I am leaving on a study abroad to London in August and plan to travel on the continent before the sememster begins. I will be leaving behind some extra luggage at St. Pancras for two weeks. How much time should I allow between my arrival at Gatwick and departure time for the Chunnel to Paris? I arrive on Delta on a Friday morning at 7 a.m. and want to get to Paris as early in the day as possible but don't want to risk missing my Chunnel departure time.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I agree with Joel that the 10:25 train is the earliest one you could catch. However, with the possibility of a flight delay and Eurostar's strict 30-minute check-in deadline, it would be safer to book the 11:32 train.
You don't have to go via Victoria. You can take a First Capital Connect train directly from Gatwick to St Pancras in just under an hour. Trains run about every 15-20 minutes.
Have you gotten a price quote for leaving luggage at St Pancras for two weeks? The daily rate is fairly expensive.
Minor point: In Europe the train underneath the English Channel is always called the Eurostar. "Chunnel" is short for "channel tunnel."
Posted by
Tempe, AZ, USA
1266 posts
Marianne - Sounds like your not carrying on luggage so plan on 1 1/2 hr to get through immigration and customs. Plan on 30 minutes to get from LGW to Victoria station. Plan on about 20 - 25 minutes to get from Victoria station to St. Pancras/Kings Cross station. I would think the earliest train you might be able to catch is 10:30 am. You can look at Eurostar departures on EUROSTAR.CO.UK.
Posted by
OP
Albuquerque, NM, USA
16 posts
Thanks for the information. It looks like this is a workable plan. I will allow an extra hour or two in case of flight delays.