Best way from LHR to Paris

Heathrow Express to Paddington Station 15 minutes travel time

Circle Line to St Pancras--- 15 minutes travel time

Eurostar to Paris--- 2.5 hrs travel time

Add for waiting times between each mode of transport and schedule coordination among the transport systems.

Since you would be advised not to buy ahead on the ground transport due to issues on flight arrival and immigration processing, I sure hope you saved at least $500 by flying to LHR vs. direct to Paris.

If you were in Paris within 6 hours of landing, I would say you had done well.

I am interested to see what other have to say, as I have not done this journey.
$0.02

This is for the budget traveler (why not offset a little the ticket shock that comes with buying a Eurostar ticket on the same day):
Take the metro aka tube aka subway from Heathrow Terminal 4 Piccadilly line to King's Cross St. Pancras Underground Station.
This takes a little over and hour between the airport and Kings Cross
Get off and Walk one block to St Pancras International Train Station where you buy a ticket on the Eurostar to Paris

The walk-up price for the Eurostar is $275 (from US site, equivalent in GBP since you buy there), and you need about 1 hour from your arrival time at St Pancras for passport control and security.

Curious why you aren't just flying into Paris?

You can get a much lower fare on the Eurostar by buying way in advance, but that commits you to a particular train so leave plenty of time for flight delays, immigration, and getting from airport to St. Pancras.

This really is for other general readers since you are obviously locked into this plan. This plan really makes no sense. Classic case where it would be best to fly directly to Paris, or catch a connecting flight from LHR to Paris. There is neither cost saving or time saving by flying to London and train to Paris if Paris is the end destination. The last time we took the Eurostar to Paris it took us nearly an hour and half to clear exit and French immigration. It happened to be a day before a banking holiday so travel was unusually heavy but still the time delay is unpredictable.

Well, Frank is right, the most efficient way to do this, since you're already at LHR, is a connecting flight to CDG or Orly. Then you'll have to get into Paris from the airport instead of arriving at Gare du Nord with the Eurostar. But you don't want to fly, at least from London to Paris.

Take the metro aka tube aka subway from Heathrow . . . . to King's Cross St. Pancras Underground Station.
Get off and Walk one block to St Pancras International Train Station

Slight correction. The Underground aka tube (never metro or subway) station is called "King's Cross St. Pancras", i.e. it serves both stations. It has exits inside both Kings Cross and St Pancras, just follow the signs, no need for any outside walking.

"Walk one block" - it always confuses me when people say this. How long is a block? London does not have blocks. And, Kings Cross and St Pancras are on opposite sides of the same street.

I too am curious why the poster wrote "not on a flight", as that is the obvious option, but some mysteries will never be solved.

I have had to fly into London when I wanted to fly into Paris because London was all I could get using FF miles.

In 2014, we pre-booked a car service to take us from LHR to St. Pancras to catch a Eurostar train to Paris. The ride from the airport to St. Pancras took about 45 minutes. We had also pre-booked Eurostar tickets. We ended up having to spend a couple of hours in the shopping mall connected to St. Pancras before we could get into the departure lounge.

It wasn't my first choice of how to start a European vacation, but once we got on the Eurostar, everything was fine.

My husband and I are just too brain dead after an overnight flight to consider making our way on public transportation.

Walk one block - it always confuses me when people say this. How long is a block?

1 block = 200 meters = 656 feet

Answered Dec 25 2015 · Author has 248 answers and 927.6k answer views

I can't give you the exact answer to your question, but for cities that do have grid plans, it's typically about 400 by 400 feet, or 120 x 120 meters. Here are some examples:

Square blocks:

Portland, Oregon: 260 x 260 feet (79 × 79 m)
Houston: 330 by 330 feet (100 × 100 m)
Sacramento: 410 by 410 feet (120 × 120 m)

Rectangular blocks:

Denver: 340 by 480 feet (100 x 150 m)
Manhattan: 264 by 900 feet (80 × 274 m)
Chicago (south): 330 by 660 feet (100 x 200 m)

Well, for Chicago, J+T is correct, however , not everywhere is laid out the same.

A 'block', whatever its length, is commonly understood to be the stretch between intersections

Is that the length of a block in Chicago or New York. Why not the width of a block, presuming a block is sort of rectangular?

The distance between Kings Cross and St Pancras - if you decide to do it on the surface - is one street width, Pancras Road, about 50 feet.

Don't forget when calculating travel time that you must be checked in to the Eurostar a minimum of 30 minutes before departure. I usually try to arrive at St Pancras 45 minutes to an hour before my train's departure.

Is that the length of a block in Chicago or New York. Why not the
width of a block, presuming a block is sort of rectangular?

There is no uniformity of the length of a city block in NYC let alone anywhere else in the world. In Manhattan, some avenue blocks are about 3 times longer than street blocks; 20 street blocks = 1 mile roughly. Block lengths vary in each of the 5 boroughs. :-)

To for the OP, when you're at LHR, why would you want to waste precious travel time going to the Eurostar (not a cheap option) instead of flying into CDG or ORY? To avoid flying is longer and can be pricey.

You don't say what time of day you are arriving at Heathrow. It is reasonable that if you are arriving in the early morning to pre-purchase tickets for mid afternoon. Chances are you would be able to get to the train station in plenty of time, and work in a pub meal. However, if it were me, I'd enjoy the day or evening in London and take the train the next day. It is a pleasant and relaxing ride, and brings you right into Paris. I assume you are like me and just enjoy trains. I apologize that I can't provide logistics or timing. However, I'd just take the tube to the train station.

However, Joe32's suggestion seems to be faster...I'm just not used to taking the Heathrow Express (habit).

A block is kind of a generic measurement of city distances. In my mind when I read that, I assume the block is in the range of 300 ft, 100 yds or about the length of an American football field. More of an expression of distance rather than a rigid measure of distance.

A "block" is an American slang term when used for directions is not rigid in length.

"At the end of the block" means walk down to the end of the pavement without crossing into the roadway.

"On the next block" means on the next street after crossing the roadway.

I have used "roadway" as a definition of the paved area where cars, trucks, bicycles, etc are in motion. In the US we would call that the "street."

So if I said to an American it's two blocks down, unless they grew up in tinyville, they would know what I meant.

As for the OP, flying would be easiest, but if not Piccadilly line from Heathrow to Kings Cross/St.Pancras, Eurostar to Paris.

I flew into LHR from SFO and connecting to Paris, almost missed the connecting flight. Only one time I did this and it was in the summer. I wouldn't do it that way again....a waste of time. Now, I would suggest after landing in LHR, go by EuroStar from St Pancras Station. Too bad you are not landing at Gatwick, which is even easier to connect to St Pancras, cheaper too.

Please be aware that the Eurostar requires a security check like airlines and you have to allow at least half an hour, more if possible, to get aboard.
The easiest solution is to skip London. Buy the cheapest ticket that suits into Paris and save your frequent flyer points (they aren't really based on miles for most airlines any more) for your next trip.