Five Ways of Traveling from Paris to the UK
Whether you are living in Paris long-term or enjoying France’s capital on a short break, you may want to take a trip to the United Kingdom, seeing as it is not far away.
If you are a professional swimmer, you could potentially put in months of training and travel to the coast of France to cross the body of water known as the Channel, which Trent Grimsey swam in the fastest time in 2012. The Australian completed the swim in six hours and fifty-five minutes. But we do not recommend swimming as a travel option! There are much more standard and efficient ways of getting from Paris to the UK.
Whether you want to drive, cycle, or be a passenger, there are trains, planes, and other excellent transportation methods you can use for your trip. Check out the following five ways of traveling from Paris to the UK so you can determine which is the best option for you.
By Train
When the Channel Tunnel opened in 1994, a new way of traveling between France and England became possible. The Eurostar high-speed train service is a great choice for traveling between Paris and London. The 214 miles from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras takes just two hours and fifteen minutes. Eurostar also provides direct trains from Lille in France to UK destinations in the county of Kent. If you travel to the UK via Eurostar, you have the easy option of changing trains to travel to your end destination via the vast British rail network. The great thing about getting the Eurostar is that trains run at least every hour between Paris and London during the day, and you can choose from three classes of seating. You will need to book your Eurostar trip in advance. The earlier you book, the better fare price you can get.
Traveling by train is a good option not only because of its quickness and reliability but also because you get time to do things like listen to music on your iPod or play the latest casino games online on your phone. You could even catch up on some sleep.
By Car or Bicycle
Not only can you travel through the Channel Tunnel that connects France and England via the Eurostar train. You can also drive from Paris to the English county of Kent thanks to the tunnel. You do not actually drive through the tunnel, though. Instead, you sit in your car with its engine off while it is transported on a special train. So, you can simply drive to Le Shuttle in France and instantly drive to your UK destination after arriving in Folkestone in England. Even better, the journey only takes thirty-five minutes, making it by far the fastest option of traveling between Paris and the UK.
You can travel as a cyclist by this method too, although you cannot travel as a foot passenger. Cyclists also have the option of traveling to the UK by ferry.
By Ferry
Another way of crossing the Channel is by ferry. Due to the popularity of the Eurostar and Le Shuttle for traveling through the Channel Tunnel, ferry services are not as rife as they once were. But traveling from one country to another by sea is often the best way to arrive overseas because you get to see the landmass come gradually closer while feeling the wind in your hair.
If you are not in any major hurry to get from Paris to the UK, taking the ferry is a good option. Of course, Paris is not on the coast, so you will first have to make your way to somewhere like Calais, which you can do via car, bicycle, train, bus, or coach. Calais to Dover takes about two and a half hours, while Dunkirk to Dover takes around two hours. You can also travel from Dieppe or Le Havre to Portsmouth or Newhaven on the English coast. Traveling with a car by ferry is a cheaper option than traveling via the Channel Tunnel, and if you are traveling by foot, you can find very inexpensive ferry fares. But services run less often than other options like planes and trains. Furthermore, unfavorable weather conditions can sometimes mean Channel crossings via ferry are delayed or canceled.
By Coach
You also have the option of journeying from Paris to the UK by coach. Services run from Paris to London, Canterbury, and other southern places in England. The coaches travel either via ferry or through the Channel Tunnel. If you do not want to drive and want to take advantage of free Wi-Fi, good air conditioning, and comfortable seating, traveling by coach is a good idea.
A nonstop journey between Paris and London via ferry typically takes around nine hours, so you will want to try one of the other travel methods if you want to get to the UK quickly. Coaches are less expensive than most other options, though.
By Plane
Lastly, one of the easiest ways of traveling from Paris to the UK is by plane. The three airports in Paris are Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais. The first two are in the center of Paris and provide major international flights while Beauvais airport is located much further north and is used mainly by budget airlines. You will find numerous flights to various destinations in the United Kingdom from Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports. Whether you want to fly to England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, you will find regular flights from France’s capital. If you are heading to England, you will find direct flights to London airports and Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Bristol.
The duration of flights depends on the airline and your destination, but you can fly from Paris to London Heathrow in under one and a half hours. Flying can be more costly than other travel methods, especially when you take baggage and local transportation expenses into account. But you can find a good deal by comparing different airlines and flying at certain times
