Things I Wish I Had Known: Eurostar London to Paris
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- Watch before you book those tickets on the Eurostar. Here are 8 things we wish we had known about traveling the Eurostar, from London to Paris or Paris to London. Download our free itineraries below!
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Eurostar: Things I Wish I Had Known
00:00 Intro
00:39 When to Book Tickets
02:49 Huge Queues
05:39 Pack Light
07:14 Bring Food
08:27 Upgrade?
10:39 Bring Entertainment
11:32 When You Arrive
12:32 Lounges
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#london #eurostar #paris
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Credits:
Editing was done by the amazing Iliya Lipkovich, you can find him on Instagram @ilya_lipkovich
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Thanks for sharing this video! It was informative and helpful. 😊😊
This is SO helpful!! Thank you!!
loving the quick facts on top of the tips!
I will definitely make a mental note. Thanks!😊😊
Thanks again for a very informative video.
Great video! Love the humor and the facts! Thanks! 😊🎉
Thanks for watching! We have fun making these videos.
I just found your video and really enjoy your interaction with each other and your info. Cute family! My wife and I are taking the Eurostar from London to Paris in April. You dropped some great tips and info to make that trip less hectic. (Yes, I purchased our seats a while ago) Thanks again!
You’re smart to get your seats. We have ours for this summer too. Thanks for the lovely comment!
Very informative! Thanks for your insight and I cannot wait to visit London and Paris with my parents!!
Enjoy the trip with your folks!!
Best smiles! Thank you love the video!!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad it helped!
Thanks for a very informative and useful video.
thanks for subscribing! That helps us out. Have a great trip!
New subscriber. I loved the video, and now I need to go binge watch your other videos! 😊
Thanks for subscribing as that helps us out! Enjoy our other videos and we have a lot more coming out!
Thank you for providing all this great information. I'm a solo traveler and planning my first visit to London next year.
Have a wonderful trip!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video and your love for each other. I look forward to more videos to more destinations. God Bless Your Marriage and your family unit!!!!
Wow, I follow you guys for my Hawaii travels, I had no idea you also do travel abroad. I am so excited, my favorites travels are Hawaii and Europe, I will subscribe to this channel now!
yeah! I'm glad you found our new channel! We are looking forward to sharing info on Europe, just like Hawaii. Mahalo for subscribing!
Sign up to email alerts. Cheap tickets are issued about every 3 months which is why I got the best deal I could to travel in a couple of weeks. Surge pricing applies, so if you do it last minute your wallet will suffer. One way around it is to buy a inter-rail ticket-they are excellent value, particulary 1st class which doesn't cost much more than standard. This will get you standard premier on Eurostar. You do need to do more than one stop however.
Being Irish and living 22 years in Manchester U.K. with extended family in Ireland, I usually go SailRail between Manchester Piccadilly, Chester/Crewe/Lladnuo and Holyhead (in North Wales) to Dublin - they keep shelving plans to build a high speed rail tunnel under the Irish Sea from Holyhead to Dublin similar to the Channel Tunnel
That would be something, a tunnel to Ireland. Thanks for sharing your way over. My dad and I took the ferry to Dublin one time. It was convenient.
Eurostar employee here, about travelling to Disney via Lille.
As you mentioned, you can book Eurostar direct routes up to 10 months in advance.
However, if your journey has a connecting train to get to your final destination like travelling to Lille on the Eurostar and then catching an SNCF service to Disney (all one journey booked through Eurostar), you can only book those journeys up to 90 days in advance as main land Europe rail providers only release their timetables 90 days in advance.
Another point, that may be covered (i've just got to the end of the luggage part of the video).
You can not upgrade to Business Premier in advance, only from Standard to Standard Premier.
You can ask at the station on your day of travel if there is availability, if there is you'll be charged appropriately.
Wow, thanks for watching and providing those helpful notes! Eurostar employees are the best! Thanks for keeping the queue moving at St. Pancras and everyone calm.
@@YourGuidesAbroadI've never been to France let alone the Eurostar but it could be something I might do this year
The thing that always scares me initially is being in another country and not being able to communicate or understand things
I do however hope I can go and hopefully not too expensive
Why can't you upgrade to business class?
@@feiryfella
Business Premier offers different fare conditions than Standard and Standard Premier.
Standard and Standard Premier now offer a refund for a £25/€25/$40 fee per ticket per train up to 7 days before departure and become non-refundable during the immediate 7 days before departure .
Business now offers a full, no fee refund up to 2 days after the travel date if you don't travel.
If Eurostar allowed upgrades, customers could upgrade during the 7 days prior to travel just to then claim a full refund, taking advantage of a loophole.
So Eurostar don't offer upgrades to BP prior to travel but you can upgrade at the station on your day of travel and you keep the existing fare conditions
I love your videos, possibly the most accurate travel info on TH-cam. One tiny comment - no-one in the UK says "chunnel", it never caught on and now sounds odd.
Thanks for the tip! It was engrained in my head as a kid when the tunnel opened. We appreciate the feedback!
Despite the crowds at St. Pancras I was impressed with how organized everything was. It really lowered my anxiety.
We agree. They communicated well on the wait and made sure everyone got on. Well organized chaos.
You should make the day trip in Paris video! Would selfishly love that since I will be doing a day in Paris :D
We are editing a 48-hrs in Paris video now! Sneak peak, here is our 1 day Paris itinerary download: yourguidesabroad.com/1-day-paris-itinerary/
Another one: Premier Business class is used by people that want to work through the journey. My American friends were moaned at by another passenger because they were so loud! Most using that class just want peace and quiet so they can concentrate on their laptops.
That is a good point! Erica used to take it for business to the continent. A lot of folks are working in Premier. The whole train in general is pretty quiet. Kinda like the Tube.
I mean, standard etiquette anywhere is to be quiet on public transport. Have a conversation, laugh - have fun, but be aware of your surroundings. I personally hate hearing people having full blown conversations that are miles away from me. It’s inconsiderate. Americans have a terrible reputation for being loud when abroad, it’s embarrassing.
@@jayl549 They are always the people with the booming voices - we just don't talk that loudly in Europe. Are they trained from birth or something?
we boarded the eurostar to disneyland paris at Ashford International Station (we'd arrived by ship into dover). As you can imagine, there were only about 30 people boarding the train in Ashford and we were the only ones in standard premier (there was no business premier on the train we were on or i'd have booked it). There were 9 of us in our group. Of course, when we got on the train, people were already sitting in our seats having boarded the train in london. They were super annoyed with us and didn't want to move, so i got the train person who promptly booted them out of our seats. Other than that, the ride was fantastic. Even the little included breakfast was pretty yummy. Highly recommended.
Yep. Eurostar stopped their direct service from London St Pancras to Disney Land Paris last year.
In Italian tunnels you actually get better wi-fi connection than outside. I know Eurostar doesn't go to Italy. It actually now only goes to two destinations: - Brussels and Paris with a stop at Lille on the Brussels train. All Paris trains are non-stop.
You've actually excellent cell phone coverage in the channel tunnel (and in my experience, it's pretty reliable).
thanks for sharing! Our phone plan hasn't worked out for us in the chunnel or the countryside. Our advice is to be prepared with another form of entertainment, if one wishes. Thanks for watching!
I should've watched this! I missed my LHR to CDG flight by 2 minutes, booked a Eurostar and missed that by 10 minutes, and booked a second Eurostar haha.
Thank you very much for your fabulous information on Train travel! This info is gonna be very useful for when I make my trip to London and Paris! You have a new subscriber! I look forward to more of your travel content!
Thanks for subscribing! That helps us out. Enjoy your trip planning. We have a lot more content coming out.
@@YourGuidesAbroad Really looking 4ward to it!
You'd be surprised about space - behind seats as well.
Thank you for sharing. I've always wanted to try riding the Eurostar. By the way I know a discount can find cheaper train tickets, if someone needs, I am happy to share ❤
The service tunnel is located between the 2 railway tunnels.
Thanks for sharing!
if it takes 3- 4 hours to be at the 2 stations early ...how can you do a go and back in one day as you said
💕💕💕💕💫
I noticed Erica wearing a belt bag, I have a similar one and planning to wear it during my trip. How did you find it safety wise? Was it pretty safe wearing a visible belt bag?
She enjoys wearing it and has never had an issue with safety. It is more convenient than a bigger bag.
Doesnt the eurostar sell paris metro tickets on their trains? I know their tgv's (thalys included) do, and it is a great way to skip those lines.
Thanks for the tip! They sell metro tickets in the onboard cafe. They cost more and are singles but the queue at Gare du Nord metro kiosks can be long!
There is phone coverage in the tunnel!
The lines in st Pancras seems so random. This pass summer I was there a day before my train ride to pick up something. The station had ridiculous lines. Much worse than the last time I was there right before the pandemic. So I was worried and got to the station the next day nearly 3 hours early. But noooo lines. Like nothing. The line started at the immigration line. The waiting room did eventually fill up and quite crowded. Standard premiere was a good value, price wasn't too much more than standard and there was a lot of luggage space.
Thanks for sharing. With an e ticket they will send updates on the wait times as it can be unpredictable.
Blame Brexit for the increased time for pasport checks etc. And IMHO the waiting area isn't large enough at St Pancras, and there's so little to do while waiting... no decent selection of shops etc. However I'm still looking forward to my next trip
The last time I went to Paris, I ordered a Metro pass that was good for seven days. It was mailed to me in San Francisco.
thanks for sharing!
~12:00 At Paris GdN, beware of unofficial taxis! Skipping the queue might be attractive, but they'll try to charge like a wounded bull. (Sidebar: The only time I got caught out I handed the driver half the fare he was asking for and invited him to call a gendarme; he didn't.)
Travelling early July to Paris (4th) with the first train leaving just after 6am. Can I expect long queues? What time would you recommend to get to the station for first train departure?
Early trains can get busy with commuters/business travelers. Check their app or your ticket as they will let you know a recommended time to arrive that day and time.
I love people-watching at St Pancras
I like doing it at Waterloo. It has a good mezzanine.
@@YourGuidesAbroad Didn't know. Will give Waterloo a try next time.
How easy is to get Uber in the Paris station. Would be coming with my family with 2 kids reaching Paris at 10:20 pm.
It should be fine. Sometimes it is better to leave the station for a better pickup address. The official taxi rank outside may be your best option and more reliable at the time.
If anyone doubts the popularity of the Eurostar, this video settles that argument!
The waiting lounge in Amsterdam for the Eurostar just has a vending machine. I suggest getting food in Centraal before going through security. Don’t make the mistake I did 😂
Thanks for sharing!
Please create a one day in Paris
You got it! Enjoy! yourguidesabroad.com/1-day-paris-itinerary/
you can skip the line and buy Metro tickets on the train in the cafe car
Yes! Another viewer left that comment. Single tickets only and slightly higher price but far better than the kiosk queue at Gare du Nord.
We took the same train and it was disappointing. The ticket was very expensive. We have to go through security with big lineup. We were advised to go to the train station 1.5 hours before departure. Then the train travels barely over 200km/hr, rather slow for high speed train. Then why not buy a flight ticket which is a lot cheaper and faster? You are not saving time and hassle compared to plane.
Which way is better to go- London to Paris OR Paris to London? I thinking London station is less busy or may be the same…?
It isn't a big difference. They are both busy. We enjoy starting our trip in London and then going to Paris.
It is possible to drive from England to France in the emergency tunnel.
Afraid not. An F-1 car did once as a publicity thing. If you drive for F-1, ask to see if you can do it.
You used to be able to buy Paris Metro tickets on the Eurostar from London - not sure if that's still true.
Thanks! We have gotten comments on that. The Eurostar Cafe sells single metro tickets for a small premium on the train still. A good option to skip the lines at the Paris station.
This is so helpful! We’re arriving into Paris after 11pm and was worried how to get metro tickets that late since the paper ones have been phased out. Thank you!
🙋♀️ Missed a fact: how long does the journey take? Off to Google… lol😊
My daughter and I are doing the London to Paris and it’s about 3.5 hr. Cheers!
London - Paris is timetabled at 2hr 16 mins, be aware France time is one hour ahead of Britain, so you lose one hour going to France, local arrival/departure time is shown on tickets, the same as air travel.
For Americans traveling to London and wanting to use the Eurostar, what all should you need outside of your US passport? And is there a difference between the Eurostar and the Eurorail?
US Passport is all you need to go through the border. The Eurostar is one train line while the Eurorail is a travel pass that allows you to travel on trains in Europe. I don't know if the Eurorail covers transport on the Eurostar. I doubt it does.
Is the luggage allowance per person or per family/group?
the luggage allowance is per person (ticket holder). have a great trip!
I found some of the staff at the london staff quite rude when going through security
Experience
What are “ lines “ ??
Haha, queues are such a better word.
Are all Eurostar trains not the same? I took a train from Paris to Amsterdam back in May, and in my opinion, it was a horrible experience. We were in 2nd class and it STANK. I was sitting right in front of the bathrooms and apparently the bathrooms are an issue because there was a sign in there that said "We know you are not satisfied with the cleanliness of our toilets, but we're working on it..." and I was instantly turned off. I find it pitiful that they can't hire someone to clean the restroom every hour? Thank God I had an mask with me because I wasn't going to make it during that ride. Plane me. Smh
8:34 --- Does your dad allow you to borrow his glasses on a regular basis ..?.. or, was that a one time thing? :)
haha, my dad now has better vision than me!
It's a 2 hour trip - you'll be fine
Travelling from city centre to city centre is great. However, our last experience of Eurostar left us feeling less enthusiastic. We travelled in September, the departure lounge at St Pancras was overcrowded and chaotic. Why oh why don’t they re-open Ebbsfleet and Ashford. We always used the latter when we could and it was far more pleasant. I dread to think what it will be like when the EU enforces its new border controls. Thank you Brexit!!! 😊
The long lines are a key benefit of Brexit. If I jump on a Thalys or Eurostar in Cologne or take the TGV from Stuttgart, I just board the train. Seems fair to me, that they do all the checks in London so that EU citizens boarding in Brussels don‘t have to wait in Paris.
Do they have a line for ADA?
Yes but you should contact them: www.eurostar.com/us-en/travel-info/travel-planning/accessibility
Not many scams in London but watch out for the rickshaw drivers near Big Ben especially at the underground exit. They'll force people on and charge exorbitant fares despite reasonable prices shown on their laminated price guides. They are unregulated and unlicensed.
All the direct services to Disneyland Paris have now been withdrawn.
Thanks for watching. Yes, one has to transfer in Lille for Disney.
I find it easier to go via GDN for Disney, rather than Lille. It’s just 2 changes on the RER ti get to Marne La Vallee. It’s also cheaper than the Lille route, more choice of trains, and you can book several moths in advance rather than 3 months in advance for via Lille.
If you don’t want to mess with RER from GDN, you can prebook a transfer direct to Disney (80€)
Lost count the amount of times I have been on Eurostar.
You can't go direct to EuroDisnsy..
Nope, you have to transfer through Lille.
Not that duty free is always worth while, surprised it doesn’t seem to be available, SNCF usually one step ahead in generating revenue. Not much space available at either terminal, at St Pancras they should have gone significantly more underground to create more passenger and processing space. Although how could the architects and planners predict the stupid, stupid decision of Brexit in 1994 or earlier, which has cost £140bn so far (Jan’24). Trains are running 25-30% below capacity due to Brexit controls- stamping passports etc just wait for the biometric checks start.
Fact for you, the line between St Pancras and U.K. side of channel tunnel is the most expensive rail line to use in the U.K. mile per mile, privately owned.
Never EVER push a suitcase onto an escalator. (as you show one guy doing this in London) It could snag and make you fall over it. Always pull on and stand side-ways holding the rail with one hand and your suitcase in the other hand.
By the way you are a magnificent advertisement for US dental treatment.
You should tell people about paying for a tube and Elizabeth Line ride (you don't receive a physical ticket) (the best way into london from Heathrow) by contactless card.
Q
Before Brexit, no lines
yup! we remember those days. Good point as we forgot that.
Why is that?
@@sharonconnolly7811 Because the UK was part of the EU and Schengen zone. No border controls to go through.
UK was never part of Schengen, ditto RoI. Queues mostly down to limited space and staffing levels. . @saffanna4001
@@rsmith2312 Thanks.