Greentraveller's Guide to taking the train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Bayonne in the Basque Country region of southwest France.
It is possible to travel by train from London to Bayonne in just over 7 hours if you take the Eurostar to Paris and then change stations to Paris Gare Montparnasse and continue the journey by train to Bayonne.
Bayonne is in the southwest of France close to the Spanish Border where there are a range of wonderful places to visit including Vauban's ramparts, Saine-Marie Cathedral, Le Petit Bayonne and the Saint-André trinquet, and the Basque Museum.
Journey Time: fastest from 7 hours 15 minutes
Sample timetable: Depart London 11.31am, arrive Bordeaux 7.47pm
Changes: 1
Transfer: Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare Montparnasse
Frequency of Departures: 12/day
Carbon emissions: 12.71kg (flight would be 70.43kg)*
Car hire at Bayonne Railway Station: Yes
Train tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
What's the journey like?
You have to change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse, which can take about half an hour on the Paris metro (though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer). See our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris.
Stopover hotels to break the journey in Paris
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay near both Gare du Nord and Gare Montparnasse. Here are some examples of hotels that are conveniently near these stations:
Miss your connection in Paris?
Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection because of a delay on the preceding leg of a high speed journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager. Whenever you’re connecting, always remember to validate your onward train ticket at the machine on the platform before departing (these are often coloured yellow).
For more overland train journeys, see our Flight-Free Train/Ferry Journey Planner
On arrival at Bayonne train station
Bienvenue à Bayonne! There are lots of hotels near to the station,
see: Hotels near Bayonne train station or click on the map below:
Bon Voyage!
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