Train Tickets - London to Paris
 

Hello,

We are flying into London and taking the tube to Waterloo to catch the train to Paris. Should we purchase the tickets in advance (before we leave home), and hope that our plane isn't delayed or that we don't get stuck at the airport or in the tube? OR should we wait until we get to London and purchase our tickets at the station? (We are going in early May - Is there a possiblity that all of the trains will be booked?)

Your help is appreciated. Thanks again for all of your help.

If you want a cheap train fare then buy your ticket in advance for a departure time around 3-4 hours after your airline arrival time. For better flexibility at a higher fare, buy the train tix at Waterloo. I assume you're flying into Heathrow if you're tubing it to Waterloo.

We were thinking of doing something similar for our upcoming trip to Paris and London. However, since we are returning to London to fly back home, we were wondering whether it made more sense to catch a flight to Paris and come back to London by Chunnel. We wouldn't have to tube it to Waterloo and would also save the trip to CDG.

Any input would be appreciated.

I assume you do realize there is no direct tube connection from LHR to Waterloo. You will have to change lines - not always easy if you are schlepping luggage.

If you are determined to take the EuroStar immediately after landing at Heathrow -- I would book a car service that would drop you right at Waterloo International.

Thanks for the responses.

To clarify...we want to take the train to Paris (rather then fly from London)and we realize that there is not a direct line to Waterloo (we now plan on taking the Express to reduce the amount of time travelling from the airport - I know the Express does not go to Waterloo directly).

My question is...what is your experience when purchasing train tickets to Paris from London for the same day? To be exact, did anyone have any difficulties purchases tickets on the departure day in early May?

Your help is appreciated.

Hi minya,

You can purchase tickets same day, but why not do it over the internet? That way you get the best fares.

Estimate the time that it should take you to get to the train station and add an hour.

http://www.eurostar.com/dctm/jsp/index.jsp

It's not a question of whether it's possible to buy tickets on the day (to which the answer partly depends on what day it is - early May is stuffed with public holidays in Britain and France -and what time train you were thinking of getting)

The price of tickets on this route is as fluid as on any airline. And it's very tough to get cheapos on the day.

Allow a couple of hours for being messed around and book as far ahead as possible. Use this site for tips on getting the best price.

Hi again,

If you book 60 days in advance, an RT ticket is 58 GBP. One way is 149 GBP.

FYI. We are taking a 2 week trip to London and Paris in March. We will fly in and out of London. We bought roundtrip EuroStar tickets for $90 US on the internet. There are several internet sources including direct purchase without using an agent.

Thank you for all of your help. One quick question, how much time is actually spent in Heathrow? (going through customs and waiting for your luggage). I'm tying to determine how much time I should leave between our estimated arrival and train departure time.

RickGib, what site did you use to book your tickets? Did you receive your tickets at home? or do you have to pick up your tickets at the station?

Thank you again for all of your help. It is very much appreciated.

Hi Minya,

If you plan for 2 - 2 1/2 hr for the time your plane is *scheduled* to land to the time you get on the Heathrow Express you won't be disappointed.

This is what it worked out on our last trip.

Hi again
I am now considering purchasing our train tickets to Paris in advance, however, my soon-to-be husband would like to know how much more the price of the tickets will be if we wait until we arrive in London to purchase them? Your help is appreciated.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Minya:

I got our tickets from the eurostar.com site. Selected UK as country of residence (prices were cheaper than those quoted when choosing US) Opted for tickets to be delivered to our home in the US. Got our tickets within a week so mailing to US was not a problem even when selecting UK as country of residence. Very easy transaction and a lot cheaper than prices quoted by raileurope. We have allowed 4 hours from arrival.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for your help Lorena.

Does anyone have an idea about how much more the train ticket from London to Paris would be if purchased the same day (compared to purchasing the ticket in advance from home)?

We would appreciate any comments. Thank you in advance.

I just purchased tickets today for a London-Paris-London day-trip in April. On the eurostar site, the tickets were US$94.00 roundtrip (54 pounds). Just to compare, I inserted tomorrows date and had the site recalculate the fare and it jumped from $94 to $298. This is for standard class. So, it looks like you get a pretty hefty discount if you book in advance.

Hello again,

A quick question (hopefully this will be the last regarding eurostar)...Has anyone booked their tickets with www.raileurope.com? (I have check the Eurostar website, and they don't appear to have the travel schedule for any month after April.)
If you have purchased tickets with raileurope, how was your experience?

In addition, I would like to thank you to everyone that has respond to my posts. Your helpful comments and tips, have not only made me feel more confident about our first trip to Europe, but have helped to ensure that we will have a wonderful honeymoon. Thank you again.

......Can anyone help us?
Has anyone booked their tickets with www.raileurope.com? (I have check the Eurostar website, and they don't appear to have the travel schedule for any month after April.)
If you have purchased tickets with raileurope, how was your experience?

Hi Minya,

www.eurostar.com permits purchases up to 60 days in advance. This is the cheapest way.

I just purchased our tickets from London to Paris (June 1) from raileurope.com a few days ago. So far, I've been very pleased with my experience. Within less than 24 hours, I received an e-mail saying that I had chosen a train which did not run on the day I had chosen, and was provided with an alternative. I wrote back, and within hours, received a message confirming my reservations & telling me my tickets are in the mail. I would imagine I'll get them next week.

I had a tough time figuring out the Eurostar site & prices (see this thread, if you wish: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2). I was lead to the www.raileurope.com site by Madison. I believe I saved on prices, from what I originally understood I'd pay (for first class, one way).

Good luck. Booking w/ raileurope.com was a piece of cake.

Oops, sorry. I guess that thread didn't take you where I thought it would. Try looking it up under "Am I reading Eurostar rates correctly?" in the search box.