Which website to order train tickets - London/Paris?
 

Now that I've narrowed down which train to take on our London/Paris/London journey (thanks to fodorites advice), I'm puzzled over which website/how to order the tickets. Looking at www.eurostar.com, the cost calculates at $280; however, looking at the same trains on www.voyages-sncf.com, it calculates in euros which converts to $245 but only if I say the country to pick up tickets is France. Which website to order tickets from & do you print off the tickets (e-ticket, if you will) and charge not unlike plane tickets? Sorry...first timers are clueless!

Eurostar, since that is is the company that operates the trains. Pricing is cheaper for people who start in France, which may explain why SNCF is offering lower prices, but they are only acting as an agent for Eurostar.

Do what I always suggest - clear the Eurostar cookies from your internet browser, close it, reopen it, go to the Eurostar website then when it prompts you for a nationality try a different one and see what the prices are for your trip

Then repeat with other nationalities. Then compare the prices and book with the one that works out the cheapest - including any forex charges your bank / CC issuer might include

Then opt for collection at the station.

DFM--I've been following your posts, as I'm also planning to fly into LGW, and go by Eurostar to Paris. Please post and tell what options for transport from LGW to Waterloo and onward that you have chosen. Thanks, Barb

Options are the web sites listed plus Raileurope in the U.S. and they can be surprisingly cheap sometimes - better than online fares in euros or pounds. Point is check both RailEurope and the web sites listed. Keep in mind that RailEurope will charge a $15 booking fee per order and possibly a mailing fee if under $200. As usual i always recommend dealing with BETS (800-441-2387) for a thorough search for best RailEurope Eurostar fares as the www.raileurope.com site often does not list the cheapest fares or as they don't deal in real time may come back with a higher fare. Best to talk to someone who will do a manual search on the Raileurope computer system as BETS will in my long experience using them. And the early bird does get the worm here - if you just show up you could literally pay hundreds of dollars more than the cheapest advance fares.

Hi DF,

Have you looked into 1-day RT tickets?

They come out at about $90 ea from www.raileurope.com or www.eurostar.com

((I))

By 1-day round trip tickets, I assume you mean a day trip? We're actually spending 4 nights in Paris using my sister's Starwood points so a day trip isn't for this adventure - although that's a great, great price!


Barb - I've mulled over & examined info from the previous knowledgeable posters. Does it sound like the train to London Bridge to Waterloo sounds like the best bet? I think it was PatrickLondon's suggestion...

Ira is suggesting buying 1 round trip London to Paris for $90.00 then tossing away the return ticket. Then buying a paris to London RT ticket and tossing the return portion when you get back to London. We do it all the time..saves money!

Thanks for clarifying my post, Jody.

((I))

I love Rail Europe, that is the one I usually go to (and I don't think I paid shipping the last couple of times either, which was a bonus).

<Ira is suggesting buying 1 round trip London to Paris for $90.00 then tossing away the return ticket. Then buying a paris to London RT ticket and tossing the return portion when you get back to London. We do it all the time..saves money!>

What am i missing here - how is this cheaper than the $140 round-trips that, if you reserve early enough, are easy to book? Plus on day returns they are effectively bookable i believe only on the earliest trains as bona fide day returners would want to take.

How does this save you money? Just curious.

Jody - still curious how this saves you money?

Hi PB.

Pursuant to your query, I looked up prices.

It is now possible to book RT tickets for different days for as low as 60GBP (about $120).

Therefore, I withdraw my previous suggestion.

However, one way tickets are more expensive than buying the RT fare - 149GBP vs 60GBP.

((I))

You shouldn't book on the French site and say you are going to pick them up in France if you aren't going to be in France and it would be impossible to do that, as it sounds. I've never heard of a Eurostar ticket you print yourself (but haven't looked at them that often), but if it were possible, it would have to be a nonrefundable and nonchangeable ticket, and the description tells you about that.

Someone has told me that they couldn't book on the French site with an American credit card - had to be French and that this was a recent development. I'm sceptical of this - what's the deal - has anyone booked recently with an American-issued credit card. I know in stations in France such credit cards won't work - so many if you have to retreive the Eurostar ticket from a station ATM you may have problems?