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London to Lausanne by train
How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Lausanne
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Routes
From London St Pancras International to Lausanne
Journey Summary
from 7hr 30min - 8hr 55min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
The Eurostar will arrive in Paris at the Gare Du Nord, but the Lyria train on to Lausanne 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 Lausanne 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.
The wide variation in the end-to-end journey time is due to the discrepancies between the timings of the Eurostar arrivals and Lyria departures.
The connections with a journey time of more than 8 hours 30mins factor in around 2hr 30 min to make the cross-city transfer, time enough for a lunch in the fabulous Le Train Bleu restaurant within the Gare De Lyon, or in brasserie by the station.
Changing trains in: Paris
Mon-Friday = 3 x optimum connections per day
Saturday = 2 x optimum connections
Sunday = 3 x optimum connections
This the frequency of the connections which involve taking a train direct from Paris to Lausanne.
However, when looking up this journey on the ticket booking websites, you will see additional, alternative connections with 2 x changes of train.
Those journey options will typically involve travelling via Geneva and connecting there for a train on to Lausanne.
Due to the timings of the arrival and departure in Paris, those alternative connections can be faster than taking the direct train from the French capital.
Geneve station isn't a particularly awkward location in which to change trains and tickets will be valid on any train between there and Lausanne.
So if the price and/or timings suit, those journey options that involve travelling via Geneve are definitely worth considering.
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months 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.
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.
Eurostar does not sell tickets for this journey.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | from €79 | |
| Omio | from €79 |
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: Lausanne
If you're heading to stations on the route between Geneve and Brigue/Brig, including Montreux, Martigny, Vevey, Sion and Visp - then the optimum journey is to take these trains and make connections in Lausanne, rather than Geneve.
Which of two routes the trains take from Paris, doesn't impact on the availability of the onward connections - though if you take the trains which travel via Geneve, you'll have only 6 minutes to transfer into the onward trains towards Brig.
Travelling via Frasne:
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 give an idea of the journey experience on this part of the trip.
The train switches to conventional tracks for the remainder of the journey north of Dijon.
Travelling via Geneve:
The first two thirds of the journey is on the same high speed line, but the trains to Geneve leave it farther along
The train will inevitably slow down when it leaves the high speed line, but the journey the becomes a lot more scenic once the train has passed through Bourg-en-Bresse.
Though the views are pleasant rather than amazing; this isn't a route to single out because you want to take a scenic rail journey.
If your reserved seat is on the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) and you're on the upper deck , there are views of the river valley to be enjoyed, once the train has departed Bellegarde; and some glimpses of Lake Geneva for the final 25 minutes of the journey.
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