by Ellie Tat

Created on: August 08, 2008   Last Updated: December 04, 2010

To get from the UK to mainland Europe, you can travel by air, catch a ferry, hop on the Eurotunnel shuttle or take the Eurostar. While often the Eurostar is more expensive than other modes of transport, it is worth paying extra for and this is why.

The experience

The Eurostar is an attraction in itself and crossing the Channel by Eurostar is something really worth doing at least once. Think about it, you are travelling through a tunnel under the water. Isn't this amazing?

Variety of destinations

A flight will take you to a city with an airport. A ferry will take you to Calais (or another port). The Eurotunnel shuttle will take you from Folkestone to Calais. By Eurostar you can reach Paris, Disneyland Resort Paris, Lille, Brussels and Avignon directly or you can buy a through fare to connect with a regional train to take you to dozens of continental destinations.

Speed

It only takes 2 hours 15 minutes to get from central London to central Paris. Check-in closes 30 minutes before departure, so you do not need to be there hours in advance. This is by far the fastest way to get to a number of destinations and even travel by air cannot beat it.

Convenience

The Eurostar offers frequent departures throughout the day. You can leave early in the morning and still make that mid-morning meeting in Paris. Or you can sleep in and take a mid-day train with plenty of time to spare for shopping on Champs-Elysees. Your train will get you to the centre of town, so you will not have to look for additional transfers.

Comfort

While you are travelling, there is plenty of room to stretch your legs and get comfortable. You can go for a walk around the carriage and visit the Bar-Buffet for a drink and some snacks. You will not catch sea sickness and will not have to take long and exhausting drives to get to your departure point.

Luggage

You can take two suitcases and one piece of hand luggage on the train with you. You can also check in additional or oversized pieces at a very reasonable fee, a fraction of what you would pay if you were travelling by air.

Even though the Eurostar is perceived as expensive, if you book well in advance and are flexible with you time and dates, you can get some excellent fares. With the current increase in fuel surcharges and cost of flights, it becomes a relatively more affordable option if you want to get there fast. And when you can enjoy so many benefits, why would you travel any other way?

Learn more about this author, Ellie Tat.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.