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London to Dijon by train
How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Dijon
Travelling by train from London to Dijon has been particularly compromised by the (temporary) reduction in train services due to the pandemic.
On Saturdays the intervals between Eurostar arrivals and TGV departures in Paris is so long, that the ticket agents aren't offering any departures at all.
The usual option for making a connection in Lille, thereby avoiding the cross-Paris transfer, isn't currently available.
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Routes
Option 1: travelling via Paris
Journey Summary
4hr 55 - 5hr 35min approx
Daily
Travel Information
The Eurostar will arrive in Paris at the Gare Du Nord, but the TGV to Dijon will depart from the Gare De Lyon.
This guide explains how to make the transfer between the two stations by RER train.
The London to Dijon tickets do not include the transfer across Paris.
When making a booking, check the connection time between the arrival at Gare Du Nord and the departure from Gare De Lyon.
Some of the journeys have a connection time of between 1hr and 1hr 15mins - which should ensure that you won't be making the transfer across Paris against the clock!
Current timetable:
Mon -Thurs = 1 x connection per day
Friday = 4 x connections
Saturday = no connections
Sunday = 4x connections
Usual timetable (pre-pandemic)
Mon -Thurs = 9 x connections per day
Friday = 11 x connections
Saturday = 8 x connections
Sunday = 9 x connections
Changing trains in: Paris
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: 90 days ahead (usually)
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.
The price below is for a one way fare; if you're booking a return ticket, it's likely you will be offered a cheaper price in each direction.
A big plus of booking the Eurostar direct on Eurostar.com is that you can access a 'Manage Your Booking' facility - which enables you to change the seat that you will have been initially assigned when making a booking.
Click on the 'train details' for more information.
The different types of ticket summarised
Also worth knowing is that when travelling by Eurostar you can choose between three classes of service, and this also impacts on the exchanges and refunds of what Eurostar refers to as 'Flexible tickets'
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
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Eurostar | from £51 | |
| Trainline | from £51 | |
| Oui.SNCF | from €58 | |
| Omio | from €58 |
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 depart from the Gare De Lyon in Paris.
Final Destination: Dijon, Bescancon, Mulhouse,
Some trains also call at: Montbard
This a functional, rather than fabulous journey, though the TGVs will spend around 50 mins travelling on the the high speed line.
A high speed line not used by the alternative slower service of TER trains.
Around seven minutes after departure, the train will move on to the high speed line south from Paris and it will then travel at more than 270 km/h for around 1hr 10mins.
The video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, but it gives an idea of the journey experience on this part of the trip.
The train switches to conventional tracks north of Dijon, and this is the the more scenic part of the journey.
Option 2: via Lille (currently not available)
Journey Summary
6hr 3min
Daily
Travel Information
Making the connection between the Eurostar from London and the TGV to Dijon in Lille has the major advantage of avoiding the need to transfer between stations in Paris - which you'll encounter if you take the regular, alternative route via the French capital.
Though the benefits are negated somewhat by the fact that the Eurostar from London will be arriving at Lille Europe station, but the TGV on to Dijon will be departing from Lille Flandres station.
This guide explains how to make the connection in Lille.
As the transfer time in Lille is more than hour, the ticket agents won't sell this end-2-end journey via Lille.
You will need to split the booking into London to Lille and Lille to Dijon journeys.
Depart daily from London at 15:04 and you should arrive in Lille at 17:26
The train on to Dijon is scheduled to depart at 18:57, so you'll have enough time to make the transfer, even if the Eurostar runs an hour late. both of these trains are currently suspended
1 x connection per DAY
Changing trains in: Lille
Tickets
When available both journeys can be booked on Trainline and paid for in one transaction.
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
Final Destination: Bruxelles-Mid or Amsterdam or Marne La Vallée
Some trains also call at: Ebbsfleet International (07:04 on Mon-Fri; 09:12 and 13:15 daily) or Ashford International (07:28 on Mon-Sat and 18:28 on Sunday) these station calls have been suspended until further notice
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.
Virtually all of the departures between London and Lille will be by the e320trains.
At St Pancras International
Eurostar REQUESTS that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure, and 45mins before departure on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure.
The guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
The trains only call at Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations to pick up passengers, so these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International or announced on the train.
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 line in France.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Mulhouse-Ville
Note that this train departs from Lille Flandres station and NOT from Lille Europe station.
This is the only direct train from Lille to Dijon and it is scheduled to depart from Lille daily at 18:57 and arrive in Dijon at 21:53
If you'd rather arrive in Dijon earlier, then there are are other, virtually hourly journey options, which will sold by the ticket agents.
However, these more frequent, alternative options all involve having to make the transfer across Paris, from the Gare Du Nord where the train from Lille will arrive - and the Gare De Lyon, which is where the train on to Dijon will be departing from.
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