Eurostar pricing - what's 'normal'?

[SandsofEss]

I’m planning a one way trip from London to the south of France for the early May bank holiday for an adult and a child.

Currently, the one-way Eurostar fare for the two of us to Paris is over £200.

I’m trying to get a sense for whether prices will drop much between now and then. I don’t have a clear idea of the going rate for a Eurostar ticket these days I’d be grateful for any insight.

 

[A S Leib]

I think the cheapest ticket is £39 per leg, but only that low if booked as part of a return trip, with fares for 4-11 year olds ~30% lower, so I'd guess that £85 would be roughly the absolute lowest for a one-way journey for one adult and one child.

 

[Watershed]

I’m planning a one way trip from London to the south of France for the early May bank holiday for an adult and a child.

Currently, the one-way Eurostar fare for the two of us to Paris is over £200.

I’m trying to get a sense for whether prices will drop much between now and then. I don’t have a clear idea of the going rate for a Eurostar ticket these days I’d be grateful for any insight.

Have you considered an Interrail pass? Availability of passholder reservations does depend on the public fare - you can check on this site - but if available it may save you a considerable amount, especially when considering the fact your journey to/from London would also be included, with no peak restrictions.

 

[rvdborgt]

Interrail still have a sale going on until 28 November. Eurostar reservations are €30 in 2nd class. Children under 12 get a free pass when ordered at the same time (but still pay for reservations).

 

[30907]

Interrail still have a sale going on until 28 November. Eurostar reservations are €30 in 2nd class. Children under 12 get a free pass when ordered at the same time (but still pay for reservations).

The sale only applies to 10 days and up. The cheapest pass is £223 plus supplements so unlikely to be worth it.
Fare seems typical for a peak weekend - you might save a bit travelling via Lille but not much. Lowest Price one way seems to be £51.

 

[SandsofEss]

Thanks all.

I did consider an interrail pass a few days ago, but I've never been able to make the economics of it stack up against individual tickets - even when travelling with multiple children.

I managed to find an itinerary that gets us from London to Nimes via Lille for a shade over £200. The sweetener is the first leg will be Standard Premier - it worked out only £18 more.

 

[30907]

I managed to find an itinerary that gets us from London to Nimes via Lille for a shade over £200. The sweetener is the first leg will be Standard Premier - it worked out only £18 more.

Not unusual! And for the distance involved, not bad value.

 

[mad_rich]

£78 return or £52 one-way is pretty widely available a couple of months out - if you can travel midweek and aren't too fussy about departure time. Just look at the Low Fare Finder.

Popular departure times, on bank holiday weekends or half term etc - you're not going to get near those fares. £100pp is probably fair game, and chimes with what I'd expect to pay if I was constrained by dates.

 

[Bald Rick]

The average fare paid by Eurostar oassengers through the tunnel is north of £100, so this seems quite reasonable.

 

[SandsofEss]

It sounds like I can rest easy that I've not paid an overinflated price. Thanks everyone.

 

[RT4038]

Thanks all.

I did consider an interrail pass a few days ago, but I've never been able to make the economics of it stack up against individual tickets - even when travelling with multiple children.

I managed to find an itinerary that gets us from London to Nimes via Lille for a shade over £200. The sweetener is the first leg will be Standard Premier - it worked out only £18 more.

Need to take into account that Interrail reservation availability is restricted, and may not be available for the popular services that you may wish to travel on for the connections necessary.

 

[Watershed]

Need to take into account that Interrail reservation availability is restricted, and may not be available for the popular services that you may wish to travel on for the connections necessary.

It seems to be tied directly to the public fare; if it's above a certain threshold (once reported to me by Eurostar staff as around £126 for Standard and £170 for Standard Premier) then there is no Interrail passholder reservation availability.

Therefore there's a saving to be made even for a simple return journey if the public fare is above the cost of an Interrail pass plus reservation, but less than the above thresholds.

 

[RT4038]

It seems to be tied directly to the public fare; if it's above a certain threshold (once reported to me by Eurostar staff as around £126 for Standard and £170 for Standard Premier) then there is no Interrail passholder reservation availability.

Therefore there's a saving to be made even for a simple return journey if the public fare is above the cost of an Interrail pass plus reservation, but less than the above thresholds.

Yes, but it is misleading to suggest that an Interrail ticket is cheaper for a journey without the availability caveat, as without checking this before purchase, the passenger could find their planned journey much more expensive.

 

[Watershed]

Yes, but it is misleading to suggest that an Interrail ticket is cheaper for a journey without the availability caveat, as without checking this before purchase, the passenger could find their planned journey much more expensive.

My comment above was caveated in such terms.

 

[Citybreak1]

I think £29 is the cheapest fare I can remember in recent times I’m sure I read they are trying to keep prices low. £39 one way is a normal fare now.