To want to get Eurostar instead of flying to Paris

[Vernatts123]

DW and I are in a heated argument over this.

August Bank holiday break away in Paris Friday morning to Monday evening. 4 adults, one under 3.

Both agree we need to drive down to London from Birmingham as more economical than the train for this many people. (Birmingham flights too expensive) .
Eurostar works out £260 each, maximises time spent in Paris on Friday and Monday. We can park at family in London and get the tube to St Pancras.

Flights that cost 350 each to maximise time, hand luggage only so likely more than this once luggage included. £80 minimum parking fee at Heathrow.

DW is being pushed by other adults to fly because that’s what they are used to doing. I really don’t like flying, and working in the environment sector I appreciate the impact of short haul flights for carbon emissions.

its got now to the point where DW is calling me aggressive for pointing out basic financial difference and timings.

My most recent ES trip was late April this year. Easy, quick, comfortable and very helpful staff. Even the British passport line was ok, shameful though it is to have to stand in it.

Also lived in Paris and only flew when the Eurostar was out of action! It is so much easier and more comfortable, especially with a child. You can all sit together, move around etc.

I think you are mad to drive to London and park though when you could get the train from Birmingham and come into Euston which is so near St Pancras. Surely if you are saving money on the Eurostar you could spend it on the train tickets? Check out the Eurostar offers too, sometimes first class is a steal and great value.

EuroStar is bloody brilliant. None of the faff that comes with flying

London-Paris 2:20hr then we walked to our Air BnB

Your wife sounds like hard work, if this is for real. IF.

Have you thought about divorce?

She sounds controlling. A bit like my ex-SIL.

She can fly and everyone else eurostar?

Tbf normally i would say eurostar, but i would be worried about strikes etc and delays

Flying to Paris is ludicrous - especially if driving to London first anyway. Yanbu.

I go to Paris from London at least once a month. Eurostar every time. Way more lux and relaxing.

And I fly a lot - I'm on the cusp of getting BA liftime gold because I have so many tier points. Not a cat in hells chance I'd fly to Paris!

@Youcancallmeirrelevant - You have as much chance as being hit by strikes flying (and other delays) as you do taking Eurostar.

Tell you what, your wife can fly with your her friends and you take the Eurostar. Say you’ll meet her at the hotel and you’ll have a lovely few hours to yourself to sip une verre du vin rouge and have a croissant.

Can I jump on this thread to ask some questions about euro star and long distance train travel generally? I haven't been on anything other than a local train journey for many years (which sounds bad environmentally but I don't travel for work, only had 3 foreign holidays in the past 15 years and UK holidays are generally taking loads of kids and beach stuff and to location without great public transport, so car most practical). Plus train travel, particularly in the direction of London from me is always extraordinarily expensive when I cost it up for more than one person.

Not living near London I wouldn't have considered the Eurostar before reading this probably, so interested in a few factors for future reference. Also, I'm wondering if my preconceptions and concerns may be similar to anything OPs wife or friends are thinking, so might shed some light on the preferences?

In my distant memories of longer train journeys in the past, there was usually very little space for luggage, and if you had anything above hand luggage size it would be at the end of a carriage, possibly not near where you were sitting with no security, so would make me anxious about it. And you have to have it with you the whole time waiting in station etc. Whereas on a plane it gets taken and put in the hold (albeit for a fee). Am I remembering that wrong when people are saying there are no limits on luggage? Or is Eurostar different? Also toilets. My husband with IBS is very reluctant to do more than 45 mins or so on train as sometimes toilets are out of order or just horrible. Whereas planes we've never had an issue. Again are they ok on Eurostar? Same for buffet car / refreshments trolley, unpredictable if available or not on UK trains in my experience in the past. And do people end up standing on Eurostar like they do on UK services? And I know you don't need to check in 2 hours before like on a plane, but presumably to get into central London you are looking at needing to allow lots of extra time anyway for connecting trains or tubes to go wrong (compared to driving to a local airport, for example)? These days I'd also worry about strikes being called for getting into st pancreas after I'd booked (I know someone said flights can also be affected by strikes but I seem to hear than on the news much less often).

Sorry, loads of random issues, but hopefully as well as educating me for future adventures, may give an insight into why someone might have a bias against train travel, however unreasonable!

I do think though if it's a group holiday, your wife is not unreasonable taking into account the other adults views. And I can see why she is getting stressed if she's being pulled in 2 different directions. Although from everything says here, your travel idea does sound a lot better! But just because you are right
doesn't mean you aren't saying it aggressively if you see what I mean!

Another vote for Eurostar from me.

In the pricing did you also factor in that with eurostar you can select your seats for free. Not much of a saving bur adds up.

Also, you arrive in central Paris so no transfer costs from the airport to Paris (train or transfer).

Sone other practical reasons:

No liquid restrictions
Although you need to be at St Pancras 90- 120 minutes before, it is less probably than the time needed to clear baggage drop and security at the airport

You can take or bring back additional bags without charge.

The French are very active in taking strike action at the moment. If that happens on one of the days you are due to fly you may find the flight is cancelled or delayed, there are very long waits for baggage etc, and reduced transport from airport to Paris.

Eurostar avoids some of the impact as all passport checks are in the uk, there is no baggage or security check in Paris and less use of transport.

Definitely Eurostar. So much more enjoyable. Personally I’d never travel on an august bank holiday but at least save yourselves the hassle of Heathrow

You're correct about luggage. You keep it with you until you go on the train. On the train you store large items on the luggage rack at the end of the carriage. I don't see how it's less safe than it going around a conveyor belt where anyone could grab it and walk out of the airport with it. How's, I believe there is a service that allows you to check in your bag, but you have to pay for it and book it in advance. Ive used it once and found it was a hassle and would've do it again.

I've never had any issues with the toilets on the Eurostar. If one does happen to be out of service you just use the one in the next carriage.

There's a restaurant car and Ive never encountered it not being open. It's more reliable than normal trains imo.

When you book a Eurostar ticket you're assigned a seat. People are not allowed to stand on the Eurostar.

@Simplelobsterhat
-Carry on size suitcase can go in the rack above your head, larger suitcases have to be left in the dedicated racks at the end of the carriage but the train doesn’t stop so no one can make off with your bag, which has got to be highly unlikely anyway. It’s not a provincial train you can jump on without a ticket, you have to pay a lot of money and go through passport control. Yes you carry it yourself but how much do you need for a weekend in Paris?
-There are toilets between each carriage so far more between passengers than on a plane. If one is busy and you’re desperate you can just walk through to the next carriage. And you can go any time because no fasten seatbelt signs.
-There’s a buffet car for standard class, it’s always fully stocked but you can also go to M&S or whenever in the station and take your own stuff. Business class they serve you in your seat.
-You book seats, no one stands and unlike on a plane you can choose them for free.
-I’d always allow a bit of extra time for getting to the station but the tube is a lot more predictable than traffic on the m25 to Heathrow. If strikes are called you get notice and can make a plan B like if it’s a tube strike you can still get into London on your mainline train then you can get a bus, taxi or uber to St Pancras.

Hope that helps!

Hopefully I can answer some of these questions for you.

For the Eurostar they recommend arriving at check-in 45-90 minutes before your departure. I always aim to arrive 90 minutes before, just in case there are problems with the tube etc. But I find this part less stressful than getting to an airport for a flight because you are in Central London and the Eurostar terminal is right in St Pancras, so it takes literally minutes to walk from the tube. King's Cross St Pancras is on a lot of tube lines so if there are delays on one line another will usually be free, or if there are major issues Euston is right next door and there are buses and Ubers as well. So I find it much better than getting to an airport where you usually only have one way of getting there and if there are problems on the Piccadilly Line/Gatwick Express/M25 you have to just hope you make it in time.

If you have enough time when you get to St Pancras you can go to one of the cafes by the Eurostar terminal or just browse the shops until you need to check in, and it's train station shops/cafes/prices rather than airport ones, if you get what I mean.

There are barely any restrictions on what you can take with you. No issue with liquids, like on planes. I have even taken things like a bread knife on the Eurostar before, although it was in a case with lots of other cooking equipment (I was in the process of slowly moving to Paris) and securely taped up with gaffer tape. The only thing you won't be allowed to take are food items which you can't bring into the EU post Brexit, such as meat and cheese. But that would be the same whichever method of transport you were taking. There is a Pret A Manger in the waiting room though where you can definitely buy sandwiches with meat and cheese in them, so I assume there is an exception to the rule for food you buy after security to consume on your journey. You can also buy drinks and snacks on the train.

You can take as much luggage as you can carry and I have never had an issue with the number of bags and cases I wanted to bring with me, but my advice would be to still try and travel fairly light and not overburden yourself with luggage just because you can. On the train, suitcases and very large bags go in the racks at the end of the carriages, smaller bags and coats go above your head. If you're very worried about security, choose a seat close to the racks at the end of the carriage. You can change your seat for free, as many times as you like, up until you travel. There are toilets in every carriage so if one is out of order or occupied you just walk down the train to the next one. All passport controls are done before you depart, so when you arrive you just walk off the train straight into the station.

I find it hard to believe that Birmingham is so expensive - heathrow and Eurostar are cheaper even including fuel & parking (I’m aware it’s free at your friend’s house.) why not fly from Luton with easyJet?

I don’t understand why you and DW can’t take Eurostar and her stupid friends can fly?

Ok. We'll say that you can't do that short flight because of the job you have (unless you regularly fly short-haul where trains are possible this can't be argued with) but are totally fine with her doing it. Then take the train yourself.

If you drive to london and park and they fly, then you'll be on the train before they're through security.

And enjoy your stress-free journey - unless Eurostar go on strike, but there's less chance of that than any of the British or French airport staff striking - and a have few hours in Paris to do whatever you want before you end up having to do whatever the friends want there. If they regularly go there and DW doesn't want to say no to them, then you'll be going to the places they like/want to go.

If she uses that excuse she'll have to make her own way to London.

Thanks to those that answered my queries..very interesting.. quite want to get the Eurostar now!

Although presumably some of my worries eg carrying bags, potential for standing etc would still apply to trains getting to st pancras. Even for op parking in London I assume it wont be close to Eurostar.

Most of my holidays have been packages flying from a local airport half hour drive away (pre booked parking, multiple routes I can take if a problem on one so minimal chance of a serious delay getting there) and parking there so no getting bags on and off different trains and tubes, having them with you while you go to the toilet / get food before you go etc. I get that for a weekend you won't have much anyway, but I was thinking holidays in general. And many posters were talking like you could buy loads of wine etc, take as much as you want.

Op if they are set on flying I'm surprised it isn't more doable from Birmingham airport or other local one really. Driving to Heathrow seems worst of both worlds

We went to Disneyland Paris this week and flew, but that's because we live near Bristol and the train to London was going to make Eurostar more expensive. It was great - 7.30am takeoff, at the hotel for 9.45. I found CdG very efficient but obviously it was termtime in France.

If we had to go to London anyway I'd have done Eurostar.

Although to be honest, we booked in a heavy month of train strikes so I was (and am) reluctant to book any expensive trips dependent on trains at the moment.