2021-09 | Cardiff, Wales to Paris, France by Train

I recently travelled to Paris for a business trip and due to the location of my work it proved to be most cost and time effective to do the whole journey from Cardiff by train.
The journey involved the following:
- First GWR from Cardiff Central to London Paddington
- Hammersmith & City Line Tube train from London Paddington to Kings Cross St Pancras
- Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord
In total the journey took around 6 hours, though in hindsight could have been quicker as I arrived at St. Pancras 2 hrs 30 minutes before I was due to depart; the Eurostar ticket recommended 2 hours before, but at this time the station was empty and I was the only person going through passport control and security; it did fill up closer to the departure time which would lead me to believe that there would have been quite alot of queuing.
Once you enter the international departure side of St Pancras and have 2 hours or so to wait- be warned, there is nothing much there other than a coffee shop and a small duty free shop. The main shopping area, if that is your sort of thing, is in the domestic side of St Pancras, where there a few other places to pass the time.
I travelled on Standard Premier as I could not justify the steep increase in cost for Business Premier. In short Standard Premier gives you exactly the same facilities as the business offering, the only difference is the meal. Business Premier will give you a 3 course meal, whereas Standard Premier will give you more of an airline style meal. As I was travellling for business the Standard Premier seating gives you more space if your working due to bigger tables, tends to be quieter due to fewer people in the carriage, from a comfort level - more comfortable seats with ample legroom. In comparison with air travel, I would consider it be a 'Premium Economy' offering.
You clear French Immigration in the UK where due to Covid-19 at the time of the video, you had to provide either a negative Covid test or proof of full vaccination in order to be allowed entry into France. Once you arrive at Paris Gare du Nord, you simply walk out of the station since you've already cleared immigration in London; there are some customs officers around, I suspect relying on peoples honesty / performing spot checks where necessary but that is about it.
I chose to stay in close proximity to the station as my business meeting would involve me catching one of the local trains the morning after I arrived, which convieniently also left from Paris Gare du Nord.
On the subject of Gare du Nord- it is a huge train station and appears to also have a small shop centre on one of its many levels. The station serves as the international departure/arrival point for the Eurostar but also has many national TGV and domestic train services. On the lower levels of the station there are also metro (subway) trains which are useful if your looking to explore the city.
I was informed that the area around the station is not great with regards to crime levels; didn't personally experience any issues nor feel under threat during my time there, but the usual warnings would apply about not displaying any obvious signs of wealth and definetly be aware of pickpockets- particularly on the metro- which is covered with warning signs in many languages warning about this.
Using the train certainly beat flying hands down since in comparison to fly I would have had the follwing journey (Assuming a flight from LHR):
- Train from Cardiff to London Paddington
- Heathrow Express to London Heathrow
- Flight from Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaule
- Taxi (Expensive) or metro to Gare du Nord
This journey would have taken more time due to airport security and the process of arriving at CDG, with immigration etc and of course the final journey on the metro which can take the best part of an hour (So I've been informed). In addition, Eurostar does not restrict you with baggage weight though there are restrictions on the quantity of large items (Suitcases) depending on what class your in.
I travelling to Paris, with the intention of staying within the city, be it for business or a city break, I would strongly recommend using the Eurostar service if it is easy / time effective to get to London from your starting point.

[@user-hd8yx3jf7o]

Hello.Nice train video.Thank you for sharing.from Japan.

[@Randommusingsvideos]

Thank you very much!

[@strangev0id]

Nice video. Would like to see the reverse :P

[@arjaymartal1134]

What a wonderful place, it's almost the same in Australia