Travelling by rail from the UK is a truly relaxing way to reach your holiday – no traffic jams, no long queues for check-in, no rush for an unassigned seat, and a generous luggage allowance that means you can pack all you can comfortably carry. Watching the gradual changes in the landscape, you gain a real sense of journey, too, that is impossible from the air, the anticipation mounting as you draw nearer to your destination.
Perhaps more importantly, you can sit back and appreciate the scenery safe in the knowledge that rail travel is by far the most environmentally friendly way of reaching your destination, as a train’s carbon emissions are substantially lower than those of an aeroplane and your individual carbon footprint is fainter than it would be if you were to travel by car.
Given our commitment to sustainable tourism, we are keen to encourage as many of our customers as possible to travel by rail – even those who live in the north of England as we do. (It is possible to set off from Marseille in the morning and arrive back in York at 8pm having had a delicious lunch in Lille en route.) Our knowledgeable reservations team will be happy to answer any queries you may have.
Your relaxed journey
Eurostar, one of the most comfortable and modern trains in the world, departs from the elegant and superbly renovated St Pancras Station (which is just a short stroll from Kings Cross). Having left London, it crosses Kent in just 35 minutes, stopping at Ebbsfleet International to collect more passengers before whisking you through the Channel Tunnel and across northern France to either Lille or Paris to link with other rail services (usually France’s world-famous high-speed 
TGV trains or stylish Corail Téoz services – 125mph) if you are travelling further afield. In Lille, this is simply a matter of changing platforms at Lille Europe or taking a short walk (450m) to nearby Lille Flandres station. In Paris, you must travel between mainline stations (we provide metro or RER tickets), but you have the option of breaking your journey for up to 24 hours without paying a supplement. At your destination station, you are met by a taxi in most cases for the final short leg to your hotel.
The vast majority of our French holidays (and some Swiss and Spanish ones, too) can be reached comfortably in a day from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet International. On the relevant holiday pages, we indicate the probable route as well as appropriate outward and return times or the approximate total journey time. Please note that these tend to be based on the previous season's timetables and are subject to change; final schedules are only made available by the rail companies two to three months before departure and it is at this point that we confirm your times and the route taken to your destination. Timings and routings can also vary according to the day of travel.
‘By rail’ prices
Included in the price of our ‘by rail’ holidays are return Eurostar from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet International to Lille or Paris in standard class, and onward rail (again in standard class) on TGV high-speed trains, comfortable Corail Téoz services or other regional rail services to local rail stations. We also include a transfer by taxi (and/or occasionally by scheduled bus services in Switzerland) between your destination station and your hotel if necessary (we do not include transfers to city hotels), or a hire car for self-catering properties. We reserve seats for you in advance, except where this is not possible (or necessary) on local train services. We endeavour to book the best seats for you, but if you have any specific requirements, please discuss this with us at the time of your initial booking. All seating requests are subject to availability. Where travel is via Paris, we include metro or RER tickets for the journey between mainline stations.
Our prices are based on tariffs negotiated with the rail companies and are subject to availability. If, when you come to book, seats are no longer available at the appropriate tariff, we may be able to offer you seats on the same services at a supplement.
The tickets we provide can only be used on the dates and times specified on the tickets and cannot be changed or refunded.
We only provide ‘by rail’ prices on our website for those holidays which you can reach comfortably in a day from London. However, it is possible to reach many more holidays with a stop-over in Paris. Please contact us for more details.
Tailored arrangements
For even greater comfort and space on board, upgrade to first class. If you are travelling via Paris and would like to break your journey in the capital, we will be happy to book accommodation for you – we offer the intimate, centrally located Hotel St Paul Rive Gauche. Please contact us to discuss the options or to get a quotation.
Advance Passenger Information (API)
The UK government continues to implement its requirement for everyone travelling internationally into and out of the UK to submit Advance Passenger Information (API) to their travel provider (including airlines and rail and ferry operators). This information includes full given names as shown on the passport, date of birth, nationality, passport number, plus issue and expiry dates. Where we have made travel arrangements on your behalf, we will request the required information from you and submit it to your travel provider.