Eurostar tips + booking holiday too soon?

cali33

Hi everyone!

I'm thinking of going to Paris. Some people have told me it's easier to go using the Eurostar while others have said, I might as well just fly there. Can anyone tell me what would be easier/better? This is my first holiday alone and I really want to make sure everything's planned out sensibly. If the Eurostar is a better idea - can I book my ticket online? How would I get my ticket? Do I retrieve it from a ticket machine in St. Pancras or would they issue me with a E-ticket that I print out using my computer at home? Any other Eurostar tips?

I'm in London so getting to Heathrow or St. Pancras is not problem at all.

As for booking my hotel and Eurostar/Plane tickets, is it a good idea to do this now if I'm travelling in November? Is it too soon? What if I've found a really good price and want to secure it?

And finally, what about walking/guided tours. Do I find a website where I can book those things now or is it better to wait until I get there? But then if I wait, how would I book it? Do they have an option to book such things at the hotel?

And sorry, this is the final question. Can anyone recommend any hotels that are central and/or located near the main attractions?

Thank you!

martindow

For Eurostar Seat 61gives advice on the best times to book and who to book through. Personally I would always use Eurostar over flying.

http://www.seat61.com/London-to-Paris-by-train.htm

MrWillyWonka

I have used the Eurostar several times. Pro is that, particularly if you live in London, it is quicker to take the Eurostar as check in is minimal and as soon as you arrive in Paris you are out of the station within a couple minutes.

But. You can only book up to 3-4 months in advance and prices rapidly get more expensive the later you leave it. Eurostar tends to be more reliable, but if something goes wrong it really goes wrong as there is only two tunnels. With flying, if a plane breaks they just get another plane.

Saying that, go for Eurostar if you can - it's an experience. Book tickets online and just print them out. Cheapest Eurostar tickets return are £69.

As for hotels - what hotel would you recommend in London? Paris is just as big as London with big attractions far and wide!

As for walking tours - just get a guide book and do it yourself. Otherwise free tours are often run by hostels.

Oh, and there are better cities in Europe than Paris - it's a giant stinkhole!

w211

For walks look at: http://www.paris-walks.com/

cali33

For Eurostar Seat 61gives advice on the best times to book and who to book through. Personally I would always use Eurostar over flying.

Thanks for that. Just had a browse. Really helpful!

cali33

MrWillyWonka wrote: »

I have used the Eurostar several times. Pro is that, particularly if you live in London, it is quicker to take the Eurostar as check in is minimal and as soon as you arrive in Paris you are out of the station within a couple minutes.

But. You can only book up to 3-4 months in advance and prices rapidly get more expensive the later you leave it. Eurostar tends to be more reliable, but if something goes wrong it really goes wrong as there is only two tunnels. With flying, if a plane breaks they just get another plane.

Saying that, go for Eurostar if you can - it's an experience. Book tickets online and just print them out. Cheapest Eurostar tickets return are £69.

As for hotels - what hotel would you recommend in London? Paris is just as big as London with big attractions far and wide!

As for walking tours - just get a guide book and do it yourself. Otherwise free tours are often run by hostels.

Oh, and there are better cities in Europe than Paris - it's a giant stinkhole!

Thank you for the tips. I'll book Eurostar tickets in late summer for my November trip then. I may book my hotel much earlier when I see one that I like. Like Paris, I've never been on the Eurostar before so I'm keen to try it. And lol, Paris might be a 'giant stinkhole' but I'd still like to experience it just the once.

I may check out the free tours. I think it'd be nice to be in a group and have a guide. Especially as I'll be there alone. So for a couple of hours I think I'd probably enjoy some company.

Thanks for the tips!

cali33

Cheers for that. I love the idea of the chocolate and fashion tours!

Voyager2002

cali33 wrote: »

And lol, Paris might be a 'giant stinkhole' but I'd still like to experience it just the once.

I may check out the free tours. I think it'd be nice to be in a group and have a guide. Especially as I'll be there alone. So for a couple of hours I think I'd probably enjoy some company.

Thanks for the tips!

Paris is somewhat pungent in places, but remains one of the most beautiful cities anywhere in the world. And many of the smells come from kitchens and are delicious, although they mix in ways that are not always pleasant.

Haarlem

Check price on various sites. They do vary.

I have used the Belgian Railway site several times and always been cheaper (10%) and you can book 6 months in advance.

johnmcga

Another vote for Eurostar here. I live in London too and wouldn't ever consider flying. Eurostar is more comfortable, relaxing and - depending on where you live in London - faster.

TBagpuss

I'm just back from Paris. We went on eurostar and it was much less stressful than flying, plus you arrive into the Gare du Nord so you are already in Paris and don't need transfers.

We booked online and printed off our tickets, but I think you can also travel on a ticket saved to your smartphone - there is a QR Code on the ticket which you scan at the barrier.

Hotels - like most cities, prices vary a lot depending on what you want and where you want to me. I was travelling with my parents and we booked an Ibis Styles, as they liked the predictablity of a chain (had I been alone I would probably have gone for a smaller, independent place) We stayed very close to the Gare de L'Est (which is about 10 mins walk from the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord) - it's not as expensive as being right in the centre but close enough in that you don't spend forever getting into the centre.

If you want to book tours then whether the hotel will do this will depend on your hotel. If you stay in a hostel rather than an hotel you may find they are more likely to offer such things.

Booking online means that you can be sure that you can do the trip - if you leave it, it may be booked out or unavalaible on the day you want, so it depends on how flexible you want to be.

We didn't do any specific tours but did chose to book tickets in advance to visit Versailles, as we wanted to cut down on queues and as it was the one 'must see' for this trip.

Do some reading before you go and considering pre-booking if you are going at a busy time or if there are things you specifically want to do/see. A lot of museums are closed on Mondays, for instance (the Louvre isn't, but tends to be busiest on Mondays, for instance)