight.
• Keep the booking confirmation accessible offline. Airport data connections at the end of a flight are not to be relied on.
• Have your keys somewhere findable rather than in the bottom of a checked bag.

Long stay versus off-airport

Independent operators around the airport are often cheaper still, and for a long trip the saving can be real. What official long stay buys you over them is a shorter transfer and the airport running the whole operation itself.

The honest answer is to compare quotes for your dates. Official long stay booked early frequently beats an off-airport compound booked late, and the reverse is also true. The general rules are useful for orientation and useless as a substitute for checking.

Before you go

• Book ahead — the drive-up rate is the expensive one.
• Use the car park's own postcode in your satnav, not "Gatwick Airport".
• Check the cancellation terms if there is any chance your dates move.
• Fill up with fuel before you arrive, so you can simply drive away when you get back.