Visit Paris or Lille in May

With its brace of bank holidays May is the ideal month to get away for a little city break, or maybe even use those well deserved days off to extend a longer holiday. And with the weather likely to hold up far better than at home, Paris, Brussels and Lille are ideal destinations for your early summer sejourn. As well as all the usual tourist attractions, there are plenty of special events and festivals happening throughout May, so read on to find out some amazing attractions. Eurostar are offering a return fare from just £59.



Fun for all the family
Running throughout the month of May, Paris’ Foire du Trône is one of the largest and oldest country fairs in France, dating back to 957 when merchants met with farmers and producers to trade grain and rice. Nowadays the event incorporates a huge amusement park with arcades and roller coasters, as well as more traditional attractions such as a large Ferris Wheel, carousel rides and wandering acrobats, jugglers and fire-eaters. Check the Foire due Trône's programme of events for this year’s festivities.

Jazz Festivals
May certainly seems to be the month for all that jazz. From 10-25 May, Paris’ Rive Gauche will be swinging to the beat of the Saint Germain Jazz Festival as local and international musicians perform everything from electro-jazz to the blues.

Gastronomic Lille
May is a good month for food in Lille as there are two events devoted to different cuisines. On 1 May every year Lille unites to celebrate the forever popular dish - soup. La Louche d'Or - or The Golden Ladle - takes place in the bistros and stalls of Wazemmes market found at Place de la Nouvelle Aventure. Then at the end of the month (29 May - 7 June), Marché Artisanal (formerly known as Lille aux Saveurs) takes place. Eat your heart out at this gourmet food festival in Lille's Place Rihour. Stalls offer a selection of tasty titbits including cheese and charcuterie. Try some of the regional specialities, such as tarte au sucre (sugar tart) or crème brûlée à la chicorée (crème brûlée with chicory).

A night at the museum
Museums throughout France open for free for one night, offering a chance to whizz round some of the country's finest temporary and permanent collections until 1am. The date this year is 16 May. The Nuits des Musées is an initiative launched by the French Department of Culture in 2005. It opens up some 1000 museums throughout France and Europe to the public, against a background of debates, competitions, conferences and exhibitions, all for no charge. Special events and illuminations await in many of Paris and Lille’s major museums.

Visit Eurostar to book your May break to Paris or Lille.

Visit European Travel blog for European travel ideas and special offers and EuroTravel the one-stop site for travel to and within Europe.

EuroStar Youth Fares From Just £49 Return

Youths between the ages of 12 and 25 can travel on Eurostar from London St Pancras International to Paris or Brussels from just £49 return.

Take advantage of this low fare and book today at Eurostar.


Visit European Travel blog and EuroTravel the one-stop site for travel to and within Europe.

Have you Travelled on the New High Speed Eurostar Yet?

The Eurostar train from London St Pancras to Paris or Brussels now travels at an incredibly fast 186 mph, reaching Brussels in just 1h 51. The ride is comfortable in non-smoking carriages. For an extra treat, I always travel in Leisure Select which gives me a delicious three course meal at my seat with wine and coffee, a choice of newspapers and magazines plus a continental socket so I can plug in my laptop.


the longest champagne bar in Europe




The world famous Brussels' Atomium is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2008 with a string of events in the new Pavilion of Happiness. It was built for the 1958 World Exhibition and completely renovated in 2003.

Eurostar are offering some fantastic Easter breaks from just £73 per person including hotel. You can book hotels on the same site.

Easter egg hunts
If you're after some fantastic Easter egg hunts then the The Chateau Vaux Le Vicomte would make a great visit for the whole family. Just outside Paris, their Easter Egg Hunt is held on both Sunday April 8th and Monday April 9th. Not only do that have egg hunts starting every 40 minutes, there are also a number of free workshops and activities such as making chocolate, origami, face painting, and more. Another option close to Paris is the marvellous Disneyland Paris. Apart from all the fantastic rides, from 19th March - 8th April there will be Easter egg painting, Easter's Big Dipper, Easter egg hunts in Alice's curious labyrinth and special Easter shows.

If you're after some Easter egg hunts in Belgium, just outside of Brussels you can visit Les Pays des Castors which is an animal park dedicated to beavers. Remember to bring your boots if you want to hunt for eggs amongst the beavers! Another hunt will be taking place in Garcet park in Brussels.

Delicious chocolates
Don't forget, that in Belgium, it's sometimes said that the Bells of Rome bring the Easter Eggs. The story goes that the bells of every church leave for Rome on Saturday which is called "Stille Zaterdag" which means "Silent Saturday" in Dutch. Then they return on Sunday with eggs... chocolate eggs hopefully and what better place to find delicious chocolate eggs than Brussels, being home to so many chocolate shops you really won't believe it! One of the most famous of these shops is Neuhaus which has now been making the finest chocolate for 150 years, so look out for their shops with amazing window displays.

Looking for environmentally friendlier travel? A Eurostar journey to Paris or Brussels emits 10 times less carbon dioxide than flying.

Eurostar moves to St Pancras

Eurostar is moving on 14 November 2007.

Eurostar will bid a fond farewell to London Waterloo International on 13 November, and services will start from Europe’s first Destination Station, London St Pancras International on 14 November. Just a few days later, on 19 November, Ebbsfleet International will open to help Ashford International serve Kent and the South East. This stunning new station will offer a seamless travel experience and will be the fastest way to Europe.

Why St.Pancras?
The longest champagne bar in Europe for a start plus a daily farmers' market. St.Pancras is also very well-connected with six Tube lines and seven train operators for Kings Cross, St Pancras International and Euston. The station itself and the surrounding area have had a dramatic facelift you are sure to like what you see. Now fully restored to house the 400-metre-long Eurostar trains on six platforms and given a stunning contemporary twist, it has been reborn as St Pancras International. Much more than just a station, it will be a place to meet, eat, and shop till you drop.

What is HighSpeed 1?
It is all in the name – the UK’s first dedicated high-speed rail line, running for 68 miles (109 km) from the Channel Tunnel near Folkestone to St. Pancras International in central London. Eurostar trains will travel at up to 186 mph (300km/h) – 50% faster than even Britain’s fastest domestic rail services. For now, the line will only be used for Eurostar so that it can travel at seriously high speeds. This means journey times will be at least 20 minutes shorter and the legendary punctuality will improve even further. You may have heard about the record-breaking run on 4 September, with the fastest ever journey time between Paris and London of 2h 03.



2h 15 from St Pancras International to Paris
2h 05 from Ebbsfleet International to Paris



1h 51 from St Pancras International to Brussels
1h 41 from Ebbsfleet International to Brussels



1h 20 from St Pancras International to Lille
1h 10 from Ebbsfleet International to Lille

Better for the Environment
From the moment they move to St. Pancras on 14 November, all journeys on Eurostar will be carbon neutral. They will achieve this by reducing carbon dioxide emissions
and through a number of carbon-offsetting projects, at no extra cost to the traveller. It is all part of the big plan, code name Tread Lightly, which is their commitment to minimise the impact that Eurostar has on the environment, both as a way to travel and as a company.

Engineering info
Section two of the high-speed line boasts an array of engineering features: London Tunnel overall length (Islington to Dagenham) 19km. Longest single tunnel (Stratford to Dagenham) 10.5km. Internal diameter (single track) 7.15m. Thurrock Viaduct (close to M25, junction 30) 1.3km. Thames Tunnel (under River Thames between Swanscombe and Thurrock) 3km.



Be one of the first to travel to or from London St.Pancras International with Eurostar to Paris, Brussels or Lille.

Visit Eurotravel, the one-stop site for travel to and within Europe.

Paris to London on Eurostar

The first Eurostar train to use the new St Pancras terminal has broken the London to Paris record after a trip of two hours, three minutes and 39 seconds. The train travels at around 192mph. The quicker time should help to drive up passenger number and allow Eurostar to compete with budget airlines.

Book Eurostar between London and Paris or Brussels

Eurotravel for travel to and within Europe.