Eurostar launches London-Aix TGV

EUROSTAR is to start a direct London to Aix-en-Provence TGV service each Saturday in May and June with stops in Lyon and Avignon.

It is the forerunner of a new service that is intended to run in 2015. Prices are €99 in standard class Lyon-London and €199 in premier, rising to €109 standard and €249 premier for Aix-London.

The first train leaves St Pancras on May 4 at 7.17 and arrives 4h43 later in Lyon Part-Dieu, 5h52 later in Avignon and 6h17 later in Aix at 14.34.

However, travellers heading from France to London will face longer journey times due to customs checks needing to be made at Lille. On the London outbound services these checks are done before boarding at St-Pancras.

Trains leave Aix at 15.57, Avignon at 16.21 and Lyon at 17.38 to arrive in London at 22.39. The Aix-London journey takes seven hours 42 minutes.