Visits to London - Eurolines night bus experience

If you're living in Paris for an extended period of time, avoiding at least a weekend visit to London would be a crime. Not wanting to commit any such sort of traveling atrocity, Alej and I just got back from our 4 day weekend deal in our neighboring city.

Small bits of experiential advice. We took the Eurolines overnight bus to and from London as it was the cheapest option available (60 euro roundtrip as opposed to about 200 euro Eurostar) and we had had very pleasant experiences with overnight buses in Japan. Unfortunately Eurolines is not whatever Japanese bus line we took, which featured majorly reclining seats and an uninterrupted drive (except for a convini stop). It's definitely just a regular bus, where the angle of reclining is only good enough for major neck cramps. But that's not really the problem. On our way there our passports were checked on three different occasions. We even took a detour to Charles de Gaulle airport for a passport check before heading to the channel. Then our passports were checked twice again at the border before the channel, once on the French side and another on the British side, which lasted about an hour and a half. I found it extremely strange that our passports were checked so often, and how fairly thoroughly and suspiciously we were interrogated. Sadly, I think the customs methods for Eurolines clients is dependant on the niche market of the passengers, and it ruffled my feathers far more than being awoken every 1-2 hours or the neck-busting seats.

Needless to say, we received very little sleep on our way to London, arrived grumpy in the dark cold and then spent another hour and half trying to figure out how/where to buy city bus tickets (since you can't just pay on board in London) but that is another story.

Upon arriving at the hostel, it was far too early to check in, so there was no relief of a nap in our near future. We wandered around the Thames groggily, sight-saw some obligatory points of interest, ate breakfast, visited Tate Modern, all before 1pm. Probably my most productive tourist morning, ever. We were really exhausted throughout the day though, and took a 3 hour nap as soon as our beds were ready.

In conclusion, if you have the money, take the Eurostar absolutely. Alternately, take the Eurostar to London so you won't lose an English day groggy, and then take the Eurolines back to Paris, where you can finish sleeping through the morning in your bed. If you have school on Monday, you'll want to come back Sunday morning. Going to class shortly following your Eurolines night if you arrive to Paris Monday morning will not ensue in a pleasant classroom experience I can assure you. If you need to save money, go ahead and take the Eurolines both ways. It really is not that horrible of an experience, just know what to anticipate. It's a normal bus and you'll be woken up a lot throughout the night. There really will not be a problem at the border, but do not be surprised by some attitude and unexpected questions.

Metro - Cheaper to Buy Pack of 10

Since I live in the 6eme which is very centrally located, I can walk to school (very easily) and pretty much anywhere in Paris. I prefer walking because I cannot afford a gym membership,* and running in the snow for a half-Floridian doesn't seem amusing. It is also necessary to emancipate oneself from the result of endless croissants, pain au chocolat, and macarons that somehow magically find their way into your system upon entering the great delectable country of France. Really I have no idea how that happens. They just... one second I'm looking through a boulangerie vitrine, then I pass out, then there are very suspicious croissant flakes all over my shirt! How did that happen!? I did not approve this beforehand!

But, I digress. Point is I walk. Since I take the metro so rarely, I haven't bothered getting a Navigo pass or a student pass. I used to just buy tickets every time - not smart.

If you're going the ticket route, do yourself the favor at least and buy a pack of 10 at a time (carnet de dix tickets). It costs 11.60 euro. If you were to buy them individually, at 1.60 euro a pop, 10 would cost you 16 euro. See? Also, the tickets work for buses! And they're also cheaper than paying the bus fare itself. Happy transport!


*(and neither can most Parisians from what I gather - there's no gym culture here like the US, space is limited and prices are exorbitant)