Paris to Canterbury (UK)?
 

Can anyone suggest how we could get from Paris to Canterbury without having to first travel to London? We can't drive from Paris to the UK, but we could certainly hire a car once we've arrived.

Paris > London > Canterbury would actually be very easy. The Eurostar finishes at St Pancras and there are direct trains from St Pancras to Canterbury.

OR - even faster, you could catch one of the Eurostars that stops at Ashford and then a short train ride to Canterbury

Trying to avoid London may add complexity and frustration.

There are only two trains a day from Paris to Ashford, though there are several trains an hour taking 20 mins to Canterbury from there. There are slightly more to Ebbsfleet, whence trains leave every half hour or so, taking 40 mins to Canterbury.

You may find timings to St P more convenient - and the greater frequency gives you a better chance of snagging a decent price.

If you decide to change at Ashford or Ebbsfleet, book the Eurostar on its website, and buy the connecting ticket when you arrive there: faffing about prebooking local trains in advance has no benefit. If you decide to change at St P, you should separately book the train to Canterbury via the nationalrail.co.uk site.

Eurostar runs Paris > Ashford (only a handful stop) > Ebbsfleet (only some stop) > London St Pancras.

Fast domestic trains run London St Pancras > Ebbsfleet (all stop) > Canterbury East and London St Pancras > Ebbsfleet (all stop) > Ashford (all stop) > Canterbury West.

So find a Eurostar from Paris that suits you, ideally stopping Ashford, 2nd choice stopping Ebbsfleet, 3rd choice London.

Eurostar is the same price wherever you get off - Ashford, Ebbsfleet or Ashford, but the UK train will be cheapest from Ashford to Canterbury, more expensive Ebbsfleet-Canterbury and more still London-Canterbury.

www.eurostar.com

www.nationalrail.co.uk

oh -- and to follow on -- getting to Canterbury by train is basically no problem. BUT if you will be touring around Kent and the SE and will want a car after you are in Canterbury, you can rent a car at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford and drive over instead of taking the train.