Paris to London by Bus for £30 with Flixbus & P&O Ferries.
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- Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2023
- This week I'm travelling from Paris back to London by coach and ferry with Flixbus and P&O Ferries. It's not the quickest way to do it, but it's certainly the cheapest (all things considered) and as well as that, you really get a sense of adventure with the additional highlight of boarding the ferry at Calais and crossing the English Channel over to Dover.
In this video I'll tell you everything you need to know to do this journey yourself. I'll show you the departure point in Paris, how to get there, what the coach is like, what the ferry is like and of course, how much it all costs. Hopefully you'll agree, it's a really good way of doing the trip if you're on a budget like me.
Let me know if you've done it before and please consider subscribing if you haven't already done so.
Many thanks as always guys for taking the time to watch my videos. All likes, comments, subs are massively appreciated and it really encourages me to make more content for you all to enjoy.
Cheers for now.
Mark
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📖Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
My Paris Hotel. Recommended:
hotelterminuslyon.com/
Picture Credits:
P&O MV P&O Pioneer, Davy-62 (no annotation made), commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Id love it if the British travel RUclipsrs like Scottish Scott , Steve Marsh , Paul Lucas , Noel Phillips etc all went together on an overnight bus ! A bus full of RUclipsrs !
Belfast to Barcelona by bus!!!
@@raybrown2197 Aberdeen to Zaragoza so they can literally do an A to Z journey :D
I like that!
I can think of one ginger RUclipsr who I would not want on board
Haha, I wonder which one!
Hello Mark,
Based on one of your videos, I recently (Jan 25th) took a short bus trip from Las Vegas to Kingman, Arizona on Flixbus. For starters, I didn't know that Flix even operated in the U.S.
The bus was clean, comfortable, and fairly inexpensive. ($30.00) The scenery was excellent. Thanks for doing these videos, and sharing your experience with us! All the best...Mark 🇺🇲 (Minneapolis)
Nice one Mark, yes Megabus are over there too I believe. I once took several Greyhounds from Toronto to St Pete’s FL and that kind of put me off tbh but I think things have improved a bit since then. Maybe next time I’m over in the US, I’ll give it another go. Glad it helped anyway 😊👍
Thanks for another great video Mark!
After following your videos for a while (since the Liverpool to Preston X2 bus video), I can definitely say you are one of my favourite travel reviewers. Your channel has so much content to enjoy, and the trips are always varied which makes for a great video every time.
I love the effort you put into these videos, as they’re always comprehensive, accurate, raw and honest reviews and I really do think this sets the standard for how this type of content should be.
I really appreciate the level of detail you go into and that they provide the raw reality of what an average passenger would get if they were to do these routes themselves. As a result I think these videos are also a great tool to help travellers decide which routes/methods of transport/companies to use as there’s no marketing hype/influence behind it.
As for the comments saying how terrible it is that you used P&O ferries, I definitely think these comments should be directed at the company, not you. While it is obvious from the news that P&O is a horrible company in terms of the treatment of workers and recruitment, I really don’t think that means you shouldn’t review them! I think it’s so important to give an honest outlook on all the options available, as there just might be a time and place where P&O provide the most sensible or only(!) options.
As usual I really enjoyed today’s video and please keep making excellent content like this!
Hi Liam and thanks very much for the comment - really appreciated mate. Be assured it's really motivating to hear such nice words! The P&O thing, yep, I knew I'd have to explain this when the video came out and, as you know, it was totally out of my control. I think one or two people on here may want to make a political point about it which is fair enough. However much I would've liked to have commented, as a travel vlogger, I'm focussed on the experience and not the situation with P&O and its staff. I learnt very early on in this game that getting into such debates never ends well!!! Cheers mate.
Great journey, Mark, nice that you had respectful fellow passengers too😊
Thanks Sheila, glad you enjoyed it and yes it's nice to have considerate passengers I must admit.
Back in the 70s, I regularly used to use the Hoverlloyd coach servive from Victoria Coach Station to Paris Gare Du Nord. I think it left at 0900 and arrived at about 1800, so an 8 hour trip as well. The 'East Kent' red and cream luxury coach didn't board the Hovercraft but it was a short walk through the Hoverport at Pegwell Bay (Ramsgate), for checking in and passports and onto the Hovercraft. I think suitcases were loaded for us - it was very much like boarding a plane, and the hovercraft services even had flight numbers! There were lots of smartly red-uniformed staff and stewardesses - all very helpful and pleasant .
After an exciting (or 'gutchurning' if the sea was rough) 40 minute hovercraft sea crossing (some of which might be over the Goodwin Sands at low tide), we would arrive at the rather impressive Calais Hoverport where we would be directed onto a comfortable French coach. There was a 30 minute coffee stop on the old RN1 road before Arras (no autoroute from Calais then) then we would join the Peage Autoroute to Paris. I remember it being a very nice trip, comfortable, spacious and warm - actually better than the train/ferries I also tried a few times, and a lot better than the slow and noisy antiquated Night Ferry, where the London-Paris train was actually loaded onto the Dover-Dunkirk ferry, decades before the Channel Tunnel.
An exceptional video Mark - you excel at these trips - positive attitude throughout - the lorry side of the ferry was fascinating with the prices of the food. An adventure indeed !
Thanks mate, appreciate the kind words I really do. Makes it worthwhile. :-)
Another great video 👍 as always, informative and interesting. Looking forward to the next one already! Cheers for now!
Thanks mate, appreciate the kind words 😊👍
Great video! Always enjoy following your travels and learning your thoughts on these interesting trips.
Cheers Josh and I appreciate your comment mate. Can't say I get everything right and people often disagree but yep, hopefully, it can stimulate some debate as well. Thanks mate.
I got excited., a new vlog!! Then I saw we have to wait… looking forward to it
Sorry, hope you can watch it tonight 😊
Mark it’s always good your channel keep it going man. Lots of interesting aspects.👍🏻😎
Thanks Michael, appreciate the comment and encouragement. Cheers.
Great video, was given top billing on my RUclips feed - and did not disappoint
Cheers Andrew, that’s good to hear (on both counts)! Glad you enjoyed it 😊👍
Great video Mark, really enjoyed that, your spot on about the french bus station, very poor indeed !, good to see you got into the drivers lounge on the ship, well done 👏 thanks again bud, take care 👍
Cheers Robert, yeh if you don't ask etc etc......and Gare Bercy Seine I can confirm is a total dump.
Thank you very much for your video, next week I have a trip with this bus company and thanks to you I can get an idea of what the trip will be like ❤❤❤
No problem. Thanks for watching and have a good trip! 😊
Thanks you Sir for your video, as a french student who planned to travel to London by bus next week, its was very helpful🙂
My pleasure 😊
Thanks for the trip, really enjoyed it as always. You were lucky with the weather. 😀
Cheers Paul, most of my other trips that weekend were cancelled so yes I got lucky with this one but lost quite a lot on the others unfortunately. That's life and that's travel I guess. Onwards!
amazing video mark, well-organised and really entertaining!! keep up the good work!
Thanks Marc, appreciate the comment mate 😊👍
Thanks Mark for another great video and commentary 😊
Cheers Wesley and thanks for watching mate 😊👍
Thank you mark great video fully agree they need to do something with the coach station in Paris keep up the great work your doing Paul in Kent
Cheers Paul. Yep, knock it down and start again I would suggest!!
Nice one, Mark! I’m fluent in French as I grew up there - and can safely say that there wasn’t an announcement regarding the broken toilet (from what can be heard in your clip at any rate).
Personally I like Flixbus, I recently took it from Cambridge to Manchester as there are no direct trains, and on the whole I found it good value for money. The Wi-Fi wasn’t working and the toilet wasn’t the greatest (but there was a tap). Also, the driver didn’t stop at all, apart from a scheduled stop at Birmingham to drop off and pick up passengers - and it would have been nice to have had an opportunity to stretch the legs. Still, compared to the train, it was a lot cheaper and also direct.
Cheers. Yep, I’m a bit up and down with Flix. Sometimes they’re great, other times not so. But they’re always good value for money. Have a look at my other Flixbus videos if you like - they are a bit of a mixed bag😊
Great video Mark, so informative, makes me want to take more trips !
Cheers Robert, you should do it mate!
Always enjoyable mate!!!
Good video, Mark, interesting facts about the bus station in Paris and nice views from the journey on the ferry boat! Flixbus is very popular in Germany as their fares are often much lower than those of German Railways (Deutsche Bahn). Have a good evening.
Cheers Dirk, yep tbh, I’d knock it down and build something that is much more passenger-friendly. It’s just terrible inside and out! Can’t go wrong with the Flixbus prices though, yes much cheaper than the train if you don’t mind longer journey times. Have a good weekend yourself 😊👍
Glad to see, funnily enough that it wasn't just me that had recurring issues with BlaBlaCar. I booked on the coach from Calais to Paris, my initial plan was to take the train but I managed to get a ticket for a mere £15! Because I had already booked onto the ferry, I took it then I waited in the port where it was scheduled to stop - I waited and I waited and it didn't turn up at all! Luckily I was able to make it into Calais then on to the train to Lille then down the road for a late ride to Paris. I swore off BlaBla because of it
😮😮 wow Mark glad to see you home 🏠 safely after that dodgie bus station in France absolutely what a joke of a place it's a wonder there wasn't any muggings 🤔 anyway Pal your back safe 👍 thanks for the 🎥 until next week all the best John 😊
Great video as always Mark, thank you. That bus station was horrendous! I’ve done a bit of coach travel in the UK recently with the rail strikes and you’re absolutely right that coach travel is very much seen as the poor relative. From my experience, if time isn’t of the essence you can do a lot of travelling for very little money.
Cheers Duncan, yep, worst bus/coach station I’ve been too. IMHO, I do think coach travel is becoming more popular but yes, if you have the time, probably the best way to travel when you want to keep more money in your pocket.
Bercy Seine is horrendous! I had the misfortune of being there one late evening when it flooded. Overcrowded, angry people, dark, unusable toilets, no staff, pickpockets… It was like a scene from a humanitarian crisis. Not a single police officer in sight - can’t blame them with the gangs that hang around there! I’ve vowed never to return - it’s the perfect spot to find trouble. Avoid if you can.
Yep, I reckon it was bad enough in the day but agree I wouldn’t really want to be their when it’s dark!
Great video again mate ,always enjoy your videos,always look forward to them,long time viewer from Ireland
Ah cheers mate, really appreciate the support. I'm hoping to get back over to Ireland next year - there's loads I still want to do. Thanks so much for the comment.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Look forward to watching that,by the way lovely town is shrewsbury was there last month for a few hours,mrs is from down the road in wellington,telford,safe travels my friend.
Thanks, yes there are worse towns than Shrewsbury (and Wellington). Hope you enjoyed your visit.
I've heard this bus station is bad and your video certainly shows that. What a dive!!
Agreed- I don’t use the words ‘pits of hell’ lightly!
@@LetsMakeaTripand your coach went through Kent!! 😋😋
haha. I couldn't possibly comment!
Pre-Brexit I remember getting from Walsall to Adinkerke, Belgium for £40 return as part of booze cruise weekly shopper with a local coach service which was incredible value especially for the more nefarious bulk shoppers. Decent bottles of Wine at Pidou for about £2 and sleeves of cigarettes for £30... I can only imagine the profits from such a day trip if someone was in that market
Yep, done one or two in the past myself. Great memories 😊👍
Hey I’m jealous you always get the cool weather! (And find the best coach stations) this was hilarious, loved it mate
Cheers Steve, well I had enough stuff cancelled that weekend - this was the only thing that did what it was told!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Sunday btw - on the Manxman and it's looking a bit windy (again)!!
@@LetsMakeaTrip you've got good sea legs mate!
He definitely has. I wish mine where that good.
You’re much braver than me, love the ferry but yep Eurostar or for me in northern England Fly every time, great video as always !
Cheerse Julian. Yes I agree, for me I'd be using one of our regional airports normally - much more convenient if I don't have much luggage. Otherwise, city centre to city centre it's gotta be Eurostar.
Fully agree with you about that coach station, which I have also had the misfortune to visit personally, an absolute shithole would be an improvement.
Yep, although I thought it best not to use those exact words, I fully agree!!
Another top video Mark.
Cheers Mark, thanks for the comment.
15:15 The 'commercial drivers' area of a cross-channel ferry is just the best. It's like a first class lounge at an airport that coach class aren't even aware of.
The public never see it, and aren't allowed access.
It is a LONG time since I went in it, when I was on my cousin's lorry. Back in those days, it was uniformed staff and 'silver service' food (no booze, obviously). The lorry drivers got the best restaurant, yet none of the other passengers even knew of its existence (I figure it only took up a tiny sliver of the the ship, and an anonymous door).
Yes it was a bit of an eye-opener. Glad I got to see it. I didn't pluck up the courage to get any food, I thought I might be asked for ID or something! I did manage to check a few prices though as I've always been interested. And you're right, it was very nice in there. Showers too!
Many years ago (pre-2000) I transited through (I presume) this Paris bus station on the way (and return) to Turin. It was late night, and it was grim even then. I remember a hussler waiting as we disembarked the Eurolines coach, he was touting for students to offer cheap hotel rooms to! Very dodgy place, and not one judging by this video that I would want to go back to. It's baffling that in an era where they are trying to get people out of planes that they think this effective transport cattle shed is fit for purpose? It takes a special kind of dive to make Victoria coach station seem good, but Paris you achieve it with room to spare... Well done! 🤦
That was an exciting report. The last time I was on a channel ferry it was a booze cruise from Southampton. Remember those days and French beer.
Oh yes, been on a few of them in the past. The good old days!!
@@LetsMakeaTrip I bet you were a scream on them. Those were the days.
The music when you left port side for the uk was very fitting and very therapeutic
Thanks, I try to give the music some thought so I'm glad it's appreciated.
I'd personally be very worried travelling alone as a female through Gare Bercy Seine. You actually sailed into my home town 😃 I used to live on the A2 with all those lorries queueing outside my window. ☹ On the whole it was a good trip (without mentioning the toilet which was an absolute disgrace). Very economical and interesting to see what the freight drivers pay as I've often wondered doing that trip to Calais many times. Thanks for the journey.
Thanks for watching Linda and leaving a comment. Much appreciated and yep, overall, it wasn’t bad value for money really.
Hello! A lot of thanks for the video!)
Thanks for watching 😊
Very nice looking coaches in green livery. Very nice.
I do like the green Flixbus livery. Certainly unmistakable 👍
I did the reverse journey overnight probably thye day after you. (I had already done Flix bus from Ediburgh to get to Victoeria) The French driver was solo and miserable, the bus was totally full and very cramped, and I arrived in Bercy at 9:35 am and the whole place stank of urine. The reason I chose the bus was to transport some fragile guitars but its a never again for me
I used the flixbus from London to Antwerp in 2019. At the time we used the Eurotunnel which arrived Calais in under 30mins. Journey time was just over 9hrs
Cheers Boski, it does seem a bit random. DFDS was showing on the departure board at Bercy Seine!
@@LetsMakeaTripDFDS and P&O shares ferries.
I think it started when the long lines at Dover happened after covid and Brexit.
So they just loaded you on the next availavle ferry; no matter if it was DFDS or P&O.
So maybe this deal is still on.
That is very good value for money but that coach station in Paris looked grim and I think I’d be very apprehensive about going in there!
Yep, I didn’t really think about it at the time. Though the more comments I read from people, the more I feel like I should’ve been worried!
The coach driver announcing the Deck number 'deck sank' doesn't sound the most reassuring when on a ferry! Great video mark thank you
Haha, like it! Cheers mate 😊👍
he said 'deck cinq', which literally means deck five.
Nice one , I took this service around 18 months and it went on the euro tunnel
It must be a bit random, it said DFDS back at the coach station.
Great video as usual! Last time I took a bus from Paris, it was from Gallieni coach station - which wasn't any better... The announcement in French about the toilet was pretty much the same as in English, that it was available on the lower level. Seems that your process at Calais was simpler than mine on Flixbus from Lille earlier this year (video on my channel ;) ) The ferry my trip took used Irish Ferries - so it seems that even Flixbus don't have a set contract with one operator or another (some crossings were noted as Tunnel rather than Ferry). Yes some issues have happened in the last few years making everything a ton more difficult - also enabling some questionable behaviour by immigration control agents...
Yes I did wonder if Flixbus have a contract with one operator or not as the display at Bercy Seine said DFDS on it and I wasn't really sure who we were going to get until it turned up at Calais and went through the P&O gate. An interesting trip all-in-all, nice to do it once or twice but yep, probably Eurostar normally if I needed to travel between the two. Cheers mate.
Great idea Mark to do the trip the other way as you got to video in daylight and use the ferry where as most of the other vids on this trip are overnight going the other way. There is a direct FlixBus from Manchester to Paris but there is so much competition on the planes it can cost as little as £12 more inc a checked bag though at short notice the coach would be much cheaper of cause. I did not think there could be a worse bus station than the former Manchester Arndale one but I agree Bercy looks dreadful. It would be great to see you do a review on the new Railjet sleeper pods, they look great value for solo travellers.
Hi mate, yep it was always the plan to do this route in daylight (especially at this time of year there's limited choice). I've thought about the Manchester to Paris Flixbus run many times - I'm just saving up my energy to do it!! Never experienced the old Arndale bus station but it has got me thinking, what is the worst bus/coach station in Britain!?!
We went to Calais as foot passengers on that ship in September last year. P&O ain't what it used to be, sadly. Personally, if we used the ferry again (we're really Eurotunnel users by car tbh) it would be with anyone but P&O - what they did to their staff has left a lingering bad taste in the mouth in Kent. The only thing that 'might' persuade us to go with them is the dog owner's area.
Dover really is oriented towards freight now that Eurotunnel has eaten into their customer base.
I totally agree with you that the coach station in Paris is abysmal. But to be fair to the coach companies, it should be remembered that we used to have Eurolines doing the London to Paris link and Flixbus is a fairly recent development. Go back about 7 to 8 years and coach routes across France (eg like National Express in UK) were few and far between. This was partly due to the monopoly of French Railways. So maybe it will take a bit more time and some consumerism for coach services in France to improve.
Great video as usual Mark. That Bercy bus station is grim ... it's almost as if the authorities want travellers to take SNCF rather than the bus.
Hi Alex, cheers for the comment (and thanks for the Twitter responses on TfW btw!). Yep, I thought it worth pointing out and although I was leaving Paris, the arrival experience for anyone travelling by coach (i.e. their first impressions of the city perhaps?) is just terrible. You would think the 'authorities' would care a bit about that.
I've been through Bercy a few times, and the toilets are completely grim. It's such a nasty bus station. Welcome to Paris!
@@LetsMakeaTrip you said that if people think Victoria coach station was bad Paris Bercy was worse you weren’t kidding
❤ great
Thanks
Couldn't do it without toilet on coach 😢 nice video again ....still sea sick watching you arrive in blighty 😮....
Ah yes it wasn't too bad the crossing Arthur. I'm off to the Isle of Man on Sunday - that could well be a lot worse!
Excellent video👍👍👍. Used from go from Grenoble to London via Bercy in the 80s. Used to be awful then! Looks like it hasn’t changed. Quick question. Hoping to get the Flixbus to Paris soon. Any recommendations on which seat for someone who is 6ft 3ins? 👍👍
I heal, if it was National Express, seat 2A every time. But because of the variation with the Flixbus operators I think it’s a bit of a lottery what you’re gonna get tbh. All I would say is get there early and if you’re one of the first on the coach, try and get an emergency exit seat.
I did this trip back on 1st February 2020 (Brexit day) but we went through the tunnel rather than on the ferry. I was in the front seat and got chatting to the driver who was really friendly and actually invited me to come and sit in the crew seat for the last leg of the journey.
I didn’t even realise there was a brexit day tbh (I’d prefer not to think about it!). Nice experience in the crew seat though, I’ve only ever done that once and only for a short trip at that 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip I agree with you re Brexit. It was a sad day but on 1st February 2020 we didn't know what was coming down the track.
Sitting in the crew seat is always an interesting experience but not something I've had the chance to do often. Last year I managed it on both a Megabus and a Flixbus back from Birmingham to Bristol (I was friends with the drivers).
The coach station in Paris is hell!
I just think the French coach travelling public deserve better. Seems like no one cares.
@@LetsMakeaTrip even when it comes to facilities there none existent. Nowhere to even get a coffee have to go right across the park then over the street, and it’s €6 a cup!
Brilliant video as always Mark!!
Hope that crossing was not too rough. Have you travelled across the Irish Sea when it is rough?? The ship looks great though.
Totally agree with the difference in price between the frieght dtivers and normal pasengers reataurants. Irish Ferries charge more rhan double for some of rheir meals.
Hope all is well and you have a great weekend, take care
Cheers Peter. Coming back from the IoM last year I thought it was pretty rough (see my video on that aif you haven't already). I'm back over there tomorrow on the new Manxman. It's looking a bit windy tbh but I'll see how it goes. I'm not too scared, yet!!
@@LetsMakeaTrip yes I've already seen that video. Hope you have a good journey over to IoM. I've never visited there and definitely on my wish list to visit it. Hope you have a good weekend, take care and stay safe
Great long-awaited travelogue mate. The Bercy Bus Station is somewhere I still would be weary of going. It seems a very grotty place and the park besides it reminds me of a similar one in my hometown of Bologna (coincidentially the same type of people you saw at Bercy use that park, which is also behind the coach station but with no direct entrance through it).
To be fair, travelling by coach across the channel is something that is in my bucket list (preferrably with Flixbus, as some of my mates travelled from Italy to Paris with BlaBlaCar Bus and they did not recommend me). I think you should try the Flixbus which goes via the Eurotunnel and book a front seat as the maneouvring to get into that train is somewhat brilliant driving skills.
Here in Malta, the only long distance coach journey are with coaches bought by local companies from Britain and driven over to our island. Once here, they are usually used for school services or private tours
Cheers mate, yep good shout about the tunnel and I would definitely want to be in the front seat for that (I did look at the front seat for this one but it was booked up unfortunately). I wish they’d do something with the coach station in Paris. Just such a dump considering it’s prominence in terms of being a coach travel hub. Almost insulting to passengers really.
@@LetsMakeaTrip the worst coach station I have ever used was the one in Rome Tiburtina railway station last Sunday. Such a dump of a place and a disgrace for the city of Rome too
Ooh, maybe I’ll give it a try!!
@@enricomonti156 does flixbus still use the Eurotunnel? We used the tunnel going from London to Antwerp
@@BoskiM I believe that some services do both at daytime and night
yay, first to comment !!
Well that was a good journey mate apart from the Loo Review but just to mention that apart from the ferry the coach from Paris to London and back to apart also goes via train as well but thought you'd be intetrested lol
Cheers Caleb. I knew the Flixbus went on the ferry (well this one anyway) as it detailed it in the timetable when I booked. BlaBlaCar use the tunnel I'm pretty sure of that but like I said, they seem to be totally unreliable.
Im not sure about nowadays, but bus and coach drivers used to be able to get a meal at the services for 1p! Presumably because you taken 50 or so paying passengers. I managed it once and was transferring an empty bus between depots 😅
It's not uncommon for bus drivers to get a voucher for a free meal if they stop at a tourist attraction, or say, a garden centre even with as few as a dozen passengers. I used to do volunteer community bus driving in Scotland visiting various places as above and would always ask if bus drivers got a free hot drink and a snack - generally they did. Sometimes it was just tea and a bun, sometimes you'd get a full meal! I'd even get free entrance to castles and stately homes sometimes, too.
P&O suck especially after what they did to their staff , interesting ship tho 🤔 great video mate 👍🙋🏻♂️
Cheers mate, appreciate the comment. 😊👍
It would of been nice to see a bit of Paris. I have never been.
Surprised you didn't try and make friends with some of the folk outside the bus station 😂
lol - maybe I did!
14:30It was probably closed off on account of the weather; you can see the water on the deck there
Yes could be 👍
Nice video
Thanks pal 😊👍
Great video! When going through border force did you have to take your luggage off the bus, or can it stay on while you get your passport stamped?
Just trying to remember what we did. I think it was take all bags with you off the coach but hold luggage was left. I think that’s what happened.
Thank you for your video I enjoyed it the bus station in bercy seine is horrendous I have travelled from Rome by night train to gare du bercy and it was a good station and I walked to gare du Lyon to take the underground to gare du Nord I have travelled by coach from London to Rome with eurolines under the tunnel which I hate it and by ferry which I love and prefer we arrived at the Paris gallien international coach station it was fine I went to the auchan super market below I love to travel by coach but I prefer the train and by driving with my car into Europe
Thanks for the comment Antonio! Some interesting trips you’ve done there but like yourself, I prefer the ferry too. Breaks the journey up 👍
I love the sea I have been traveling since 1970 with my parents from Cambridge to montecassino and Napoli with the car and train I have found memories of all my journeys
i would like you to try Blah blah car at least one day though 😊
Thank you for the video, was a good watch :)
Good work from you.
Blah blah car is a car ride share with somebody? That will be interesting to see
Cheers mate. I’ll probably relent at some point 😂 not sure I’m ready for it yet though!
Sounds like for once you had a good bus journey, with the exception of the toilet.I hope the rest of your journey home was as good, thank you and bye for now.
I did Simon and thanks, as always, for your comment. The rest of the journey I can tell you was a total nightmare. But that's another story for now!!
Cracking video again mark. What’s the one trip report you’ve done on your Channel you’ve made that you regret making now? 😂
Cheers Jack. The Semmering Pass was a bit of a waste of time really, I should’ve just enjoyed the journey. I only regret making it now because I realise my European railway stuff does comparatively poorly compared to the rest. It’s all about target audience I guess.
@@LetsMakeaTripthat’s what every video is about really isn’t it, what’s the audience reaction
Hiya,i will be taking this trip on saturday actually travelling to Paris from Sevilla to Madrid then Madrid to Paris with flixbus.would like to know how long did all border control checks take at Calais?
Enjoyed that mate, was your train to Woking more expensive than Paris to London? Can't have been far off I bet!
Cheerse Jon, not quite. But the one after that was!
Great video. How did you blag your way into the driver's lounge? Full English an absolute bargain
Just my natural charm Daz 😂
You reckon that's bad, you should visit Newcastle Bus Station it's even worse.
I’ve been to the coach station in Newcastle which wasn’t great but not as bad as Paris.
@@LetsMakeaTrip at least at the bus station at Eldon Square is a great improvement but the Coach station is just awful nothing there at all.
The waiting room was closed when I was there. Thing is, it could be really nice it just isn’t used to it’s potential. See my Newcastle to Manchester video for my thoughts 😊👍
Haymarket is bad eldon square is okay
Passengers turning up late. Ex coach driver in me totally gets it. I always gave 10 minutes less because this always always happens 😅
Yes, I’d do the same tbh!
Did you have to stap out for paspoort control and face cheak and scan the bagage
24:50Is that something that's been painted out or a scrape above the rear wheel
I thought it was a scrape that had been badly hidden tbh.
So did you reserve a seat? Do most people honor the reservation?
The ferry looks like a perfectly comfortable, clean, contemporary interior.
Yep, didn't realise at the time but it'd only been in service about 3-4 months. I think there were still probably a few teething troubles like the doors.
Apart from its run by a company that abuses staff
These sorts of trips look like torture to me! But I hate all ferries wherever they are going! If I was on that bus/ferry I'd have spent the entire time wishing I was on Eurostar - no matter how much more it cost!
Cheers Tim, yep I get what you're saying and ultimately, I'd choose Eurostar next time even though I actually love the ferry! I guess it all depends where I'm going but I've got plenty of ferry trips to come I'm afraid!!
So you didn't bring Gary back with you.. check the only fools and horses trip to Calais for that reference
Haha, I will do!
10:30Maybe that was why they stopped at the rest area
Yep, although others have told me there was no mention of it being out of order in the earlier announcement.
That bus terminal is absolutely disgusting. You need an armed guard to escort you to and from the bus! They should build a new above ground bright terminal with proper waiting areas and armed security. That bus terminal would stop me from using this service
Completely agree they should build a new one. Must be terrifying at night
Is it like going through security at the airport you and your bag get x-rayed
Hi Mark. Not a bad trip at all for the price, but as you say what a terrible coach station.
I saw the White Cliffs of Dover about twenty years ago, and even then they were in need of a new coat of paint!
Haha, yep. Though I bet they’re lovely in the summer!
And I thought the old gare routière at Bagnolet was grim. £70 for a hotel in Paris is a bargain! As for the toilet, the announcement said it was near the door. If it wasn't working he'd have said 'hors service' (H.S.) = out of use. You'll sometimes see this on out of service buses too. As a former South Londoner, I always found the last leg, from Blackfen to Victoria, extremely painful and slow. Well done Mark for surviving the ordeal and, like you say, for £29, it's not bad! Wouldn't be my choice to use P&O after what they did but...
Je suis HS
Cheers mate and thanks for the translation on the toilet situation. The P&O thing, it was totally out of my control. In fact, when I was in the coach station it said DFDS Ferries on the departure board, so I'm not even sure whether they can just rock up and go on the next available one or what tbh?? I am aware of the issue with P&O but it was what it was on the day and there wasn't really much I could do about it.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Yeah, absolutely - sometimes we don't have too much choice!
Briliant vid. So interesting. That new boat looked good but the breakfast box didnt look appealing. Any breakfast has to have two sausages and two rashers! Toilet on the coach was looking terrible. I always wonder what happens if someone gets a bad tummy! Thanks for the video.
Cheers Keith. I totally agree with the two sausages and bacon thing. Who doesn't do that!?! I think anyone caught ill on the coach is going to have to use the toilet and just hope they've got some wet wipes or something!
Took a Coach once from liverpool to Lille. Driver s were Scottish and they said "Nobody is allowed to do Jobbies in the Loo" @@LetsMakeaTrip
I'd rather go over the channel in a dingy than go with P&O
At around 5.29 you mention leaving Paris on the A16. Is this correct?
Well please let me know if you think it should be something else 😊
I assume you went directly on to A1
Yep, bit odd the French roads though I find - they seem to have loads of different numbers for the same road?!? Never managed to figure it out tbh.
A great video nonetheless. Thoroughly enjoyed 👌. Thanks
Cheers Mike.
Apparently all the new P&O Ferries are made in China - like everything else...lol. Generally Ive only heard average to bad things about them which is completely opposite compared to the ones like the Bretagne.
There’s certainly not much ‘character’ to them. It’s Dover to Calais I suppose and that’s not exactly the most exotic route in the world!
That was Diversity around the bus station 😂
What is coming up in next week video
Crab Island!
Great video mate . That station looked dodgy asf I hope you didn’t give any money to them beggars
I did give some loose change to someone outside the boulangerie once I’d bought all my food. I don’t mind that, I wasn’t going to use it.
@@LetsMakeaTrip I always give change mate to the genuine homeless people but it’s hard to tell who the real homeless people are
Nope, no mention about a broken toilet in the snippets of the French announcements.
Thanks, I didn't think there was.
Do all Flixbuses have toilets?
I’d like to say yes but there’s so much variation in the coaches I’m not that sure unless it’s a condition for the operator?
@@LetsMakeaTripya that’s fair. It’s just something I’ve thought of as Im thinking of taking long bus journeys in Europe next summer
Well not quite epic as I think that one of the longest bus journeys you can do is Lima, Peru to Buenos Airies, Argentina and it's duration is 3 days!Bercy looks dire also as it's in south Paris not so logical for going north to places like London, Brussels, Amsterdam, etc.
Well no it's probably not as epic as Lima to Buenos Aires I'll give you that! If you want to sponsor me, I'll be quite happy to review that one. Gare Bercy Seine it literally took me 10 minutes to walk there from Gare de Lyon so it's not exactly out of the way so I don't think location-wise it was much of a factor. They just need to knock it down and build something more passenger-friendly.
Excellent🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤❤❤🥤🥤🥤🥤🥤🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🍧🍧🍧🍧🍧🍧
Thanks mate ⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️⛴️👍👍👍👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌
Widely known as the Roma Express, be prepared to fight for your booked seat. The war dead must be turning in their graves 😢
To be fair, despite its many faults, at least the Gare routière de Bercy-Seine has a much more glamorous name than UK equivalents: Digbeth coach station anyone?!
Yes I still think that's the reason they dropped the name Digbeth from the Birmingham hub. It just doesn't sound very glamorous at all. But I have to say, Birmingham Coach Station is pretty impressive these days. I like it!