Bikes on Eurostar and route South out of Paris
Kafka\'s Doll
Posts: 208
Hello all -- a tip and a question.
The tip: you can now book your bike aboard the Eurostar train on which you travel. Handy. But if you intend to do so, don't do what we did and book tickets first and then call in to Euro Dispatch to book the bikes on. Because, like us, what you might find is that the trains you've booked (because they're too early or too late or some other reason) can't take bikes. We were fortunate inasmuch as we'd said on booking the train tickets that we needed to take bicycles on board, which meant that the same receptionist was prepared to change our tickets, but you might not be so lucky. So what you should do is this: on arriving at St Pancras, go first to Euro Dispatch and check which trains can accommodate bikes on the day you want to travel. Then go book your train tickets, then go back to Euro Dispatch to book your bikes on. That seems like a long way round, but it isn't: the ticket people and the dispatch people will absolutely not talk to each other. You have to check all this yourself. Apparently it's too much to ask that ED give the booking people a list of which trains can't accommodate bikes (in our case because we booked a train that left before the ED opened in the morning). Ho hum. So it's doable, but check with ED first.
The question: after we arrive in Paris we're going to cycle to Fontainebleau. Could anyone suggest the best route? Could we follow the Seine all the way? Are the routes South from Gare du Nord difficult to navigate?
Thanks.
The tip: you can now book your bike aboard the Eurostar train on which you travel. Handy. But if you intend to do so, don't do what we did and book tickets first and then call in to Euro Dispatch to book the bikes on. Because, like us, what you might find is that the trains you've booked (because they're too early or too late or some other reason) can't take bikes. We were fortunate inasmuch as we'd said on booking the train tickets that we needed to take bicycles on board, which meant that the same receptionist was prepared to change our tickets, but you might not be so lucky. So what you should do is this: on arriving at St Pancras, go first to Euro Dispatch and check which trains can accommodate bikes on the day you want to travel. Then go book your train tickets, then go back to Euro Dispatch to book your bikes on. That seems like a long way round, but it isn't: the ticket people and the dispatch people will absolutely not talk to each other. You have to check all this yourself. Apparently it's too much to ask that ED give the booking people a list of which trains can't accommodate bikes (in our case because we booked a train that left before the ED opened in the morning). Ho hum. So it's doable, but check with ED first.
The question: after we arrive in Paris we're going to cycle to Fontainebleau. Could anyone suggest the best route? Could we follow the Seine all the way? Are the routes South from Gare du Nord difficult to navigate?
Thanks.
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Came across this link here ... don't know how useful it will be (I didn't spend much time looking, as what I'm really after is some routes / trails / maps in Fontainebleau forest itself ... if anyone can help??)
http://www.mayq.com/Cycling_out_of_pari ... _south.htm0 -
Thanks, that's very helpful.kevinharley wrote:Came across this link here ... don't know how useful it will be (I didn't spend much time looking, as what I'm really after is some routes / trails / maps in Fontainebleau forest itself ... if anyone can help??)
http://www.mayq.com/Cycling_out_of_pari ... _south.htm0 -
kevinharley wrote:
what I'm really after is some routes / trails / maps in Fontainebleau forest itself ...
Map showing three routes here:
http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/P ... s-plan.pdf
http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/p ... ELO-BD.pdfThe more you spend - the faster you go - the less you see.0
