London to Paris to Amsterdam best way to travel
Jul 17th, 2006, 03:35 AM
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London to Paris to Amsterdam best way to travel
Hi:
We will be traveling to Europe this fall. We have airline tickets from Cincinnati to London Gatwick. Plan to spend 3-4 days in London. We then want to go to Paris for 2-3 days. The remainder of the trip will be in Amsterdam, then returning to London for our flight home.
What is the fastest, most cost effective way to get from:
London to Paris
Paris to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to London Gatwick airport
I've checked out The Easyjet website and saw that they don't service Paris. We not sure if there are any other reliable low cost arilines or if rail travel would work better.
Thanks!
We will be traveling to Europe this fall. We have airline tickets from Cincinnati to London Gatwick. Plan to spend 3-4 days in London. We then want to go to Paris for 2-3 days. The remainder of the trip will be in Amsterdam, then returning to London for our flight home.
What is the fastest, most cost effective way to get from:
London to Paris
Paris to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to London Gatwick airport
I've checked out The Easyjet website and saw that they don't service Paris. We not sure if there are any other reliable low cost arilines or if rail travel would work better.
Thanks!
Jul 17th, 2006, 03:51 AM
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Train London to Paris
Train Paris to Amsterdam
Fly back Amsterdam to London
... is the way I would do it. The trainf rom London to Paris is actually faster than flying (and a reason why only few discount airlines serve that connection), on the trip Paris to Amsterdam the flying/airport time and the train travel time are about the same (4 - 4 1/2 hours) and A'dam to London you need rather something between 5 and 6 hours with a train change, so you can as well fly - especially if you get a flight into Gatwick.
Train Paris to Amsterdam
Fly back Amsterdam to London
... is the way I would do it. The trainf rom London to Paris is actually faster than flying (and a reason why only few discount airlines serve that connection), on the trip Paris to Amsterdam the flying/airport time and the train travel time are about the same (4 - 4 1/2 hours) and A'dam to London you need rather something between 5 and 6 hours with a train change, so you can as well fly - especially if you get a flight into Gatwick.
Jul 17th, 2006, 03:59 AM
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I would definitely recommend taking Eurostar for the London-Paris segment. It's more comfortable, convenient, and avoids the hassles of two incredibly busy airports.
Amsterdam-Gatwick should be served by several airlines. VLM flies between Amsterdam and London City, and usually offers good price. Discount airlines may fly into Stanstead or Luton, which makes for a more lengthy connection.
Cannot come up with a definitely answer on Paris-Amsterdam... Paris is not known as cheap flights capital. I know you can take Thalys between Paris and Amsterdam, which should probably take around 4hrs or so...
Amsterdam-Gatwick should be served by several airlines. VLM flies between Amsterdam and London City, and usually offers good price. Discount airlines may fly into Stanstead or Luton, which makes for a more lengthy connection.
Cannot come up with a definitely answer on Paris-Amsterdam... Paris is not known as cheap flights capital. I know you can take Thalys between Paris and Amsterdam, which should probably take around 4hrs or so...
Jul 17th, 2006, 04:03 AM
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Eurostar from London to Paris...2.5 hours...you're going to have to crunch the numbers carefully...one way fares on Eurostar can be very expensive...if you are travelling mid week you can buy a same day return (round trip) and eat the return coupon..also you have to check for youth fares...go to www.eurostar.com and try to stay on the UK web site rather than letting it direct you to the US web site. You can also check with rail europe but their fares are not always the best.
Paris to Amsterdam, Thalys train...same deal as noted above...maybe rail europe can get you a deal or you can try to book on the sncf web site or the Dutch web site..you might have to pull the same thing.
Amsterdam-London fly....bmi flies from into both Heathrow and Gatwick, Easyjet flies into Gatwick and Luton...their fares appear dirt cheap but when they add on taxes and credit card charges the fares become only okay....
You're going to have to crunch numbers and try several different sites to get the best deals.
Paris to Amsterdam, Thalys train...same deal as noted above...maybe rail europe can get you a deal or you can try to book on the sncf web site or the Dutch web site..you might have to pull the same thing.
Amsterdam-London fly....bmi flies from into both Heathrow and Gatwick, Easyjet flies into Gatwick and Luton...their fares appear dirt cheap but when they add on taxes and credit card charges the fares become only okay....
You're going to have to crunch numbers and try several different sites to get the best deals.
Jul 17th, 2006, 06:36 AM
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As for rail...
Fares as low as $45 one way London to Paris and Brussels to London - if you're under 26, otherwise it's $90 but these have restrictions on time of week - could be much higher on weekends. You can also check www.eurostar.co.uk or www.eurostar.com - not sure which one gives prices in pounds (Alan Rowe has told me several times but i'm still not clear - that's my fault) - but prices are generally cheaper in US thru Raileurope than online or in UK currently for most times. In US i always recommend calling BETS (800-441-2387) for their Eurostar expertise from cheapest fares to seat selections.
Paris-Amsterdam train 4.5 hrs check out www.thalys.com for cheap advance fares. Amsterdam-London - train to Brussels then get Eurostar to London. Though RailEurope also sells Thalys (high-speed Paris-amsterdam train) i think you'd find better prices in this case online - Raileurope currently has a 50% sale but this ends for travel thru the end of August only - otherwise prices may be higher than either at www.thalys.com or www.voyages-sncf.com (French rail site).
Fares as low as $45 one way London to Paris and Brussels to London - if you're under 26, otherwise it's $90 but these have restrictions on time of week - could be much higher on weekends. You can also check www.eurostar.co.uk or www.eurostar.com - not sure which one gives prices in pounds (Alan Rowe has told me several times but i'm still not clear - that's my fault) - but prices are generally cheaper in US thru Raileurope than online or in UK currently for most times. In US i always recommend calling BETS (800-441-2387) for their Eurostar expertise from cheapest fares to seat selections.
Paris-Amsterdam train 4.5 hrs check out www.thalys.com for cheap advance fares. Amsterdam-London - train to Brussels then get Eurostar to London. Though RailEurope also sells Thalys (high-speed Paris-amsterdam train) i think you'd find better prices in this case online - Raileurope currently has a 50% sale but this ends for travel thru the end of August only - otherwise prices may be higher than either at www.thalys.com or www.voyages-sncf.com (French rail site).
Jul 17th, 2006, 07:01 AM
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Adding to PalQ's comments. The first time you go to eurostar.com you will be asked to register. If you say you're from the US, you'll be given fares in dollars. If you say you're from the UK, you'll be given fares in pounds. If you want to compare currencies, you have to clear your cookies and register again for the country of your choice.
The cheapest single (one-way) ticket is $90, but you must depart between 11:00 and 15:00 Monday-Friday and you must book well in advance before the cheap seats are gone. Or you can buy a same-day return ticket for $94 which is good any day of the week. Book an early train to Paris and a late train back to London and throw away the return portion. Again, book well in advance (up to 120 days ahead).
The cheapest single (one-way) ticket is $90, but you must depart between 11:00 and 15:00 Monday-Friday and you must book well in advance before the cheap seats are gone. Or you can buy a same-day return ticket for $94 which is good any day of the week. Book an early train to Paris and a late train back to London and throw away the return portion. Again, book well in advance (up to 120 days ahead).
