london to paris for day trip eurorail

Hugely expensive if not booked in advance but yes you can use the Eurostar, leave London and be in Paris in a little over two hours.

Eurostar is what you are referring to, and it can be quite inexpensive if you buy your tickets several months in advance, and you can do it yourself.

Because of the time zone difference it is actually easier to go Paris - London - Paris than London - Paris - London.

If you can start early in London and are happy returning late you can see a nice bit of the tip of the Paris iceberg.

You need to check in an absolute minimum of 30 minutes before travel and there is security check after check in. Travel time between London St Pancras station and Paris Gare du Nord is 2:17, and the same in reverse.

You can get a HoHo bus tour from the arrival station or easily get around by Métro.

You lose an hour on arrival in Paris and get it back when you return to London.

Now I have read your other post and realize that you are only a week out.

I subscribe to what Claudia said - it will cost a great deal for walk up fares, but is still doable as I said if the money isn't the concern.

I did a daytrip to Paris from London a year ago, using the Evan Evans tour group. I enjoyed it. You don't have to worry about where you're going, they take you around to the major sights. Check it out!

Thanks for input. Will look into when we get there....so much to see and do in London that we are going to play it by chance to see if we have time.

The way the Eurostar tickets work is there is a range of prices, from say $60-400, and they don't fluctuate based on time of year. They're just released at that price on that particular day and people will buy up the cheap ones first and the longer you wait, all that will be left are the expensive tickets for that day. If you wait until you get there, they will most likely be upwards of $300-400. It would certainly be an adventure if you make it work but it's a lot of sitting on a train for not getting to see much of Paris, which deserves several days.

I agree, yes you can do it but Paris really deserves more than just a day. As in a week or two. Just my 2 cents.

Six years ago we had planned to stay in London 5 nights, then decided to go to Paris for a night since we hadn't been to Paris before. Since were were in the same hotel for 2 nights before and after our Paris adventure, we left all our luggage except for a day pack for our overnight. We took an early morning train that arrived in Paris around 10am. Rick Steves London book had a day trip to Paris so we followed his itinerary and stayed near the Eiffel tower. The next morning we were on a train by around 10am and back in London by around 1 pm for more London sightseeing.

While it was a whirlwind day, I'm really glad we did this. No need to take a tour. Easy enough to do on your own. To keep cost down, buy your Eurostar tickets early.

Have done this day trip with Golden Tours. Long day, very enjoyable. Gave my husband a taste of Paris, as it was his first time. Meet at St Pancras at 5.45am return to London at about 9.40pm. Cost per person about $333. Return train fare, all day bus, boat trip on Seine, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, quick overview of main sites. Check out their site

I am looking at 3 days in Paris in 2-3 weeks.......and am bummed at the cost. So there's no way around spending 200-300 pounds? That is painful.

Ashley, if you aren't doing a day trip it's possible to get much cheaper fares by coach, although the journey will be much longer and less comfortable. Try www.idbus.com, www.megabus.com, or www.eurolines.co.uk.

"I am looking at 3 days in Paris in 2-3 weeks.......and am bummed at the cost. So there's no way around spending 200-300 pounds? That is painful."

Yes, Eurostar tickets have to be booked WELL in advance, much like airline tickets.

Check out Euroline buses. Overnight journey is dead cheap.

Eurorail from London to Paris is 3 hours each way - so, unless you plan on sleeping on the train each way, that's a very optimistic day trip. Also, eurorail expensive if booked more than 3 weeks out, so that's something else to consider.

My two cents worth? Go back to the second city whenever you have more time available - another vacation trip.

Lisa

Dear lpricehike (and lisac),
Eurorail is a travel agent which re-sells tickets at a markup. They do not run any trains. There is no such thing as "Eurorail from London to Paris".
The London Paris high speed trains are run by Eurostar: http://eurostar.com
It takes 2¼ to 2½ hours by Eurostar train from London to Paris (or vice versa). You get the best prices on Eurostar if you book at least 2 months in advance. The cheapest fare is £69 return, worst case if you just go to the station and buy a ticket on the day it costs £309 return.
There are assorted travel agents who offer day trips London to Paris (or vice versa). They block-book Eurostar tickets in advance, and include a guided bus tour of Paris, followed by a few hours free time, and a return train all for a fixed price. It requires an early start from London and a late return. This is the best option for a day trip from London to Paris.

There is a one-hour time difference between the UK and France, so it will appear to be three hours outbound and one hour back.