I want to visit Paris, Avignon and London in this sequence. I would like to take a direct route from Avignon to London. However, I find the train websites confusing. Are there any direct routes? Or, do I need to go thru Paris?
Thank you for your help.
There are direct Eurostars between Avignon and London in July and August only. At other times of the year, your best option is to change at Lille rather than going into Paris and having to cross the city. Look for fares on www.eurostar.com but also compare prices for separate legs from Lille to London at www.eurostar.com and Avignon to Lille at www.loco2.com and www.capitainetrain.com (these are relatively new resellers that are much better for US residents than the official site is).
Remember that while you can book tickets for Eurostar six months in advence, French domestic trains don't go on sale until three months in advance. Also, if you book separate tickets, remember the thirty-minute check-in time for Eurostar, I would suggest leaving at least an hour to change trains at Lille in case.
It's a wise tactic to start looking at SNCF tickets earlier than in the past. The company has begun offering some promotion sale tickets more than three months ahead, although only on certain routes. You can sign up to receive their notifications/publicity/sales pitches.
If you are originating and ending travel in the United States you may want to reverse the order of your cities in order to avoid the hefty departure tax that you will pay when flying out of London to the U.S. I believe that the tax can be as high as $250. Go to London first, take the Eurostar to Paris and then you can get the train from Paris to Avignon.
Thank you to each of you for sharing your insights. I appeciate your help. Gloria
The departure tax is included in the price of the ticket. While it varies by distance of the flight, it is not a surprise add-on that you pay at some little window in order to get on the plane.
Since there are infinite variables in the cost of a ticket, compare the whole flight/transportation package and work from there.
