Crawley

Crawley is a town of 119,000 people (2021) in West Sussex, on the border with Surrey, in the South East of England. The biggest influence on the town is Gatwick Airport, which lays claim to being the 6th-busiest airport in the world.

Understand
Crawley was a small town until 1947 when it was designated a New Town. Its population boomed in the 1950s and 1960s.

By car
Crawley marks the midpoint of the M23/A23, which links London in the north to Brighton on the south coast. The A217 leads north to Reigate, and the A264 heads east to East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells, and west to Horsham.

By train
There are three relevant train stops for Crawley:, and.

While trains run directly and frequently from Gatwick and Three Bridges to Brighton, you will need to change in Three Bridges to Brighton when coming from Crawley Station. Fare and timetable information is available from South East Trains, tel. +44 8457 484950.

From Crawley trains run north to London, and south to Horsham, Haywards Heath and Brighton.

Regular fast trains run direct from Gatwick to London Victoria.

By air
, a major international airport and one of the world's busiest, is just outside Crawley.

By bus

 * National Express buses go from and to Crawley Station and Gatwick Airport.
 * Metrobus #273 goes from Brighton Churchill Square to Crawley in about 70 min crossing lovely Sussex countryside with a £5.50 fare (Dec 2018).

Get around
Within the town centre, or to the station, county mall and the football stadium you can comfortably walk.

By bus
Local buses run by Metrobus: 10, 100, 200, 300.

From and to the airport take the number 10 Fastway service which runs almost always as a 24-hr service (not on Sundays and public holidays).

By taxi
Taxis available, e.g. at the railway stations. Fares from the station to the airport are around £14 and take 10 min (if no traffic jam). However, the Fastways bus 10 takes about 20 min and costs £1.60.

By bicycle
Crawley is small enough to reach all ends cycling and in town centre there are parking facilities. Increasingly cycle paths are marked and signed, but essentially the whole place is built for cars and especially the Gatwick Airport area is not meant for cyclists.

Do

 * Football: Crawley Town were promoted in 2024 and now play soccer in League One, the third tier. Their home ground Broadfield Stadium (capacity 6100) is by the A23 a mile south of town centre.

Eat
Along the High Street are pubs and restaurants featuring typical English pubs and bars, Italian chains like Pizza Express, Si and Bella Italia, two or three curry houses, Mexican, kebab kiosks and more. There are also a lot of cheaper takeaways in Crawley where you can order a meal for around £7 to £15 if you're on a budget.



Connect
As of Feb 2023, Crawley and its approach roads have 4G from O2, and 5G from EE, Three and Vodafone.

Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

Other places of interest in the Crawley area:


 * Nymans Gardens, Handcross
 * Wakehurst Place, Ardingly
 * Cycle to Crawley Down, East Grinstead or Forest Row by the Worth Way traffic free path. This is mainly an old railway line so gradients are modest.
 * Cycle trip to Horsham going for example through the Buchan County Park and following the small country road going through St Leonards Forest south parallel to the A264. Have a rest at the Green Dragons Inn in Faygate.
 * By train to Arundel and spend a day there.
 * By bus to East Grinstead, historic and friendly town.