On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:48:52 -0700 (PDT), Johannes
wrote:

I have to catch a connection in Paris at Gare de l'Est, which is only
a short distance to walk, but I wonder if one can make it in the 45-
minute gap between arrival and departure if my train was delayed.

I would say it's just about OK. 45 minutes is the least I would
allow, though. Other people here may well be less optimistic than I
am, I tend to do things at the last minute!

I've had two late arrivals that I can remember, but all the others
have been perfect. My worst journey was the other way, from Est to
Nord, after a sleeper arrived very late from Zurich.

You could be 20-25 minutes late and still get there anyway. There's
not much to admire on a slow walk!

I would consider:
- do I *have* to get my connecting train (because the ticket requires
it, or there aren't many trains to that destination)?
- do I have a ticket for the whole journey - might help if things go
wrong?
- what is the minimum connection time offered by - if you can make it
work - http://www.voyages-sncf.com ?

Richard.

Richard wrote:

- do I have a ticket for the whole journey - might help if things go
wrong?

Yes- whatever you do make sure you have a Eurostar ticket in advance.
Last year I went from Gard du Nord from Gare de Lyon to catch the last
London train and got there with an hour to spare but they had no
dedicated counter to sell economy class tickets for that train and
several of us had to queue behind people buying complicated advanced
stuff. Eventually, about five fo us were forced to buy business class
tickets (over 300 euros) as there were of course about three people
sitting at those desks doing nothing. I emailed Eurostar to complain
later and they did send me a free open first class return.

However, I do realise that even a single economy Eurostar fare can be
costly - much more often than a return.

E.

eastender wrote:
Richard wrote:

- do I have a ticket for the whole journey - might help if things go
wrong?

Yes- whatever you do make sure you have a Eurostar ticket in advance.
Last year I went from Gard du Nord from Gare de Lyon to catch the last
London train and got there with an hour to spare but they had no
dedicated counter to sell economy class tickets for that train and
several of us had to queue behind people buying complicated advanced
stuff. Eventually, about five fo us were forced to buy business class
tickets (over 300 euros) as there were of course about three people
sitting at those desks doing nothing. I emailed Eurostar to complain
later and they did send me a free open first class return.

Killing time by playing with a ticket machine in Lille Flanders (not the
Eurostar station) station a few months ago, I found that it appeared to
offer tickets to London.

However, I do realise that even a single economy Eurostar fare can be
costly - much more often than a return.

At least from the UK, it is in my experience usually (always?) cheaper
to buy a return and throw half away.
--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Arthur Figgis wrote:
eastender wrote:

However, I do realise that even a single economy Eurostar fare can be
costly - much more often than a return.

At least from the UK, it is in my experience usually (always?) cheaper
to buy a return and throw half away.

There are some one way promotional fares starting at £44 which have been
around for some while now.

--
Phil Richards, London, UK
3,600+ railway photos since 1980 at:
http://europeanrail.fotopic.net
http://britishrail.fotopic.net