Best way to get from London to Paris

The Eurostar train is the best way. I bought my tickets six months in advance and paid £39 for each adult. Children would be less. The further ahead you can buy them the better. Friends who are now joining us on the trip had to pay more for their tickets as the £39 tickets were gone. We travel on September 26. It takes 2 hours 15 minutes to travel city center to city center.

Agree with Andrea. The earlier you purchase Eurostar tickets, the cheaper they are. And very convenient especially if you have three kids.

Especially if you can buy tickets well in advance, Eurostar will be much easier than flying or a bus-ferry combination. Get on the train at St. Pancras, get off at Gare du Nord. The kids can explore the train and watch the scenery (before and after the tunnel). Compare that to hauling them to and from airports, on and off buses and a boat. Normally I love boats but not with three kids on the notoriously choppy English Channel!

No question the Eurostar is the easiest.. and it can be affordable if you book well in advance. I always book the non refundable non flexible tickets ( the cheapest) and have never paid more then 50 euros or so.. I realize that still adds up with a family but remember thats city center to city center.. so no extra expense geting to and from airports( its 10 euros to get from CDG to Paris if you take the RER.. but with kids and luggage a taxi would be a better option.. and thats about 60 euros .. so not much more then the RER)

The train it great for kids.. they can eat a lunch you pack ( you can bring food and drink onboard and most folks do) and wander around a bit.. plus its only 2.5 hours ,, a bus ferry trip would be about 8 hours.. with kids.. I would not imagine a long bus ride would be fun.

Just to amplify Pat's reply: In addition to the cost of the train vs. the flight, remember to include the cost of getting to the train stations vs. getting to the airports. If you are traveling with 3 children, you are probably looking at taxis or car services, and getting to and from the airports will cost a lot more than getting to the train stations. You also won't save any time.

If cost is the most important factor, then the bus is the cheapest, particularly if you are booking too late to get discounted train fares. Unless you are already at the airport, flying is not the way to go.

To book trains: http://www.eurostar.com/us-en

To book buses: http://www.idbus.com/line/london-paris-bercy or http://www.eurolines.co.uk/ (starting point is London Victoria Coach Station and destination is Paris Gallieni).

Eurostar is quick, easy & fast.

Eurostar train is fastest, from one downtown station to another downtown station in about 2.5 hours (plus 30-mintue advance check-in required). Second class is fine. Buy the cheapest tickets that are currently available at http://ricksteves.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm (or shop around if you like, but prices should all be the same). Kids 4-11 get discounts and so do youths aged 12-25 and seniors 60+. Booking ahead is the way to get the best total price.

To update dated information - the Eurostar is now somewhat faster than previously and instead of 2.5 hours (2:30) it is now only 2:16 on most trains between Paris and London.

Even better is the travel time between Brussels and London - only 2 hours and one minute on most trains.