Am I wrong? It seems like it%26#39;s cheaper to fly to London from Paris than to take the Eurostar. I saw a price of $89 to fly on British Air and a price of $120 to take the train via Chunnel. That seems odd.
Do they charge for children ages 8 and 5 on the train? I am assuming they do.
Thanks all you wonderful, helpful friends familiar with Paris!
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If all you are doing is comparing airfares to train fares, then YES, flying will almost certainly be chaper. BUT...there%26#39;s a bit more to it than that. Added to any airfare you get, you must ADD the costs of transfers from downtown London out to the airport AND from the airport into downtown Paris. In addition to the actual flight time between airports, you must also factor in at least 2-2½ hours to make the transfer from London out to the airport, check-in and clear airport security and another ¾-1 hour from the airport into Paris.
With the EUROSTAR connection you travel from city center-to-city center in 2:35 hrs. Even if you allow 30-45 minutes to get from your hotel to Waterloo-International for check-in in London and another 15-30 minutes to get from Gare du Nord to your hotel in Paris...the train still makes more sense.
YES...there may be reduced rate CHILD fares for kids 4-11 yrs old.
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Remember also that airline fares mentioned on websites and in advertising do not include several taxes, fees and charges that can add up quickly. Think of air passenger duty, passenger service charge, security surcharge, fuel surcharge, etc.
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The above mention of the (not-so-petty) details of air travel also reminded me that most %26#39;budget%26#39; air carriers have somewhat severe restrictions on the amount of checked and carry-on baggage that you%26#39;re allowed...and substantial over-weight baggage fees.
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3-4-06
We got a $104 flight from London to Paris on BA. The chunnel was going to be $140 each for Us and our 13 and 16 year old children. Also, take into consideration %26quot;Claustrophobia%26quot;, since the train is under the channel for 20-30 minutes. If your child has never experienced that, you might be in for a surprise.
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claustrophobia in the tunnel? ITs not that bad, there are lights on in the train, its jsut black for a little bit. Barely noticeable if your reading a book, playing a video game, etc. Many trains go in tunnels for something like 5 minutes anywhere in france, and i am sure there are long tunnels in the alps and areas like that.
Really, the tunnel is nothing. if anything, i thought it was cool.
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love2travel I can only assume you will not take your children on the Metro either.
I suffer from claustrophobia and had no problem in the Chunnel. It is no different then being in a PLANE, and then one is often contained for HOURS!
I found the Eurostar to be a cheaper choice once everything was factored in. Transport from Charles De Gaulle to your hotel, both ways. The Eurostar arrived right at Gard du Nord, a 5 euro taxi to our hotel in the 1st.
No hidden taxes , and no luggage fees at all.
Travel Tues thru Thurs after rush hours, ( moring and evening business travellors make this prime time) and if possilbe stay over a Sat and you will get a good price.
Yes there is a child discount.
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Look for return tickets on the Eurostar. They are often cheaper than one-way tickets (don%26#39;t ask why).
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Please, please, please stop calling it the %26#39;chunnel%26#39;!
This horrible made up word was coined by the British tabloid press when the thing was first being built, nobody in the UK calls it this; it%26#39;s either the %26#39;channel tunnel%26#39; or the %26#39;tunnel%26#39; (as it’s the only one of any length we have!)
As for claustrophobia - you are joking aren%26#39;t you? Stuck in a %26#39;plane for hours with second-hand air has go to be worse.
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Parisfanatic, %26quot; a rose by any other name%26quot; .
Worry about white tennis shoes and asking for ketchup on a well done steak,truely unforgivable tourist gaffs, don%26#39;t worry about the %26quot;chunnel%26quot; vs %26quot; tunnel%26quot;, life is too short! LOL
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joan1 - so you don%26#39;t mind if people call Canada America, it%26#39;s all the same continent!
I know it seems trivial, but it is one of those newspaper words that nobody uses in real life that just grates!
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