Ground transport for London-Paris

[ActiveTraveler]

For years, I have wanted to go to Paris. For my Western Europe cruise I chose Crystal Cruises, which never begins or ends in France, because of the onboard experience and shore excursions. Someone suggested going to Southampton or Dover, then taking the Eurostar from London to Paris. But how do I get to London? Or can I take the train from a port city instead? Also, does it make a difference if I start or end my cruise in the UK or which English port city I select?

[TLCOhio]

For years, I have wanted to go to Paris. For my Western Europe cruise I chose Crystal Cruises, which never begins or ends in France, because of the onboard experience and shore excursions. Someone suggested going to Southampton or Dover, then taking the Eurostar from London to Paris. But how do I get to London? Or can I take the train from a port city instead? Also, does it make a difference if I start or end my cruise in the UK or which English port city I select?

 

For our Ohio neighbor, Andrea, I had posted on the Crystal board that, yes, the train service from London to Paris is very good and getting faster (up to 186 mph). It's also fairly easy, as an example, to arrange a flight into London, catch a cruise that departs Dover and returns there, catch the train or ship crossing the English Channel, then do Paris and flying back out of de Gaulle airport back home. Or, the reverse. This options would be much easier than sailing out of Southhampton, Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Whether you have Paris at the start or end of your cruise, it can work out well either way.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[HeinBloed]

For years, I have wanted to go to Paris. For my Western Europe cruise I chose Crystal Cruises, which never begins or ends in France, because of the onboard experience and shore excursions. Someone suggested going to Southampton or Dover, then taking the Eurostar from London to Paris. But how do I get to London? Or can I take the train from a port city instead? Also, does it make a difference if I start or end my cruise in the UK or which English port city I select?

 

If your cruise ends in Dover:

 

best would be to go from Ashford (20 miles) away from Dover and take the Eurostar train. (Due to the number of trains which stop in Ashland also consider to go towards London and change in Ebbsfleet or in London itself).

 

alternatively:

 

coach from Dover to Paris on National Express

 

very bad:

 

ferry to Calais and train to Paris... NEVER EVER AGAIN...

 

 

If your cruise ends in Southampton:

 

best would be to fly out of Southampton to Paris by flybe (who offers good priced one-way tickets but lousy baggage policy).

 

All other options would mean that you need to get to London by train or coach have a change of train station in London (from Waterloo/Victoria to St. Pancras) and then can continue to Paris on Eurostar.

 

alternatively:

 

get to Portsmouth

 

ferry to Le Havre

 

train to Paris

 

BUT as CRYSTAL operates out of Dover you can ignore the Southampton information...

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[ActiveTraveler]

Dover it is then! Thank you so much. :)

[John Bull]

Dover it is then! Thank you so much. :)

 

Lots of options from Southampton/Portsmouth, but HeinBloed says Crystal only use Dover - and HeinBloed is usually right.

 

Annoyingly, the Eurostar train to Paris enters the Channel Tunnel less than 2 miles from the cruise terminal at Dover but you can't board there. Unless you jump on a train travelling at about 100mph, which would be difficult since you'll have luggage :D

Eurostar starts from St Pancras station in central London, but that means an 80 mile journey into The Smoke, then back again.

But as Heinbloed's post, some Eurostar trains (about 3 per day) stop at Ashford. That's still a 30 minute journey in the wrong direction but is your best bet for Eurostar.www.eurostar.com

 

The alternative is the cross-channel ferry from Dover to Calais or Boulogne. Dover ferryport is at the opposite end of Dover (5 to 15 mins by taxi, depending on traffic), ferries every few minutes, mainly P&O Ferries or Seafrance, journey time 90 mins or less. Then shuttle from Calais ferryport (dont know about Boulogne) to rail station for domestic French train to Paris (2 - 3 hrs??)

A slow but pleasant-enough journey in the right weather & without luggage but Heinbloed has gently hinted :D that it can be bothersome.

 

John Bull

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Okay, I'll bite, why is the Dover-Calais ferry so bad? Never did that one, did the Hook a couple of times, and Ostend once, but that was long ago.

[John Bull]

Okay, I'll bite, why is the Dover-Calais ferry so bad? Never did that one, did the Hook a couple of times, and Ostend once, but that was long ago.

 

I'll hazard a guess ahead of HeinBloed that it wasn't the ferry crossing that put her off (though both the English Channel & any school parties aboard can very occasionally get quite boistrous), its the time-scale & the schlepping of luggage taxi/shuttle/ferry/shuttle/train.

 

Was I right HeinBloed? :confused:

 

JB

[HeinBloed]

Okay, I'll bite, why is the Dover-Calais ferry so bad? Never did that one, did the Hook a couple of times, and Ostend once, but that was long ago.

 

Have a look here:

 

http://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2010/04/tag-33-auf-der-artemis-in-southampton.html

 

http://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2010/04/tag-41-auf-der-artemis-ruckreise-day-41.html

 

I think just the procedure to get from the ferry terminal to the ship:

 

immigration - all need to leave the bus...

security - all need to leave the bus with baggage...

the long stairways to the passenger deck with all your baggage...

O.K. passenger decks on cruise ships are not passenger decks on ferry ships... you better do not want to know the details...

the long ramp down from the ship in Le Havre...

the bus to the ferry terminal...

no taxi in Le Havre...

just one direct train to Paris per day - unless you want an additional transfer in Lille maybe between two stations...

 

NEVER EVER AGAIN...

 

Seafrance

 

Seafrance does not accept any foot passengers any longer for a couple of month... (only during the vulcano ash...)

 

Boulogne

 

Norfolk line does not accept any foot passenger either...

 

Was I right HeinBloed? :confused:

 

Yes...

 

HeinBloed

[ActiveTraveler]

If it only is bad because of the luggage, I should take advantage of Crystal's concierge - assuming there is zero chance of losing it. That would solve everything, right? Or is the transfer from one vehicle to another several times bad for other reasons?

[xpcdoojk]

Have a look here:

 

http://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2010/04/tag-33-auf-der-artemis-in-southampton.html

 

http://heinbloed-minis.blogspot.com/2010/04/tag-41-auf-der-artemis-ruckreise-day-41.html

 

I think just the procedure to get from the ferry terminal to the ship:

 

immigration - all need to leave the bus...

security - all need to leave the bus with baggage...

the long stairways to the passenger deck with all your baggage...

O.K. passenger decks on cruise ships are not passenger decks on ferry ships... you better do not want to know the details...

the long ramp down from the ship in Le Havre...

the bus to the ferry terminal...

no taxi in Le Havre...

just one direct train to Paris per day - unless you want an additional transfer in Lille maybe between two stations...

 

NEVER EVER AGAIN...

 

 

 

Seafrance does not accept any foot passengers any longer for a couple of month... (only during the vulcano ash...)

 

 

 

Norfolk line does not accept any foot passenger either...

 

 

 

Yes...

 

HeinBloed

 

HB, this has to be one of the best and funniest posts of all times. Thank you.

 

jc