| PalQ |
Jun 30th, 2006 09:42 AM |
And if www.eurostar.com for your dates lists only very high prices then consider the LondonPlus option where if you buy a LondonPlus railpass ($70 for two days unlimited travel in about a 100-mile radius of London, including to and from Gatwick Airport) then you can get a $75 passholder fare (each way) that is good, if available on any day of the week - no time restrictions or date restrictions - it's not unusual that passholder fares are available when other cheap fares are not - though it seems hard to do the passholder fare on line, i'd call an agent like BETS or Raileurope and see if they are available. The passholder fare can even be changed once in Europe up until the time of the train - if seats in that fare category are available of course. I've easily changed passholder fares right before the new train i wanted to take several times. Passholder fares are sold at Waterloo station, but last Dec when i checked cost about $100.
so if you could use the LondonPlus pass for airport transfers, day trips to Oxford, Stonehenge, etc. then it becomes an even better option. The pass is also great for parties of more than two or families as the 3rd thru 9th person on the same pass - the so-called Party Pass pays only half of what the first two pay - or $35 and still can take a passholder fare on the Eurostar. And families with kids under 16 the kids each get a free LondonPlus pass - from Nov-Feb all LondonPlus passes are discounted 25% off the above prices - third thru ninth adults would only pay about $23 for a 2-day LondonPlus pass - about what the Gatwick Express costs and on which the pass can be used.
So they are various angles to avoid paying very high prices on the Eurostar. (Another is to investigate the $190 round-trip cheapest 1st class tickets - and you'll get a full-course meal with wine, etc. each way!
Seniors of course qualify for $90 each way tickets that like passholder fares can be used on any day, if available - seniors are those over 59 and these tickets too can be changed once in Europe up until the time of the train without penalty.
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