Hi. My daughter (19) and I will be traveling to Europe in August. We are flying into Paris, then going to Great Britain. We wanted to take the train from Paris to London, then from London to Edinburgh. What is the best train/way to do this? Should I go ahead and buy them now, or will be the fares be the same if I buy them the day of travel (or when we get to Paris)? We will bove have a backpack and small carry-on suitcase or duffel. Will we be able to carry them both on the train? Thanks!
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Tena ,, you have already missed the cheapest fares for the Eurostar tickets you need to take from Paris to London. Do not delay any further, buy them now , they do not get cheaper, and in fact last minute tickets can be very expensive..
Go to Eurostar.com and buy now.
Posted by
near Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
521 posts
You have missed the cheapest fares for London to Edinburgh, which go on sale around 12 weeks before the date of travel. Use the journey planner at www.eastcoast.co.uk For a weekday in the middle of August the cheapest fares I can see are 'Advance' tickets on early morning departures from London at £49. For comparison, a month later those same tickets are currently £28.90, so the sooner you can book, the better. HOWEVER - note that the 'Advance' tariff means you can only travel on the specific train you book. If you miss it then you have to buy a new ticket at the standard price on the day, which will be expensive. If you are going straight from the Eurostar to Edinburgh then you should allow for delays and plan the London-Edinburgh departure time accordingly.
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
You can find everything you need to know about traveling on Eurostar between Paris and London, written by the king of European train travel, The Man in Seat 61, at the link below. The Eurostar pages are written from the point of view of one traveling from London to Paris, because he wrote the material for a mostly British audience, but the information is the same in reverse. You would board the Eurostar in Paris at the Gare du Nord. You must be there to check in and go through airport-style security at least 30 minutes prior to departure (I prefer to be earlier). http://www.seat61.com/France.htm#Eurostar Since you specifically asked about baggage: http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-information/travel-preparation/baggage#.Uc0lXKa9LCQ You would arrive in London at Kings Cross/St Pancras International Station, where you would also board an East Coast Line train between London and Edinburgh. You can use the Journey Planner at the Seat 61 website to query and book that part of your journey, or it may even be possible to book Paris to Edinburgh as a complete itinerary, though of course the Eurostar portion would be only Paris to London, connecting in London for the rest. If you're interested, there's a sleeper train between London and Edinburgh called the Caledonian Sleeper: http://www.seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm As mentioned above, you should try to book immediately to get a good fare. (Sorry, not possible to make some links clickable, so please cut/paste to your browser.) Have a great trip!
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5333 posts
Buy a through ticket for Edinburgh rather than separate tickets for each leg. Depending on the day & time these are available from Eurostar atm from £79.50 but they will only get more expensive. It isn't clear from your post though whether you intend to spend time in Paris or London - or are just looking for advice on a through journey.
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
I just got an email from East Coast Main Line that advertises a £17 Standard fare London to Edinburgh, £47.50 First Class. Hot hot hot!
Posted by
OP
Pinson, Alabama, USA
32 posts
Thanks so much! Our flight lands at 2pm on August 7. I was going to book the 5:43 pm train to London. Will that give me enough time to clear customs, get to the train from the terminal, etc. There is also a 6:13 train and an 8:13pm train. Maybe I should take the 8:13 train in case there are delays? Are there things to do at the airport for 6 hours should we have no delays from the US, while we wait for the train? I would just hate to book the earlier train and then have my flight delayed or spend a long time in customs lines.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Eurostar trains depart from Gare du Nord in central Paris. You will need to allow up to one hour to clear immigration/passport control and another hour to get from CDG to Gare du Nord. There is a mandatory 30-minute check-in deadline for the Eurostar. Don't hang around CDG. Take the RER B from CDG directly to Gare du Nord. If you have a little free time, explore the area around the station on foot. With the check-in deadline, I wouldn't chance it for the 17:43 train. The 18:13 train could work, but you'd be safer booking the 19:13 train. (You didn't mention that one.) No need to consider the 20:13 train.