Through Tickets on Eurostar

[TravellingPhil]

Hi,

We're thinking of planning a rail journey into Europe this Autumn. Been researching the many different ways we can buy tickets.

One option is buy a through ticket from Wolverhampton and then onto Paris or Brussels using Eurostar's website. If I booked a Standard Premier seat, what class would the through ticket put me in on the Virgin Train down to London?

Been playing around with other ways of booking to such as Loco 2 and DB's special rates from London (which I know are a hot topic right now!)

Of course, how I end up booking depends on where we decide to make our final destination and how we choose to break up our journey.

But any useful research is always good.

Many thanks.

 

[jthjth]

Have you considered an Interrail ticket? If you buy the right pass (there are many possibilities....) you can have one outward and one return journey within the UK. Again, assuming the correct pass, you can use Eurostar, with a 38 Euro reservation fee (each direction) for standard premier. (You need a 1st class Interrail pass). It may, or may not, be worth it depending on the amount of travel you intend undertaking whilst abroad. I’ve just been to Switzerland and back on one for a week, though I admit to flying from Heathrow to Zurich. The pass did give me free travel to and from Heathrow. Within the UK it acts more or less like an anytime ticket.

 

[TravellingPhil]

Have you considered an Interrail ticket? If you buy the right pass (there are many possibilities....) you can have one outward and one return journey within the UK. Again, assuming the correct pass, you can use Eurostar, with a 38 Euro reservation fee (each direction) for standard premier. (You need a 1st class Interrail pass). It may, or may not, be worth it depending on the amount of travel you intend undertaking whilst abroad. I’ve just been to Switzerland and back on one for a week, though I admit to flying from Heathrow to Zurich. The pass did give me free travel to and from Heathrow. Within the UK it acts more or less like an anytime ticket.

I know about Interrail tickets but haven't actually researched it yet.

The trip I'm considering the most right now is Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Milan, connect the Bernina Express and then on to Zurich, Nightjet to Hamburg then possibly DB/Eurostar home from there...or even up to Holland and a ferry home. Not sure an Interrail ticket is valid on all of these but will certainly look into it. Thanks!

Real shame there isn't a ferry link between Hamburg and Harwich anymore.

 

[jthjth]

I know about Interrail tickets but haven't actually researched it yet.

The trip I'm considering the most right now is Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Milan, connect the Bernina Express and then on to Zurich, Nightjet to Hamburg then possibly DB/Eurostar home from there...or even up to Holland and a ferry home. Not sure an Interrail ticket is valid on all of these but will certainly look into it. Thanks!

Real shame there isn't a ferry link between Hamburg and Harwich anymore.

On some of those you have to buy a reservation for not many Euro. You can use it freely in Switzerland, and on the Bernina line. (And the rest of the RhB) I’ve just been over quite a lot of the RhB and the Glacier Express over to Zermatt. On the latter you have to pay around 33 CHF extra, but for 8 hours it’s a bargain. On the Bernina Express the marketing folk make it look like you need to pay a reservation fee, but you don’t really. Each train consists of an EMU with first and second class bits, and this EMU hauls a rake of panorama coaches. To sit in the latter you need to pay the fee. To sit in the EMU you can just use your Interrail ticket. If you have a 1st class pass you will find the accommodation pretty empty, and the windows are huge, and open (slide downwards). In the panorama coaches the windows are sealed. These coaches are also usually full of tourist groups. If you stay over in Pontresina you can break the journey potter around the local RhB. Amazingly, if you stay at least two nights in most of the hotels in the area you get a free pass for all the cable cars, which given the cost of the cable cars, is an amazing bargain. See
https://www.engadin.stmoritz.ch/sommer/en/bergbahnen-inclusive/

We stayed in a decent hotel for £125 per night including breakfast (total price for the two of us).

 

[30907]

Standard Premier should get you First on VT. I would check the price differential!

 

[TravellingPhil]

Standard Premier should get you First on VT. I would check the price differential!

I asked Virgin Trains and Eurostar on Twitter and both believe that it would get you a Standard class seat on the Virgin service. Although both would be happy to check for me if I had a booking reference.

 

[S-Car-Go]

I asked Virgin Trains and Eurostar on Twitter and both believe that it would get you a Standard class seat on the Virgin service. Although both would be happy to check for me if I had a booking reference.

They're correct on that. UK portions of through tickets with Eurostar are Standard only even if you have a Standard Premier Eurostar leg. I was surprised too (and I've worked for them since Waterloo days!)

 

[TravellingPhil]

Thanks for confirming. I know using information from companies on Twitter needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, so it's good to have it confirmed that I was given the correct information. Fair play to Virgin and Eurostar for offering to check for me too. We are likely to be going to a Saturday or a Sunday, so we always have the option of the upgrade on the day should we feel it's worth it. I'm not sure I would bother though, depends how busy Standard is. Might have a play and see if there's a way of forcing the through ticket to use Chiltern. I doubt it somehow.

We pretty much have the trip we want to do confirmed for the 2nd week of October. (Wolverhampton-London-Paris-Milan-St Moritz (or Samedan where there's a hotel that looks affordable and pleasant)-Zurich-Hamburg-Brussels-London-Wolverhampton), just researching combinations of tickets. The interrail is looking like an excellent option, it's just the extra reservation fees on Eurostar and TGV that makes it a bit more difficult, plus that TGV have a set quota for interrail reservations. Obviously there's a reservation fee with Nightjet too but that's more me wanting to try out a Nightjet train. Some maths to do though!

And you never know, Eurostar might have a sale for after the summer madness comes to an end. Although that's just wishful thinking.

Thanks again for your replies, I have to admit I'm enjoying the research!

 

[BluePenguin]

Standard Premier should get you First on VT. I would check the price differential!

A friend of mine who went to Paris last summer sat in First on Virgin both ways and had no issues.