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EUROSTAR HIGH SPEED LONDON - PARIS
St. Pancras Terminal "Chunnel" Train To Paris or
Brussels
You
roll along smooth and breathlessly quiet past fields of green and yellow
as the world races past at
about 185 miles an hour. Then, the scenery goes dark for
about 20 minutes as you pass under the English Channel, then
more green fields, then the outlying streets of Paris.
You’ve just taken the Eurostar high speed “Chunnel” train
from London to Paris. The Eurostar high speed train runs its trans-channel
tunnel service between London and Paris 
and Brussels from the newly
refurbished St. Pancras Station International rail terminal. St
Pancras' old track
platforms doubled for King’s
Cross Station in the Harry Potter movies, but a new glass arched ceiling
adds
light to the central
concourse with new upscale shops and restaurants. Entertain yourself
while waiting for your train at the interactive consoles in the tables
- a clue - look under the discarded newspapers. The
Gare du Nord remains the Paris terminal of the high speed line under
the English Channel from London. A trip from
St. Pancras to the Gare du Nord takes about two and a quarter hours.
A trip from London to Brussels will take just under 2 hours.
Book
Tickets from Eurostar
Booking Center
Why
take the Eurostar instead of flying? Convenience and comfort.
A chance to chat with your friends, family and others you meet
on your journey. Check-in
for the high speed train is 30 minutes, a little more if
you have a lot of baggage.
Each passenger on Eurostar is allowed 2 pieces of luggage
and 1
carry-on bag. You get on in one city and get off in the middle of the other,
a short cab or subway ride to your hotel. No need for airport
transfer bus or rail trips (see Paris
Opera-Louvre Hotels).
There are more seats available on the train. The Eurostar has
a 91% on-time performance. And for those environmentally conscious "green" travelers
the Eurostar boasts that it's "carbon neutral".
What about ticket cost?
The Eurostar has four price classes - Economy, Freedom, Comfort
and Premier, which are basically Second Class or First Class with non-refundable "restricted" and
refundable full fare (flexible) tickets. If budget travel is your main
concern there are a few things to consider - a
restricted ticket
is
like an
economy
air
ticket, no changes or refund. A flexible ticket means you can change
the time or date. Cost for a Eurostar
London to Paris ticket in dollars ranges
from
a
low of $64 to $119
for one way Economy Restricted, up to
$425
for Premier First
Class Service including a meal. Prices can vary significantly depending
on time of year (summer will be higher), time of train
(rush hour) advance reservation and occupancy.
If you are willing to be
flexible with your travel times, cheaper tickets are available for
less
popular
travel
times.
Discounts are available if you have a Rail Pass (see How Rail Passes Work). There aren't really any ticket discounters for the Eurostar, though special promotions are offered from time to time. If you’re traveling for vacation and pleasure look for a train outside of business rush hours for a cheaper ticket. Seating is all reserved on the Eurostar so the more in advance you get a ticket the more seats will be available. You can get a ticket at the ticket window, but don’t expect the cheapest price.
Though
St. Pancras may be a more convenient terminal for Eurostar international
high speed trains to connect
to trains from
St. Pancras and Kings Cross stations
to points north of London, it is a little bit north of the central heart
of the city. The tube stop for
St Pancras is the underground station at King’s Cross
Station across the street, and a few Underground stops before arriving
at the heart of tourist London.
There are
a number of small budget private tourist class hotels in the neighborhood
around St Pancras, located two streets to the south of Euston Road.
A Tourist Information booth isright across the street with a list of
current room vacancies for a short stopover.
A Premier
Travel
Inn is
located
a few
blocks away on Euston Road, a
Comfort Inn is a block away and the
Novotel London Euston provides
a business class hotel environment two blocks west of Kings Cross.
Compared to Flying
An airline ticket from London to Paris
on British
Airways from Heathrow to Charles DeGaule will cost
currently between $94 (£59) and $170 for Economy,
but there are baggage weight restrictions for checked baggage
at the lower economy price and it
is non-refundable,
so if you have a lot of luggage add
more for the air ticket or if you want change dates. The flight
is an hour, but getting to the airports on both ends and boarding times,
plan
about
4
hours,
and add transfer
costs of about $40-60. A discount flight from an airport like Stansted
add another 30 minutes, and with new airport fees the ticket price
will be about $70-110 but add more transfer costs and beware
of tighter baggage
restrictions (see Discount
Airlines). © Bargain
Travel Europe
Rail
Europe Eurostar
Booking Center
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and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
See Also:
EUROPEAN
HIGH SPEED TRAINS
TGV, ICE, AVE - Europe Fast Rail Travel
THE
REAL "BIRTH" OF FRANKENSTEIN
Tour Mary Shelley Sights Near St. Pancras
LONDON
PUB TOUR
Historic Drinking Spots of Ole London Town
PARIS
ELEGANCE ON A 3-STAR BUDGET
Paris Hotel Richmond Opera
LONDON'S
SECRET GARDEN
Kensington Rooftop Gardens
DIJON
CENTRAL HOTELS
Bargain Hotels close to TGV Rail in Historic Old Dijon
High Speed Rail Eurostar London Paris
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