New Eurostar terminal and British rail network deal means fast times and cheap prices to Paris and Brussels from UK cities like Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool.

London's new Eurostar terminal opens on November 14, 2007, switching from Waterloo to St Pancras. Journey times between London and Paris and Brussels will be cut, but tickets will also go on sale for fast and cheap trains to Europe from 68 towns and cities across Britain. UK train stations from Aberdeen to York, including Manchester, Birmingham, Derby, Peterborough, Rugby, Wigan, Newcastle, Liverpool and Leeds, will be offering budget through-ticketing with fares as cheap as £67 return.

These cheap train tickets also go on sale by phone from November 14th, 2007, (and online from mid-December) and will be available not only through Eurostar but from any of their British Rail network partners: Virgin Trains, East Midlands Trains, First Capital Connect, London Midland and Chiltern Railways. Travelers can expect to find bargain tickets from other sources too, like tour companies, so it will pay to shop around, just as it does with cheap plane tickets.

In many cases journey times from door to door will be quicker than by flying, bearing in mind that the Eurostar train takes you right to the heart of Paris, at the Gare du Nord. If traveling the other way, London's St Pancras Station is also in the city centre, saving a train journey from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton or Stansted.

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DIRECT EUROSTAR TRAINS: LONDON CONNECTIONS

For British travelers whose trains arrive in London at King's Cross station, St Pancras station is a 2-minute walk away. If arriving at Euston it is one tube stop. Other stations such as Waterloo, Liverpool Street and Paddington are connected to St Pancras on the Circle line. Return tickets will include any cross-London connections needed.

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DIRECT EUROSTAR TRAINS: SAMPLE PRICES AND JOURNEY TIMES

Sample journey times to Paris from some British cities, with starting price return fares, include:

• Aberdeen-Paris Gare du Nord 10hr 30m £89
• Birmingham International-Paris Gare du Nord 4hr 40m £77
• Cambridge-Paris Gare du Nord 4hr £71
• Edinburgh Waverley-Paris Gare du Nord 7hr 30m £89
• Glasgow Central-Paris Gare du Nord 8hr £89
• Huntingdon-Paris Gare du Nord 4hr 10m £71
• Leeds-Paris Gare du Nord 5hr 35m £79
• Liverpool Lime Street-Paris Gare du Nord 5hr 50m £84
• Manchester Piccadilly-Paris Gare du Nord 5hr 35m £84
• Newcastle Central-Paris Gare du Nord 6hr £82
• Sheffield-Paris Gare du Nord 5hr 25m £77
• York-Paris Gare du Nord 5hr 10m £79

Journey times to Brussels are anything from 10 to 30 minutes less than Paris, depending on the route.

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For those concerned about their carbon footprint, trains provide a much more eco-friendly way to travel. Eurostar trains also have a better punctuality record than air travel, and of course passengers travel with their own luggage to hand, eliminating the worry of lost luggage.

Another advantage is that travelers can bring back wine and other French and Belgian goodies in bottles, as luggage is carried on and off the trains personally.

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The new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras opens on November 14th, 2007. For more information on tickets and how to book visit the Eurostar website.

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When you get to Paris, why not eat in one of the city's best Michelin-starred restaurants?

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You'll need a good Paris guidebook too.

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And check out some good cheap Paris hotels.

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