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Marseille to London by train
How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from Marseille to London
There are up to three options for making the journey by train from Marseille to London:
- Year round, the most frequent option is to travel via Paris and make the cross-city transfer between terminals in French capital.
- Also available year round there is the option to travel via Lille and thereby avoid the cross Paris transfer.
- On certain dates in the summer there is a direct train, which by default becomes the optimum option.
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Routes
Option 2: travelling via Lille
Journey Summary
7hr 45min - 8hr 15min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Take this journey via Lille and you could avoid having to make the transfer in Paris between the Gare De Lyon and Gare Du Nord.
So it's an easier journey than travelling via Paris and usually no more expensive.
Change trains in: Lille
3 x connections per day
Typically departing Marseille at 06:36; 12:12 and 15:12
The interval between trains is around two hours when departing at 06:36 daily and at 15:12 on Monday to Friday and Sunday, so these connections may not be offered as an end-to-end journey by the ticket agents.
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead
The very cheapest tickets tend to sell out particularly quickly on this route.
On the ticket agents, the search results for Marseille to London journeys, combine these journeys via Lille with the alternative connections via Paris
The ticketing terms:
If you book Standard or Standard Premier tickets, you can exchange them if need be, to an alternative departure on your booked route; but if you want to transfer your ticket to a new departure less than 7 days before your travel date, you will need to pay an admin fee of £30 for Standard Class tickets, £40 for Standard Premier tickets PLUS the price difference with the new ticket you will be booking.
What's new, in response to the pandemic, is that these £30/40 charges aren't applied if you want to transfer to an alternative departure more than seven days before your travel date.
Business Premier tickets are less restrictive, in response to the pandemic they can now be refunded and they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference.
Eurostar's full ticket terms and conditions are here
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * | |
| SNCF Connect | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Bruxelles or Lille
Alternative trains:
You can also now opt to travel from Marseille to Lille by Ouigo trains - they take the same high speed lines as these InOui services.
They're (much) cheaper than taking these standard InOui trains, but the on-board experience is more basic.
You also need to be at the station 30 mins prior to departure of Ouigo trains, so that you'll have time to pass through Ouigo reception.
The departure from Marseille at around 10:00 has a two hour connection into a train on to London in Lille.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: London St. Pancras International
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 shorter.
Most of the departures between Lille and London will be by the e300 trains; but the newer e320 trains are now also being used on this route.
Our guide to arriving by Eurostar in London is here.
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with five distinct phases and highlights:
1: There is little to see from the high speed lines in France.
2: 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.
3: As the train nears Ebbsfleet International station, comes the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway on a high bridge.
4: After Ebbsfleet International (which can only be seen from the right) the train will enter a tunnel under the River Thames.
As the train exits this tunnel, from the left, the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge can be seen.
5: For most of the final 8 -10 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to enter London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
Option 3: travelling via Paris
Journey Summary
7hr 10min - 8hr 30min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Travel via Paris and you will need to make the transfer between the Gare De Lyon, where the TGV will arrive, and the Gare Du Nord, from where the Eurostar will depart.
All of the journeys via Paris sold by the ticket agents will allow more than 1hr 15mins to make the transfer and to check-in for the Eurostar.
So making the connection on time shouldn't be a problem.
The longer end-to-end journey times allow additional time to cross Paris.
However, in the rare event of the TGV from Marseille being heavily delayed, you will be able to transfer tickets free of charge to a later departure* on from Paris.
You can do this at the Eurostar ticket office at Gare Du Nord.
*Unless you take the final connection of the day from Marseille.
TGV InOui + Eurostar
Mon - Fri= 9 x connections per day
Saturday = 7 x connections
Sunday =8 x connections
Ouigo + Eurostar
Up to two additional daily connections are typically available, but on these end-to-end journey you will be taking a more basic Ouigo service from Marseille to Paris
Change trains in: Paris
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead
The very cheapest tickets tend to sell out particularly quickly on this route.
On the ticket agents, the search results for Marseille to London journeys, combine these journeys via Paris with the alternative connections via Lille.
The ticketing terms:
If you book Standard or Standard Premier tickets, you can exchange them if need be, to an alternative departure on your booked route; but if you want to transfer your ticket to a new departure less than 7 days before your travel date, you will need to pay an admin fee of £30 for Standard Class tickets, £40 for Standard Premier tickets PLUS the price difference with the new ticket you will be booking.
What's new, in response to the pandemic, is that these £30/40 charges aren't applied if you want to transfer to an alternative departure more than seven days before your travel date.
Business Premier tickets are less restrictive, in response to the pandemic they can now be refunded and they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference.
Eurostar's full ticket terms and conditions are here
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Eurostar | from £72 (approx) | |
| SNCF Connect | from £72 (approx) | |
| Trainline | from £72 (approx) | |
| B-Europe | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Journey description:
These TGV InOui trains travel on to the high speed line around 10 mins into the journey and then don't leave it until it reaches the outskirts of Paris.
Most of the wow factor comes from travelling at more than 285 km/h for most of the journey, but the first 45 mins of the journey is the most scenic.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar is operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Note that these trains depart from the Gare Du Nord.
Final Destination: London St Pancras
Some trains also call at: Ashford International or Ebbfleet Intermational (these station calls have been suspended until 2023)
The majority of trains have a journey time of 2hr 16mins and these trains are non-stop between Paris and London
Our guide to arriving by Eurostar in London is here.
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 shorter.
Checking-in:
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure, and 45mins before departure on weekends and holidays.
It is up to you to allow time to pass through check-in and board the train.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure.
At Gare Du Nord the check in and waiting area for the Eurostar (the 'Hall Du Londres') is at an upper level, above the main concourse.
The access to this upper level is some distance from the voie/platforms/tracks that the Eurostars depart from.
The escalators leading up to Eurostar departures are located at the rear wall of the station building - on opposite side of the concourse to voies/platforms/tracks 14 - 15.
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with distinct phases and highlights:
1: There is little to see from the high speed lines in France, particularly after Lille (the trains to Paris will rush through Lille Europe station).
2: 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.
3: As the train nears Ebbsfleet International station, comes the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway on a high bridge.
4: After Ebbsfleet International (which can only be seen from the right) the train will enter a tunnel under the River Thames.
As the train exits this tunnel, from the left, the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge can be seen.
5: For most of the final 8 -10 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to enter London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
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