Hello. My son is in the UK and purchased a Eurail pass to do some traveling. He recently heard that the London to Paris route is no longer supported by the Eurail pass.
Is this true?
Thank you in advance for any help!
Answer
First Time Traveler - London to Paris
Best answer by eurocity101
That’s not true
However there is a quota for Eurail passholder on eurostar trains i. e. seats cannot be booked anymore with the Interrail/Eurail pass fare as soon as prices for normal tickets reach a certain price level.
If London - Paris is unavailable, the trains to Lille could have passholder seats left.
That’s not true
However there is a quota for Eurail passholder on eurostar trains i. e. seats cannot be booked anymore with the Interrail/Eurail pass fare as soon as prices for normal tickets reach a certain price level.
If London - Paris is unavailable, the trains to Lille could have passholder seats left.
This is either a bug or the passholder quota (pretty much unique to Eurostar) is sold out.
Please mention travel date and time and we'll have a look. Otherwise impossible to advise.
The best availability overview is on this page:
https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish
The best page to book Eurostar (without extra booking fees) is:
The best guide about pass reservations in general is:
https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm
He said it was for June 12 and he gets the error for every train and every time. He’s trying to get to Paris by 11 AM from Carnforthe, Lancaster, or London on that day.
Thanks for any help you have to offer!
The last message is important: did he receive a message about the cancellation? What does it say clearly (you may post a screenshot without personal details)?
In case of a cancellation he shouldn't need to buy a new reservation.
Luckily passholder reservations are still available on the following departures:
- 06:01, 07:01, 07:31, 08:01
They all get to Paris before or around 11am but neither are reachable from Lancaster that day (too far away!).
I’m sorry, I misspoke about the cancellation. I’ll try to get more info, but he did not have a ticket that was cancelled.
He says he’s trying to book through the app, and it’s 400 GBP.
That's definitely wrong. It should be 35€ (2nd class).
Go to https://www.raileurope.com/, look for the route/date and click on add rail pass. You should see the following:
Alright, 13th June is the issue. All London-Paris Eurostar are sold out on 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th June.
Alternatives are:
- travel late on 12th June to Paris (for example 19:01 and 20:01 departures have space)
- travel to Lille on 12th June late or 14th June early
- buy a full fare ticket at 251€ (use the Eurostar website). Not ideal.
- book a flight. Not cheap, luggage costs extra.
- use one of the ferries mentioned here, full travel day nonetheless: https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/london-to-paris-by-ferry.htm
My advice would be to travel late on 12th June.
There may be more Eurostar seats released closer to travel date (check regularly) but there’s no guarantee at all. I’d book a plan B right now.
(Btw don’t worry, Eurostar is the biggest hurdle for European train travel. Rest is much easier.)
Just thought of a last idea: Eurostar Snap. You select a departure timeframe and they assign you a train. Incredibly enough, 13th morning (6:01 - 13:00) is available for 75€.
https://snap.eurostar.com/rw-en
Since 09:31, 10:31 and 12:01 are sold out + 08:31, 11:31 and 12:31 are more expensive, your son will likely be assigned to either 06:01, 07:01 or 07:31. Book ASAP though.
Feel free to ask anything.
(The Eurail pass wouldn’t be useful for that journey then.)
You're welcome. Let me know. :)
I wouldn't wait to book Eurostar Snap. It could sell out any time honestly.
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