Paris to London by train — the classic route
Sure, you can jump on the Eurostar and whizz between Paris and London on high-speed lines through the Channel Tunnel in a little over two hours.
But — whisper it! — the Eurostar journey is a little boring, especially if you've done it a few times already.
The good news is that it's still possible — and quite fun — to make the trip the "traditional" way on the classic route between Paris and London:
A train from Paris to Calais
A ferry ride across the Channel from Calais to Dover
...and a train from Dover to London.
Or, of course, in the other direction, from London to Paris:
By train from London to Dover
By ferry across the Channel from Dover to Calais
...and by train from Calais to Paris.
And the best news is: this route can work out much cheaper than the Eurostar. Especially in the summer months when Eurostar tickets can set you back £200 or more.
You don't get views like this in the Channel Tunnel!
Read on to see how it works...
Two classic rail routes from between Paris and Calais
Step 1: Paris to Calais by train
While the high-speed TGVs will take you to the inconveniently out-of-town Calais-Fréthun station, classic regional TER trains from Paris will take you all the way to the heart of Calais (Calais-Ville station).
There are a few daily direct trains from Paris, plus lots more connections that require an easy change at Lille-Flandres or Boulogne stations.
Book ahead and you can pick up an advance-purchase ticket from Paris to Calais from only €10 (the so-called "Prix Cassés Hauts-de-France" fare).
If you're booking at shorter notice, prices can be higher. But there's a trick to save you money, especially if you're travelling in a group of 2-4 people, and even more especially if you'll be making a return journey on the same route.
Buy a Carte TER HAUTS-DE-FRANCE discount card from https://www.ter.sncf.com/hauts-de-france/products/form.
For €30, this card gives you and up to three travelling companions a 50% discount on TER (regional train) tickets to/from the Hauts-de-France region, including trains that run between Paris and Calais.Book your Paris-Calais tickets on https://www.ter.sncf.com/hauts-de-france/se-deplacer/horaires, making sure that for each passenger you choose the "Carte TER HAUTS-DE-FRANCE" in the "Carte de Réduction" [discount card] box.
A short-notice ticket on this route can cost €43.60, so you can be saving money with the Carte TER HAUTS-DE-FRANCE discount card by making just two trips: that could be a return journey for one person, or a one-way ride for two (or more) people.
Step 2: From Calais Ville to the Ferry Terminal
The old Gare Maritime in Calais was closed down in the 1990s, so Calais-Ville station is as close as you can get to the ferry terminal by train these days.
The best way (of course) to get to the ferry terminal is by folding bike — never catch a train without one! It's a 5 km / 20 minute ride.
If you've come bikeless, there is a regular shuttle bus service from the town centre to the ferry port.
The Balad’in is free shuttle bus which connects the Ferry Terminal to the city center of Calais every 20 minutes in the morning and every 11 minutes in the afternoon. Non stop from Monday to Saturday (except on French bank holidays and Sundays), from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm.
When the Balad’in does not operate, P&O Ferries' bus supplier operates one service to Calais train station on P&O's last arrival from Dover: bus leaves the port at 20.40
On Sundays and bank holidays the bus suppliers operates shuttle to town as follows: 13.10 / 14.40 / 16.55 / 18.35 / 20.40
Step 3: Ferry from Calais to Dover
Unfortunately DFDS Seaways and Irish Ferries don't take foot passengers on their Calais - Dover services, leaving P&O as the only game in town.
Ridiculously, even P&O only take foot passengers on two or three crossings a day. The fare is a flat £30 standard, or £70 "Flexi".
If you've remembered to bring your bike, though, you're in luck. Bikes are taken on every sailing, giving you a choice of a dozen daily crossings, and, what's more, tickets for cyclists are cheaper than for foot passengers: £25 standard, or £65 "Flexi".
Check-in and passport control can take a while at busy times — you're advised to be at the port at least 90 minutes before sailing, and sometimes more. Check with your ferry operator.
The crossing to Dover takes 90 minutes. Cyclists are usually let off the car-decks last (for safety reasons), so allow an extra 20-30 minutes when planning your connecting train from Dover.
Once you're off the ferry at Dover, you follow the red-painted line, which will take you safely through the port all the way to a cycle-lane which heads along the sea-front and into the town of Dover. You'll have to navigate on-road for the last kilometre or so to Dover Priory railway station.
Step 4: Dover to London by Train
Three or four trains an hour take you from Dover to London — you're spoilt for choice!
The fastest trains join the High Speed One rail route that's also used by the Eurostar trains, running from Dover to London St Pancras in 1 hour 6 mins —handy for north London and connections further north.
Slower trains run on the classic lines into London Victoria or London Charing Cross, taking around 2 hours.
Book well in advance and you can get a ticket on the high-speed line for as little as £14.80, and on the slower trains for only £11.
Summary: Paris to London (or London to Paris) on the classic "rail and sail" route via Calais and Dover
Book ahead and you can do this trip, city centre to city centre, for as little as £45 — likely to be much cheaper than Eurostar during peak summer season.
The cheapest fares work out as follows:
Paris - Calais: €10 (Regional train)
Calais - Dover: £25 (bicycle passenger)
Dover - London: £11
It's best to make a day of it. That way you:
Don't have to worry about tight connections
Have a bit of flexibility with timings, giving you the best chance of nabbing one of the cheaper tickets
Have time to enjoy some chips on the beach at Dover and a waffle on the beach in Calais.
Can I combine this route with the Intercités de Nuit sleeper trains to/from Paris?
Yes, absolutely!
The timings work really well, making this a great alternative to the fast-but-boring Eurostar route.
Especially if travelling with a folding bike, you'll have time to see the beach and the White Cliffs at Dover, and the beach and town of Calais too. Plus, of course, time in Paris for breakfast (northbound) or dinner before your sleeper train (southbound).
Timings can vary from day to day, so check for your preferred travel date, but the timings below are typical, and allow quite leisurely connections for every stage of the journey.
"Rail & Sail" from London to Paris, in time to connect to the sleeper trains to the south of France
Depart London St Pancras 07:07
=> Arrive Dover Priory 08:14
Depart Dover (P&O ferry) 10:05
=> Arrive Calais (ferry terminal) 12:35
Depart Calais-Ville (train) 14:38
=> Arrive Paris Gare du Nord 17:30
Transfer across Paris by bike or metro, then:
Depart Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 19:36 (for Rodez/Albi)
Depart Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 20:51 (for Marseille/Antibes/Cannes/Nice)
Depart Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 21:13 (for Carcassonne/Perpignan/Cerbère)
Depart Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 21:13 (for Latour de Carol)
Depart Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 21:42 (for Toulouse)
"Rail & Sail" Paris to London, connecting with the sleeper trains from the south of France
Arrive Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 06:50 (from Cerbère/Perpignan/Carcassonne)
Arrive Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 06:50 (from Latour de Carol)
Arrive Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 07:03 (from Albi/Rodez)
Arrive Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 07:03 (from Toulouse)
Arrive Paris Gare d'Austerlitz 07:54 (from Nice/Cannes/Antibes/Marseille)
Transfer across Paris by bike or metro, picking up some breakfast along the way.
Depart Paris Gare du Nord 10:28
=> Arrive Calais-Ville 13:26
Depart Calais (P&O Ferry) 15:50
=> Arrive Dover (ferry terminal) 16:20
Depart Dover Priory 17:48
=> Arrive London St Pancras 18:54