How to take a rail journey from London to Brighton

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London to Brighton by train

The trains to Brighton depart from multiple stations in central London:

Gatwick Express operates the trains which leave from Victoria station, which is on the south-west corner of the city's central area.
So it is handily located for the West End and areas such as Chelsea, South Kensington and Notting Hill.
It also has a connection with three Underground lines; the Circle, the District and the Victoria lines.

Thameslink trains cross central London, so they typically depart from these stations - north to south:

  1. St Pancras International (which is a 2 min walk from King's Cross station)
  2. Farringdon, which has a very easy interchange with the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines of the Undergound
  3. City Thameslink, by St Paul's cathedral.
  4. Blackfriars, which straddles the River Thames so has access points on both the north and south banks of the river; and also has a connection with the Circle and District Lines.
  5. London Bridge, which has an interchange with the Jubilee and Northern lines

Routes you can take to go from London to Brighton

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:
Looking for connections?

Route Information

Option 1: taking the Gatwick Express trains
Travel Time (approx)

1hr (approx)

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

2 x trains per hour

Journey Summary:

Is the journey direct? = Yes


Is the journey scenic? = Not particularly


When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at the destination? = around 06:15 on Monday to Saturday; before 06:00 on Sunday


When is the usual approximate latest departure? = before 23:30 on Monday to Friday; after 01:00 on Saturday (Sunday morning); around 23:30 on Sunday


Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance? = Yes


How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale? = 12 weeks; see the Ticket Information

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What are the child ticket terms? = aged 5 to 15 = 50%; aged 4 and under = free


Does the ticket include assigned seats? = No


Do rail pass users need to book reservations? = No


Is catering available on the train? = No


What else is good to know?

See the general guide to travelling in Britain by train.

Route Information

Option 2: taking the Thameslink trains
Travel Time (approx)

1hr 5min - 1hr 10min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

4 x trains per hour

Journey Summary:

Is the journey direct? = Yes


Is the journey scenic? = Not particularly


When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at the destination? = before 06:15 on Monday to Saturday; around 09:45 on Sunday from London Bridge; on Sunday around 10:45 from St Panrcas


When is the usual approximate latest departure from St Pancras? = before 01:00 nightly; this final train of the day does not call at London Bridge


When is the usual approximate latest departure from London Bridge? = after 23:30 nightly


Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance? = No


How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale? = 12 weeks; see the Ticket Information


What are the child ticket terms? = aged 5 to 15 = 50%; aged 4 and under = free


Does the ticket include assigned seats? = No


Do rail pass users need to book reservations? = No


Is catering available on the train? = No


What else is good to know?

See the general guide to travelling in Britain by train.

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