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London to Biarritz by train
How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Biarritz
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Routes
From London St Pancras International to Biarritz
Journey Summary
8hr - 8hr 35min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
The Eurostar will arrive in Paris at the Gare Du Nord, but the TGV on to Biarritz will depart from Paris Montparnasse station.
This guide explains how to make the transfer between the two stations using the Paris Metro.
When making a booking, check the connection time between the arrival at Gare Du Nord and the departure from Gare Montparnasse.
The wide variations in the current end-to-end journey times are mainly to do with the time between the arrival and departures in Paris.
The current, more limited timetables, have compromised the connections, the majority of which now allow 2hr 30mins between trains; time enough for a lunch in a brasserie by Montparnasse station.
Mon - Fri = 3 x connections per day
Sat/Sun 2 x connections
Changing trains in: Paris
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: 90 days ahead
The very cheapest tickets tend to sell out particularly quickly on this route, they're more likely to be available if you can travel on a Tuesday - Thursday, or are happy to set off from London early in the morning.
If you do want to split the booking then Trainline will sell both the London to Paris and Paris to Biarritz journeys
Add each journey to its ‘basket’ and you can pay in one transaction.
A plus of booking with Eurostar.com is that you can access a 'Manage Your Booking' facility which enables you to change the seat on the Eurostar, that you will have been automatically assigned when making a booking.
Click on the Eurostar 'train guides’ for more information on how to do this.
The ticketing terms:
If you book Standard or Standard Premier tickets, you can exchange them if need be, to an alternative departure on your booked route; but if you want to transfer your ticket to a new departure less than 7 days before your travel date, you will need to pay an admin fee of £30 for Standard Class tickets, £40 for Standard Premier tickets PLUS the price difference with the new ticket you will be booking.
What's new, in response to the pandemic, is that these £30/40 charges aren't applied if you want to transfer to an alternative departure more than seven days before your travel date.
Business Premier tickets are less restrictive, in response to the pandemic they can now be refunded and they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference.
Eurostar's full ticket terms and conditions are here
Travelling via Paris is the best option for making the London to Biarritz journey by train - there are no direct trains from Lille to Biarritz.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Eurostar | from £78 (approx) | |
| Oui.SNCF | from €78 (approx) | |
| Trainline | from €78 (approx) | |
| Omio | from €78 (approx) |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar will be operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
When the usual timetable is operating;
The majority of trains have a journey time of 2hr 16mins and these trains are non-stop between London and Paris.
All departures from London after 14:30 are non-stop to Paris.
Depart from London before 14:30 some trains will call at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations.
However as the trains only call at these stations to pick up passengers - these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International or usually announced on the train.
At St Pancras International:
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins BEFORE departure, though this increased to 45mins on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure.
Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with SIX distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed lines in France.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Note that these trains to Biarritz depart from the Gare-Montparnasse in Paris.
Final Destination: Hendaye or Irun
All Trains Also Call At: Bordeaux and Bayonne
This journey is an opportunity to experience the best of French high speed rail travel, you'll be travelling on the latest version of the TGV train on the newest high speed line in France.
These trains comprise the fastest ever Paris - Biarritz service because they use the full length of the new LGV Sud Europe Atlantique high speed line so are non-stop between Paris and Bordeaux.
There isn't a high speed line between Bordeaux and Biarritz - and this part of the journey isn't particularly scenic either, don't expect coastal views.
Departing from Paris
Two TGV trains will be usually be joined together for the part of the journey between Paris and Bordeaux, the coach number on your ticket will for a coach in the part of the train heading to Biarritz.
So don't be surprised to see a train, heading to a destination other than Hendaye/Irun and calling at Biarritz, departing at the same time AND from the same voie/platform/track as your train.
This will be the destination of the other TGV train that will be attached to the train heading to Hendaye/Irun - for the journey between Paris and Bordeaux.
This is a journey of two distinct parts.
Between Paris and Bordeaux the train will spend around 2hr 15mins travelling at more than 280 km/h on the extended high speed line
There isn't a high speed line between Bordeaux and Biarritz so the train will be on conventional tracks for the remainder of the journey.
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