Today's photo report about this exciting trip across the English Channel is three years old, but it is one of the most requested blog posts. Shall we take a ride under the English Channel?
Flights to Paris
Since we are traveling from Paris to London by bus, we first need to figure out the best way to get from Russia to Paris, and on the way back we will return from London.
We look at air tickets to Paris:
Flights from London
We look at flights from London:
For the most desperate ones, we can recommend getting from Russia to Paris by bus. First we buy a ticket to Minsk, from Minsk we go to Berlin, from Berlin to Paris. But this is a very difficult route, believe me.
We book hotels in Paris and London on Booking.com using this link and receive a refund of 900 rubles on the card after the trip.
Paris – London by bus
Alexey Solomatin (traveler, blogger):
The idea of taking a bus ride from Paris to London has been around for a long time. Having two visas (Schengen and UK) helped realize this idea. I would like to immediately apologize for the quality of the photographs. Most of the photos were taken from a tinted bus window. Believe me, it is very difficult to achieve good quality and natural color rendition in such conditions.
1. You need to go to the bus station 30 minutes before the bus departure to check your documents, tickets, and visas. This is all done when boarding the bus:
2. Departure for London at 11.00. The photo shows two MegaBus buses. Which neighbor leaves 30 minutes earlier to Amsterdam:
3. While there is time, I walked 200 meters from the station to rent a high-rise Hyatt hotel:
4. Let's take a look at our route. Google says 5 hours. Well, yes, plus we also have a tunnel and stops:
5. Let's go. River Sena:
6. We leave Paris. Many people don’t know that Auchan is a French chain:
7. My GoPro will record the entire journey. At the end of this post you will see a video:
8. Fields. It's already spring in France:
9. Small villages and fields again:
10. There are a lot of wind turbines. In general, this is very developed in Europe. The wind rose allows you to:
12. Beauty:
13. Some houses resemble castles:
15. Views from the bridge:
18. We approach the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer:
21. A lighthouse on the English Channel is already visible on the horizon:
22. We entered the city. Houses:
23. To us on A16 (Calais):
24. But first we have a short stop:
25. The driver changes here. I suspect this has something to do with driving on the left in England:
26. And we had a little time to take a few shots in the area:
27. We stood right where the buses are loaded onto the ferries. Here is the overpass:
If I had traveled by night bus, this is where our bus would be loaded onto the ferry across the English Channel. The daytime bus goes through the Eurotunnel.
29. I don’t know what kind of building this is. Reminded me of a military pillbox:
30. We entered Calais. We approach the French border:
31. On the left side of the board you can see the departure time for the Eurotunnel (more on that later):
32. We get on the bus and drive literally 500 meters. UK Border Post:
Everything is more serious here. The procedure is no different from entry control at any English airport. You need to fill out a migration card, answer the questions How are mr. Putin? related to the purpose of the visit and timing in the UK. After this, an entry stamp is placed.
Now the Eurotunnel. It is interesting to read its history and structure on Wikipedia. Personally, I had no idea that the Channel Tunnel was built only for trains. It turns out that if you are driving a car or bus through a tunnel, then the transport is loaded onto special closed railway platforms and you move on them in the tunnel.
33. Here is a satellite image of the railway junction in Calais (France). On the English side of the English Channel there is a similar knot:
34. Descent to the platform and railway platform on the left:
35. A bus with tourists enters the platform:
36. And in such a cozy atmosphere we move along the bottom of the English Channel for 39 km (25 minutes):
It's amazing that there is cell service. I immediately start posting photos on
Route Paris - London. Class - Leisure Select. Travel time is 2 hours 20 minutes.
The route is strictly not recommended for Parisophiles. Because when you get to London, this mania quickly passes. Paris seems too provincial, dirty and unkempt compared to London.
Pros:
1. A reasonable system for purchasing tickets on the Internet. Everything is logical and no questions arise during the booking process.
It is also possible to choose seats in the carriage. Since there are three chairs in a row (one plus two), you can accordingly choose seats in splendid isolation, for two, or even for a larger group to sit around the table).
2. Convenient departure and arrival stations -
Gare du Nord - close to the center of Paris, there is a RER suburban metro station at the station. Convenient connections to Roissy airport (it's worth booking a direct flight on the RER in 35-60 minutes - 20-40 minutes for the trip itself and 15-20 minutes waiting) and with Orly. There are direct train routes from the station to the airport, and others with stops. For lovers of the exotic, it is better to take a train with stops - you will see the Parisian suburbs and their inhabitants, the sad faces of those 10% percent of autochthonous residents who did not have time to sell their apartments, which were becoming cheaper before our eyes.
Pancras - conveniently located in the same complex as Kings Cross Station, that is, in the center of London.
3. Convenient check-in for your flight.
Firstly, you need to officially check in for your flight just 30 minutes before departure. It is possible to carry out such an important operation by attaching the barcode of your ticket or a printout of your online reservation to the reading device when entering the Platform. Then the luggage is inspected as at the airport, but you do not need to take off your shoes.
Registration actions are carried out on the second floor of the Gare Du Nord (that is, the passenger first goes up to the second floor of the airport to carry out formalities, and then goes down).
Then there is passport control of the French Republic. And then what is interesting and unusual about Great Britain. You need to fill out a migration card, present your passport and talk to a migration officer. There were no annoying questions like during passport control at Heathrow, although maybe the border officer was just decent. On the way back from London, only the French border guard checks your documents; as you know, this country is of little interest to the date of your departure from the UK.
4. The presence of a waiting area where the passenger enters both after completing formalities and before launching onto the platform, entry to which is carried out 20 minutes before the start of the flight. There are cafes, shops, places to sit and along the wall places to stand where you can lean your maximus glitheus.
5. The food is decent. They distribute wine. Although apparently one can make a complaint about the lunch prepared in France. The chicken tasted rubbery.
I dreamed of visiting London for a very long time. I wanted to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum, and perhaps somewhere meet one of my idols - English actors (although what am I talking about... Andrew Scott and David Tennant don’t just walk down the streets, but hope dies last =)) . It still didn’t work out to purposefully go to England, but I had a wonderful opportunity to live in Paris for a month. And getting from Paris to London is quite easy, as it turned out, but a little expensive. If you are planning to make a similar trip, then follow me, I will tell you about the main options for such a trip.
From Paris to London by train
The train is perhaps the most comfortable option for traveling to London from Paris. And on this route we meet a legend train that everyone has probably heard of - the Eurostar train! It runs between Gare du Nord in Paris and St Pancras in London. The train schedule is quite busy. Trains run daily. The first departs at five forty minutes in the morning, and the last at exactly eight o'clock in the evening. There are approximately eighteen flights per day, so you can go at any time convenient for you. The Eurostar journey takes two hours fifteen minutes – two hours fifty minutes.
Ticket prices
As it turned out, rushing at a speed of three hundred kilometers per hour through the Channel Tunnel is not a cheap pleasure. If you buy a ticket the day before the trip, the prices will be simply fantastic: 197 - 243 euros and this is the standard fare. If you buy tickets a month before the trip, the situation improves significantly - ticket prices start from 90 euros. By the way, I advise you to buy tickets for afternoon flights - they are much cheaper than morning ones. And if you book tickets three months before the travel date, then the prices are absolutely fabulous - 60 euros for one person.
Buying tickets
Tickets to London on the Eurostar train can be purchased at the ticket office of Paris North Station, or on the website: http://www.eurostar.com
Another travel option
If you want to save money, you can use a slightly less convenient option. You can take the TVG train to Lille, and then change to the Eurostar train, which travels along the Brussels – London route. Of course, it will take longer, but you can save money.
From Paris to London by bus
Ticket prices
Eurolines offers tickets for 32-35 euros one way, Idibus prices are slightly lower, but Megabus is very pleased with its low fares - you can get to London for 18-25 euros.
Buying tickets
Tickets, of course, can be bought at the ticket office of the stations from which the buses depart or on the official websites of the companies.
From Paris to London by plane
Like ground transport, air travel is also a fairly popular option for such travel. The following airlines serve passengers: Transavia, FlyBE, EasyJet, Vueling, Cityjet, as well as Air Berlin, Air France, British Airways. Planes depart from Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports. Landing at Heathrow, Gatwick, London City and Luton airports. Travel time is one hour and twenty minutes. Transavia has some of the lowest prices and its planes depart from Orly Airport and land at Luton Airport. There are morning and evening flights.
Ticket prices
With Transavia it costs 36 euros, with other airlines the cost ranges from 40 euros and up to 300 euros in second class.
Buying tickets
At airports or on official websites, for Transavia it is:
Paris-London is a very busy destination and extremely expensive. The French and the British built a tunnel under the English Channel, but it has not yet justified itself, which means that travel prices remain high.
We will describe to you all the ways to get from Paris to London, and then choose for yourself.
By train
There is another method. You can get from Paris to a simple TGV (French high-speed train) and then change to the Eurostar Brussels-London. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but it's cheaper.
By plane
By bus
This is perhaps the most economical option. There are several companies that provide Paris-London transportation. These are Eurolines and iDBUS. Paris-London bus tickets cost approximately 19 to 60 euros. But you are on the road for about 6 hours, or even all night.
Carpooling
Carpooling or covoitourage in French. This site helps drivers and passengers traveling on the same route find each other. For example, you are going to London and can find a person with a car who (for an average of 30 euros) will agree to give you a ride. Such an event also has its risks. For example, the car breaks down, or the driver changes his mind about driving. But the author himself has used this site more than once. This often saves money and you make new friends.
To use the site you need to know either French or English, because you personally have to negotiate with the driver
By car
Of course, you can get to London. Get to Calais, and then take a ferry or the Channel Tunnel. But it's worth remembering a few simple things. One ferry ride with a car costs about 30 euros round trip, in the tunnel about 60 euros, but if you book in advance via the Internet, it can be cheaper. And don’t forget that in England we drive on the left, and you still have to get used to it!
Visa!
And remember that the UK is not a Schengen area. This means you need a separate visa. If it’s not there, then it’s better not to try to get to London. There are customs and passport controls on both trains and roads.
Have a nice trip to London!
I would like to immediately apologize for the quality of the photos. Most of the photos were taken from a tinted bus window. Believe me, it is very difficult to achieve good quality and natural color rendition in such conditions.
An excellent telegram channel from the trip sponsor with a selection of cheap tickets - Hot flights
1. You need to go to the bus station 30 minutes before the bus departure to check your documents, tickets, and visas. This is all done when boarding the bus:
2. Departure for London at 11.00. The photo shows two MegaBus buses. Which neighbor leaves 30 minutes earlier to Amsterdam:
3. While there is time, I walked 200 meters from the station to rent a high-rise Hyatt hotel:
4. Let's take a look at our route. Google says 5 hours. Well, yes, plus we also have a tunnel and stops:
5. Let's go. River Sena:
6. We leave Paris. Many people don’t know that Auchan is a French chain:
7. My GoPro will record the entire journey. At the end of this post you will see a video:
8. Fields. It's already spring in France:
9. Small villages and fields again:
10. There are a lot of wind turbines. In general, this is very developed in Europe. The wind rose allows you to:
11. Look how well-groomed everything is:
12. Beauty:
13. Some houses resemble castles:
15. Views from the bridge:
17. Here is the bridge itself:
18. We approach the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer:
21. A lighthouse on the English Channel is already visible on the horizon:
22. We entered the city. Houses:
23. To us on A16 (Calais):
24. But first we have a short stop:
25. The driver changes here. I suspect this has something to do with driving on the left in England:
26. And we had a little time to take a few shots in the area:
27. We stood right where the buses are loaded onto the ferries. Here is the overpass:
If I had traveled by night bus, this is where our bus would be loaded onto the ferry across the English Channel. The daytime bus goes through the Eurotunnel.
29. I don’t know what kind of building this is. Reminded me of a military pillbox:
30. We entered Calais. We approach the French border:
31. On the left side of the board you can see the departure time for the Eurotunnel (more on that later):
32. We get on the bus and drive literally 500 meters. UK Border Post:
Everything is more serious here. The procedure is no different from entry control at any English airport. You need to fill out a migration card, answer the questions How are mr. Putin? related to the purpose of the visit and timing in the UK. After this, an entry stamp is placed.
Now the Eurotunnel. It is interesting to read its history and structure on Wikipedia. Personally, I had no idea that the Channel Tunnel was built only for trains. It turns out that if you are driving a car or bus through a tunnel, then the transport is loaded onto special closed railway platforms and you move on them in the tunnel.
33. Here is a satellite image of the railway junction in Calais (France). On the English side of the English Channel there is a similar knot:
34. Descent to the platform and railway platform on the left:
35. A bus with tourists enters the platform:
36. And in such a cozy atmosphere we move along the bottom of the English Channel for 39 km (25 minutes):
It's amazing that there is cell service. I immediately start posting photos on
