Part of our trip in March involves travelling from London to Paris. Our though was the high-speed "Chunnel" train, as our thought is travelling on that would be exciting for the kids. Does anyone have any feedback on this?
Also, would this be a ticket that I would need to purchase well in advance or is the week of travel sufficient?
Thanks in advance.
IMO, taking the Eurostar is by far the best way to travel from London to Paris. Book NOW at www.eurostar.com. The longer you wait, the higher the fare.
We did the Chunnel train the other direction from Brussels. While it is fun to say you did it, you will be riding along then hit 20 minutes of darkness then you are in France. There will be nothing to see in the Chunnel - just dark.
In France, you will be really hauling on the high speed trains and that would be fun for the kids.
It is an experience to say you did the Chunnel it but otherwise nothing special.
Chunnel is a great experience. Yeah, it goes fast, but the country side is nice view. Kids think the "under" water is cool (our kids were early teens and younger) ... I know it is just "dark" but still it is an interesting experience. Takes you into Guard du nord. Need to buy ticket ahead to be sure (it is assigned seating) Early morning and late at night are pretty full (our friends went at like 6 or 7 am and were jammed in), we went mid day and train was light and we had plenty of room to spread out ... not sure that is really normal or we just got lucky?
Buy tickets NOW, prices go up not down. Try to travel on an "off " day , tues, weds, or thursday for cheaper fares, also play on site with times, avoid travel during business commute rush time more expensive.
I have done Eurostar with my 14 yr old and he loved it.
Use the Eurostar site , usaully cheaper then RailEurope site, I arranged pick up at the station in London, just bring print out of reservation confirmation.
Cheapest fares start 90 days out, check your dates , I ordered on the exact 90th day out, and got return fares for dollars each in summer of 06. I played alot on site to get best fare.
Fellow Calgarian here :)
First, the Eurostar is simply wonderful. It's fast, comfortable and smooth as silk. It's definately not a C-Train ride. However, the chunnel is simply 20 minutes of dark, that's it. You never see the coast. It's just a tunnel. Unless your kids like trains, it's just a fast train ride with a nicer view on the France side. In my opinion, what makes the Eurostar so special is how seriously uneventful it is.
For advance ticket purchase, it really depends on your flexability. If you need to go on a specific date, time and fare class then book as early as possible. If you are flexible on time of day and don't mind lower fare classes, you can wait. Last August, my wife and I just went to the station (both in London and Paris), purchased tickets, had a nice slow meal and was on a train. But yes, the longer you wait, the more expensive it is.
Pete
My eldest son and I are going from London to Paris and back and I've found the Eurostar was way less hassle than the airport, any airport. You can move around and we always take along a great picnic lunch from Harrod's. Forget first class and the included meal. It's really more for business people trying to work and not worth the price. We're going in early April and I already have my tickets (bought on-line).
We are flying into London Heathrow and trying to get to Paris via Eurostar.
How long should I allow to get from Heathrow to the Eurostar station?
Best way car hire, taxi or Heathrow express/tube?
Thanks,
The cheapest and most direct route is via the Piccadilly Underground line which goes directly from Heathrow to Kings Cross/St Pancras. Underground ticket will be 8.00USD; a taxi will cost over $100.00USD. Journey time is about 40 minutes. I would allow about an hour for to get through immigration. But you should also allow time for weather delays; if Heathrow is fogged-in your plane may have to circle for over an hour until visibility improves.
According to the Journey Planner at www.tfl.gov.uk, the average time for the Tube ride is 56 minutes.
You can purchase the chunnel tickets on the railpass section of this website. I bought my daughter's ticket for June for $58.00.
Eurostar is fantastic. Quick, smooth, and city center to city center. I would, however, look at getting your tickets now -- my experience has been the closer to departure you are, the more expensive the fare.
Thank you to everyone for your excellent advice. We have purchased our tickets through the Eurostar site and are looking forward to that part of our trip.
