alanf

Thanks in advance--my wife and I will be taking the "Eurostar" journey London to Paris (one way only;we return from Paris) on Friday April 4--should we buy tickets in advance here? Online? Any tips on cheapest fare, etc. --so many trains run I imagine no chance to be "sold out"?
Any tips appreciated...
af

GeoffHamer

Friday is always a busy day as lots of people go away for weekends. If the trains aren't fully-booked on Friday afternoons and evenings, they will never be full. There are no cheap one-way fares on Eurostar, but cheap returns are often less than the one-way fare. I once had to book a fictional return journey in order to get a cheap fare for a one-way journey - it seemed daft that there would have been an empty seat on the train because I had to book it when I had no intention of using it. Try looking at www.eurostar.com to see what fares are offered.

alanf

Thanks we are looking at Friday morning (10 O'clock ish)-- so maybe beat after work crowd-- to get oriented in Paris (never been) but may go ahead and buy before we leave--

Yea I think I am too late to buy and save by doing RT (requires 65 day advance--and only saves $9)
af

Jacqui

Cheapest Eurostar fares from the UK usually require 14 days advanced purchase. For example, for the 4/4/03 the 14 day Leisure Apex fare is £79. The single fare for your date is £149.

Given the above, I'm very suprised that from the US you need to book so far in advance to only achieve a $9 saving on a return rather than a single fare. As a precaution, I would advose double checking the booking conditions for single fare you mentioned.

The very cheapest Eurostar offer to Paris is £49 - at present you can only book this if you are travelling before 24th March - but the deal is often extended.

Jacqui

Sorry - special offer fare is £59 to Paris. The £49 is for Lille.

Kate_W

Only a limited number of seats are available at the cheap "14 day advance purchase" fare, and they often sell out relatively far in advance of the date. You don't need to buy them now, but you should purchase them at least a month in advance.

Also, make sure that you budget enough time to check in at Waterloo station - especially if you're travelling at a popular time (eg 7-9 am, 3 pm and later). They have a very inefficient check-in process, combined with high security (and French customs officers). You don't need as much time as an international flight, but I would plan to arrive an hour before the train leaves.

Moirahd

You definitely have to book in advance to have a reserved seat. You could turn up and see if you can get a ticket but it may not be a seat together for example. For the weekend you are going it is unlikely the train will be sold out but do not take the chance. Also if you are booking outside of the UK you might find that your ticket is more expensive than purshing it on the UK site but you need to have a UK address to post the tickets too. Try looking at different times of the day early morning to mid morning for example to check for different fares. A return ticket will typically be cheaper but remember to book at least 14 or 7 days in advance.

Moirahd

Alan the current standard class fare for the day you want to travel is £149 per person one way. A 14 day advance leisure fare is £79 per person return. I commute on the eurostar every week from London/Paris and do not find it an inefficient process. As long as you have your passport, ticket and are not carrying too much luggage with you and it is not the height of the season.

indytravel

A couple of years ago I purchased advanced UK rail tickets from the US and had them sent to me "in care of" the hotel at which I was staying.

I checked with the hotel first to make sure they could handle it and they said it would be fine. They held them in their safe for me and I picked them up without a hitch.

alanf

OK now I am gonna seem stupid--but I see 149 Euro one way (we are only going one way London To Paris on that day/fly home from Paris the following week)--but the 79 Euro rate is round trip purchase required for a total of 158 is it not?
af
I will buy in maybe a few weeks --I actually could not find the cheapie rate you mentioned on web site--

A 65 day advance RT rate here is $130--and one way is $139 so had I meet 65 day advance which is blown I would saved $9 only way I read...

Jacqui

To get round the need for a UK address try www.raileurope.com. I haven't checked conditions etc, but it could work out to be the cheapest option - they have a Leisure Round Trip 14 Business Day Advance for 94 USD.

BTilke

Just a advice: if you request a window seat in standard class and the seat number has a 22 or 52, request a seat change (it's free). The #22 and #52 "window" seats don't have windows--just the wall of the train. I've gotten nailed on this twice already. Very irritating when the car is almost empty and they still assign you basically the worst seat in the compartment.

GeoffHamer

If the carriage is almost empty, you can sit where you like. That's what everybody else does. Most of the trains are non-stop so, if a seat is empty when the train leaves London, nobody else is going to sit in it.

BTilke

Yes, you can move, but the Eurostar from London to Brussels isn't a nonstop. People get on in Ashford, for example, and I don't want to have to move again. Why should I have to play a guessing game? Now I simply refuse to accept a 22 or 52 seat assignment at the start, if I have to travel standard class (not often, fortunately) instead of Business (first).
Eurostar doesn't do the best job in customer service with its computerized seat assignments. Those windowless "window" seats should be the last filled or used only for the cheapest tickets. Not for people paying full fare, as I was. Also, Eurostar has the annoying habit of bunching everyone together in standard class, with one half of the car full and the other empty. That's totally unnecessary--on all my trips in Business class they spread people around evenly. If they can do it for one class, they can easily do it for another.
I don't encounter this problem on the Thalys.

nigel

Hello,

I would get a return ticket, with a fictional return date from www.eurostar.co.uk and ask them to send it to your hotel (giving your address as that, having checked with the hotel first.) I know it sounds stupid, but single tickets are often more expensive than returns.

Heyblondie

As an aside, if you're a non-smoker, make sure you get a non-smoking carriage. When I got my tickets, the travel agent had mistakenly booked us into the smoking carriage and I only noticed this when we got on the train. We lasted about 5 minutes and had to beg to get new seats as the train was almost full. Luckily we managed to get two leftover seats but if we would have had to take the trip in the smoking carriage, we wouldn't have made it out alive (it was that bad)!

nomopromos

Have not checked web sites lately so don't know if this is still the case, but we purchased Britrail Passes from Rail Europe several years ago, and by doing so we received discounts on one way Eurostar tickets as well.

MelJ

Heyblondie, we took the Eurostar in October (London/Paris/London) and I'm pretty sure the entire train was non-smoking.

janis

HeyBlondie - don't know which train you took but Eurostar is definitely non-smoking.

I thought so since I have never seen a smoker on board - but just to be sure I just checked their website and it says" For the comfort and safety of all our passengers, all Eurostar services are non-smoking."

Heyblondie

When I took the Eurostar last (in 2000), one or two carriages were designated as smoking (no. 5 if I remember correctly). This may have changed in the last few years, however. Apologies if my info is no longer current.