First time train traveler - Paris to London

Hi
For all things "train travel in Europe" can I suggest going to
www.seat61.com

Since you're at airport, fly. We took Eurostar from London to Paris and got off at Gate Nord. Perhaps there is a connection at CDG.

The Eurostar runs ONLY from Gare du Nord in Paris, so you will have to get there from CDG before you can travel that mode to London.
I don't know the time frame to travel from CDG to Gare du Nord, so I can't even hazard a guess on that aspect of your travel. Most people think better of booking anything definite following an international arrival.

Also, with Eurostar, there is airport-like (or maybe LITE) security before boarding., so you'll need to consider that. When I took Eurostar in May 2016, I was advised to be at the train station (traveling in either direction) at least 45 minutes before departure.
It arrives/departs in London ONLY at St. Pancras International train station.

http://www.eurostar.com/

Something I have learned since my Eurostar booking is that it seems to be better priced online if you book through the Great Britain version of the site rather than the US (50 GBP to $78. Based on today's exchange rate, 50 GBP is $62.43).

I do not know if there are any hoops to jump through in order to continue on that price path, as I have not booked anything since about this time last year.

Have you checked air fares from CDG to some London airport?

No, the Eurostar is not the only way to get to France from London.

You can fly, you can take a ferry, you can go on a coach (this is slow), or you can take the Eurostar.

For good info on the Eurostar and trains, see the excellent website of the Man in Seat 61. Everything you need to know.

There is also a train travel forum over on TripAdvisor. And destination forums, as well.

For the best Eurostar prices, buy well in advance. Eurostar tickets are like plane tickets, the ticket ties you to a specific train at a specific time. If you choose Eurostar, consider what you will do if your inbound flight is delayed or cancelled. Will this be a huge budget problem if you have to buy a Eurostar or plane ticket at walk-up fares? What will your travel insurance cover?

But since you're already at the airport, it might make more sense to fly. The best thing to do would be to book a flight to London, if that is where you need to be, rather than Paris. If you already bought the plane ticket to Paris, see if you can add a flight segment to London on the same itinerary, so you have a protected connection.

However, it's your trip, and it's your choice about how you want to get there.

There are many rail companies in the UK, but the National Rail website gives you info on all train schedules.

No, the Eurostar does not run all over Europe. The routes are on the website.

Good luck with your trip planning, and hope you enjoy your holiday!

What airline are you taking to Paris? Will you have checked bags? Where in London are you going?

Since you are already at the airport, why go into Paris to get a train? Just take a flight from CDG into London. I asked where you are going in London because that will tell which airport would be best.

If you don't have checked bags, you may be able to bypass French immigration as a connecting passenger. (I "ve never connected at CDG to the UK so I don't know if this is possible. Perhaps someone else will chime in.)

I asked what airline you are taking to see if there are flights from the same terminal.

The questions regarding UK rail have been answered.

I agree with the above just take a flight direct to london
i counted 12 flights from cdg that you could make after 10 am

www.nationalrail.co.uk will tell you the fares and schedules between any rail station in Britain using any of the train companies - including journeys where you change at different locations. Also check for railcards on this site. Longer distance rail fares in Britain are cheaper by pre-booking about 11 weeks ahead.

If you are thinking about visiting somewhere out of London, it might save you time to fly direct from Paris to that are. For example, should you be planning to go to Bath, fly from Paris to Bristol. For the north of England & north Wales - fly to Manchester. Direct flights also go to Scotland from Paris. www.skyscanner.com will tell you who flies where & when with guide prices - best to click monthly view.

"Hello. We will be flying into Paris and need to go directly from Charles De Gaulle airport over to London."

Again, I have to ask why you're flying into Paris if you want to go to London?

Thanks everyone for your posts. So incredibly helpful and I appreciate it.

Harleydonski, I am flying into Paris because I am using air miles and it was going to cost me $3000in taxes to fly directly into London as opposed to $330 if I fly into Paris rather than London. That's quite a savings wouldn't you say?

C.M., do you really "need" to be in London the same day.
My plan B, stay in Paris the first night, gives you the best part of a day to get a taste of Paris, chill out and recover from your long flight.
Get an early train the following morning to London. That way you can safely book well in advance and get a cheap ticket.

The full Eurostar timetable is here: http://www.eurostar.com/sites/default/files/pdf/timetable/UK_timetable.pdf
Roughly one train per hour, trip takes 2½ hours city centre to city centre.

Eurostar only operates the trains London-Paris, other parts of France and London-Brussels. Lots of other companies operate trains in the UK, but that is partly academic, you can look up times for all of them on http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ (which is a co-ordinating organisation for them all). This site will link to the relevant company to buy tickets. Trips involving different companies can be done on one ticket.