3 February 2012. Train times valid from 11
December 2011 to 9 June 2012.
UK to anywhere in France by train...
London to Nice, Bordeaux,
Marseille or Lyon from £62 one-way, £115
return...
...by Eurostar & high-speed TGV with no baggage fees, no
airport taxes, less stress, up to 90% less CO2, direct to the
city centre & children under 4 go
free. Book online here
Above: More and more people are getting fed up with
flying and are switching to train travel between the UK and
France... Here,
passengers board a double-deck high-speed train from Paris
to Nice.
This page will help you reach France the civilised stress-free way,
by train.
Hop on Eurostar from London to Lille or Paris, then take a 186 mph TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse
or High Speed Train) to Avignon,
Marseille, Nice, Nîmes, Montpellier, Perpignan, Lyon, Bordeaux,
Toulouse, Rennes
or Nantes, through the French countryside with a glass of red wine in hand... Or save time, taking a late afternoon
Eurostar to Paris then a couchette on the overnight 'Train
Bleu' from Paris to Cannes, Antibes or Nice.
It's comfortable and affordable: London to Paris from £69 return, London to Lyon or Bordeaux from £109 return,
London to Marseille, Perpignan, or Nice from £119 return.
Unlike a flight, that's city centre to city centre, with no
baggage fees, no airport taxes,
significantly less impact on the
environment and infants go free. Bring
your own bottle of wine if you like, there are no rules against that on
the rails!
The easiest option is
Eurostar to Lille then a direct TGV to many French cities with no need to cross Paris. Travelling via Paris
gives more options but usually requires a change of station by
metro or taxi.
- Use this
form to book direct with
www.eurostar.com, with no booking fee & all the
cheap fares shown.
- St Pancras
is Eurostar's London station. It'll book through
tickets starting in 130 UK towns & cities, or
buy a special connecting ticket from any UK station.
- This form
is set up for journeys starting in the UK, to book a
journey starting in Paris or Brussels,
click here.
- You can
print out you own ticket, collect tickets at the station
in London, Lille or Paris, or they can be sent to any
UK, French or Belgian address. You choose!
- Booking
opens 120 days before departure.
- If you're
going beyond Paris, it can be better to book using
www.raileurope.co.uk, see the section relevant to
your final destination for advice.
- Business
Premier & Leisure Select = 1st class with drinks & meals
included. Standard = 2nd class.
Eurostar
standard class. Only cars 5 & 14 have
power sockets for laptops. Cars 1 & 18 are family-friendly with baby-changing rooms.
Tips for choosing your seat.
Eurostar is the
high-speed passenger train from London to
Paris via the Channel Tunnel. In London, Eurostar leaves from
the beautifully-restored St Pancras station, and in Paris it
arrives at the equally historic Gare du Nord in the city
centre. Eurostar
runs every hour or so through the day, taking just 2
hours 15 minutes now that the UK
high-speed line has been completed between London and the
Channel Tunnel. On the high-speed
lines, Eurostar reaches 186 mph (300 km/h). From
central London to central Paris, Eurostar is faster than
flying as well as more comfortable, more convenient and more
reliable. Typically, 95% of Eurostar trains run on
time or within
15 minutes, against just 63-68% of flights on the same routes. It's not surprising that Eurostar has now
captured over 70% of the London-Paris market from the
airlines...
Eurostar fares work like airline fares. Book
in advance for the cheapest seats, on the day
of departure it will cost a lot more. If you book
early (maximum 120 days in advance), London to Paris starts at
£39 one-way, £69 return 2nd class
or £107 one-way, £189 return 1st class (limited availability, no refunds, no changes
to travel plans). There are no Eurostar services on
Christmas Day. Some Eurostars stop at Ebbsfleet & Ashford in Kent,
many call at Lille in Northern France, a few call at Calais
Fréthun station a few kilometres outside Calais.
If you're only
going from London to Paris, the easiest
and cheapest way to buy tickets is online at
www.eurostar.com. You can print your Eurostar
tickets on your own PC printer or you can collect them at the
station, or they can be sent to any UK,
French or Belgian address (the first two options are useful if you live in the USA, Canada,
Australia and so on). You can also book by
calling Eurostar on 08432 186 186 (+44 1233 617575from outside the UK). Eurostar
bookings now open 120 days (4 months) before departure. If you are going beyond
Paris,
it is often better to book
the whole journey at
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com as
explained below.
Tips on
choosing a specific Eurostar seat.
What's it like on board Eurostar?
What's the journey like?
See the Eurostar page for more information about Eurostar, including check-in
procedures, luggage arrangements, food
& drink, an account of the Eurostar journey and
tips for choosing the best seats. Eurostar has 3
classes, Standard Class (2nd class), Standard Premier (1st
class for leisure) and Business Premier (1st class for
business). You must check-in for your Eurostar at least 30
minutes before departure (10 minutes for 'Business Premier'
ticket holders), as there's a security check at the entrance
to the terminal departure lounge. There is a virtual tour of Eurostar at
www.eurostar.com.
The environmentally sound way to travel...
Eurostar has
commissioned research estimating that a trip from London
to Paris on a Eurostar train emits 11 Kg of CO2 per
passenger, over 90% less than the 122 Kg per
passenger emitted by a London to Paris flight. In
addition, planes emit the CO2 directly into the upper
atmosphere, where it is thought to do around 2.5 times the damage of the same
CO2 emitted at ground level. Another reason for
taking the train!
More information on
environmental impact of trains versus flights.
City breaks to Paris (Eurostar + hotel)...
www.railbookers.com,
www.eurostar.com &
www.lastminute.com all sell cheap breaks from the UK
to Paris combining Eurostar with a hotel. This is often cheaper than
booking Eurostar and a hotel separately (allegedly, buying
a hotel-inclusive deal can sometimes be cheaper than
buying a normal Eurostar ticket on its own, if the
cheaper fares have sold out). For short break and longer
holidays by train to all parts of France, try the French
Travel Service,
www.f-t-s.co.uk
or call
0844 84 888 43 (please quote 'seat61' when you book). If
you'd like to visit the Versailles whilst in Paris,
see here.
It's still possible
to travel from London to Paris by train & ferry if you
want, although it takes 9 hours
and you now have to buy separate train and ferry tickets.
It also costs
more than a cheap return ticket on Eurostar. But on
the plus side, you get to sail across the English Channel
from the White Cliffs of Dover, you avoid going through
the Channel Tunnel if that's an issue for you, and if you
have to travel at very short notice when all cheap
Eurostar tickets are sold out, it can sometimes be
cheaper, as the domestic trains and the ferries are both
basically a 'walk up, buy a ticket and hop on' type of
service. For more information,
see the London to Paris
by train and ferry page.
A Eurostar runs direct from London to Disneyland Paris
daily except Tuesdays & Saturdays (daily in school holidays).
It leaves London St Pancras at 10:17, calling at Ebbsfleet
10:35, Ashford at
10:58 and arriving Marne la Vallée-Chassy,
the station right next to Disneyland Paris, at 13:57.
The entrance to the Disneyland Park, Disney Studios and Planet
Hollywood is just outside the station to the right.
Book online at
www.eurostar.com. Returning, the Eurostar
leaves Disneyland (Marne la Vallée-Chassy) on the same days of the
week at 18:02 and arrives Ashford
19:03, Ebbsfleet 19:28 and London 19:47. Remember to allow for
the 30 minute Eurostar check-in, at the top floor level of Marne la Vallée-Chassy
station.
See
www.disneylandparis.com to book holidays and short breaks to
Disneyland Paris, including the Eurostar, hotel accommodation and
entrance to the Disneyland park.
UK towns & cities to Paris
with a Eurostar 'through ticket'...
You can now buy through tickets from over 130 different UK towns and cities to
or from Paris
or Lille. Use the
Eurostar booking form above to see
which UK stations have through tickets to Paris & book online.
This is usually the cheapest option, though not always.
Incidentally, you can only buy tickets to or from these
130 regional UK stations using the UK version of
the Eurostar website, as these 130 UK towns & cities
will not be listed as destinations if you use the French or
Belgian versions of the Eurostar website. So if you
live in France and want to buy a one-way or return ticket
from (say) Paris to York, you will need to clear
your cookies so that when you go to
www.eurostar.com you arrive at the
country selection page, then select 'United Kingdom',
irrespective of where you actually live. It seems that UK train companies don't want to do business in
euros, only pounds. Or perhaps they just don't
want French or Belgians going anywhere beyond London!
UK towns & cities to Paris
with separate Eurostar & UK train tickets...
If your local station isn't listed on the Eurostar booking
form, or if you find no availability when
you try and book a through ticket, you can buy a train ticket to London
separately from your Eurostar ticket. You can either
buy a normal domestic ticket, at whatever the cheapest
price happens to be, or you can buy a ticket to a
destination called 'London International CIV', designed for
use with Eurostar tickets. There are European Open
or Saver fares from most UK stations to 'London International
CIV',
which include the Underground
fare across London to St Pancras (if required) and which
generally have
few or no time restrictions. This is the
major advantage, as it means you can travel affordably
even in the Monday-Friday business peaks if you need to
connect with a Eurostar. For more details, to check prices from your
local station to London International, and to buy these
tickets online, see the
How to
buy connecting UK train tickets page.
West of England or South Coast to Paris...
By ferry+train: If you live in the West
Country or along the south coast, consider a ferry crossing
from Plymouth, Poole, Southampton, Portsmouth or
Newhaven
to France, then a train
onwards to Paris. First check ferry routes, times and fares at the
Seat61 Ferry shop (all routes &
operators), or at Brittany Ferries,
www.ldlines.co.uk
or
www.condorferries.co.uk. Then check UK
train times from your local station to the UK port using
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Finally, check train times & fares from the French port to Paris and book online at
either www.raileurope.co.uk
(in English, for UK residents) or
www.tgv-europe.com (for residents of any country).
Allow at least an hour, preferably 90 minutes, between train and ferry on both
sides of the Channel.
By Night Riviera sleeper + Eurostar:
From Devon or Cornwall, you can also use the overnight
'Night Riviera' sleeper train to London then a morning
Eurostar to Paris,
for details see here.
Scotland to Paris...
By daytime trains... You can
buy through
tickets from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Paris by daytime inter-city train &
Eurostar at the
Eurostar website. This occasionally (wrongly) comes up with 'no trains
available', but you can always buy a separate ticket from Scotland to London
International CIV as explained here.
By Caledonian Sleeper + Eurostar: A time-effective way to avoid flying
is to hop on the overnight Caledonian Sleeper from Inverness, Aviemore,
Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee, Fort William, Glasgow, Edinburgh to London, then take a morning
Eurostar to Paris.
See the Caledonian
Sleeper page for details.
Belfast or Dublin to Paris...
Belfast or Dublin to
Paris using Eurostar, via London: You can buy a
cheap 'SailRail' train+ferry ticket from Belfast to London for £49, or Dublin to
London for 40 euros each way, see
the Northern Ireland page or Ireland page for timetables,
fares & full details. Then book Eurostar separately at
www.eurostar.com, from £39 one-way or £69 return. Allow plenty of time to cross London, including
time for the Eurostar check-in and any delay to your train from Scotland or
Holyhead to London. When connecting with a non-changeable, non-refundable
Eurostar, bear in mind that the all-weather cruise ferries are very reliable,
but the fast ferries can be cancelled in bad weather.
Belfast or Dublin to Paris using the Rosslare-France ferry,
avoiding London:
Travel by train from Belfast to Dublin then
Dublin to Rosslare (see
www.irishrail.ie), then sail by Irish Ferries cruise
ferry to France (see
www.irishferries.com) for a train to Paris (see
www.tgv-europe.com). To plan this, start by
checking ferry sailing dates & times at
www.irishferries.com. Then work out the best
connection from Dublin using
www.irishrail.ie, then the connection from Belfast also
at
www.irishrail.ie.
Brittany Ferries (www.brittany-ferries.co.uk)
also sail from Ireland to France, from Cork to Roscoff.
Finally, use
www.tgv-europe.com to find trains from Roscoff to Paris.
Relax by train: Boarding a TGV, the stress-free
way to the South of France.
What are TGV trains like?
Take Eurostar &
TGV to the South of France, London to Nice from £62...
Option 1,
changing at
Lille: The
most relaxing way from London to the South of France is to take
Eurostar to
Lille and make a simple same-station change of train onto a
186 mph high-speed TGV
to Avignon, Marseille, St Raphael, Cannes, Antibes or Nice.
This avoids the need to cross Paris.
Option 2,
changing trains & stations in
Paris: Alternatively, you can take Eurostar to
Paris Gare du Nord,
take the metro or a taxi to the Gare de Lyon, then take
a high-speed TGV train to Avignon, Marseille, Cannes,
Nice or Monte Carlo. Crossing Paris is more hassle
than a simple change at Lille, but there's a wider choice of departures
via Paris
and you'll often find cheaper prices available this way. And why
not stop off in Paris for a while, or have lunch at the remarkable
Train Bleu station
restaurant at the Gare de Lyon (or at least visit the
bar)? Most trains from Paris to Marseille, Nice &
Monte Carlo (and a few from Lille) are now operated by
impressive double-deck TGV Duplex.
Make sure you book a top-deck seat for the best views along
the scenic Rhône Valley and even more scenic Côte d'Azur!
What's the
journey like?
Settle back into
your TGV seat and watch the scenery glide past with a glass
of red to hand. As far as Lyon, the TGV
passes rich green farmlands and picturesque French villages with
pretty churches. South of Lyon, the TGV flies at
ground level along the Rhône
Valley, crossing and re-crossing the River Rhône
on dramatic viaducts high above the valley floor,
passing more pretty villages and the occasional hilltop
chateau, then through the hills of Provence to reach Marseille. Watch
out for a huge viaduct over the Rhône just before
Avignon, with views of the famous 'Palais des Papes' in the
distance to the left - though if you can spot anyone dancing 'sur le pont
d'Avignon' you have better eyesight than me! You'll
see the Alpine foothills in the distance to the left, and catch a glimpse of Marseille harbour with its Chateau d'If
of Count of Monte Cristo fame to the right before
arriving at Marseille St Charles station. If you're
bound for Cannes, Nice or Monte Carlo, the scenery along the
Côte d'Azur is wonderful, as
the train runs along the coast past yacht-filled
harbours, beaches, rocky inlets and millionaires' villas. Take
a bottle of your favourite wine with you (there's no rule
against this on the rails), put your feet up and enjoy the
ride...
Or save time with the overnight 'Lunéa' sleeper to Nice & the
Côte d'Azur...
This takes no
more time out of your day than flying. Take the 16:22
Eurostar to Paris Nord, then a time-effective
Lunéa sleeper train with
comfortable air-conditioned couchettes (simple sleeping
berths with rug, pillow, mineral water provided) overnight
from Paris Austerlitz to Cannes, Antibes, Nice or Monte
Carlo arriving in time for breakfast. Travelling this
way may also save a hotel bill, too. There's a daily
all-year-round sleeper train from Paris to the French
Riviera (the famous 'Train Bleu', no less), shown in the
timetables below.
London
► Avignon, Marseille, Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo (Option
1, changing
trains in Lille)
How to
read these timetables Each column is a
service you can take. You read downwards, changing
trains where you come to the grey bar. No Eurostars
run on 25 December.
London
► Avignon, Marseille, Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo (Option
2, changing
trains & stations in Paris)
Attending a conference
on the Côte d'Azur, I naturally travelled from
London to Nice by train. A morning Eurostar to
Paris, lunch at the remarkable
Train Bleu
restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, then an
afternoon TGV Duplex to
the South of France, with a 1st class 'Club Duo'
seat on the
upper deck bought at
www.tgv-europe.com.
Wonderful! I put my feet up & relaxed, watched the
pretty French villages of the Rhone Valley pass by,
caught up on my reading & emails and
watched a movie on my iPhone. Buy a
bottle of wine
from the bar car or feel free to bring your own!
To anyone who has only known the stresses of
airports, flights & motorways, chilling out on a
high-speed train is a
revelation...
How to buy tickets
Please check
these notes...
* The
Train Bleu sleeper
train arrives/departs Paris Gare
d'Austerlitz, not Paris Gare de Lyon.
**Summer Saturdays direct Eurostar London-Avignon,no need to
change in Lille. Runs London-Avignon on Saturdays 7 July to
1 September 2012,
fares from £99 return. Runs Avignon-London on
Saturdays 14 July to 8 September 2012.
Arrives/departs Avignon Centre station, not Avignon TGV
station.
Note A:
Runs daily except 24, 31 December. By Eurostar
London-Paris & the famous 'Train Bleu'
Lunéa sleeper train
between Paris & the South of France, with 1st class
4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes &
reclining seats.
Note B:
Runs on Fridays from 6 April 2012 onwards.
Note C:
Runs Fridays only until 10 February 2012, then Fridays &
Saturdays to 31 March 2012, then runs every day.
Note D:
Runs on Sundays until until 1 April 2012, then daily
except Saturdays from 3 April onwards.
Note E:
Runs on Sundays from 6 April 2012 onwards.
Note F:
Runs daily until 1 April 2012, Sat & Sun 7-22 April, daily
23 April-6 May, Sat & Sun from 12 May onwards. Got
that?
Note G:
Runs daily except Saturdays, from 2 April 2012 onwards.
It doesn't run before 2 April.
a = departs
from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz, not the Gare de Lyon.
b = The
08:04 Eurostar from London only runs
on Mondays & Tuesdays from 16 February to 3 April 2012
then Mondays to
Fridays from 4 April onwards. It doesn't run at all before 16
Feb.
c
= Avignon Centre station in the town centre, not Avignon TGV
station.
e = Eurostar
times vary by date & day of the week, so check times for your date of travel
when you book.
f = arrives/departs
from Lille Flandres station, an easy (500m) walk from Lille Europe
Eurostar/TGV station.
h = extended to
Toulon on Fridays only.
m
= change at Marseille.
n = change at
Nice.
x = change at
Aix en Provence.
Avignon
TGV station is 3 miles from Avignon city centre.
A shuttle bus ('navette') links Avignon TGV with the post
office (la Poste) in the city centre. The bus runs
every 20 minutes from around 05:45 to 22:35
Monday-Saturday, 06:15 to 22:35 on Sundays, journey time
10-15 minutes, fare around 1.20 euros. It's easy to
find the bus, just walk out of the TGV station by the main
northern exit, walk ahead and to the left. There's a
ticket office for the shuttle bus across the bus bay.
You can confirm bus times at
www.tcra.fr
(click 'horaires et plans' then 'Les lignes de bus...'
then look for 'Les navettes'). A new rail link is
under construction from Avignon TGV station to Avignon
centre station, from December 2013 shuttle trains will
run every 15 minutes.
Aix
en Provence TGV station is 10 miles from Aix city
centre.
St Tropez:
For St Tropez, travel by train to St Raphael. Buses
to St Tropez leave St Raphael railway station ('St Raphael
Gare SNCF') every couple of
hours, journey time 90 minutes. See
www.sodetrav.fr for timetables & fares. You
will need to buy a separate bus ticket on the bus.
Be warned that traffic into St Tropez in high summer can
be a nightmare!
Juan les
Pins, Villefranche sur Mer, Beaulieu sur Mer:
These all have railway stations on the
Cannes-Nice-Monaco main line, served by hourly local trains,
but long-distance trains
don't stop there. So for Juan les Pins, travel to
Antibes and switch to a local train there, journey time 5
minutes. For
Villefranche and Beaulieu, travel to Nice and change to a
local train there.
There are many
other trains between Paris, Avignon, Aix & Marseille, only
a small selection is shown here.
London to Avignon, Marseille, Cannes, Nice from £68
one-way, £119
return...
London to Avignon,
Marseille, Toulon, Cannes, Antibes or Nice starts
at £68 one-way or £119 return 2nd class, £135 one-way
or £239 return 1st class
by Eurostar+TGV via either Paris or Lille.
Check these online booking systems
to see available ticket prices for your date of
travel.
Children under 4 go free. Children 4 but under
12
£54 one-way, £95 return. Youth fares (aged
12-25) start at £65 one-way, £109 return. Senior
fare (over 60) from £65 one-way, £109 return.
Like air fares, adult, youth & senior fares increase as the cheaper
seats are sold, so book early & shop around for the
cheapest departure. Non-changeable,
non-refundable. Not valid on Lunéa trains.
How to buy tickets.
Or buy separate
Eurostar & TGV tickets...
It can sometimes be cheaper &
more flexible to split the booking and buy separate Eurostar
& TGV tickets.
London to Paris or Lille by Eurostar
starts at £39 one-way or £69 return.
Cheap 'Prems' fares from Lille or Paris to
Avignon, Marseille, Nice or Monaco by TGV start at
just £19 each way.
Check these online booking systems.
2. Paris to Cannes,
Antibes, Nice or
Monaco starts at £18 one-way, £36 return in a
reclining seat, £33 one-way or £66 return in a 6-berth
2nd class couchette, or £57 one-way or £114 return in a
1st class 4-berth couchette. Fares rise as
cheaper tickets are sold.
If you live in the UK, the best way to buy train tickets to or
within France is arguably
www.raileurope.co.uk, French Railways' UK subsidiary. Their website can
sell you a ticket from London (or Ebbsfleet or Ashford)
to anywhere in France by Eurostar, TGV, Lunéa overnight
train or any other French train, with all the cheap
deals available and no booking fee if you use a debit
card & collect tickets at the station. In fact, it
can sell you a ticket for any train journey within
France, and for most direct international trains to or
from France.
Children under 4 go free, no ticket required.
Children = children over 4 but under 12.
Youth = anyone under 26. Senior = anyone over 60.
You can buy tickets starting in London, Ebbsfleet or
Ashford.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or any French station free of charge, or sent to any UK
address for a £2.25 fee.
Use a debit card if you can as there's no fee, but they
charge a 2.5% fee for credit cards.
Only UK-issued credit cards are accepted, if you don't live
in the UK, see one of the other options listed below.
Children under 4 free, no ticket required. 'Children'
means children who are 4 & over, but under 12.
How far ahead can you book?
French train reservations open 90 days before departure, you
can't book before this. Eurostar opens 120
days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting and
buying all your tickets together so you can confirm onward
times and prices before booking the Eurostar. If you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead it may offer to send you an
email reminder when reservations open. If your date of travel is more than
90 days ahead, try a date within the
next 90 days to get an idea of prices. The 90 days is often
squeezed to 60 days or less in the few weeks after the European-wide timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Try for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of cost.
Split the journey!!
First, try booking the easy way, from London to your
French destination all in one go, for example 'London to
Nice'. By all means stick with the easy way if you're
a nervous booker, but it's often cheaper and better to split
the journey. So if you don't see any cheap fares, or if you
want to stop off in Lille or Paris, make a note of the
trains you need, then try booking your trip as two
separate journeys: First book from
Paris or Lille to your final destination & back, click 'continue shopping', then book the
Eurostar from London to Paris or Lille & back.
Why
do you need to split the journey? Allow at least 60 minutes outward, 90 minutes
on the return if you are changing trains & stations in Paris, or at least
25
minutes outward, 40 minutes on the return if you are changing trains
in Lille
(This
allows for the 30 minute Eurostar check-in on
the return journey).
Starting your journey north of London?
If you're starting north of London, buy your tickets from
London to France at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
then buy a UK train ticket to London
using the booking form & advice here.
Alternatively, book a special 'through ticket' from
130 UK towns & cities to Paris or Lille using
www.eurostar.com, then book the onward train from
Paris or Lille to your French destination at
www.raileurope.co.uk.
If you're booking a Lunéa
overnight train, always book a couchette so you can
sleep, a seat is a false economy.
On the confirmation page, if you click 'show itinerary
details' it will show the exact coach number & berth or seat
number that you've been given.
TGV seating plans.
Couchette numbering plans.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's office in Kent and normally arrive in a
few
days. If you need help, call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848, lines open
09:00-19:00 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays.
Rail Europe only offers the seating choice 'aisle'
or 'window'. If you specifically want the upper deck
of a TGV Duplex (recommended!), a table for 4, or (in 1st
class) a table for 2, you can book direct with French Railways at
www.tgv-europe.com which offers all these seating options.
www.tgv-europe.com also has a 'via' box so you
can force it to show journeys via Lille rather than Paris, and a 'direct services only' box so you can ask for
direct trains only.
This links to
www.eurostar.com & sells tickets from London or 130 UK
towns & cities to key French cities
If your French destination isn't listed, use
www.raileurope.co.uk
instead, as this can book to any station in France, &
can also book overnight trains.
This form is set up for journeys starting in the
UK. To book journeys starting in France, go to
www.eurostar.com.
Advantages:
www.eurostar.com sells through tickets to major cities
in France from London & from 130 other UK towns & cities, and is very simple to use. It
can sometimes be the cheapest option, but not always,
so check other options too. There are no booking fees,
just a small fee if you use a credit card.
Tickets can be printed at home or collected at the stations,
or can be sent free of charge to any UK or French
address. It accepts
overseas credit cards as well as UK cards.
www.eurostar.com allows you to choose a specific seat on
Eurostar if you like, other sites
don't.
On the other hand,
www.eurostar.com is limited in what it can
book, as it only sells direct tickets from the UK to the most
popular French cities without stopovers. It won't book
overnight trains, only daytime trains.
www.raileurope.co.uk
&
www.tgv-europe.com can book tickets to anywhere in France, can book overnight trains, can sell tickets for
journeys within France, and can be used to book journeys
with stopovers.
www.eurostar.com only sells the special combined
Eurostar+TGV fares,
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com can sell separate Eurostar
tickets and French tickets which can work out cheaper.
Booking tips...
Reservations open 90
days before departure. You can't book until
reservations open!
Tickets can be
printed at home or sent to any UK or French address or you can choose to pick them up at
St Pancras station in London by entering your
booking reference & credit card into the self service e-ticket machines.
Look closely to
see whether the journeys it offers you involve a simple
change at Lille or a change of trains and stations in Paris,
as the site offers both options. A same-station change at Lille
is much easier than crossing Paris. Unfortunately,
there's no way to force it to offer journeys via Lille.
Starting
your journey north of London?
www.eurostar.com can book 'through tickets' starting in
130 UK towns & cities. However, consider using
www.eurostar.com to book the first leg, from 130 UK
towns & cities to Paris or Lille, then booking the second
leg from Paris or Lille to your French destination at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
as this allows you to book to any French destination, using
any type of train, and often results in the cheapest prices.
You can buy train tickets to
France by phone, although a small fee is charged
for phone bookings. Simply call
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, £8 booking fee),
or call an agency such as Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00
Saturdays. Alternatively, there is a
Trainseurope desk at St Pancras International, located
in the National Rail travel centre under platforms 1-4, open
09:30-17:30 Monday-Friday and most Saturdays 10:30-16:30
(ironically, Eurostar's own ticket office at St Pancras
cannot sell tickets beyond Paris!). For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the How to buy
European train tickets page.
Anyone from any country worldwide can buy tickets direct
from the French Railways website as follows:
How far ahead can you book? French trains open for
booking 90 days before departure, you cannot book before
bookings open. Eurostar bookings open 120 days ahead,
but I strongly recommend waiting and buying all your tickets
at the same time so you can double-check the timings of the
onward French trains before booking the Eurostar.
If
you live in the UK, it may be better use www.raileurope.co.uk
as shown
above. Then you can buy your Eurostar & TGV or
Lunéa tickets together
in one place without relying on post from France, prices are
(or should be) the same as
www.tgv-europe.com, and it's backed by a UK call
centre. On the other hand, there are no credit card or
postage fees at www.tgv-europe.com
and prices are in euros so it's a fraction cheaper because
you'll get a better exchange rate from your own bank.
www.tgv-europe.com
has a 'via' box, useful for forcing it to show journeys via
Lille rather than via Paris, it has a 'direct services only'
box to force it to only find direct trains, and they offer a
full range of seating options so you can select a top deck
table for two on a double-decker TGV Duplex for example.
Also, if you're trying to nab a cheap fare as soon as
booking opens 3 months ahead, I've known bookings open on
tgv-europe.com 48 hours before the same train becomes
bookable at raileurope.co.uk, although I've no idea why. But it's your call!
First, go to
www.tgv-europe.com and ask it for train times from
London to your chosen French destination. Top tips:
Remember to un-tick the 'direct services only' box. If
you only want services with an easy change at Lille and no
need to change trains and stations in Paris, click 'More
criteria' and type 'Lille' in the 'via' box.
Option 1 is to select one of the journeys you can see
in the search results and book the whole journey in one go
at
www.tgv-europe.com.
Tickets can be sent by normal (non-registered) international
post free of charge to any address worldwide including the
UK but excluding the USA. If you book this way,
you cannot collect tickets in London and you won't
be offered 'print-at-home' tickets, tickets by post is the
only delivery option, and this is no good if you're in the
United States as tgv-europe.com won't post tickets to the
USA.
Option 2 is to split the journey, noting down the
trains that you want from the initial tgv-europe.com search
results, then booking the London to Lille or Paris train at
www.eurostar.com (with print-at-home tickets or ticket
collection in London, and with the option to book not just
from London but from 130 other UK towns & cities) then booking the onwards French train
from Lille or Paris at
www.tgv-europe.com, with ticket collection from any
staffed French station or in many cases print-at-home.
Option 2 is better if you're travelling at short notice or
if you'd rather not risk losing tickets in the international
mail from France. It's also the option to use if
you're from overseas.
How to buy tickets
if you live
in the USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Asia, Africa or South
America...
If you live outside Europe, you can buy tickets for
Eurostar and any French train online at
www.raileurope.com
(USA),
www.raileurope.ca (Canada),
www.raileurope.com.au
(Australia), or
www.raileurope-world.com
(any other country worldwide). Rail
Europe is North America's biggest European rail agency, a
subsidiary of French Railways. You may prefer buying
all your tickets together from one agency in your home
country in your own currency.
However, be warned that overseas agencies often suppress the
cheapest fares and add extra booking or postage fees on top.
It's often significantly cheaper (in some cases as much as
65% cheaper) to buy tickets online direct from the relevant
European train operator, with cheap fares and no fees.
As I write this, a quick price comparison shows
www.raileurope.com
charging $130 from Paris to Marseille (for example) when
www.tgv-europe.com is showing only 44.90 euros (about
$64) for exactly the same date and train. Try it
yourself! Simply follow the
step-by-step advice in the section above to buy tickets
online at
www.eurostar.com &
www.tgv-europe.com with all the cheap fares shown and no
fees.
Alternatively:
Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...
Alternatively, if you want a compete tailor-made
travel service with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, contact
www.railbookers.com. Just tell them what you want,
and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels
and sort it all out for you. UK residents can call them on 020 3327 0761,
US residents call (646) 770 2894 (please quote
seat61) and Canadian residents call (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'). Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. They get
very positive reviews, and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested holiday itineraries &
prices.
TGVs now run all over France, the smooth, relaxing &
less-environmentally-damaging way to travel...
What are TGVs like?
The
high-speed TGVs
(Train à Grande
Vitesse) are the pride of SNCF (French railways).
TGVs run at up to 186 mph (300 km/h) on long distance routes
covering most of France. In fact, trains run at up to
198 mph (320 km/h) on the new TGV-Est route from Paris to
Reims, Strasbourg, Metz, Luxembourg and Basel, opened in June
2007. Smooth and quiet even at high speed, it's a very
relaxing (and if you're working on a laptop, productive) way
to travel.
Seat reservation is compulsory on TGV services. All
TGVs are completely non-smoking. All TGVs have a
wheelchair space and wheelchair-accessible toilet.
First class...
First class on all TGVs has spacious seats with armrests and
power-recline, arranged one-abreast on one side of the
aisle, two abreast on the other side of the aisle.
Each seat has either a drop-down table big enough for a
laptop (face-to-back seats) or a fixed table with table lamp
(face-to-face seats). All first class seats have
power-points for laptops & mobiles with European-style
two-pin sockets. There are luggage racks above the
seats and at the end of the car for larger items.
There is a small bench seat outside each main seating saloon
if you need to make a private mobile phone call. When
making a reservation, two seats facing each other across a
table are referred to as 'Club duo' or (in English) 'Dual
face to face', and four seats around a table are 'Club
Quatre' or (in English) 'Club four'. Two seats side by
side facing seat backs in front are 'Duo', and single seats
facing a seat back in front are 'Solo'.
Travel
tip: Ask for (or select) 'Club Duo' or 'Dual face
to face' if travelling
as a couple for an intimate table-for-two, or 'Club Quatre'
(Club four)
if three or four of you are travelling together so you can
sit cosily around a table.
France by TGV - Watch the video
This video gives you a good idea of what TGV travel is
like. It starts at Paris Gare de Lyon boarding a
TGV for the south of France... The grey-green seats are 2nd class, the red
& grey seats 1st class. The rather impressive
at-seat meals are only offered in 1st class on a few key
business trains, but a cafe-bar with snacks, drinks,
beer & wine is available on most TGVs.
Second class...
Second class on all TGVs has comfortable seats with
armrests, arranged two-abreast on both sides of the aisle.
There are drop-down tables big enough for laptops
(face-to-back seats) or fixed tables (face-to-face seats),
although laptop/mobile power sockets are not always
fitted in standard class. There are two toilets for
each pair of coaches, and baby changing facilities in the
second class coach at the end of the train.
Food & drink on board...
All
TGVs (except a few running very short distances, for example
Lille-Paris in just an hour) have a café-bar serving hot and
cold drinks, sandwiches, a few hot dishes such as quiche or
lasagne, small bottles of wine and spirits. The
café-bar is always located in the centre of the train,
between the first and second class. The coffee is
good, and credit cards are accepted as well as cash.
There is a standing area where you can eat and drink your
purchases, or you can take them back to your seat.
Alternatively, on European trains including TGVs you are
free to bring your own food and drink (including beer or
wine) on board if you like. Or, if you're changing
trains in Paris and have time for a drink or meal whilst
waiting at the Gare de Lyon, why not use the famous (and
fantastic) Train Bleu
restaurant?
Remember to validate French train tickets by putting them into
the slot on the orange 'Compostez' machines at the entrance to
each platform.
You don't need to validate print-at-home tickets!
At
most main stations, you can see where on the platform your
carriage will stop by consulting a 'Composition des Trains' chart showing the train
formation with coach numbers.
On
board a typical TGV....
TGV 1st class.
There are two 'club duo' seats on
the left, a bay of four 'club quatre' on the right,
and many rows of 'solo' and 'duo' seats behind.
TGV 2nd
class. Most seats are
face-to-back, but there are some bays of four
face-to-face seats, ask when booking.
New designer interiors...
TGVs are being refurbished with interiors by designer
Christian Lacroix. All TGVs on the TGV-Est route from
Paris to Reims, Strasbourg, Metz, Luxembourg, Basel & Zurich
are already refurbished, but others are following...
Watch the video -
inside a Christian Lacroix TGV.
These impressive 186mph double-deck high-speed trains now
operate most Paris-Cannes-Nice
trains, most Paris-Lyon trains, many Paris-Marseille trains and even some Lille-Marseille
services. You can tell
if your train will be a TGV Duplex by the 'TGV Duplex' logo against the train when booking on
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com. You board the train through a
wide sliding external door into a small hall at one end of
the lower deck. An internal door opens into a lower
deck seating area, and a wide, short & easy flight of
carpeted stairs leads to a landing at one end of the upper deck. You walk along the train from car to car at the
upper level, and the café-bar is also at the upper level.
There are toilets both upstairs & downstairs. When reserving, you can choose a seat on either upper or lower
decks if you buy online at
www.tgv-europe.com
or book by phone, although unfortunately you're not given a
choice of deck if you buy tickets using
www.raileurope.co.uk. If you have
major problems with stairs the lower deck might be best, but
for anyone else the top deck is strongly recommended for the best
views of the scenery, as you'll be able to see over the top of the occasional sound barrier along the
high speed lines. For
couples, an upper deck first class 'Club duo' (in English
'Dual face to face') table-for-two is
as good as it gets! Families can book a 'club quatre'
(Club four) in
first class or 'carré' in 2nd class (also shown as 'family
or facing'), both terms mean a table
for four.
TGV
Duplex seating plan.
TGV Duplex. This is
a morning TGV from Nice to Paris, boarding at
Nice. Change in Paris for London!
1st class: TGV Duplex
1st class upper deck. Note the 'club duo' on the
left & 'club quatre' seats on the right.
2nd class:
TGV Duplex 2nd class upper deck. There is a mix of
face-to-back and face-to-face seating.
Cafe-bar:
The upper-deck bar on a TGV Duplex, selling
wine, beer, tea, coffee, soft drinks & snacks.
Stairs...
The upstairs landing on a TGV Duplex showing the stairs
down to the entrance door.
A double-deck TGV Duplex. This is an
afternoon TGV from
Paris to Nice, about to leave the Gare de Lyon.
You can easily travel from London to Nice in a day by
Eurostar & TGV, a relaxing day catching up on your
reading over a bottle of wine. And it isn't even
expensive if you follow the advice on this page!
Above: Snug as a bug in a rug... Sleep your
way to the South of France, aboard a Lunéa sleeper
train.
It can be the most time-effective way to travel, in effect
faster than flying or a daytime TGV. Sleep your way to the south of France in a
comfy couchette, from Paris to Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, Biarritz or Perpignan
for as little as 35 euros
(£33) each way booked online at
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com.
French overnight trains have been relaunched as 'Lunéa', and have couchettes (simple
flat padded sleeping berths with pillow and lightweight
sleeping-bag) in
2nd class 6-berth compartments and 1st class 4-berth compartments. Most Lunéa trains also have 2nd
class reclining seats, but a safe & comfortable couchette is
always recommended for an overnight trip. Sleeping-cars with 1
& 2 bed compartments were withdrawn from
all French overnight trains in December 2007, but if you want
privacy you can book a 4-berth or 6-berth couchette compartment for
private use, see here for
details. Lunéa trains now even have their own
mini-website,
www.coraillunea.fr, complete with
virtual tour of the couchettes.
Couchettes...
Couchettes are simple padded bunks, each supplied
with a fresh clean pillow and (on these Lunéa
trains) a special lightweight
sleeping-bag (a great idea, replacing the
traditional sheet & blanket). Men and
women are mixed in couchettes, as you don't normally
fully undress, but on Lunéa trains women
travelling alone can ask for a berth in a ladies-only
compartment if they like. If you have
children,
you can ask the train staff for an additional child
safety rail for their bunk. There are washrooms
and toilets at the end of the corridor.
Lunéa couchette cars are being modernised
with bright interiors, new carpeting and soft fabric
bunks. Each
couchette passenger gets a small bottle of mineral
water, earplugs (if you really feel you need
them) and tissues. There's a security lock
on the door which
cannot be opened from outside even with a staff
key, and plenty of staff are on duty if you need
them. Only passengers with tickets and
reservations are allowed onto the platform, and there are
minimal stops between midnight and 06:00 to ensure a
smooth and secure journey through the night. Personally, I prefer the
top bunks up in the roof space as these give the most privacy,
though if you've any mobility problems you should ask for a
bottom bunk. Bottom and middle bunks can also be cooler
than top bunks, if that's an issue for you.
The 'Train Bleu' from Paris to Cannes, Nice & Monte
Carlo has now been completely refurbished with new
Lunéa interiors, other routes are following.
Le Train Bleu:
A couchette car on the Paris to Nice
Lunéa sleeper train, just arrived
in Nice...
The video gives you a good idea of what travelling by Téoz train
is like from
Paris to Limoges or Toulouse. It then takes you
overnight in couchettes from Paris to Cannes & Nice on
the Lunéa 'Train Bleu'. Note the palm trees
in Nice station!
2nd class
6-berth couchettes...
2nd class couchettes have 6 bunks in each
compartment, arranged as upper, middle & lower on
each side of the compartment. Lower bunks are
obviously easier to get into, but top bunks up in
the roof space give you the most privacy.
Cheap 'prems' fares start at only 35 euros (£33) one-way
in a 2nd class couchette if you buy in advance at
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com.
1st class
4-berth couchettes...
1st class
couchettes have 4 berths per compartment, arranged as
upper and lower on each side of the compartment.
They are much more spacious than 2nd class couchettes,
with 4 people instead of 6 in in a similar size room.
Great for travelling as a family or with friends.
Cheap 'prems' fares start at just 60 euros (£57) for travel
in a 1st class couchette if you buy in advance at
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com.
Exclusive private use of a
whole couchette compartment...
1 & 2 bed sleepers were withdrawn from
French overnight trains in December 2007, but it's now
possible to reserve a whole 4-berth 1st class
couchette compartment or whole 2nd class 6-berth
compartment for private use. This 'Espace
privatif' arrangement cannot be booked online (although online booking may be enabled
at some point), so phone Rail Europe to book on
0844 848 5 848. If there's 1, 2 or 3 of you,
you pay whatever the cheapest available fare is for
1st class couchette tickets, plus a 70 euros supplement
for single occupancy, a 50 euros supplement for dual
occupancy or a 40 euros supplement for private use if
there's 3 of you. A similar arrangement applies
for 5 persons who want private use of a 6-berth 2nd
class couchette compartment, the supplement is 45
euros.
Booking tip: Some Rail Europe staff
haven't heard about this 'Espace privatif' facility as not many people ask for it, so be polite but firm,
and if they claim it can't be done ask for supervisor.
It's explained (in French) at
www.coraillunea.fr/prix-services/espace_privatif.html.
Reclining seats...
Most Lunéa overnight trains also
have 2nd class reclining seats, and you can also find
overnight TGV trains on some routes which of course just have
seats (non-reclining, at least in 2nd class they don't). However, a couchette allows you to sleep
properly lying down in a securely locked compartment, so is the recommended option
and well worth the small
extra cost. Travelling overnight in a seat is not recommended
except in emergency.
Easily the
most stress-free way to travel from London to the south of France is to take
a Eurostar to
Lille and make a simple same-station change of train onto a
186 mph high-speed TGV direct
to
Nîmes, Montpellier, Béziers, Narbonne or Perpignan, with no need to cross
Paris. South of Lyon, the TGV runs along the Rhône
Valley, crossing and re-crossing the River Rhône,
flying at ground level through the hills of Provence over some
breathtaking viaducts, passing pretty French villages and the
occasional chateau. If you're bound for Sète, Narbonne
or Perpignan, watch out for your first sight of the
Mediterranean coast, and for the flamingos on the various
étangs (lakes) which the train passes or crosses on a
causeway. Alternatively, you can take a late
afternoon Eurostar to Paris,
change trains & stations in Paris,
then take a time-effective overnight Lunéa
sleeper train to Narbonne or Perpignan.
This takes no more time out of your day than flying!
Note
A: By 16:22 Eurostar to Paris, arriving
Paris Nord 19:47.
Cross Paris by métro.
Then take the overnight Lunéa
sleeper train leaving
Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 21:53 with 2nd class 6-berth & 1st
class 4-berth couchettes for Narbonne and
Perpignan. Does not run on 24 or 31 December.
Note
B: By overnight Lunéa
sleeper train to Paris Gare d'Austerlitz, with 2nd class
6-berth and 1st class 4-berth couchettes, arriving 07:22.
Cross Paris by métro.
The Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at
09:13. Does not run on 24 or 31 December.
From £62
one-way or £109 return 2nd class, £127 one-way or £225 return 1st class from London to Nîmes, Montpellier, Narbonne or
Perpignan by Eurostar+TGV.
Children under 4 free. Children under
12
£53 one-way, £94 return. Youth fares (aged
12-25) start at £57 one-way, £99 return. Senior
fare (over 60) from £57 one-way, £99 return.
Like air fares, the adult, youth & senior fares increase as the cheaper
seats are sold, so book early and shop around for the
cheapest departure. Not valid on overnight trains.
See the how to buy tickets section
or go straight to
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Separate
Eurostar and TGV tickets...
It can sometimes be cheaper &
more flexible to buy separate Eurostar and TGV tickets.
London to Paris or Lille by Eurostar starts at £69 return.
Cheap 'Prems' fares from Lille or Paris to
Montpellier or Perpignan by TGV start at just £19 each way.
How to buy tickets.
There are two options:
You can travel by Eurostar to Paris, change trains and stations, and take
either a daytime TGV or an overnight Lunéa train from Paris to
Biarritz or Lourdes. Or you can take Eurostar to Lille and
travel by
direct TGV from Lille to Bordeaux, with (usually) another
change there. This avoids the need to change trains and stations in Paris.
Times via Paris (which has the most frequent departures) are shown below. You can check train times
for either route at
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com.
* By
Lunéa sleeper train with 1st
class 4-berth and 2nd class 6-berth couchettes, and
reclining seats. Not 24, 31 December. It runs
daily at certain times of year. It now runs via
Toulouse.
Note
A: Runs Saturdays & Sundays only. By direct TGV
to Lille (arrive 15:55) and by Eurostar from Lille (depart
17:29 Sundays, 18:35 Saturdays) to London,
so no need to change trains or stations
in Paris. Arrives in London at 15:03 on Saturdays.
a
= the sleeper train arrives/departs Paris Gare d'Austerlitz, not Paris
Gare Montparnasse.
d = change trains
at Dax.
e = the exact
time of the Eurostar varies, check when booking.
Children under 4 free. Children under
12
£54 one-way, £95 return. Youth fares (aged
12-25) start at £65 one-way, £109 return. Senior
fare (over 60) from £65 one-way, £109 return.
Like air fares, adult, youth & senior fares increase as the cheaper
seats are sold, so book early and shop around for the
cheapest departure. Not valid on overnight trains.
How to buy tickets.
Separate
Eurostar and TGV tickets...
It can sometimes be cheaper and
more flexible to buy separate Eurostar and TGV tickets. Eurostar
fares start at £39 one-way or £69 return from London
to Paris or Lille. Ultra-cheap 'Prems' fares from Lille or Paris to
Biarritz or Lourdes by TGV start at an amazing £19 each way.
How to buy tickets.
TGV 2nd class (left) &
1st class (right). The interior is designed by
Christian Lacriox, with power sockets at all seats. On
the TGV Atlantique
route from Paris to Brittany, Bordeaux, Biarritz,
Lourdes, Tarbes & the Spanish border, one 1st class car has a conventional 'open plan'
layout, the other two have a unique layout with bays
of two seats facing across a table one side of the
aisle, and semi-compartments of 4 seats around a table
on the other, as pictured above. Very civilised! 1st class photo courtesy of Rafal
Tomasik.
The easiest and most painless
way to travel from London to Lyon is to take Eurostar to
Lille and make a simple
same-station interchange in Lille onto a
direct TGV to Lyon, with no need to change trains and
stations in Paris. Relax over a glass or two as you
swish past the French countryside, the green hills just
north of Lyon are especially pretty. Services with one
easy change at Lille are shown in the timetables below.
Alternatively,
you can take Eurostar all the way to Paris,
change trains and stations in
Paris, and take a TGV from Paris to Lyon. Although
not as simple as the route via Lille, going via Paris offers
an almost hourly departure from London, and cheap fares seem
more plentiful this way. You can also
(of course) stop off in Paris. Train times via Paris
are not shown below, but there are
hourly Eurostars from London to Paris
Gare du Nord (journey 2 hours 40 minutes) and hourly TGVs from Paris
Gare de Lyon to Lyon (journey 2 hours). Almost all
Paris-Lyon TGVs and a few Lille-Lyon services are now
impressive double-deck TGV Duplex.
If you want to go via Paris, just check times using either
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com.
Option 1, buy tickets online at
Option 4, buy online at
How to buy tickets
