Shanna

Greetings, more on Mom to Paris via London: We're flying into Heathrow on a day flight so will stay at a hotel near airport then catch a train in the a.m. to Cambridge to visit mom's old friends. How would that be done with a slightly gimpy 85-year-old lady? I guess I need to know about train connections from the airport to Kings Cross where we would catch a train to Cambridge. Or maybe other stations have trains to Cambridge? Or maybe one leaves from the airport? And then when we're leaving Cambridge, how would we connect to Waterloo Station to catch the Eurostar? I've dog-eared the bookstore general travel guides and not found anything precise. Maybe there's a specific train-travel book? Again, many thanks to all.

john

try www.britrail.com - may be some help

London

Instead of staying by Heathrow, catch the Heathrow express to Paddington station - about 20 min., get a hotel there and take a cab to King's Cross in the morning, or if so inclined take the Tube (circle line to KC). Can't help you with the rest.<BR>Have fun!

sandy

Hi - We took a train from Paddington to Cambridge...it would be easy to take Heathrow Express to Paddington and then just catch the train from there to Cambridge.

kmarie

There is (or, at least, *was* a few years ago) direct bus service from Heathrow to Cambridge. Can't remember much about the route, just that there were very few stops; Stansted was one.

kmarie

Here is one site to look at if you are interested making the trip by bus--<BR><BR>http://www.gobycoach.com/gbchome.cfm?from=www.nationalexpress.co.uk<BR><BR>

Andre

Shanna,<BR><BR>Given that you're travelling with an 85-year-old, I would try to minimize connections and walking long distances. My best bet would be to spend the night near Heathrow at an airport hotel and take a bus (coach) the next morning from Heathrow to Cambridge. Probably the fastest (about 2.5-3 hours door to door) and certainly the easiest and cheapest way. Depending on when your flight lands, you might even consider taking a bus straight to Cambridge. Schedules and booking at:<BR>www.gobycoach.com<BR><BR>To get from Cambridge to Paris, I wouldn't take the Eurostar. Instead, I'd fly Buzz to Paris CDG from Stansted airport (less than an hour by bus from Cambridge - same site as above for tickets, book an "open-jaw" return Heathrow to Cambridge to Stansted). This is faster, cheap and much more convenient than taking the train. Book your flight at:<BR>www.buzzaway.com<BR><BR>I assume you're not spending any time in London on the way back, in which case, I'd fly BMI (they also have cheap one way fares) from Paris CDG to London Heathrow in order to make your connecting flight to the US:<BR>www.flybmi.com<BR><BR>If you'll be spending time in London, you can take the Eurostar back to the UK (I think the cheapest way is to book a same-day return and throw out the other half). Book at:<BR>www.sncf.com<BR>Combining a flight to Paris with a train ride back could cost more than Eurostar both ways, but it would be worth the extra convenience IMO, as you will only have to change trains/planes/buses max. once each time you travel.<BR><BR>Hope this isn't too confusing... Post back if you have any questions!<BR><BR>Andre

Shanna

Thanks all for the good info. Yeah, poor ma - she'll be cross-eyed by the time I get finished with her. Supposed to be a relaxing trip. The bus might be a good idea, but we will arrive at 9:00pm so need to stay at the airport overnight. I'll be checking into the bus schedule. Thanks again.

London

Andre,<BR>Can't agree with you on the London to Paris part. Taking the Eurostar will put you right in the middle of Paris, while flying into CDG puts you a long way from Paris. One could fly EasyJet to CDG for about 1/2 price of a Eurostar, but with an older mom, it would be easier to just get off in Paris.

janis

Shanna: I agree with London who posted above. Stay in London that night. If you land at 9PM you can be at your hotel by 10:30 or earlier. Pick a nice hotel and sleep in the next morning. Have a relaxing breakfast and then jump on the train to Cambridge.<BR><BR>There is no easy train connection LHR to Cambridge, and a coach would not be my first choice. The train ride is more comfortable - My 80 year old mother likes her comfort and would MUCH prefer taking the train.

Andre

Shanna,<BR><BR>You're welcome for the info!<BR><BR>I stand by my earlier posting on getting from Cambridge to Paris. Flying from Stansted is BY FAR the easiest option, as otherwise you will have to take the train from Cambridge to London Liverpool Street, cab from there to Waterloo Station, Eurostar to Gare du Nord and finally cab to your hotel.<BR> <BR>By flying, you simply have the bus ride to Stansted (faster than the train ride to London), the flight to CDG and the cab ride to your hotel. If the Buzz schedules aren't convenient, you can also try EasyJet from Luton airport - a slightly longer bus ride from Cambridge though, but should still be faster and more convenient than the train. <BR><BR>Since you're arriving at 9:00 PM (I imagine from the US on British Airways - so at terminal 4), I would book a room at the Hilton, which is directly connected to terminal 4. The next day, the bus to Cambridge leaves right from your doorstep so to speak . If you're not landing at terminal 4, you DON'T want to book the Hilton though - it's a pain to reach from any other terminal. There are lots of other hotels convenient to terminals 1-3 though (check which ones are served by the "Hotel Hoppa" service on gobycoach.com). In this case, you will catch the bus to Cambridge the next morning at the Heathrow central bus station, which serves terminals 1-3.<BR><BR>Have a great trip!<BR><BR>Andre