Travelling by air is probably the most popular way to get around these days, but with more and more people opting to take the Eurostar, should London-based Paris-goers change to trains or stick with planes?
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| Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Eurostar_3012_Waterloo.jpg |
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- Less waiting time. Check in only opens an hour before departure and queues go down at a relatively fast pace.
-Comfortable ride. The Eurostar is more spacious than plane seats so gives you a bit more room to stretch out.
-Nice views. If you manage to nab a window seat you are treated to lovely views of the French countryside inbetween diving in and out of tunnels.
-Zooms you into the heart of the city. It took me 15 minutes to get to my hostel, rather than 45 from Charles de Gaulle airport.
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-Small luggage racks. As with any train, most luggage storage facilities are above your head, which isn't hugely convenient if you have an enormous suitcase. It's worth rushing to be one of the first on your carriage to find space to store your baggage.
NB. You don't have to register your luggage as I thought you did after reading and re-reading the information on the website. This means you can take it on for free - hurrah!
-Cost. I stupidly didn't check flight prices; for some reason I had it in my head that I was getting to Paris by train, but the price seemed pretty steep. I only needed a single but it was £30 more expensive than a return - so I ended up wasting money on a return ticket I'll never use! Unfortunately this sneaky ploy is not exclusive to Eurostar so always be traveller-savvy and scope out all your options.
NB. My roommates got the bus from Birmingham to Paris for €25 each way! But with a journey time of 14 hours (yeesh), is it worth paying the extra dollar?
All in all, riding the Eurostar was a pleasant experience that I would happily repeat - anything to avoid the queuing and stress that goes hand-in-hand with catching a flight!
