Trying to find an interesting and cheap way to go from London to Paris. Does the Hovercraft qualify? Please give suggestions other than chunnel crossing which seems to be cost prohibitive;however, any suggestions and advice greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help. CS

I have crossed the Channel on a Hovercraft, but that was a number of years ago. It may have changed, but when I crossed, the hovercraft really wasn't very smooth riding - alot of vibrations. You can check the following website for all sorts of info: www.hoverspeed.co.uk <BR>This site - www.doveruk.com/tourism/maincha.htm has some links to other modes of channel crossing. Also you may want to check www.raileurope.com & click on Eurostar to check train prices. Last time we crossed the channel, in 1996, we took the Eurostar. It was so smooth & quick(compared to crossing the Channel on the water). We had Britrail passes, so there was a good discount on the Eurostar tickets. With the hover craft, you need to train from London to Dover, get off the train with your luggage, go to the hoverspeed dock, check luggage, board the craft, cross the channel, get off the craft, transfer to the train to Paris. & if your destination is Paris, without stopping along the way, you will lose alot of valuble time in take this slower method, versus Eurostar. With Eurostar, you get on the train in London & get off in Paris, a few hours later. If memory serves corectly, it was about 5 1/2 - 6 hrs to get from Paris to London via the hovercraft. You may also want to look into flying from London to Paris - that could be about $100 to $150. <BR>

We crossed via Hovercraft from Calais to Dover last May. One way ticket was about $50/pp. The trip duration was about one hour. A little bumpy, but very comfortable seats. There is a rental car counter at Calais, in case you need to pick a car (not highly recommended if your destination is Paris). There is also bus transportation.

I am planning to go from The Hague to London in June and also looked at the option of taking the Hovercraft (www.hoverspeed.co.uk), but it seemed like they cancelled the bus link to and from the hovercraft. So, I tried the Eurolines (www.eurolines.co.uk) and they are cheap. I am sure they have a link between Paris and London. The best part of taking the bus is that you put you bags underneath the bus and don't have to worry about it again till arrival.

<BR>The same 50 dollars per person thatr takes youy from London to Paris by rail and Hovercraft takes you between the two cities by rail and boat, taking an hour loinger. The boats ply from Dover to Calais, so you get a view of the white cliffs and of Dover Castle, which was an operational base on and off from Roman times to the Cold War. You can buy tickets a day or two before travel at the Europe desk in Charing Cross station, just off Trafalgar Square, using a credit card if you like. You do not reserve, and your ticket is valid two months. The leaflet they give you with times suggests departures from Charing Cross, but the historic track starts at Victoria and gives you views of Rochester Castle, Rochester and Canterbury cathedrals, and the orchards of Kent. Your ticket is valid for either route across Kent. You'd check times when you bought your ticket, but you can leave Victoria at 0935 and arrive in Paris at 1920, or leave Victoria at 1035 and arrive in Paris at 2111. On either of these trips you can eat well on the boat, and it does not have the slightly bucking motion of the hovercraft. Free busses run between station and port in both Dover and Calais. <BR> <BR>This trip is longer and more interesting than the Eurostar trip, and half to a third of the price. <BR> <BR>I am away from Easter Sunday to latest April, but please write if I can help further. <BR> <BR>Welcome to Europe <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR>

CS, We tried the hovercraft thing, but because of rough weather it was grounded and we wound up on the ferry. That put us back a bit in our schedule.

We took the hovercraft/ferry from Dover to Calais in August, and for one adult and one Senior, they only charged us five pounds. We went to Calais by hovercraft (30 mins) and came back by ferry (one hour). The ferry was a bit hot, but not any worse than a train. The ferry was much nicer, and since we were on the way home, didn't mind the longer trip (they have duty free, and food/beverage service). <BR> <BR>Don't know the best route from Calais to Paris, but it would seem a train would do the trick. <BR> <BR>Hope that helps.