Southampton Train to Paris Help

[johnb24]

We will be disembarking at Sothampton April 2 after a Trans Atlantic Crossing and will take Brit Rail from Southampton Central to Waterloo Station and there we will board the Eurostar to Paris. Any insights regarding time frame, luggage transport ,or other ideas would be a great help. Thanks!

[candelle]

The train takes on average 1.5 hours from Southampton to Waterloo, and the Eurostar terminal is in the same station.

You’ll need to leave enough time to find the Eurostar terminal and to check in – there have been cases of passengers checking in too late who have not been allowed to travel! 40 minutes before the Eurostar’s advertised departure time is sufficient.

The journey from London to Paris is around 2.5 to just under 3 hours and is very smooth. There is a buffet service on the train for basic filled rolls and drinks etc.

You have to take your luggage with you from check in to the train – which can be a long walk if your seat has been allocated to one of the front carriages. Although there is help with putting the luggage from the platform up onto the train, I have not seen porters as such. If you need the services of a porter, it may be an idea to email Eurostar to see what may/may not be available.

You can buy a carnet (a book of ten) of Metro tickets when you have checked in at the Eurostar terminal, and pay in either Euros or Pounds. If you do this, you can then use the tickets immediately on arrival in Paris. Two or more people can use one carnet of Metro tickets – and they are also cheaper purchasing them this way. They are valid on buses and trains and also on the funicular up to the Sacre Coeur (a great view).

If you have the address of your Parisian hotel, you can go online to RATP.FR, and click on the English flag (for the page to translate), and then add the arrival station (Gare Du Nord) and the station nearest your hotel. The site will find the best route for you and you can obviously print this out to use it for your onward journey.

One tip: go to La Samaritaine, a department store and take the lift to the top floor. You’ll then need to walk up steps to a café on the roof. The view from here is just fantastic, and free!

Also recommended is a trip on a Bateau Mouche, which is a boat trip; day or night, they are great fun.

Paris is a very walkable city; try not to take too many cabs, as you’ll miss soaking up the city’s flavour.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

[lucky white heather]

We will be disembarking at Southampton April 2 after a Trans Atlantic Crossing and will take Brit Rail from Southampton Central to Waterloo Station and there we will board the Eurostar to Paris. Any insights regarding time frame, luggage transport ,or other ideas would be a great help. Thanks!

 

We are also disembarking April 2 off ML and going to Southampton airport for our home flight onwards scheduled around 12.30.....I phoned a taxi service today we have used on arrival in S'hampton before when joining a cruise to ask them if they had any bookings for PAX who were coming off the ship same day and needed to go to the airport so we could register for a taxi either on our own or to share with someone else ... wondered if a taxi for your party and ourselves would be suitable kind of "double date" if the airport and station are fairly adjacent to each other????Don't know the geography????

Apparently (the taxi service confirmed) they have difficulty getting into the port for PAX pickup but there is a taxi rank (saw it and the long queues when we came off the QM2 once before)

I can be reached on yvonnebarrie@btopenworld.com if interested in discussing further.

[johnb24]

Candelle - Thanks for the detailed explanations and suggestions. A great help! Your insights lead me to ask a few more questions - Where will we place our luggage on each train? How difficult/expensive is it to secure a cab from the port to Southhampton Central ? Can we hire a private car to meet us at the pier? We are staying in an apartment on Rue Chapon in the Marais. Any suggestions for moderate restaurants? Have you heard of Bel Canto (restaurant) or Au Limonaire? Is the Carte Orange for the Metro easy to purchase ? Thanks again.

[johnb24]

Thanks for the suggestions about the taxi share. It seems like an idea worth pursuing. Would a private car or van hire to meet us at the port solve the problem of port entry and provide more romm for luggage?

[sandancer]

We are also disembarking April 2 off ML and going to Southampton airport for our home flight onwards scheduled around 12.30.....I phoned a taxi service today we have used on arrival in S'hampton before when joining a cruise to ask them if they had any bookings for PAX who were coming off the ship same day and needed to go to the airport so we could register for a taxi either on our own or to share with someone else ... wondered if a taxi for your party and ourselves would be suitable kind of "double date" if the airport and station are fairly adjacent to each other????Don't know the geography????

Apparently (the taxi service confirmed) they have difficulty getting into the port for PAX pickup but there is a taxi rank (saw it and the long queues when we came off the QM2 once before)

I can be reached on yvonnebarrie@btopenworld.com if interested in discussing further.

Southampton Central Station is not near the airport. However the airport has its own station adjacent to the terminal. (Its is quite a small airport) so you could consider a taxi share to Southampton Central from the port and get on the train to the airport. We travel to Southampton airport often and the trains are frequent and Central is not far to the docks. Hope this helps.

[lucky white heather]

Southampton Central Station is not near the airport. However the airport has its own station adjacent to the terminal. (Its is quite a small airport) so you could consider a taxi share to Southampton Central from the port and get on the train to the airport. We travel to Southampton airport often and the trains are frequent and Central is not far to the docks. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for both responses, from what we remember the airport journey time to docks is a good 20 mins or so... perhaps it is not suitable to taxi share this time unless it is possible to drop off johnb24 (and his party ) at the station and then continue ourselves to the airport ??? and adjust taxi costs accordingly..don't know how feasible this would be though ????

We would not be keen to have to train to the airport from the station as we have to lug the bags on the train ourselves, detrain etc , but thanks for that information which was unknown to us ..very useful to file away.

We are restricted by European luggage allowances anyway so we would only have one bag each plus carry on but I think we would really prefer to go by taxi all the way if possible. I know how valuable the advice is on these boards so I appreciate folks taking time to offer it..... thanks to sandancer.

This proposal may not be a lost cause yet but needs refining and further investigation to see if possible to organise... agreed?

[candelle]

Hello johnb24

Apologies for not replying to your second query: I have not looked at CC for a few days.

Regarding luggage on Eurostar. There is not really a limit, at least in weight terms. We usually have one large case plus a carryon sized bag as well, and there is never a problem. However, the only problem we have noticed is that as Eurostar is used by many business people who go over for the day, or a day or two and don’t have the usual tourist type luggage, they have not allowed for tourist luggage per se, so there is not much space for luggage storage on the trains themselves.

The way round this is to arrive slightly earlier than one needs to, and position yourselves on seats near to where you’ll leave for boarding. This is dependent upon your carriage and seat numbers, but can be worked out from looking at the information around the boarding points (sometimes lifts, usually escalators). When your train number is called you are then in a good position to leap up and reach your carriage early, thereby being able to actually put your luggage into the small luggage bays at the end of each carriage.

If this sounds confusing, it isn’t really – you’ll see what I mean when you check in. Just be sure to be as near to the entry point as you can. (We wondered, on our first trip, why there was such a mad dash to reach the trains – then we realised why!).

I am sorry, I have no information regarding cabs around Southampton, but www.enjoyengland.com then follow links to Southampton may be able to help. They have a ‘contact us’ button, so you could ask them – they ought to be able to help!

Again, they should be able to provide contacts for private drivers for hire too.

We are not too familiar with the Marais (an area which was ‘up and coming’, and, I gather, just about ‘come’!). But… we did have an excellent lunch in a restaurant just off the Rue du Rivoli. You enter by climbing four or five steps. It is a tiny place with only six/eight tables and the food is cooked in a tiny tiny kitchen, but is delicious, and very cheap! It is a favourite of many office people who know about it. I am sorry, but I don’t have the name. I think it was cash only, so if you do find it, be prepared.

We are not familiar with the restaurants you mentioned, sorry.

I am not sure what you mean by ‘Carte Orange tickets for the Metro’. The only ticket we know of are those you can buy for the Metro once you check in at the Eurostar terminal. If you walk straight on after security etc., there is a small counter in the middle of the hall, and they sell the tickets there. You should ask for a ‘carnet’, pronounced ‘karnay’, which is a small book of ten tickets. This costs less than ten individual tickets. The tickets can be used immediately on arrival at the Gare du Nord, and saves you pulling out money in the station – where pick pockets abound so be careful! If you’ll need more than ten, then just buy more carnets. Anyone in your group can use a ticket from one book of carnets, and they are valid for one single journey on the Metro.

If you ask, they will give you a tiny folded map of Paris which is great for popping into a pocket – you’ll need good eyesight though!

With reference to restaurants, yes, we do have a couple of favourites. The two I’m giving you are very different: the first is Bofinger (pronounced Bowfahnshjay), which is in a street just off the Bastille (Rue de Bastille, nearest Metro is Bastille). This has a website too, http://www.bofinger.com with translation if required, and there is a discount for online bookings – but be sure to bring your print-out with you and to show it before you order and when you pay the bill. Bofinger is one of the oldest Parisian restaurants and is quite famous. When you book, try to request a table in the cupola – which has a renowned art deco glass ceiling. If you can’t be there anywhere is lovely too, but that is thought to be the best. The food is brassiere type: fabulous steaks and excellent seafood and is mid-priced. Patrons do dress a little smarter here than the next restaurant.

The second is very different, very inexpensive, but very tasty and also has bags of atmosphere. If possible, try to sit outside. This is a restaurant in arrondisment 5 (I think) named le Pot de Terre (22 rue du Pot de Fer, Paris 5E. The nearest Metro is Monge, then find Rue Ortolan, cross the junction into Rue de Terre and the restaurant is at the end of the street). 5 minutes walk from the Metro. This has a web site: www.lepotdeterre.com info@lepotdeterre.com. Around, there are literally dozens of restaurants, and as it is a student area near the Sorbonne it is lively. You can walk on past the restaurant to the Pantheon and from there have a great view of the Eiffel Tower.

Hope this helps. We love Paris and I am sure you will too. I don’t know when you are going, but beware, it can be very very cold! (And we’re British and can say this!!).

You must also walk down the Champs Elysee from the Arc de Triomphe – although it is now fairly touristy, the buildings are beautiful and it still has a special air about it.

Enjoy your trip.

Regards