Mate of mine, his dad drives the Transpennine trains, he was such a lucky git as it meant he got a golden train ticket granting him free rail travel anywhere in the UK until he turned 18. He even got Eurostar tickets at a weighty discount price. I do love your poncy Louvre trip, it's a great gallery.
My dad worked on the railway his whole life, and as he’d started in the sixties he kept all the reciprocal agreements for free travel across Europe and beyond, which included ferries as well as trains. We once worked out the furthest he could have got for nothing was Vietnam!
My dad worked for Sealink, which used to be part of British Rail. He and my mum still get Privileged Tickets, but they use their free bus passes because A) it's free, B) the bus stop is closer, and C) they never go any further than about 8 miles anyway. My brother and I had them until we finished education or turned 25. We'd get I think maybe 16 or 20 free journeys a year, two of which would be to Butlins all the way down in ENGLAND (!) and back.
(I wanted to go to the one in Wales because they had a big rollercoaster but apparently that would have been too awkward. Pfft.)
I do realise we are very lucky being able to go to lots of places within easy and cheap(ish) reach. I would never do a day trip to Paris though like this. Many times we have gone onto Skyscanner London to everywhere and chose one of the cheapest flights. Best one was Bologna. I’ll never forget the San Luca cathedral and the trek up to it. That was an amazing day to experience mass with everyone. £35 for the flights. Sorted. Great food also and locals know how to party.
We have.
Live in east Brighton and we’d cycle to Newhaven, get the 11pm ferry, get a bit twatted, couple of hours snoring in a seat and then sweat it out on a ride to Rouen.
Lunch and a couple of bottles back to Dieppe for beers and the 11pm back again.
Repeat outward journey manoeuvres.
30 min ride home and in bed by 7am to sleep it all off.
When I was very young I took the Megabus. Leave after work Friday Pm wake up in Paris in Saturday, leave Sunday night arrive <8am Monday. I'd shower in the coach station and go to work.
When I got older I did the Eurostar. Not really worth the cost for a day. If I had a partner then sure.
Early 80s I worked as seasonal crew on yachts in the Med around Cannes.
We had people coming and going all the time, from all over Europe, many of whom arrived/departed via Megabus, whether UK or up to/down from Amsterdam.
And they all told that same nightmare journey story, many with varying seas of vomit.
First time, I went by overnight train, but after that, I always flew in & out of Nice. Back then, return tickets were near-free, so that portion was sold on a "crew's black-market". £25-£35, but I might be travelling on "Mrs Maybelline Ogthorps" ticket.
I went on a bus to Spain from Scotland (and back) once, getting back was horrendous as I was a child and ended up severely sunburnt (my own fault, wandered away at the beach), to the point we nearly couldn’t get the bus back as I was seeing a Doctor as I went blind for a few minutes when I stood up.
Think it took about 3 days, definitely an experience. Don’t think I could do it with megabus though.
I took the Megabus back from Amsterdam to London once after a 2 day bender and arrived the early hours of the morning before I started training at a new hospital.
I’ve never set foot on one since. It’s dead cheap for a reason.
I basically spent a few years spending most weekends out of the country with Megabus. I even did London - Brussels with a 30 minute self transfer on the then new short lived Brussels to Luxembourg. Was cold.
The problem with Amsterday is evey 2 months they changed the bus stop to some random carpark somewhere far from anywhere that took 2 trams and a fortune to get to.
I did some ultimate on the cheap trips where the Megabus stop was in walking distance from a campsite on the edge of Amsterdam. I'd bang on about it to anyone who told me that they couldn't afford to travel.
Same, went with a buddy and two chicks that I didn't know. I don't know how long there but laughing and smiling all the way and acting giddy and being funny. Cut to two nights in the damm with alcohol and edibles before realising my chick was a total bunny boiler and I spent the entire journey back with my eyes closed pretending I was asleep when I wasn't. It seemed longer coming back.
I did megabus-esque. London to Rotterdam. It was around 15 hours +. We left Friday night and returned on Monday morning. I went straight to work. I was young, wild and free. Now, helllll no.
It’s mad what we get up to when we’re young. I mean, I’m still young in my late twenties but there’s no way I could pull off what I got up to in my late teens/early twenties.
that's why i did so much travelling when i was in my mid 20s. I was very aware that my tolerance for travelling in shitty conditions wouldn't last forever. And sure enough - I'm 35 now and I wouldn't do it like that these days.
Literally just been interrailing for this reason 😂 feel like there will come a time when I won’t be able to tolerate hearing random
People snore a few metres away from me
I used to stay up all night DJing in clubs Fri&Sat get home 5-6ish have a shower and go to work both days, there were no funky supplements either. Absolutely no way I could do that now.
But on top of your £19 you have to get to Birmingham airport, then from CDG to central Paris. Both ways.
If you work in central London, or just have a TfL pass getting to St Pancras is easy and cheap/free, and EuroStar takes you directly to the middle of Paris.
Yes even from ldn flights are a lot less! But it’s a lot more hassle and time for me personally. Plus I mainly go to Paris to shop and I don’t want to think about luggage limits
I live in London haha! I’d try get the train to St P! Or park outside of congestion zone and tube in- you can pay for a driveway to park in on JustPark or find free street parking using appyparking.
Ha, same. I’m 30 mins from St Pancras so it’s really easy for me. This whole thing would be less time/ cost effective if I wasn’t an easy tube right away.
Is that all? That's so cheap. It costs many times more than that for a return ticket between London and Manchester. My day return tickets for work are £280 if I book in advance.
Oh my days, the early morning hurts but being on your own sofa by 10pm after a day in Paris was glorious. Don’t live in London any more or I’d still do it. Absolutely amazing way to spend the day
Yeah! Nice lunch, a gallery or mooch around the shops, or a long architecture walk (one time the museum I went specifically to was closed so I ended up walking to Montmartre and eating pastries and looking at exciting fabric shops) Followed by something to eat and relax near the gare du nord, train, tube, home. Boom. Treat yourself now and then!
Definitely. I’ve done a few times for work and we’ve really wrung all the productivity out of it.
For fun stuff; met a friend from the US who was only in Paris for a couple of days, gone to the rugby (that was hairy, nearly missed the last train…), and then just the usual museums/ shopping etc.
To be fair, if you’ve got the money for it it’s an ideal night out. Arrive on the island midday or later, grab a few drinks, head to one of the clubs and get a hungover plane back early.
Worst hangover flight I ever did was a short hop from Tallinn to Helsinki on a little twin prop. Heavy last night in the city and maybe an hours sleep before rushing to the airport.
My window was right next to the propeller. I cannot begin to describe the levels of distress I experienced. The vibrations. The flashing and whirring of the blades. The noise. The heat. The cramped space.
If be all over this, I’ve seen plenty of reasonably priced flights for quick getaways or these extreme day trips but I’m 2 hours from my nearest airport and the biggest expense is getting there and paying out of the arse for a train or for airport parking.
Yeah a return flight for £45 is great in theory but that’ll be £80 to leave you car there for the day.
Yes, we once just played cards all the way there, went up the Arc de Triomphe, played there, then came back and played all the way back. My wife and I won.
I’ve done Paris for a day trip a couple of times. I pick one super touristy thing to do, and then just meander the rest of the day via bus, metro or just walking about. Found some fab cafes and bakeries this way. Usually get the 8am train out and the last train back to London.
There's a load of cafes and restaurants near the Trocadro that are far better value and have stunning scenery than of you approach the eiffel tower from the other direction.
Take the metro to the arc de triumph and you can walk straight down 1 road towards it. Anywhere down there
Unfortunately not. I still have dreams about a cafe I found down a narrow street that I got the best tasting croque monsieur I’ve ever had in my life. I have also never managed to find that cafe again!!
I’ve done it for work a few times, but it is absolutely knackering. Usually you need to get an early train out and a late train back to make it worth it. Not a terrible idea to do once, but given the choice I’d find a place to stay for the night
My son was in Lille a couple of weeks ago. He's been to France many times now, but Lille was his favourite. He said people let him use his French and were generally just really friendly. He felt it was a more genuine French experience than a city like Paris.
Lille is much tinier and there are less grandiose sights but the city center is lovely, and yeah. I've lived in several French regions, mostly in Normandy and around Lyon, and I've missed northern hospitality so much -- I've found other places so much colder even though the climate is warmer! I think it's the proximity with the Belgian border, as Belgians are such sweethearts, it must've rubbed off onto us at some point, but I'm happiest in the northern part of France for sure. I'm delighted your son enjoyed our beautiful city!
The Booze Cruise used to be a pretty regular sight. You used to be able to bring basically unlimited booze back from France, the prices were often far far less than half for equivalent quality wines, so it used to be economical to do a day trip over and come back with a boot full of booze.
I know my parents did it once or twice, but family holidays used to always include a couple hours extra planned stop in Calais to stock up.
There used to be a gang of around 8 blokes who made a living by improving importing cheap booze and fags and selling it up in the North East. They rented a house in Dover and slept on the floor in sleeping bags. They had four vans and made about three trips a day in each to stock up on the Calais supermarkets. They were sometimes stopped and their purchases confiscated, but they still make enough successful trips to make it worthwhile. When they had enough, they hired a lorry to take it all up North to sell.
Yes to all of the above. My mum had a good friend who lived in South London and would regularly booze cruise, exactly as you’ve described. And when my family went on French car holidays from Scotland in the 90s, we’d always plan a stop at Calais for the wine supermarkets on the way back (and then spend the night in South London).
"Booze cruises" certainly used to be a thing when the French had much lower alcohol duty. There are still some English-run wine warehouses close to the ferry port.
Taking the last Eurostar out of London to go clubbing in Paris, then return on the first Eurostar back (or vice versa) is arguably a young adult's rite of passage.
I was in Ministry Of Sound a few years ago in the middle of summer (yes, I know) and it was full of French people. Apparently they were doing the inverse: it was a bank holiday in Paris so they'd all come over to go clubbing.
It was a while ago now when tickets were a lot cheaper but I once lived near Kings Cross so I got same-day return ticket to Paris, took a photo of the Eiffel Tower, texted it to some friends and family saying "just popped out for lunch", had some lunch at a hot dog stand near the tower, then headed back home. A decent day all things considered.
This might be a bit off topic, but yesterday I found out that Eurotunnel cannot be used to transport freight up North because a stretch of UK track doesn't conform to the required loading gauge. Making the tunnel a vastly underutilised piece of infrastructure.
Yes! I went to Brussels for the day once and had a great time! Landed, went to a gorgeous cafe for breakfast, did a free walking tour, went to a bar for some beers, ate moules frites for dinner, jumped back on the Eurostar home.
I live in Brighton, and a few times I’ve woken up on a Saturday morning and on the spur of the moment popped down to the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry for a day trip.
Once upon a time there was a fast passenger hydrofoil service direct from Brighton.
I'm sure I remember this being a thing when I lived there in the 90s but I can't find any mention of this online. Existed 1979-1980 though, which would have been a cool day trip.
In October, my family went to Paris for the day driving and using the ferry from Suffolk, we got on the 00:20 ferry in the night and went back on the 23:00 in the night. We left home at 18:00 (approximately) the day before and got back at 02:30 on Halloween. My first ever trip abroad.
When the Eurostar first opened you could get the last one of a Friday evening and the first one of a Saturday morning for a ridiculously cheap price.. I’m remembering 15 euros or something similar. Was great to go clubbing in Paris
My mum once got the ferry over just to spend the day in France. I grew up in a NE Scotland village and was told all these insane stories about my mother’s experience of living in London. Her mini was also repeatedly “borrowed” and left in a different place but at least it was brought back.
In the 90s my dad, uncles and grandfather used to drive down, ferry over to Calais, fill the car with beer (like 20 cases) from a place right next to the port, then ferry back across and drive home.
Including the fuel, it worked out to less than 10p a bottle.
We were discussing this just the other day funnily enough, as a lot of my colleagues are based in Kent. A couple of them did say then 10-15 years ago they quite often used to do day trips across the channel.
It stopped when train prices started getting really stupid and they cancelled Ebbsfleet as a station. When they went over the summer, they found it much cheaper to fly.
Eurostar? No, I lived nearer Heathrow so would fly.
Countless day trips to the continent. Furthest was Gibraltar but the other longer ones I’ve done many times each are Malaga, Berlin, Geneva, Copenhagen, etc. I’d look for British Airways options where you could leave fairly early in the morning so you’d eat breakfast on the plane/in the lounge, and then have dinner on the flight home. Airport close to the city centre or things I’d want to see. With ideal timings you’d get 8hrs on the ground but some were 6hrs or so.
My father would do a ton of shorthaul day trips from Heathrow to Europe, sometimes 3-4 times a week…
I’ve tried to a couple of times now, but each time the trains I had booked got cancelled a couple of days before travel, so it’s never actually happened for me.
Yeah, we’d take day trips to France. School would take us for educational purposes and my family would do it on a random day off to visit my aunt who lived there at the time.
Does no one remember when people used to go for the day just to get cheap cigarettes? Often people didn't even go to explore the city on the other end!
I've done a few days trips, never to Paris for some reason but have done Brussels, Vienna, Amsterdam. Can be fun trying to cram as much in as possible before you have to catch the return journey.
it's totally possible, and i have done it for work. however, it isn't common because "why would you?"
london is a great city, paris is a great city. both deserve proper time spent exploring, and the travel time/cost is significant. unless you are only traveling for a specific event (like a work meeting) taking place during the day (so you can actually there and back on the same day), you would be better off spending more than a few hours in the city. and that works both ways i would say.
Born and bred here and never done it. I don’t care much for going there but do feel like I should at some point just because I can. No one I know does it with any regularity though. May have been once or twice just to see it but there’s no “need” to go there. People probably would if the Eurostar was more affordable.
I live just outside London ofically but 20mins on a train is nothing. Iv had to go paris every so often for work but £300 one way in economy you can shove it.
I have occasionally. Most recent was a day trip to Paris to watch a day of the Olympics, it was a tiring day but the hotel costs were insane. I’ve also gone just for the evening to see a concert, and one full length tourist day.
Took the missus to Paris on the Eurostar for the weekend a few years ago. Have to say the train journey was an extremely pleasurable experience. Sitting there drinking coffee watching the world race by. Looking forward to repeating it once the kids are older and can be left to fend for themselves!!
Back in the 90s when it went from Ashford we got an early one there and came back in the evening.
Managed to fit in the Louvre, Notre Dame, lunch, and a walk along the Seine.
Now that it only goes from London it's not as convenient for me and even if I book well in advance it's £200 if you include travel to+from London St. Pancras. For that kind of money I'd rather spend a bit more time there.
I haven't but I might go over for the odd weekend once they eventually start running services from Stratford International (which seems quite likely now that alternative operators are being allowed to bid for slots through the tunnel). Only time I've ever even slightly considered this is to see a band I like that plays in Paris tons but has never come to the UK (and they're from the US, oddly enough).
I really wanna go to Amsterdam just to go to the cafes and be around other stoned people. I get prescription cannabis in the uk but I havre no stoner friends!
It’s very real if you live near St Pancras and book early. Eurostar drops you right in the city centre, which often makes a day trip feel easier than flying, even if it’s not always cheaper.
When I lived in Stratford my flat mates and I once got the Eurostar out at 4pm on a Friday and went to dinner, sat under the Eiffel Tower with a bottle of bubbles then went clubbing til they shut about 4am. We then waited in Gare du Nord til the first one left about 7am and were eating a full English in east London by lunchtime. Worst part was all the public toilets in the station are locked overnight and it was freezing - but lots of fun. These days I can’t imagine being able to afford that even if I could stay up past 10pm …
My husband’s aunt often books the cheapest seats in the sale (12 weeks or so in advance) and does a chic little day trip. 7am out, 5pm return. Sounds lush.
I went to a boarding school. There was a challenge where you had to sneak out after lights out, get into London, get to Paris, buy a croissant and a newspaper, take a photo with them in front of the Eiffel Towel, get back to school and sit at breakfast eating your croissant and reading your newspaper.
I have only heard of it being done once, but we did figure out it is in theory possible.
For a weekend, yes, when we lived in London we did occasionally do a one night weekend visit. Usually Paris, Lille or any of the other direct ones, not those with changes.
But more often we would take a day or two extra and go for 3-4 nights.
It was easier and quicker for us to get to Paris to places like Edinburgh or Cardiff (though we did those too). And cheaper to stay in France or Belgium than in UK city hotels.
Yep, and if you use Eurostar Snap you can get them WAY cheaper than the current (extortionate) prices, provided you’re happy to be a little spontaneous and book a few days before.
Yes, I’ve done this two years in a row now for a December day trip with some friends. You need to not commit to too much, and try and stick to one area of Paris, but it’s perfectly doable and such a great day trip!
Side note but I travelled from the Northeast (with 2 changes to make it cheaper) My friend who got the euro from Paris to London to meet - took the same length of time and there ticket was cheaper then mine
Then went for New Year’s Eve on loyalty points: out in the afternoon of 31st, party all night, back on the very first train on 1st January, bed at home… it was great!
Done a weekend away like that a couple of times. Went with friends on Friday night to Paris, came back Sunday afternoon. Another time I went Saturday morning with my mum to Brussels, and back Sunday evening. It's so easy, why not.
Yes all the time. I’m from Canada though so I was used to driving hours and being in the same place. It’s a lot of fun deciding to do a day to trip to France and back
Live in Luxembourg. Took the family on an early Saturday morning Eurostar from Brussels (2hr drive) to London. Came back Sunday early evening. All in all about 30hrs in London. Did a couple museums a show and some shopping. Train was excellent, But Brussels midi is grim.
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I have. To go to an art exhibition at the Louvre. It is comfortably the ponciest thing I have ever done.
My father worked on the railways. For a work do, they all went to Paris for a Christmas lunch as they all got subsidised Eurostar tickets.
you did not go to the Louvre to collect some jewels? 😂 turns out that is pretty easy!
The hardest part was getting the ladder on the train.
Yeah you'd have to take the LeShuttle instead.
they have these nice extendable ones!
I love this so much!
Mate of mine, his dad drives the Transpennine trains, he was such a lucky git as it meant he got a golden train ticket granting him free rail travel anywhere in the UK until he turned 18. He even got Eurostar tickets at a weighty discount price. I do love your poncy Louvre trip, it's a great gallery.
Hahaha I used to work for TPE, and yep the free travel was amazing! And discounted tickets all over Europe. Did so much travel on the cheap!
My dad worked on the railway his whole life, and as he’d started in the sixties he kept all the reciprocal agreements for free travel across Europe and beyond, which included ferries as well as trains. We once worked out the furthest he could have got for nothing was Vietnam!
The furthest he actually went was Paris, though.
My dad worked for Sealink, which used to be part of British Rail. He and my mum still get Privileged Tickets, but they use their free bus passes because A) it's free, B) the bus stop is closer, and C) they never go any further than about 8 miles anyway. My brother and I had them until we finished education or turned 25. We'd get I think maybe 16 or 20 free journeys a year, two of which would be to Butlins all the way down in ENGLAND (!) and back.
(I wanted to go to the one in Wales because they had a big rollercoaster but apparently that would have been too awkward. Pfft.)
This is why living in Europe would be so amazing!! Traveling all over to so many countries within reach
I do realise we are very lucky being able to go to lots of places within easy and cheap(ish) reach. I would never do a day trip to Paris though like this. Many times we have gone onto Skyscanner London to everywhere and chose one of the cheapest flights. Best one was Bologna. I’ll never forget the San Luca cathedral and the trek up to it. That was an amazing day to experience mass with everyone. £35 for the flights. Sorted. Great food also and locals know how to party.
Haha my ex had a priv card too. 75% off meant we went first class return.
I’m a cyclist and have wondered if those living close enough ever pop to France for a ride then come home. That would be awesome.
We have. Live in east Brighton and we’d cycle to Newhaven, get the 11pm ferry, get a bit twatted, couple of hours snoring in a seat and then sweat it out on a ride to Rouen. Lunch and a couple of bottles back to Dieppe for beers and the 11pm back again. Repeat outward journey manoeuvres. 30 min ride home and in bed by 7am to sleep it all off.
😆 I was thinking more about a good training ride, and here you are turning it into a stag weekend.
It's funny how British people always give a little excuse for spending money. "I like your jumper" "Thanks. It was on sale!". A very British trait
When I was very young I took the Megabus. Leave after work Friday Pm wake up in Paris in Saturday, leave Sunday night arrive <8am Monday. I'd shower in the coach station and go to work.
When I got older I did the Eurostar. Not really worth the cost for a day. If I had a partner then sure.
I took the mega bus from London to Paris once in my early 20s one way. I thought that was rough even at that age let alone for a return trip 🤣
Working a full shift after trying to get a night's sleep on a Megabus... Grim!
Ooof you’ve gone on an overnight Megabus then done a shift at work?
Thankfully no, but the commenter before did! I don't think I could survive that, even when I was in my early 20's.
Did a big trip in Europe, We forgot to book a flight home from france but mega bus came up for £12.... So we did that.
I hated the entire thing. Was a night bus, kids crying - 4 stops through border control (where we had to get off the bus)... Yea nah never again.
But to be fair... It was £12 so if i'm in a bind i'll probably do it again.
Early 80s I worked as seasonal crew on yachts in the Med around Cannes.
We had people coming and going all the time, from all over Europe, many of whom arrived/departed via Megabus, whether UK or up to/down from Amsterdam.
And they all told that same nightmare journey story, many with varying seas of vomit.
First time, I went by overnight train, but after that, I always flew in & out of Nice. Back then, return tickets were near-free, so that portion was sold on a "crew's black-market". £25-£35, but I might be travelling on "Mrs Maybelline Ogthorps" ticket.
I went on a bus to Spain from Scotland (and back) once, getting back was horrendous as I was a child and ended up severely sunburnt (my own fault, wandered away at the beach), to the point we nearly couldn’t get the bus back as I was seeing a Doctor as I went blind for a few minutes when I stood up.
Think it took about 3 days, definitely an experience. Don’t think I could do it with megabus though.
I did Aberdeen to London on the National Express as a 6 year old and that basically put me off coach trips for life.
I took Megabus from Cardiff to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam when in my 50s. Gutted I can't do those trips any more.
You can do them on Flixbus though, who bought almost all of Megabus' UK operations after purchasing their UK-Europe business.
Not as chrap but you can easily find 20 and 30% voucher codes.
Protip: they often appearnin the cupon section in the Lidl app in many countries
I took the Megabus back from Amsterdam to London once after a 2 day bender and arrived the early hours of the morning before I started training at a new hospital.
I’ve never set foot on one since. It’s dead cheap for a reason.
I basically spent a few years spending most weekends out of the country with Megabus. I even did London - Brussels with a 30 minute self transfer on the then new short lived Brussels to Luxembourg. Was cold.
The problem with Amsterday is evey 2 months they changed the bus stop to some random carpark somewhere far from anywhere that took 2 trams and a fortune to get to.
Them were the days.
I did some ultimate on the cheap trips where the Megabus stop was in walking distance from a campsite on the edge of Amsterdam. I'd bang on about it to anyone who told me that they couldn't afford to travel.
.....I might have done this same trip 10 years ago
Same, went with a buddy and two chicks that I didn't know. I don't know how long there but laughing and smiling all the way and acting giddy and being funny. Cut to two nights in the damm with alcohol and edibles before realising my chick was a total bunny boiler and I spent the entire journey back with my eyes closed pretending I was asleep when I wasn't. It seemed longer coming back.
What's a bunny boiler
Wouldn't get to that again unless you go to the South East or Scotland. Last Megabus service in/out of London is tomorrow
What, forever? I knew they'd cut back a lot but I didn't realise they were knocking it on the head totally.
thanks for sharing about the megabus, i think that applies to my question too!
I did megabus-esque. London to Rotterdam. It was around 15 hours +. We left Friday night and returned on Monday morning. I went straight to work. I was young, wild and free. Now, helllll no.
It’s mad what we get up to when we’re young. I mean, I’m still young in my late twenties but there’s no way I could pull off what I got up to in my late teens/early twenties.
I can say I went for culture and tourism all I want but in reality me and the boys would just enjoy a weekend in continental gay saunas. Great times.
that's why i did so much travelling when i was in my mid 20s. I was very aware that my tolerance for travelling in shitty conditions wouldn't last forever. And sure enough - I'm 35 now and I wouldn't do it like that these days.
Not one for old time sakes? Will newd at least 6 days to recover from it after tho
TBF I do still do the odd hostel dorm if travelling alone somewhere expensive - but it's out of sheer necessity!
Me too. They aren't the same. Dam I was in some middle of nowhere place with no phone or internet and just worked it all out. Them was the days.
I had a very good hostel experience recently. Rare to get that now
You had great foresight for a young adult. I wish I had done more. I should do more. I get so anxious over the unfamiliar though!
Literally just been interrailing for this reason 😂 feel like there will come a time when I won’t be able to tolerate hearing random People snore a few metres away from me
I used to stay up all night DJing in clubs Fri&Sat get home 5-6ish have a shower and go to work both days, there were no funky supplements either. Absolutely no way I could do that now.
When I was a uni student we took the megabus to loads of different towns and cities for nights out.
Then we’d get one back home the next morning or next day and sleep off the hangover on the hours long coach ride.
That was back in like 2010 when the trip would cost £1 each way. It was crazy just how cheap the mega bus used to be. I doubt you can do that today.
I’ve done it a couple of times. First train out, last train back, both for work and pleasure.
Thanks. Do you think now it just wouldn’t be worth the cost and travelling time?
Absolutely it is, if you book way in advance and do what the person above did.
I’ve done it a few times, well worth it.
Also definitely worth it during Eurostar sales! My round trip was £75
Wow, you can get flights for much less than that from places like Birmingham. Last time I went it was like £19 return.
But on top of your £19 you have to get to Birmingham airport, then from CDG to central Paris. Both ways.
If you work in central London, or just have a TfL pass getting to St Pancras is easy and cheap/free, and EuroStar takes you directly to the middle of Paris.
Yes even from ldn flights are a lot less! But it’s a lot more hassle and time for me personally. Plus I mainly go to Paris to shop and I don’t want to think about luggage limits
cant get the train to the midlands from the south for less than that
one way
£75 just about covers the cost of driving into London, paying ULEZ and Congestion fees, and then parking for the day!!!! 😂
I live in London haha! I’d try get the train to St P! Or park outside of congestion zone and tube in- you can pay for a driveway to park in on JustPark or find free street parking using appyparking.
Ha, same. I’m 30 mins from St Pancras so it’s really easy for me. This whole thing would be less time/ cost effective if I wasn’t an easy tube right away.
Is that all? That's so cheap. It costs many times more than that for a return ticket between London and Manchester. My day return tickets for work are £280 if I book in advance.
Book well in advance and you can get reasonably cheap tickets, and at that point it's well worth it.
Oh my days, the early morning hurts but being on your own sofa by 10pm after a day in Paris was glorious. Don’t live in London any more or I’d still do it. Absolutely amazing way to spend the day
What did you do with your time there? Did you manage to fit enough stuff in to make it worth the trip?
Yeah! Nice lunch, a gallery or mooch around the shops, or a long architecture walk (one time the museum I went specifically to was closed so I ended up walking to Montmartre and eating pastries and looking at exciting fabric shops) Followed by something to eat and relax near the gare du nord, train, tube, home. Boom. Treat yourself now and then!
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Definitely. I’ve done a few times for work and we’ve really wrung all the productivity out of it.
For fun stuff; met a friend from the US who was only in Paris for a couple of days, gone to the rugby (that was hairy, nearly missed the last train…), and then just the usual museums/ shopping etc.
Yes - used to go to Paris for lunch occasionally.
That is so cool! Did you ever get fed up of the travelling or was it always worth it? (Thanks)
I wouldn't have gone if I didn't enjoy it. The travelling was fine - and so was the food!
The shuttle takes less than an hour and you are in a major station in Paris that you can catch metro trains from to anywhere in the city in no time.
This is the big attraction of the Eurostar. You end up right in the centre of Paris not at an airport miles out of town
Less than an hour? It was 2 hours 30 mins when I went. From st pancras to gard du nord.
I think they're confusing it with Le Shuttle Eurotunnel which takes around an hour Folkestone to Calais motorway to motorway.
I've seen people get on flights at City with just a carry-on, a towel, and a book and go to Ibiza for a day.
lol guilty as charged! Went back the following weekend to make up for it haha
To be fair, if you’ve got the money for it it’s an ideal night out. Arrive on the island midday or later, grab a few drinks, head to one of the clubs and get a hungover plane back early.
Thanku for giving me this idea
I know many people who’ve done it 😂 personally would give it a go but the hungover flight back would murder me.
Worst hangover flight I ever did was a short hop from Tallinn to Helsinki on a little twin prop. Heavy last night in the city and maybe an hours sleep before rushing to the airport.
My window was right next to the propeller. I cannot begin to describe the levels of distress I experienced. The vibrations. The flashing and whirring of the blades. The noise. The heat. The cramped space.
theres a fb group or two dedicated to EDT extreme day trips
And no subreddit?
I once went to Barcelona for a club night out and came back the following evening without a room booking
And to be quite honest with flights included it was cheaper than a night out in London so.
Flight at 4pm Friday with a return at 7pm the following day for £19 round trip in May during a Vueling sale from Heathrow.
£4 tube and £5 drinks at Downtown & Razzmatazz and €3 metro between the 2 and airports. Literally cheaper than a night out in London.
Sobering up to fly wasn’t fun though.
Regrets? None
If be all over this, I’ve seen plenty of reasonably priced flights for quick getaways or these extreme day trips but I’m 2 hours from my nearest airport and the biggest expense is getting there and paying out of the arse for a train or for airport parking.
Yeah a return flight for £45 is great in theory but that’ll be £80 to leave you car there for the day.
Yes, we once just played cards all the way there, went up the Arc de Triomphe, played there, then came back and played all the way back. My wife and I won.
That sounds like such a sweet memory! Thank u.
Yes, it was a lot of fun. Not expensive as there was a promotion offer on the tickets.
I’ve done Paris for a day trip a couple of times. I pick one super touristy thing to do, and then just meander the rest of the day via bus, metro or just walking about. Found some fab cafes and bakeries this way. Usually get the 8am train out and the last train back to London.
Do you have any cafe or bakery recommendations
There's a load of cafes and restaurants near the Trocadro that are far better value and have stunning scenery than of you approach the eiffel tower from the other direction.
Take the metro to the arc de triumph and you can walk straight down 1 road towards it. Anywhere down there
Unfortunately not. I still have dreams about a cafe I found down a narrow street that I got the best tasting croque monsieur I’ve ever had in my life. I have also never managed to find that cafe again!!
I’ve done it for work a few times, but it is absolutely knackering. Usually you need to get an early train out and a late train back to make it worth it. Not a terrible idea to do once, but given the choice I’d find a place to stay for the night
I did it recently. My kids were learning about Paris so I took them there for the day to see it. Got an 8am train out and got a 7pm over back.
I've done Lille even more. I absolutely love it there
Lille native lurker here -- we love you, too! <3
My son was in Lille a couple of weeks ago. He's been to France many times now, but Lille was his favourite. He said people let him use his French and were generally just really friendly. He felt it was a more genuine French experience than a city like Paris.
Lille is much tinier and there are less grandiose sights but the city center is lovely, and yeah. I've lived in several French regions, mostly in Normandy and around Lyon, and I've missed northern hospitality so much -- I've found other places so much colder even though the climate is warmer! I think it's the proximity with the Belgian border, as Belgians are such sweethearts, it must've rubbed off onto us at some point, but I'm happiest in the northern part of France for sure. I'm delighted your son enjoyed our beautiful city!
When the trains start going from Ashford again I will going to Lille all the time. It’s such a pretty place
Do people in Dover go to Calais regularly?
I knew one guy that did multiple times a week. That being said he did work on a ferry
The Booze Cruise used to be a pretty regular sight. You used to be able to bring basically unlimited booze back from France, the prices were often far far less than half for equivalent quality wines, so it used to be economical to do a day trip over and come back with a boot full of booze.
I know my parents did it once or twice, but family holidays used to always include a couple hours extra planned stop in Calais to stock up.
There used to be a gang of around 8 blokes who made a living by
improvingimporting cheap booze and fags and selling it up in the North East. They rented a house in Dover and slept on the floor in sleeping bags. They had four vans and made about three trips a day in each to stock up on the Calais supermarkets. They were sometimes stopped and their purchases confiscated, but they still make enough successful trips to make it worthwhile. When they had enough, they hired a lorry to take it all up North to sell.Edit “importing”
What methods did they use to improve it??
Ha, “importing”.
Yes to all of the above. My mum had a good friend who lived in South London and would regularly booze cruise, exactly as you’ve described. And when my family went on French car holidays from Scotland in the 90s, we’d always plan a stop at Calais for the wine supermarkets on the way back (and then spend the night in South London).
My dad nearly broke the axel on his car one booze cruise.
When we were still in the EU and wine was still incredibly cheap, yes. Used to pop over to stock up every now and then.
"Booze cruises" certainly used to be a thing when the French had much lower alcohol duty. There are still some English-run wine warehouses close to the ferry port.
I had a pal in North Kent who'd go to Calais for lunch. He was loaded then though.
Tom Allen told a story on Off Menu of bunking off school to go to Calais with his parents. Made me think of that
Years ago when the Eurostar stopped at Ashford & there were cheap tickets.
I'm still fewmin that they scrapped Ashford international
I miss ebbsfleet. I could pay to park right near the entrance and so much easier than trailing in to central London.
Virgin trains is planned to stop at both Ebbsfleet and Ashford
Taking the last Eurostar out of London to go clubbing in Paris, then return on the first Eurostar back (or vice versa) is arguably a young adult's rite of passage.
I was in Ministry Of Sound a few years ago in the middle of summer (yes, I know) and it was full of French people. Apparently they were doing the inverse: it was a bank holiday in Paris so they'd all come over to go clubbing.
Aha! Probably the inspiration to the song "Eurostar" by Nemo
It was a while ago now when tickets were a lot cheaper but I once lived near Kings Cross so I got same-day return ticket to Paris, took a photo of the Eiffel Tower, texted it to some friends and family saying "just popped out for lunch", had some lunch at a hot dog stand near the tower, then headed back home. A decent day all things considered.
Yes. Stayed in a hotel by the Eurostar as family were coming from outside London. Left very early, had a lovely day in Paris, got back home very late.
Yes. It's a pricey outing for just one day, since the travel time there and back doesn't leave you all that much time to enjoy Paris.
More often, I think, people go for the weekend, or a long weekend, or whatever.
This might be a bit off topic, but yesterday I found out that Eurotunnel cannot be used to transport freight up North because a stretch of UK track doesn't conform to the required loading gauge. Making the tunnel a vastly underutilised piece of infrastructure.
https://www.getlinkgroup.com/en/news/developing-cross-channel-rail-freight-doubling-the-modal-share-of-rail-freight/
You'd think this would be at least as beneficial to the UK as HS2, but yeah, whatever.
This is the UK we're talking about. Long-term thinking isn't exactly a specialty of ours
they do allow trucks on the Chunnel I think? so they use some of that capacity?
Yes they do. And they terminate at Folkestone. But this for freight carriages going North of London.
Just think of how many less HGVs needing the M25 to transport goods to/from North.
ah the joys of different railways building what they need instead of all of them building the same
Yes! I went to Brussels for the day once and had a great time! Landed, went to a gorgeous cafe for breakfast, did a free walking tour, went to a bar for some beers, ate moules frites for dinner, jumped back on the Eurostar home.
I live in Brighton, and a few times I’ve woken up on a Saturday morning and on the spur of the moment popped down to the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry for a day trip.
Haven’t done it for at least ten years now mind.
Once upon a time there was a fast passenger hydrofoil service direct from Brighton.
I'm sure I remember this being a thing when I lived there in the 90s but I can't find any mention of this online. Existed 1979-1980 though, which would have been a cool day trip.
In October, my family went to Paris for the day driving and using the ferry from Suffolk, we got on the 00:20 ferry in the night and went back on the 23:00 in the night. We left home at 18:00 (approximately) the day before and got back at 02:30 on Halloween. My first ever trip abroad.
Wow I bet your were shattered when you got home but worth it for the good times and memories.
Nope. We barely go to the other side of London from where we live in a day 😅
Easier to get to Paris than it is to get from SE to NW
When the Eurostar first opened you could get the last one of a Friday evening and the first one of a Saturday morning for a ridiculously cheap price.. I’m remembering 15 euros or something similar. Was great to go clubbing in Paris
For a meeting. Yes. For a trip, not so much, stay a night and make it worth it.
My mum once got the ferry over just to spend the day in France. I grew up in a NE Scotland village and was told all these insane stories about my mother’s experience of living in London. Her mini was also repeatedly “borrowed” and left in a different place but at least it was brought back.
In the 90s my dad, uncles and grandfather used to drive down, ferry over to Calais, fill the car with beer (like 20 cases) from a place right next to the port, then ferry back across and drive home.
Including the fuel, it worked out to less than 10p a bottle.
I did 20+ years ago. With the time difference and at the time when the pound got you almost two euros it made an evening in paris a fun treat
Yes I did this summer! 6am out and 9pm back! My advice is to keep it veeeery chill if you go that early as you will be quite tired.
Got there at 8:30am
Grabbed a croissant at mamiche
Sat on a bench and ate it and yapped with friends
Walked to sacre coeur and enjoyed the views
Walked around there and sat in a cafe again for lunch
Went to a shop I wanted to visit and bought a bag
Went to the park by the Eiffel Tower and read a book
Grabbed a lobster roll from Homer lobster
Caught train home!
Yes and Lille. Did both for a day each this year.
We were discussing this just the other day funnily enough, as a lot of my colleagues are based in Kent. A couple of them did say then 10-15 years ago they quite often used to do day trips across the channel.
It stopped when train prices started getting really stupid and they cancelled Ebbsfleet as a station. When they went over the summer, they found it much cheaper to fly.
Yes. First train out and last one out. It’s such a fun day trip!!
Eurostar? No, I lived nearer Heathrow so would fly.
Countless day trips to the continent. Furthest was Gibraltar but the other longer ones I’ve done many times each are Malaga, Berlin, Geneva, Copenhagen, etc. I’d look for British Airways options where you could leave fairly early in the morning so you’d eat breakfast on the plane/in the lounge, and then have dinner on the flight home. Airport close to the city centre or things I’d want to see. With ideal timings you’d get 8hrs on the ground but some were 6hrs or so.
My father would do a ton of shorthaul day trips from Heathrow to Europe, sometimes 3-4 times a week…
If you started from the Heathrow Airport train station you'd probably still make better time taking the Eurostar than a flight to Paris.
Sounds like a race to me
When I was younger we'd go over for the day, either to Lille, Brussels or Bruges. Rarely to Paris as my mum never liked it there.
I’ve tried to a couple of times now, but each time the trains I had booked got cancelled a couple of days before travel, so it’s never actually happened for me.
Not the same, but I used to get the harwich to Holland ferry when living in Harwich every year or so in the summer.
I used to nip over to Brussels for lunch a few times a year. Out on the first train and back on the last.
Yeah, we’d take day trips to France. School would take us for educational purposes and my family would do it on a random day off to visit my aunt who lived there at the time.
Even managed a day trip to Belgium once.
Does no one remember when people used to go for the day just to get cheap cigarettes? Often people didn't even go to explore the city on the other end!
I've done a few days trips, never to Paris for some reason but have done Brussels, Vienna, Amsterdam. Can be fun trying to cram as much in as possible before you have to catch the return journey.
So expensive.. cheaper to fly! I’ve trod to do it so many times over the years and always prohibitively Expensive
I wish rail travel had more competitive prices. It’s meant to be better for the environment than air or car/bus travel.
They used to do deals, like 60 quid for a day return. I've gone for birthday lunches or shits and giggles
it's totally possible, and i have done it for work. however, it isn't common because "why would you?"
london is a great city, paris is a great city. both deserve proper time spent exploring, and the travel time/cost is significant. unless you are only traveling for a specific event (like a work meeting) taking place during the day (so you can actually there and back on the same day), you would be better off spending more than a few hours in the city. and that works both ways i would say.
I'm sure some do. I have never but it's not that I haven't wanted to :)
Done it a few times. But mostly I'll catch a train up on Friday and come back Sunday Evening.
Born and bred here and never done it. I don’t care much for going there but do feel like I should at some point just because I can. No one I know does it with any regularity though. May have been once or twice just to see it but there’s no “need” to go there. People probably would if the Eurostar was more affordable.
Used to go for Lunch when I lived in London and worked for a seriously quiet old money company
Not at those prices!
I live just outside London ofically but 20mins on a train is nothing. Iv had to go paris every so often for work but £300 one way in economy you can shove it.
Ive been to Paris for lunch (steak frites)
I have occasionally. Most recent was a day trip to Paris to watch a day of the Olympics, it was a tiring day but the hotel costs were insane. I’ve also gone just for the evening to see a concert, and one full length tourist day.
People do, it’s expensive though so it’s a lot to spend on transport for a day trip
Took the missus to Paris on the Eurostar for the weekend a few years ago. Have to say the train journey was an extremely pleasurable experience. Sitting there drinking coffee watching the world race by. Looking forward to repeating it once the kids are older and can be left to fend for themselves!!
Back in the 90s when it went from Ashford we got an early one there and came back in the evening.
Managed to fit in the Louvre, Notre Dame, lunch, and a walk along the Seine.
Now that it only goes from London it's not as convenient for me and even if I book well in advance it's £200 if you include travel to+from London St. Pancras. For that kind of money I'd rather spend a bit more time there.
So I could, but I don't.
It is my dream to get the Eurostar in the morning on a weekday and have lunch at Arpege and then get the Eurostar straight back
Yes, used to do it quite a bit when it was cheaper…first train out and last train back.
Have done it a few times with work - depressingly it’s faster and cheaper to meet someone for lunch in Paris than in Manchester by train
I used to take th ferry to Calais for £1...
I went to Moscow for a day in 2008 when United won the champions league. Best day of my life
I haven't but I might go over for the odd weekend once they eventually start running services from Stratford International (which seems quite likely now that alternative operators are being allowed to bid for slots through the tunnel). Only time I've ever even slightly considered this is to see a band I like that plays in Paris tons but has never come to the UK (and they're from the US, oddly enough).
yes. or Amsterdam in 4hrs. lovely
I really wanna go to Amsterdam just to go to the cafes and be around other stoned people. I get prescription cannabis in the uk but I havre no stoner friends!
This sounds really sad, doesn’t it? :’)
It’s very real if you live near St Pancras and book early. Eurostar drops you right in the city centre, which often makes a day trip feel easier than flying, even if it’s not always cheaper.
I once caught the train to Brussels for the day to get a tattoo with an artist I really liked.
When I lived in Stratford my flat mates and I once got the Eurostar out at 4pm on a Friday and went to dinner, sat under the Eiffel Tower with a bottle of bubbles then went clubbing til they shut about 4am. We then waited in Gare du Nord til the first one left about 7am and were eating a full English in east London by lunchtime. Worst part was all the public toilets in the station are locked overnight and it was freezing - but lots of fun. These days I can’t imagine being able to afford that even if I could stay up past 10pm …
Yeah - went to Paris for my birthday once because my birthday fell on a Saturday and tickets were so cheap (winter born)
My husband’s aunt often books the cheapest seats in the sale (12 weeks or so in advance) and does a chic little day trip. 7am out, 5pm return. Sounds lush.
I went to a boarding school. There was a challenge where you had to sneak out after lights out, get into London, get to Paris, buy a croissant and a newspaper, take a photo with them in front of the Eiffel Towel, get back to school and sit at breakfast eating your croissant and reading your newspaper.
I have only heard of it being done once, but we did figure out it is in theory possible.
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In uni way back wen we had a lecturer who did all her lectures on Friday (maybe Thur and Friday). Shed fly in from Spain for work each time.
For a weekend, yes, when we lived in London we did occasionally do a one night weekend visit. Usually Paris, Lille or any of the other direct ones, not those with changes.
But more often we would take a day or two extra and go for 3-4 nights.
It was easier and quicker for us to get to Paris to places like Edinburgh or Cardiff (though we did those too). And cheaper to stay in France or Belgium than in UK city hotels.
Of course!
I've driven down plenty of times, most often an overnight stay but sometimes just a bounce down, its a long day but far from impossible.
Yes. I've done it to Paris and to Rotterdam. Bit of a faff getting to the early train but well worth it. You can see so much in just a day.
Did a day trip to Paris with friends, to Lille with my wife, both days involved lots of pastries and walking. Really good times
Yes, I did quite a few times. Wasn’t expensive- under £100 return
Yep, and if you use Eurostar Snap you can get them WAY cheaper than the current (extortionate) prices, provided you’re happy to be a little spontaneous and book a few days before.
My wife and a couple of her friends did this last week.
Yes, I’ve done this two years in a row now for a December day trip with some friends. You need to not commit to too much, and try and stick to one area of Paris, but it’s perfectly doable and such a great day trip!
Easier to get a flight and cheaper
A flight is more polluting though, and not everyone wants that on their conscience if they can avoid it.
I live in the Midands and I've done a Paris day trip on Eurostar before. And a Brussels one. Easily doable.
Side note but I travelled from the Northeast (with 2 changes to make it cheaper) My friend who got the euro from Paris to London to meet - took the same length of time and there ticket was cheaper then mine
Yes. Yes they do. Get an early train, come back late. I’ve never done it but my family have
Used to do that regularly for work.
Then went for New Year’s Eve on loyalty points: out in the afternoon of 31st, party all night, back on the very first train on 1st January, bed at home… it was great!
I took my Mum for a day on her 50th birthday.
Done a weekend away like that a couple of times. Went with friends on Friday night to Paris, came back Sunday afternoon. Another time I went Saturday morning with my mum to Brussels, and back Sunday evening. It's so easy, why not.
Yes all the time. I’m from Canada though so I was used to driving hours and being in the same place. It’s a lot of fun deciding to do a day to trip to France and back
Live in Luxembourg. Took the family on an early Saturday morning Eurostar from Brussels (2hr drive) to London. Came back Sunday early evening. All in all about 30hrs in London. Did a couple museums a show and some shopping. Train was excellent, But Brussels midi is grim.