If you are going from Paris to London (or vice versa), take Chunnel on the Eurostar. This is a remarkably efficient train service between these two cities, with speeds reaching 300 kilometers per hour on the 50 kilometer-long route. Prices are about the same as a flight, but you get there twice as fast!
The high-speed electric TGV trains offer nearly 20 roundtrip departures on the London-Paris route and another 10 trains in each direction between London and Brussels. At speeds of up to 300 km/h, transit time is 3 hours between London and Paris or 3 hours 15 minutes on the London-Brussels route. For technical information, see
A new high-speed rail link through Kent, England is expected to cut travel time to 2 hours 25 minutes (London-Paris) or 2 hours 10 minutes (London-Brussels) by 2003. Even at the current maximum speed of 300 km/h, the Eurostar is quicker than flying if you’re traveling between city centers. Eurailpass isn’t valid on Eurostar. However, you will get a discount of about 20% off the standard fare if you have a Eurailpass, Europass, France Railpass, BritRail Pass, or Benelux Tourrail Pass.
Although there are three different seating classes available, don’t waste your money on the ‘Premium First Class’ and ‘First Class’ options. The Standard seating arrangements are perfectly acceptable. Also, avoid Eurostar’s over-priced food by taking your own with you.
Links
- Eurostar - Includes current prices as well. The site loads slow, but it has all the info. you’ll need.
- Rail Europe Eurostar