I am flying in to London and spending 3 days prior to my tour in Paris.
We plan on taking the train between the 2.
We will be staying at the Victoria Palace area of London.
Can anyone give me advice on the train? I know we will take it from that area to a
main hub then go to Paris.
Which stop is the best to get us to the tour start in Paris?
I was told to book as early as possible so need to get this completed.
Thanks for any info you can give me.
The Eurostar doesn't have a lot of stops. Pretty sure Paris Nord is the only Paris stop that would work for you (and probably the one you want). Nord is one of several Paris train stations, but they are all fairly well connected by metro and RER local trains and subways.
You take the Eurostar from Kings Cross station in London and it arrives at Gare du Nord in Paris. Last time I went we stopped once in England at a station before going into the tunnel. Tickets are cheapest when purchased in advance up to a few months out. It’s easy peasy. From Victoria station take the Victoria line to Kings Cross or taxi or Uber depending on how much luggage you have. Once you arrive at Gare du Nord, go out to the taxi rank and take a cab to your hotel. Have fun planning your trip. You’re going to two of my favorite cities.
Uh, you take the Eurostar from St. Pancras, not King's Cross. (which does happen to be just east of St. Pancras and the Tube stop is for both, but this will not get you on the Eurostar
Get to St-Pancras early since you will undergo airline-style security and French immigration procedures.
You will get off, as has been posted, at Gare du Nord. If you are going back to London, the process is the same but in reverse.
Book the Eurostar as soon as possible; prices could more than double as the departure date approaches.
All these sites can help but it is wise to read the regulations thoroughl:
https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en/trains
Google Maps also has interactive transport planning for these places.
By getting there early will a hour be enough or should we plan for more?
We meet in Paris at 3pm.
I think we may just take a cab from Paris Nord to the hotel.
Can you tell it is my first trip?
Are you meeting up with a Rick Steves tour? If so, I would plan to arrive in the AM to give yourselves time to get to the hotel and check in as well as to give you a little flex time in case the train is running late. I've been as much as 101 minutes late in to Paris after there was some difficulty on the train line. Other times it's run exactly on time.
I am very risk averse so really, I would be in Paris the night before.
Where is your first hotel? Rick's tours use different hotels thru the season. DO take a cab to the hotel in Paris. Go to the sign that says taxis in the Gare du Nord station. Ignore anyone who comes up and asks if you want a taxi. Stand in the line with everyone else and the taxi line manager will point you to the taxi he wants you to take. They usually load 3 at a time.
I would also just take a taxi in London from your hotel to the St Pancras International station. Tell the driver you are taking the Eurostar. Give yourselves enough time to pick up some food for a snack on the train. That train station has a couple of nice grocery stores with ready to go food.
Your tour ( RS?) in Paris has its 1st meeting at 3pm? You should definitely plan being to the hotel well before 2PM ( or at least I would if I were doing that)
At least an hour for check in. You will have check-in and its queues, then maybe a little difficulty feeding your ticket into the machine or reading the QR code, then full security, then British exit Border Control, then French entry Border Control, then over to the waiting room to watch the screens waiting for your train to be called.... then upstairs to the train, find your numbered carriage and hop on and find your numbered seat.
How many in the party?
An, yes, while Kings Cross is close by, it is St Pancras International station you want, about in the middle of the building for Eurostar check-in.
Which month is your tour?
All the details and regulations for Eurostar can be found on the link I provided. Why not read it yourself and be more comfortable when you reach St-Pancras for your trip??
I think we may just take a cab from Paris Nord to the hotel.
You and everybody else on the train. Paris Nord is in the middle of town. Only a few taxis can be in the queue at once. It took us 45 minutes to get a taxi. Either plan for the time or find another way to get to the hotel. If you've never been to Paris, the taxi, even with the delay, still might be your best bet.
We travel light with just carry on bags. Next time we take the Eurostar, we'll just head for the Metro once we arrive. Hopefully that will be next May. My wife is being inducted into the Florence Nightingale Society. The ceremony is at Westminster Abbey and will be held on Florence Nightingale's birthday.
Congratulations, Doug
Doug - that is great for your wife. Congrats!
Thank you everyone for your advice.
I think I know now what we need to plan for.
Earlier the better.
My trip is in mid-May 2019 and we are super excited and a bit nervous.
Rick Steve's was recommended by a good friend and she sings its praises.
Thanks again
You may be able to get the nice and cheap Eurostar tickets anytime now. Remember that the cheapest have big penalties for changing or cancelling, but once you have everything nailed down it is time to get them. They never go down in price, just up.
Oops sorry I stand corrected. It’s St Pancras which is next to Kings Cross.
Thanks everyone!!
We have booked our train ride to Paris.
We plan on leaving on the 7:55am train arriving at 11:17.
That gives us over 3 hours to get to the hotel in Paris.
I feel good with this plan.
Forums like these are such a great way to ask and receive advice from fellow travelers.
Susan
Susan,
You’re doing exactly as we did in 2015. Two suggestions. First, stop at M&S in St. Pancras for something to eat on the train, perhaps including a little wine or champagne to celebrate. You’re on your way to Paris, after all. 😁
Second, you might consider contacting your hotel to arrange a ride from the train station. Our driver met us as we came off the train and within minutes we were enjoying the ride through the streets of Paris, arriving at the hotel door. Forty euro well spent for convenience and peace of mind.
Our tour stayed at the Hotel de Londres Eiffel.
Enjoy your trip. It’s a wonderful tour.
Agree with the suggestion to buy food and wine/champagne for the ride. We got lovely sandwiches and sushi and wine. It is a fun trip. Enjoy!
Experience tells me that the security check won't allow a take away cup of hot coffee through the check post at 5 am, but food that is wrapped up and drinks in closed screw top containers are. There is also a Caffe Nero in the waiting room and a WH Smith.
40 EUROS !!!
Take a taxi it’s unlikely to be more than 20 euros ! And we’ve taken it over a dozen times and rarely wait longer than 15 minutes .
Or take the metro - depending on where your hotel is and how much luggage you have it could be easy as pie and cheap !
Note if on a ta tour your luggage should be light anyways
