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Gatwick / Eurostar connection

I am arriving at LGW on 12/16 (Boxing Day) at 8:30 AM and am interested in going to France to spend two and a half days in Paris before returning to London for another four. How long should I allow for customs and travel to the St. Pancras station to catch the Eurostar? What are my options to get from the airport to the train station? Are there other options I haven't mentioned?

BTW--I looked at flying open-jaw, but the total extra cost with airfare + one-way Eurostar was about $1,200 pp. I'm a teacher, so I have more time off than $$$ to spend. :-)

Posted by
3 posts

PS-I am specificaly looking at 13:30/14:00 departures from London (5 hours after I arrive at LGW). Will this be enough?

Posted by
390 posts

A bit confused - Boxing Day is 12/26 - not 16th. I'm assuming that is a typo.

If you must leave for France the day you arrive in London, I'd give yourself at least 4-5 hours to get there. Personally, I'd be paranoid to leave on the same day as arriving, since the cheap Eurostar tickets are non-refundable and flight delays are so common these days. Also, public transport may be a bit slower that day since it's a holiday.

The fastest way to get to St. Pancras would be to take the Gatwick Express to Victoria, then transfer to the Victoria Line on the tube, take that north to St. Pancras. Southern/FCC trains also serve Victoria and are about £5 cheaper. Go to Gatwick's website and click on To/From London for your options.

Posted by
5471 posts

Hi Josh,
Have you considered staying the first night in London and then going to Paris first thing the following morning? Spend the first day in London and then you don't have to worry about a delayed flight and missing your train.

Posted by
8700 posts

Taking a Southern train to Victoria is only about ten minutes slower than taking the Gatwick Express. The cheapest way to get from Gatwick to King's Cross/St. Pancras is to buy both a train ticket and a one-day travelcard for zones 1-2 at the Southern ticket office at Gatwick. Your total cost will be £10 and will cover your train ride from Gatwick to the edge of zone 2, the rest of the train ride to Victoria, and the tube ride from Victoria to KX/St P. It will take about 40 minutes to get to Victoria and 11 minutes to get from there to KX/St P. Of course, you'll have to allow a little time to walk to the tube station and wait for the next Victoria line train.

Posted by
619 posts

From 9th December, there will be four trains an hour direct from Gatwick to a new station at St Pancras International. Journey time is under an hour. This will be by far the best option for most travellers.

Josh wants to travel on Boxing Day, when most services will no be running. I am not sure if options for that day are yet available, but you can find out by phoning National Rail Enquiries at 44(0)20 7278 5240.

Posted by
658 posts

I agree with Bob. I don't think there is any rail service between Gatwick and St. Pancras on 26th December.

Posted by
8700 posts

While the new direct service between Gatwick and St. Pancras International may not run on Boxing Day, I believe that both the Gatwick Express and the tube will be running.