Train travel in France

[wsmitchell2]

Hi
We will be landing in London (from Australia) and then want to travel to St Chinian (Beziers) by train. I know we can get the Eurostar from London to Paris but my understanding is that we need to swap stations then to get the TGV south. I have looked at websites and it seems we can get a train to Beziers but I suspect from what I read that the TGV does not go that far and I may need to swap trains again somewhere like Montpellier.

Can anyone give me the ideal way to get from London to Beziers with the least amount of train swapping and no station swapping if possible.

As far as I can tell it is best to go London to Lille, swap platforms in Lille to get a TGV then head south but it becomes a bit fuzzy from there.

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by wsmitchell2

Hi
We will be landing in London (from Australia) and then want to travel to St Chinian (Beziers) by train. I know we can get the Eurostar from London to Paris but my understanding is that we need to swap stations then to get the TGV south. I have looked at websites and it seems we can get a train to Beziers but I suspect from what I read that the TGV does not go that far and I may need to swap trains again somewhere like Montpellier.

Can anyone give me the ideal way to get from London to Beziers with the least amount of train swapping and no station swapping if possible.

As far as I can tell it is best to go London to Lille, swap platforms in Lille to get a TGV then head south but it becomes a bit fuzzy from there.

According to:

Travel By Train In Europe: Eurorail, Eurail Passes & Train Tickets from Rail Europe

London St Pancras to Paris and it's a single change from Gare du Nord to Gare Lyon then direct TGV to Beziers.

Buy your tickets before arriving in France - they will be MUCH cheaper as I found out when we missed a connection, the replacement ticket cost twice as much as the original. You can get insurance to cover such eventualities.

TGV is wonderful

David

[rehna2]

I just made the connection from London (Heathrow) to Lille, last week. You have several options to get from Heathrow to St. Pancras: train (which is expensive and takes 45 minutes), taxi (which is even more expensive and takes an hour), or tube (which costs 4.50 per person and takes an hour). I suggest taking the tube as it is the cheapest of the options and they are all about the same time. There is a tube station in Heathrow so it is simple. You take the Piccadilly line for about 25 stops to St. Pancras, then follow the signs to the Eurostar station. Gare du Nord is easy to navigate. If you have enough time between trains, there is a large mall attached to Gare du Nord and the Grand Place in Vieux Lille is an easy 5 minute walk.

Enjoy
AR

Originally Posted by rehna2

You have several options to get from Heathrow to St. Pancras:

Is the Heathrow Express still going? I used to get from Heathrow to Paddington in about (IIRC) 20-25 minutes, and it wasn't that dear......

[MichaelS]

Unless you want to take the train for touristy reasons, it would be much cheaper and much quicker to just take an easyjet to Montpellier and take the train from there over to Béziers.

[Claire la richarde]

Originally Posted by MichaelS

Unless you want to take the train for touristy reasons, it would be much cheaper and much quicker to just take an easyjet to Montpellier and take the train from there over to Béziers.

That will depend how much luggage you have.

For instance, if you're flying into Heathrow with Quantas, it's luggage allowances are:
Carry on:
First/Business/Premium Economy:
2 x 115cm (45in) bags or
1 x 115cm (45in) bag plus 1 x 185cm (73in) non rigid garment bag
Economy:
1 x 115cm (45in) bag or
1 x 185cm (73in) non rigid garment bag 7kg (15lb) per piece

Checked
First: 40kg (88lb) Business: 30kg (66lb) Premium Economy/Economy: 23kg (50lb)
No restriction on the number of pieces
Total dimensions must not exceed 270cm (106in) with no 1 piece exceeding 158cm (62in)

Easyjet's luggage allowances are:
Carry on:
one standard piece of hand baggage to maximum dimensions of 56x45x25cm

Checked:
Up to 8 pieces of checked-in hold baggage to a maximum combined weight of 20kg. Each piece of checked-in hold baggage will incur a fee, which is payable online or at the airport at a higher charge. A fee per kilo for excess weight is charged at the airport prior to departure


Also, you would have to schlep from Heathrow to Gatwick.

If you want to take the Eurostar and TGV trains, the very useful Man in Seat 61 website has a timetable for travel from London to Beziers, changing at Lille (just change platforms, not stations) at How to travel by train from London to France | By Eurostar & TGV...

[k2chris]

Originally Posted by wsmitchell2

Hi
We will be landing in London (from Australia) and then want to travel to St Chinian (Beziers) by train. I know we can get the Eurostar from London to Paris but my understanding is that we need to swap stations then to get the TGV south. I have looked at websites and it seems we can get a train to Beziers but I suspect from what I read that the TGV does not go that far and I may need to swap trains again somewhere like Montpellier.

Can anyone give me the ideal way to get from London to Beziers with the least amount of train swapping and no station swapping if possible.

As far as I can tell it is best to go London to Lille, swap platforms in Lille to get a TGV then head south but it becomes a bit fuzzy from there.

If you are crossing Paris to different Stations USE A TAXI. I travelled with my family from Bordeaux to London by TGV and Eurostar. We used the metro on the way out as my fear of London Taxi prices. On the way back I was shattered and didnt care and then found out the taxi was only €18

[Coton90]

Originally Posted by wsmitchell2

Hi
We will be landing in London (from Australia) and then want to travel to St Chinian (Beziers) by train. I know we can get the Eurostar from London to Paris but my understanding is that we need to swap stations then to get the TGV south. I have looked at websites and it seems we can get a train to Beziers but I suspect from what I read that the TGV does not go that far and I may need to swap trains again somewhere like Montpellier.

Can anyone give me the ideal way to get from London to Beziers with the least amount of train swapping and no station swapping if possible.

As far as I can tell it is best to go London to Lille, swap platforms in Lille to get a TGV then head south but it becomes a bit fuzzy from there.

If you are leaving in the near future, best to check to see which trains are running as there are currently nation-wide strikes going on and many of trains are canceled.

[sabfrance]

Originally Posted by wsmitchell2

Hi
We will be landing in London (from Australia) and then want to travel to St Chinian (Beziers) by train. I know we can get the Eurostar from London to Paris but my understanding is that we need to swap stations then to get the TGV south. I have looked at websites and it seems we can get a train to Beziers but I suspect from what I read that the TGV does not go that far and I may need to swap trains again somewhere like Montpellier.

Can anyone give me the ideal way to get from London to Beziers with the least amount of train swapping and no station swapping if possible.

As far as I can tell it is best to go London to Lille, swap platforms in Lille to get a TGV then head south but it becomes a bit fuzzy from there.

The TGV definately goes to Beziers. I have caught it several times from Bez to CDG. It takes about 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Saint Chinian is only 30 minutes drive from Bez.

Another idea might be to get a cheap Ryanair/Easyjet flight from London to Perpignan or Carcasonne and then then bus to Saint Chinian. Montpellier is a lot further away from Saint Chinian than Perpignan or Carcasonne are.

If you're set on training it maybe see if the train London to CDG, and then swap at CDG to head south on the TGV to Beziers.

Have you been to Saint Chinian before? Its near a place I stay often, (Capestang), and its pretty remote and not well serviced by public transport. Mind you, it is a beautiful village, surrounded by hills and vineyards - and with a good pub!

I'm in Melbourne, (moving to UAE soon). Where in AU are you? If you don't know that part of France very well PM me with a phone number and we can discuss if you want.