Harman56

First time travelers coming from Paris to St. Pancras. Destination Bath so have to go from Paddington. Arriving St. Pancras at 14.39. Train departs Paddington to Bath at 16.00. Shall I take cab or tube to Paddington? Is 1 hour 20 minutes enough time to get to Paddington from St. Pancras. Thank you.

janisj

No problem. If you don't have a ton of luggage, the tube will take less than 15 minutes. If you have too much luggage, a cab will probably take a bit more but still not long.

PalenQ

And there are direct buses I believe on that route that could be more convenient as they are at street level - not involving flights of stairs - and ample room for luggage (in space earmarked for 'heavy shopping') - you get off at street level at Paddington, in front of the station.

Like janis says Tube is quick so yeh that it plenty of time, barring some French Railways strike that though not technically affecting Eurostar trains can slow them down - there have been a spate of such strikes this spring-summer.

Harman56

Thanks for your quick replies. This is my first time to UK and Europe so am a little nervous about fluidity etc.
We will have two suitcases with us.
I have read that there is always a lone line for cabs from St. Pancras. Thanks again

dotheboyshall

Why are taking the train - fly to Bristol from Paris instead

janisj

>>And there are direct buses I believe on that route that could be more convenient as they are at street level - not involving flights of stairs -<<

Nope - In this case a bus wouldn't make much sense -- the trip takes 45 minutes.

Tulips

The line for taxis is sometimes long at St Pancras, but nearly always moves very quickly, in my experience.

Tube is easy and quick, but there will be some stairs to deal with.

You have more than enough time whether by tube or by taxi, even if there is a line.

flanneruk

">>And there are direct buses I believe on that route that could be more convenient as they are at street level - not involving flights of stairs -<<"

But to get to those "convenient" buses at St P requires crossing an exceptionally busy six-lane road, with surprisingly poor access. The scheduled time for those buses is three times as long as the tube (11 mins).

If you've got time to spare (and with 80 mins you certainly have), access to and from the tube at St P and Paddington is now entirely step free. Finding the lifts, though, takes a couple of minutes, since they're slightly out of the way and the signage isn't the clearest on the system.

PalenQ

Well scrub the bus...

Harman56

Thanks jansj, we won't take the bus but I feel so much better from all the comments I have received in such a short amount of time, to catch either the tube or taxi. As we will not be in peak time, the taxi line may not be so long. Fingers Crossed.

Thanks to all who have replied.

Cheers

janisj

>>As we will not be in peak time, the taxi line may not be so long. Fingers Crossed. <<

Actually - you will be there in the very middle of the day, and presumably getting off a crowded Eurostar. So it really will be peak time. There will be a queue for taxis - but asTulips says - it moves pretty quickly.

chartley

By using the U.K. Eurostar website, you can book a through ticket from Paris to Bath. The advantage of this is that your onward journey is guaranteed if, for any reason, your train from Paris to London is delayed. Your ticket includes travel by tube from St Pancras to Paddington. The total cost may also be cheaper.

The through tickets usually give an allowance of 50-60 minutes to travel from St Pancras to Paddington. I have done the journey in less time in the opposite direction.

Tulips

Chartley is right. I didn't know this either, until someone on this board pointed it out. You can only book through tickets to another UK destination if you use the UK Eurostar website. The option is not available if I book on the Belgian Eurostar site, for example.

flanneruk

"The advantage of this is that your onward journey is guaranteed if, for any reason, your train from Paris to London is delayed."

This is important. Eurostar, in my experience, is astonishingly unpunctual. I've probably been exceptionally unfortunate, but every London-bound journey I've ever booked on it has been either more than ten minutes late or cancelled.

If you're prebooked your trip to Bath (and if you haven't, you're almost certainly mad), your booking will be lost, and you'll have to buy a new ticket (at peaktime rates) if you miss it, unless you've booked a through Paris-Bath ticket.

The rule is,BTW, that if your inward train is late, it has to be endorsed by the Eurostar ticket inspector to trigger the "no surcharge" deal on the Bath train. I've no idea how practical, or enforced, this rule is: each train carries 750 people, and they're usually 99% full.

If you seem to be running late (every time I've been late, it's been clear before we got into the tunnel at Calais), it's probably worth hailing a passing official way before you get to St P.

If you're in a hurry, it's ALWAYS safer to get the tube than worry about taxi queues, or, at 1500, the certainty of road congestion.