Eurostar’s Avignon service opens and Gare du Nord gets a face lift

The Provence town bordered by the left bank of the Rhone river is famed for its UNESCO World Heritage town centre with its ancient ramparts and bridges.

Eurostar passengers are advised to book early for the popular direct service,which runs from July 9 to September 3,this year. 

The high speed route has a direct journey time of less than six hours from Eurostar’s impressive St Pancras International in London, and Ashford International in Kent. Travellers can enjoy boarding the Eurostar train in the UK, and then travelling non-stop through the French countryside, all the way to Avignon, into the heart of Provence. Eurostar trains leave St Pancras at 07:17 arriving in Avignon at 14:08 and returns from Avignon at 16:24 arriving in London at 21:09.

The direct Avignon summer services grow in popularity each year, as passengers avoid airports and sit back to enjoy the ride by train. Eurostar tickets are available from only £109 return in Standard class and £249 return in Standard Premier. If direct services are full, Eurostar offers connecting services from Paris, all year round, that arrive into Avignon TGV station, located just outside the pretty town centre.

Tickets for the connecting services are available from £119 return in Standard class and £239 return in Standard Premier. Any passengers travelling by Eurostar between Disneyland Paris and the UK should also note that the UK Border Agency will no longer carry out passport checks on departure from the Disneyland station (Marne-la-Valee), and instead passports will be checked on arrival in the UK. This means passengers may have a short wait at UK immigration while passports are checked on arrival, so allow an extra half an hour for onward connections.

Meanwhile, Eurostar’s Paris Gare du Nord is currently undergoing a transformation to update the check in and passport control areas, allowing speedier passenger flow at the station.

These areas will be renovated over the next few months to ensure the passenger experience at the Eurostar station is improved and ready for the increased passenger flow expected for the Olympic Games in London in July. There should be little disruption to passengers while the work is being carried out, although it is advisable to arrive around 30 minutes earlier than usual, throughout February, to ensure you don’t have to rush. Eurostar’s convenient Business Premier check-in, of 10 minutes, should not be affected during the improvements.