Day Trip to Paris From London: Eurostar or Fly, and What the Day Really Costs

Can you do Paris in a day from London? Yes, easily, and you've got two ways to do it. The train, which everyone thinks of first, and a 7am flight from Luton that most people never think of at all. Here's what both cost once you add the bit nobody quotes you: the day itself.

The short answer

• Fly: from £114 all in. Luton to Paris CDG on Wed 9 Dec, £58 return with easyJet, out at 07:00, back at 21:45 Paris time, home at 22:00. That's 12.3 hours in France.
• Eurostar: from about £78 return in Standard, St Pancras to Gare du Nord in about 2 hours 16 minutes. Add the same day on the ground and you're at roughly £130.
• The day on the ground: about £56 per person by our costing. Airport bus both ways, a metro day, lunch, dinner and a coffee.

Eurostar: the easy way

The train wins on faff. No airport, no 30-minute transfer, and you arrive at Gare du Nord, which is already in the city. Eurostar says most trains take 2 hours 16 minutes. Check-in closes 30 minutes before departure, and Seat61 suggests getting to St Pancras 60 to 90 minutes before.

Price is where it bites. Seat61's fare table puts Standard at from £78 return (checked 19 October 2026). That's the floor, on the quietest trains, booked early. On a Saturday in December it'll be more. Eurostar's own first and last train times change by date, so check them for your day before you plan dinner.

Flying: cheaper, earlier

This surprises people. On our board the cheapest Paris day trip from any London airport is a plane, not a train:

• Luton, Wed 9 Dec: £58 flight, £114 all in. Out 07:00, back 21:45, 12.3 hours there.
• Gatwick or Southend, same day: about £59 to £60 for the flights, £115 to £116 all in, but you fly home into Luton, so sort your car or train first.
• Bristol, Tue 1 Dec: £80 flight, £136 all in. Out 07:05, home 21:15.
• Manchester, Thu 24 Dec: £83 flight, £139 all in. Christmas Eve in Paris, home by 22:25.

All flight prices are real fares for that exact date, checked between 1 and 19 October 2026. They move daily, so the trip pages show today's price.

What the £56 covers

Our costing for a day in Paris: the RATP bus 350 to and from CDG (£4), a day of metro (£10), lunch (£15), dinner (£27) and a coffee or a glass (£6). Museums and the Eiffel Tower lift are extra. If you take the train, swap the airport bus for nothing, because you're already there.

Our pick: if you're in north London or near Luton, fly. Everyone else, especially anyone south of the river, take the train and enjoy not setting a 4am alarm.

The catch

Paris CDG is a long way out. The flight is cheaper, but you lose an hour each end getting in and out. And a 21:45 flight means leaving the centre by about 20:00, so no late dinner by the Seine. If dinner in Paris is the whole point, Eurostar is the better day even at £15 more.

See every Paris day trip from your airport. Photo: Eurostar train, BudgetBro library.