Travelling to Paris by Eurostar

Since I was tiny, my family and I always travelled to Europe by train. I remember taking the taxi from Paddington to St. Pancras, seeing the people play the piano, stopping for a coffee and then, finally, boarding the Eurostar. Whilst nowadays my husband and I mostly travel by plane, sometimes a train is just easier. Travelling to Paris by Eurostar is super easy and affordable, but there are some top tips I wanted to share with you to get the most out of your holiday.

Booking Your Tickets

The tickets for Eurostar are available months in advance. At the time of writing (May), I can go all the way up to December.

Like any form of transport, the earlier you book it, the cheaper it is. For a standard ticket, you can expect to pay anywhere between £40-60, depending on the day and time of year. The Eurostar website is, from experience, easy enough to use. However, you need to make sure that you shop for the best bargains.

If you go onto the website, the tickets for the evening are always cheaper. Whilst this may seem good, remember that you will need to fork out for a hotel for that extra night. I would recommend travelling mid-morning (after the London rush hour). Early afternoon can also work, but you miss out on some time in Paris.

Lastly, when you confirm your seats, make sure you are near the front of the train at St. Pancras. That way, you can make a speedy exit in Paris and avoid the rush for taxis and the Metro.

St. Pancras

St. Pancras is always the first stop for anyone travelling to Paris by Eurostar. Getting to St. Pancras is easy in London. The tube station has plenty of links to other lines (Circle, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan, Northern, Victoria, Piccadilly) and is really accessible. Most of the time though I take a taxi from Paddington – it usually takes 20 minutes, it is easy and costs about £15.00.

The gates for the lounge usually open two hours before the train departs. Be aware that you will need to pass customs and luggage checks and that this process can take a while. I would suggest that you arrive a bit before this, if you can. Firstly, there is always a large queue before customs and everyone has the same idea about arriving two hours before departure. The shops around St. Pancras are also quite nice. I like grabbing a coffee and a pastry before so I can unwind.

Once you pass through the chaos of customs, you are then in the lounge. If you have not been here before, do not think that it is going to be like Heathrow Terminal 2. There is one shop and one cafe and the seats are not exactly comfy. Stock up on food and drink before you get in to save money.

If you can, find seats by the escalators which are in the central part of the atrium. This means that you can make a speedy entrance on the train and avoid (somewhat) the rush that is about to take place…

On the Train

When you take your seats on the train, there is not a lot more you can do to make your journey easier. I always find it a really nice and comfortable experience.

One top tip I do have though is to purchase Metro tickets on the Eurostar. For some odd reason, nobody seems to know about this… You can buy them at the cafe and they are the same price as what you get in Paris. It means that you can then prepare for your onward journey into Paris.

Speaking of the café, I actually think that the food is decent and they have a good selection of food and drink. If you haven’t prepared lunch, grab some here rather than the Eurostar Terminal at St. Pancras.