We will be staying in Canterbury and hope to go from there to Bayeux. Looks like the best option is to go to Ashford for the Eurostar to Paris, then change to Gare St Lazare for Bayeux. Is this doable in a day's time? Should it all be booked ahead or can the non-Eurostar legs be bought on day of travel?
Posted by
near Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
521 posts
Canterbury to Ashford International with an 'Anytime' single is only £7.30 and there is no need to buy in advance, and no cost saving by doing so. If you use the journey planner on www.nationalrail.co.uk you will see a number of early morning trains from Canterbury West that would get you to Ashford International in plenty of time to catch the 09.25 Eurostar to Paris. That arrives in Paris at 12.52. The next direct train from St. Lazare to Bayeux would be the 15.06 Intercites service arriving Bayeux 17.14, which doesn't require an advance booking, but SNCF recommend it. On the day that would cost you €38.20 for a Tarif Normal ticket, but buy in advance and you can get a Prem's ticket for €15.00.
Posted by
OP
Fairbanks, AK, USA
5 posts
Wow! Thanks so much for the quick and thorough reply.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
There is a mandatory 30-minute check-in deadline for the Eurostar. Be sure to take an early enough train from Canterbury to Ashford to give you plenty of time to meet that deadline. If you're willing to make one connection in Caen, you can leave Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris at 13:45 and arrive in Bayeux at 16:21. You'll have plenty of time to get from Gare du Nord to Gare Saint-Lazare. Take the RER E one stop from Magenta (attached to Gare du Nord) to Haussmann - Saint-Lazare. For a zoomable map of the Metro and RER system, go here: http://tinyurl.com/6xmvms4