London 🇬🇧 to South of France 🇫🇷 direct by Eurostar train – what’s the journey like?

For my sun seeking September trip this year, I took advantage of the once daily direct Eurostar train service from London St Pancras International station straight to the heart of Marseille in the South of France. This took 6 hours and 28 minutes. No train changes were required for this trip in Paris or Lille, where normally you would have to change onto a comfortable domestic TGV to the South of France. This meant I could just sit back and relax and let the train take the strain.

As is the norm with all Eurostar services, you simply walk straight off the train when it arrives at your destination and through the station exit – all security checks are completed before the train leaves London.

There is one train per day (on selected days of the week), mainly in the summer months, which leaves St Pancras at 07:19 local time and arrives into Marseille at 14:47 local time making stops en route to drop off customers only at Lyon Part Dieu and Avignon TGV stations. The return direct train journey takes an hour longer for security checks to be conducted at Lille Europe station and leaves Marseille at 15:22 local time.

Eurostar offers two classes of accommodation on this service – that’s Standard and Standard Premier. I opted for Standard Premier and the journey was a breeze with a complimentary breakfast and lunch served with wine while speeding through the French countryside.

In terms of food, I specified a gluten free meal after booking on the Eurostar website (other special dietary requirements are available) and I was served at my seat – no questions asked. You do only have one option if you specify a dietary requirement with the meal being prepared just for you. Customers who don’t specify are given the option of two meal choices when the trolley comes to your seat.

Below is a video I took of the trip’s scenery showcasing some of the best views on offer of the trip speeding through the French countryside. Imagine having a glass of wine in hand enjoying this on a beautiful summer’s day… it was bliss.

Here are some other pictures of the trip including those all important meal photos!

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	FIP Rail Staff Travel Facilities	Public Fares  (purchase online at VR and SJ)
Helsinki to Kemi with VR sleeper train		Seat Couchette Sleeper
Lulea to Stockholm with SJ sleeper train	Not available	Seat Couchette Sleeper

This article was first published in December 2018.