Train from london

I am traveling to Paris and London at the end of the month, and was wondering how complicated it is to take a train from London to Paris on a Saturday. It will be a one way trip, as we are returning back to the states from Paris. How much should that cost? What is the best company to use? How long is the ride? And do I need to purchase tickets in advance, or can I just buy them that morning?

Thanks!

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It%26#39;s not complicated at all, and it%26#39;s a very nice ride through mainly agricultural areas that you otherwise wouldn%26#39;t see (little villages and churches and farms off in the distance).

You should do this on the Eurostar site (whatever you do, don%26#39;t use Eurail as it%26#39;s almost always much more expensive), as soon as possible to get the best price still available (as with airlines, the less expensive tickets sell out fastest). If you wait to the day of travel, you will pay the very highest fare, assuming there even are seats available. Also, try booking it as a roundtrip ticket (London/Paris/London) because it usually is much less expensive than one way (just throw away the return). The trip is about 2.5 hours as I recall. If the prices seem high, play around with the time of departure as some are much less expensive than others.

You might also want to research this question on the London Forum, in case someone has threads posted that give more information that would be useful to you coming from London. (To do a search, type the main words you are search - e.g., %26quot;Eurostar London to Paris%26quot;) in the box below the green bar, above the list of forum topics.

Good luck and have fun.

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The only direct train from London to Paris is the Eurostar (that%26#39;s because there%26#39;s only one tunnel). You really must get onto the Eurostar website as soon as possible and book your tickets, as the longer you leave it the more the tickets will be. I suspect it%26#39;s already too late for the cheapest ones.

eurostar.com

The good news is it%26#39;s only two hours and twenty minutes from city centre to city centre.

(If only the hideously expensive seats are left and budget is an issue, you could try the Eurolines coach. Although it%26#39;s eight hours, the journey is broken up by the ferry ctrossing where you can get a drink in the bar or walk the decks.)

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Perfect, thanks for the info!! Also, how long before train departure to I need to arrive at the station? Is there security or anything like that?

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Yes, there is security but it%26#39;s fairly quick and easy compared to most airports. I think the website suggests you be there 45 minutes in advance, though I know a lot of people who cut it finer than that. The Eurostar website has all the details about that kind of stuff. You really should be on there booking right now!

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WHOAH!! I just checked on the eurostar website, and tickets are about $390...

any other suggestions?

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Hi,

Have you tried prices for a return ticket - it sounds crazy but it may be cheaper. You can book a return and just not use the return part of the ticket

Alison

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Alternatives are the plane and the coach (coach prices start at £19!!). There are other train routes but that involves taking a train to Dover, then the ferry crossing, then a train from Calais to Paris, so it%26#39;s not much quicker than the coach. Although the longest, the coach is in some ways the most relaxing. You just load your bag onto the coach in London and take it out again in Paris. The ferry part of the journey can be fun and you get to see the White Cliffs of Dover.

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Clear your Cookies, go to the www.eurostar.com website. Log in as being from the U.K. I checked on March 28 (is that your day of travel?) There are still one-way fares for 51 Pounds (about $72 U.S.) in the afternoon, after 12:30.

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