Eurostar – From London Out To Paris – Experience Extra luxury

A Trip to Remember

Riding the Eurostar means you’ll have the chance to discover the UK, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands on a wide range of high-speed routes. They can reach top speeds of 300 kilometres per hour (that’s 186 miles per hour) on high-speed lines. Going through the Channel Tunnel’s a little slower – 160 kilometres per hour (or 100 miles per hour) to be precise. But that’s still pretty quick. The Eurostar takes you to the following destinations: London, Paris, Disneyland Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Lille, Antwerp and Rotterdam. The top routes include: London to Amsterdam, Paris to London, Amsterdam to Brussels and London to Disneyland Paris.

London to Paris on the Eurostar

The most popular route is the London to Paris journey. The London end of this route gives you great access to so many iconic sights and lets you explore the heart of London along the Thames River. The Eurostar leaves from the St. Pancras Station which is centrally located in the heart of London. Some of the places to visit whether you are arriving on the Eurostar in London or Leaving to a distant city from London, are The Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, The British Museum, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, The British Library, Kensington Palace and of course, King’s Cross Station which houses the famous platform 9 3/4 (ask your kids). Most of them can be accessed by foot, by Thames River Water Taxi or by “The Tube”, the underground subway system.

The St. Pancras Station is a Work of Art

The Trip on the Eurostar is a special experience from beginning to end. The St. Pancras Station itself, is a beautiful work of art with restaurants, shops and whimsical art throughout. We started our morning having a pastry and drink in a small cafe at one end of the station. Our dining spot boasted views of the trains and tracks inside the glass topped structure. The trains are sleek, quiet and very clean. Therefore, we marveled at their shiny paint job as they quietly entered the Station. Our anticipation was peaking as we were waiting to board the luxury rail liner. Once it was our turn, the boarding process was quick and uneventful. There was plenty of room for luggage. Even thought the train was full, there seemed to be plenty of room.

The Trip on the Eurostar

Our journey from London to Paris took us under the English Channel and emerged out in to the countryside of France and on to our final destination of Paris. We were served a regional meal that was unexpectedly enjoyable with the service of a luxury airliner. The overhead screen kept us informed of our speed and time to destination. The route from London to Paris takes a little over two hours. It goes by very quickly as you marvel at the speeds of travel. All of this while enjoying breathtaking views from the train’s windows.

Touring France

Once we arrived at the Gare du Nord (North Station) in France, we felt relaxed, thanks to the Eurostar, and ready to explore one of the most interesting cities in the world, France. There are many ways to get around in France. We chose to focus on our additional transportation options which were underground subway, a hop on and off tour bus, which included ferry excursion on the river and of course our own two feet. However, the subway system took a bit to get familiar with. We did head the wrong direction once, but quickly corrected our mistake at the next stop. The station attendants are outside of the entrance area. It is a good idea to ask your questions before you go inside the gates. Try to avoid commute times. It can be overwhelming for a traveler to get caught up in the hustle of the daily commute.

The Big Bus

One of the easiest ways to get around was the Big Bus service. They have routes all over Paris that allow you to access the most iconic sights of the city and let you hop on and off within a given day so that you may go at your own pace. As part of your ticket, you may also use a ferry service that takes you around the city using the Seine River. We never felt the need to rent a car of hire a driver and we were able to visit the sites we were interested in seeing. Our time in France ended with an early morning walk to the Gare de Lyon (Lyon station). There we were welcomed with a piano serenade at one of the public pianos located throughout the station. It was a great form of entertainment while waiting for our next train.