Train from Heathrow to Calais

It will take more steps than you might think. First of all, there is no mainline train service to Heathrow. Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect trains go there, but they aren't good choices for your route.

Take the tube to London Charing Cross, a Southeastern train to Dover, and a ferry to Calais.

A few Eurostar trains stop in Calais on their way to Paris, but most do not.

Thanks again for your recommendations. The only reason to begin our trip in Calais was due to the auto rental. The best deals for cars are in France -Renault has a 21 day plan that includes insurance and unlimited mileage and costs between $900 and $1,300 for the package. Any comparable plan that begins in Belgium costs around $450.00 more.

Check out www.eurostar.co.uk and you can enter London to Calais and it will pull up times and fares. It looks like there is one direct to Calais every 3 hours or so from London. Just take the tube from Heathrow to Waterloo or St. Pancras (after Nov. 14) to board the Eurostar. A much cheaper option is taking the train to Dover and then catching a ferry to Calais. Go to P&O Ferries website or Sea France.

Thanks to Tim and Jennifer.

We will not be going until next year, but I want to start my planning now. Sometimes, my planning a trip is more fun than the trip itself. Hopefully next years trip to Belgium, Switzerland and France will be different. The reason that I posted the question was that we are arriving at Heathrow and want to pick up a car in Calais then drive to Brugge as our first stop. We will then drive to Switzerland and France.

If your first stop is Brugge, then I would suggest just taking the Eurostar from London to Brussels, then take a local train to Brugge. A car is definitely not needed in Brugge. The tourist-oriented area of Brugge is not very car friendly, with most, if not all, sights, easily reachable on foot. Plus, they have a great bus system that will quickly take you from the train station into town.

To see which Eurostar trains stop at Calais, use the timetables at www.eurostar.com. However, taking the Eurostar all the way to Brussels is a good idea. With the ABS feature (any Belgian station), you can take any regional train you wish to Bruges on the day you arrive in Brussels at no additional charge.