Southampton to London to Paris

I will be disembarking from Norwegian Jade in Southampton on Sunday May 14, 2017 (ship arrives at 8:00 a.m.) and need to get to Paris by Eurostar. Any suggestions on the easiest way to get to St. Pancras Station?

If you haven't already booked Eurostar it would be easier to fly from Southampton.

I'm sure it would be easier to fly, but when we were last in London we wanted to take a train to Paris mostly to go through the channel tunnel. As we ended up missing that opportunity we thought this would be the perfect chance but thanks very much for the suggestion.

OP: we did this in the opposite direction last year: Paris by Eurostar to London, then directly to Southampton. Like you, we really wanted to take the Eurostar -- it was terrific by the way. Fast, comfortable, on time.

While we could have taken a train (or bus) from London to Southampton, we decided we didn't want to schlep our luggage from St. Pancras to Waterloo, and treated ourselves to a private transfer directly from St. Pancras to Southampton, using Smith's for Airports. They are highly recommended on here, and for good reason. Easy to set up via email, driver was waiting for us when the Eurostar arrived, and was just delightful.

So if you want the easiest: have Smith's for Airports drive you to St. Pancras. (They are based in the Southampton area, by the way.)

You probably know this, but it's cheapest to buy your Eurostar tickets as soon as they are released. And for info about best locations on the train (the seats are reserved) and anything else you might need to know, this web site is a terrific resource:

http://www.seat61.com/

Thank you so much for your information. I'll make sure we get our Eurostar tickets as soon as they are for sale and will look into the information on a car from Smith's.

I'm sure it would be easier to fly, but when we were last in London we wanted to take a train to Paris mostly to go through the channel tunnel. As we ended up missing that opportunity we thought this would be the perfect chance but thanks very much for the suggestion.

Cheapest - just £5 per person, would be by bus

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

But it's certainly not the easiest.

Journey time a little under 2.5 hours to London Victoria coach station, then either a 4-mile / 20-minute taxi ride, or a very short walk to Victoria tube station and a direct tube train to Kings Cross / St Pancras station.

I guess the total cost for two, including taxis both ends, would be under £40 & total journey time around 3.5 hours.

No cheap fares and a limited sunday service make the train from Southampton a poor option - on a sunday a car from ship to St Pancras would be quicker at about 2 hours.

http://www.smithsforairports.com is by far the most-frequently recommended private transfer operator on Cruise Critic, also http://www.aquacars.co.uk and http://www.westquaycars.com

All three are based at the Southampton end, and are far more likely to give you a better price and experience than pot-luck amongst London-based operators. I guess around £110 to £130.

BTW, ships usually arrive around 5am, and the quoted 8am is probably first disembarkation.

JB :)

You can't book Eurostar this far out, but if you subscribe to their website you may get offers nearer the time.

That is not a holiday weekend so you should keep checking to see what happens to the price.

You may not have to go into London to catch the Eurostar. Several London/Paris trains stop at Ashford International, the last stop in England before the train enters the Chunnel. Ashford is closer to Southhampton. A private transfer to Ashford may be cheaper. You would avoid London traffic, but I am not sure about schedules.

Several years ago we got on the Eurostar in Ashford for Paris because we were visiting friends in Kent.

Thanks so much, I'll look into that right away. I appreciate the help from those of you who have gone ahead.

You may not have to go into London to catch the Eurostar. Several London/Paris trains stop at Ashford International, the last stop in England before the train enters the Chunnel. Ashford is closer to Southhampton. A private transfer to Ashford may be cheaper. You would avoid London traffic, but I am not sure about schedules.

 

Several years ago we got on the Eurostar in Ashford for Paris because we were visiting friends in Kent.

Ashford in Kent is 130 miles from Southampton , London St Pancras is 90 so it is not closer. Undoubtably if you are already in Kent it would be easier but from Southampton it requires a person to drive on the M25 and then the M20 both busy motorways. The worse case scenario would be if there were problems in France and Operation Stack is in force.

https://www.kent.police.uk/advice/operation-stack/

Travelling to St Pancras has its own problems, but I am not sure that it is easier than St Pancras from Southampton.

Google says Southampton to St Pancras is 1 hr 45 mins. I would add at least an hour to that, plus check in time.

Ashford is a non starter really; it is further away and only a few trains actually stop there.

Google says Southampton to St Pancras is 1 hr 45 mins. I would add at least an hour to that, plus check in time.

 

Ashford is a non starter really; it is further away and only a few trains actually stop there.

Excellent information! I just returned from an appointment and was getting ready to check on Ashford. It appears that London will remain the best choice. Thanks for saving me the time.

Your ship may be offering a motor coach to St. Pancras. But two fares on the ship's coach may be more than a Smith's car, and it certainly would be less flexible. But if you have a lot of OBC to burn, you might want to use it on the ship's motor coach. BTW, if you have a lot of luggage, the Eurostar is difficult. I'm not sure if you can check luggage, but if you can't, you will have to lug it through a security check, which requires a long queue and lifting, and then once on board the train, there is really no place to put big bags. But with light luggage, no problem.

It is possible to check your luggage, but it costs £18 per bag.

http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-planning/luggage/luggage-services

http://www.eurostar.com/sites/default/files/registered_baggage_flyer.pdf

That's really a separate service, rather then checked luggage in the usual sense. Their facility is some way from the Eurostar at St Pancras, so extra time needed to drop luggage there and get to check in.

...and then once on board the train, there is really no place to put big bags. But with light luggage, no problem.

Depends what you mean by 'big' I suppose, but I have always found there to be plenty of room for bags in the luggage racks in the vestibules, medium and small items in the racks above the seats.

It is possible to check your luggage, but it costs £18 per bag.

 

http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-planning/luggage/luggage-services

 

http://www.eurostar.com/sites/default/files/registered_baggage_flyer.pdf

Very helpful information. I will file this away for future travel. Thanks so much.

BTW, if you have a lot of luggage, the Eurostar is difficult. I'm not sure if you can check luggage, but if you can't, you will have to lug it through a security check, which requires a long queue and lifting, and then once on board the train, there is really no place to put big bags. But with light luggage, no problem.

I'm afraid that's not correct. There are luggage racks for large suitcases near the entrance doors to the cars.

As I noted above, we did the reverse of the OP's planned trip, Paris to London (via Eurostar) to Southampton. We each had a large suitcase and a carryon.

Once again, the Man in Seat 61 has the info and photos:

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

I'm afraid that's not correct. There are luggage racks for large suitcases near the entrance doors to the cars.

 

As I noted above, we did the reverse of the OP's planned trip, Paris to London (via Eurostar) to Southampton. We each had a large suitcase and a carryon.

 

Once again, the Man in Seat 61 has the info and photos:

 

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

Thanks for the correction, Turtles. Maybe our coach car from London did not have space for big bags? Maybe I was not observant? Thanks again.

What would be the earliest time we should plan to book Eurostar after departing a cruise at Southampton? We will probably book a private car from cruise to the station.

It should be about a two hour drive and you need to be at St Pancras about 45 minutes before departure time. Traffic can cause holdups, so I would be looking at trains at around 1:00pm, although you could leave earlier with an unassisted disembarkation. The train takes around 2½ hours, but France is an hour ahead, so a 1:00 train will arrive at 4:30 (approx) local time.

I will be disembarking from Norwegian Jade in Southampton on Sunday May 14, 2017 (ship arrives at 8:00 a.m.) and need to get to Paris by Eurostar. Any suggestions on the easiest way to get to St. Pancras Station?

We took taxis. The subway (tube) system was very difficult for us in London. We were at the tail end of our trip and very tired, I think. You will love the Eurostar. We rode it Paris to London. It is not a typical train. It is like flying. Get there ahead of time to go through security. Not like that any other place in Europe.

It is not a typical train. It is like flying. Get there ahead of time to go through security. Not like that any other place in Europe.

If you want a taste of what it's like, here is a short video:

And here is the return journey from Paris:

Bob++ thanks much for the video and information, the entire family enjoyed seeing how I would be traveling to Paris. :)

We decided that meshing the schedules in order to take the train to St. Pancras (or nearby) and on to Paris was becoming too complicated after the last time I spoke with someone from Eurostar. We will be taking the shuttle to Heathrow and then flying on to Paris before heading home. Thanks to everyone who gave me information and suggestions.