Compare Croydon car hire

London Gatwick Airport (LGW) is just 18 miles (29 kilometres) south of Croydon, meaning you can drive into the town within 40 minutes when you book car hire at Gatwick Airport. Compare prices before you travel to get top deals from Gatwick car hire brands, which include Avis, Enterprise, Europcar and Hertz.

The drive to Croydon couldn’t be simpler. Exit the airport following signs marked M23 and London and stay on the motorway going north until it merges with the A23. Stay on the road until you reach the junction with the A232, which leads into Croydon.

There are eight airport partner rental companies at Gatwick – Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, Alamo, National and Sixt – each of which has a booking office in the South Terminal. If you're arriving at the North Terminal, where Hertz has an additional rental desk, simply jump on the free shuttle bus to reach the desks.

You can book a hire car at London Gatwick Airport with the following operators:

• Avis (Tel: +44344 544 6001)
• Budget (Tel: +44808 284 4444)
• Enterprise (Tel: +441293 609090)
• Europcar (Tel: +44371 384 3408)
• Hertz (Tel: +44843 309 3030)
• Alamo (Tel: +44800 028 2390)
• National (Tel: +441293 609090)
• Sixt (Tel: +44844 499 3399)

Croydon's road network, with its concrete flyovers, underpasses and three-sided Ring Road, can be challenging and busy. The town centre's dual carriageways, for example, are typically congested and can be tricky to navigate – especially if you're not familiar with the layout.

Try to avoid Fairfield Halls Roundabout, Addiscombe Road, Fiveways Junction and the streets around East Croydon railway station, which, for out-of-towners, can be awkward to get around. As ever, plan your route in advance, and, if possible, power up your satnav or GPS-enabled smartphone in case you get stuck.

Croydon's main arteries – the vertical A23 and horizontal A232 – offer easy access to the town centre, but traffic jams are a constant threat. The one-way systems introduced to ease congestion have proved unpopular with locals, having simply relocated the bottlenecks. On the whole, you're unlikely to be driving around Croydon at speed, and many of the town's residential roads have now switched from a 30mph to a 20mph speed limit.

The town does have a decent supply of car parks, including multi-storey facilities close to the Ring Road, and there are various on-street parking bays offering 30 minutes of free parking.

The Surrey Hills

Driving time: 45 minutes

The Surrey Hills is a vast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a haven for outdoor activities. It covers around a quarter of Surrey, and includes panoramic viewpoints at Newlands Corner, the Devil's Punch Bowl and Box Hill.

Backing up the natural scenery, manmade features including Leith Hill Tower, the Inglis Memorial, Broadwood's Folly and the Lovelace Bridges are worth discovering. On a drive through the hills, make sure you call in at one of the quaint, chocolate-box villages, such as Gomshall, Abinger Hammer and Mickleham. If you're keen on antiques, the nearby market town of Dorking is an essential stop.

Brighton and the Sussex coast

Driving time: One hour 15 minutes

Although there's no sand on Brighton beach, you'll find pretty much everything else you're looking for in this Sussex seaside town. The resort offers arcade fun on the pier, promenade strolls, train rides, culture at the Royal Pavilion and boutique shopping in The Lanes.

Head uphill to enjoy views of the Brighton rooftops, South Downs and the coast, or relax at sea level with lunch on one of the beachfront bar terraces. Historic Lewes is a short drive east – you'll find an 11th-century castle here and Anne of Cleves House, a Tudor museum dedicated to Henry VIII's fourth wife.

Thorpe Park

Driving time: One hour 10 minutes

Built in a flooded gravel pit on the site of a former country estate, Thorpe Park is a water-centric theme park on the eastern flank of the M25. Visitors have been flocking to this mock-island attraction since 1979, drawn by a mix of white-knuckle and family-friendly rides.

The ominously-named Tidal Wave, Colossus, Nemesis Inferno and Stealth are not for the fainthearted, while Storm Surge and Loggers Leap should be avoided if you want to keep dry. There's also a maze, 4D cinema and beach area if you're happy to leave the thrill-seeking to others.