Hi!
I'm looking for some advice on how to get from London to Paris 1) cheap 2) quick. We're arriving at Gatwick Airport on June 30/07 around 10:00am and we have a hotel accommodation booked in Paris for later that night.
I am having a brain anyeurism trying to find a simple, affordable way to get from Gatwick Airport to Paris! There are no direct flights from Gatwick to Charles De Gaulle so do we:
A) take a train from Gatwick to Heathrow, and then fly or take the Chunnel to Paris
B) fly from Gatwick to another city in France and take a train to Paris
C) take a train from Gatwick to another London airport in hopes of finding a direct flight to Paris
I've searched dozens of websites, airlines, cheap flight options, etc and every option seems to be around the $200.00 CND mark (round-trip) and is unneccessarily complicated and/or time-consuming.
Any advice?
The problem is that Gatwick, Paris CDG and Paris Orly are all "expensive" airports for the lo-cost airlines.
I would suggest either
1) Eurostar from Waterloo. Depending on your dates/times you should be able to get an advance ticket
on their website for £59 each.
2) Airport bus to Luton, then EasyJet to CDG. I'm not sure how many times a day they fly to Paris, so it
may not fit in with your times.
- Booked IMMEDIATELY at eurostar.com you can get a single (one-way) ticket on 30 June for either the 13:41 or 15:11 Eurostar for $94 US. If you arrive at Gatwick on time, you will be able to get to Waterloo in time for the 13:41 train. Even playing it safe and booking the 15:11 train will get you to Paris faster than easyJet. Be aware that you have to check in at least 30 minutes in advance. Take a First Capital Connect train to London Bridge and a Southeastern train to Waterloo East. Take the connecting walkway to Waterloo International. The fare is 10.60 GBP.
2. On 30 June easyJet has a flight for 8.99 GBP departing from Luton at 19:25. You can take a First Capital Connect train directly from Gatwick to Luton Airport Parkway for 21.90 GBP It's only slightly more expensive than a National Express coach (bus) and much faster. Trains run every 15 minutes. You can get off at one of the stations in central London like London Blackfriars or City Thameslink, explore a bit, and get back on at no additional charge. Getting from CDG to Paris on the RER will cost you 8.10 EUR.
Adding to my previous post. If it were up to me, I'd choose the Eurostar hands down. A relaxing ride ending up in the center of Paris. Quick and easy to get to your hotel from Gare du Nord.
For the timetables for the train from Gatwick to Waterloo East, changing at London Bridge, use the Journey Planner at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
The Eurostar also seems like the best solution to me, even if maybe it isn't the cheapest option (but probably it is). Dealing with another airport, more security, more lines and all of the 'no liquids' business is just a horrible pain in the ass. Train travel is still civilized.
another vote for the eurostar from me, takes you right into the centre plenty of room only takles a couple of hours.
Plus you can get to see the scenery as you travel along.
As for the easyjet from Luton, that #2 mentioned I dont think the £8.99 will include taxes. Plus the time that you spend messing around getting from gatwick to luton and then checking in at luton etc you could be in Paris.
Do the Eurostar.
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<hr>The problem is that Gatwick, Paris CDG and Paris Orly are all "expensive" airports for the lo-cost airlines.<hr></blockquote>
Em, Gatwick is used by a number of low costs airlines like Easyjet & Ryanair as well as every UK charter company, CDG is used by Easyjet, Air Berlin & Vueling, Orly is used by Easyjet, Air Berlin, SkyEurope...
The reason why there aren't any flights from Gatwick is that there is no demand due mainly to the Eurostar but because people wanting to get to Paris from London have several easier options
Heathrow has Paris flights because of all the people connecting through Heathrow, London City has Paris flights because it's close to the City of London and Luton has Easyjet to CDG - well I don't know that one
Another vote for Eurostar over to Paris unless there is a huge price difference with Easyjet. I'm flying Easyjet Luton to CDG, not looking forward to it at all but saving of £90 was too much to ignore
You can also take the Southern Train or Gatwick Express right from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station. The Express is faster (30 min) - the Southern train is cheaper and takes a little longer (34-37 min).
Then take the bus to Waterloo -- Any of these will do: #211, #507, #705. The ride is scheduled to take 11 to 15 min -- I believe the 211 is the fastest.
With luck the trip from Gatwick to Waterloo will be 1 hour - maybe an hour and a half at most.
I concur with previous posters - the chunnel train is MUCH more relaxing than any flight, let alone dealing with the aggravation of going to another London airport, and then getting to the city from your Paris arrival airport. The chunnel train arrives in Gare du Nord - a number of Metro & RER lines stop there.
SS
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