It’s the final day of my European rail journey – and just like day one, an early start. The TGV InOui service to Paris leaves Stuttgart at just befor 7am. Thankfully, the helpful staff at my hotel have arranged a takeaway breakfast bag, meaning I don’t have to wolf down a croissant and coffee before checking out.
It’s a useful tip with early starts – if you’ve paid for a hotel breakfast in your room rate, ask if they can offer you a light bite when you leave. Some places, like my hotel in Nice at the start of the trip, allowed me into the sacred dining room space extra early; there was no reason not to – the breakfast buffet is often prepared in the middle of the night or even the evening before.
The ongoing constriction works at Stuttgart station add a tiresome 10 minute walk to reach the concourse. It’s turned chilly in the past few days, but at least it’s dry. Nothing says the end of a holiday like a soggy walk to your departure point.
There’s only one main departure hall in Stuttgart, so no last minute surprises of having to dart up and down escalators to find some distant platform, The TGV is on time, with First Class being relatively quiet for the first leg of the journey. A handful of passengers leave at Karlsruhe, our final calling point in Germany. But at Strasbourg – perhaps unsurprisingly, the carriage fills us with people evidently travelling to Paris on business.
The TGV is efficient enough, but en route we pick up some delays, meaning arrival in Paris Est is 20 minutes late. Although I’ve managed to build in a two hour connection time, I still have to walk to Gare Du Nord. A sign at the station optimistically says it’s a five minute walk, but that doesn’t take into account passengers carrying heavy luggage. Nor doe it factor in a steep set of steps outside Paris Est which takes a bit of navigating. But the walk to Gare Du Nord is otherwise simple enough, as is the Eurostar check in process. The waiting area is above the platforms (in London it’s below), so has a slightly cleaner and more spacious feel to it. However, there are only two boarding gates here – as opposed to three or four in London – so as departure time draws closer, people cram around the doors.
For this leg of the journey, I’ve managed to get a reservation in Standard Premier class, a plush and comfortable experience complete with lunch and wine. The coach is only around half full and we speed through the Channel Tunnel and back to St Pancras station at 1330, allowing ample time to connect onwards to my home in Nottingham.
Getting here
By train : By taking an early TGV InOui service from Stuttgart to Paris Est, I was able to connect with the 1201 Eurostar from Prais Gare du Nord to London St Pancras International for a 1330 arrival. Your Eurail pass is good for both trains, but you will need to book a compulsory reservation on each service : about 15 Euro to Paris and 30 Euro to London. You’ll still be saving loads on the full fare price.
How I did it
If you’ve been inspired by this trip here are a few ideas of how to travel. The Eurail pass comes in two types : one country or Global.
You then have a second choice – a continuous pass allows you travel on any day across a set period – for example, 15 days or one month. Alternatively you can select a cheaper pass which allows you a set number of travel days – eg 5 days in a month. Bear in mind that if you do this, you’ll have slightly less flexibility – but you can cancel travel days up until 2359 the day before; so if you fancy staying on somewhere you like the look of, you can to that.
As the name suggests, a one country pass allows you travel within a given national boundary – but the downside is that you may not be able to travel on trains that cross borders, even if you’re staying within that country., A Global pass allows you travel in 33 countries. The prices for the Global pass are as follows. These are 2023 prices.
SECOND CLASS PRICES
Here are a selection of continuous or flexible options
FIRST CLASS PRICES
Supplements and reservations : The Eurail website and app will tell you which journeys carry mandatory reservations. It’s worth noting that the busiest long distance and international trains often sell out fast, and there are a limited number of seats for pass holders. You may find particular challenges in booking a Eurostar seat at peak times,. Reservations usually open 90 days in advance, so if you’re travelling out of the UK, it’s worth planning the first part of your journey as soon as you can.
The price of reservations can vary widely – at 2023 prices, a standard class seat on Eurostar will come in at about €32, but a TGV from Paris to Nice can be as little at €11.
Even when reservations aren’t mandatory, they are advised for cross border services. One of the best places to find the information is through the German DB website or Austria’s OBB. In both cases, search for the journey you want, but click SEAT RESERVATION (NO TICKET) for the prices. In most cases you can have tickets delivered by email and download them on your phone. However, a few operators will ask you to print a ticket at any station in the country the ticket is for – so keep a note of emails, and consider taking screen shots for booking references.
A number of sleeper trains operate across Europe and when you book, you’ll have the choice of having just a seat or a bed. You’ll pay more for a bed, and an additional premium if you want to have guaranteed single occupancy. Of course, while all of this will add to the cost of your trip, you’ll be saving money on hotels. It also means you’ll often reach a destination first thing in the morning, meaning a whole day to explore. Bear in mind that you’ll need to choose somewhere that has luggage storage facilities – not every railway station does. You’ll find a selection of routes in this Time Out article.
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