London-Marseille tickets on sale

TICKETS for Eurostar’s direct year-round London-Marseille service have gone on sale, with prices starting at €111 return.

Journeys from the heart of London or Ashford to the centre of Lyon, the French capital of gastronomy will take about four-and-a-half hours, while the Provence lavender fields will be reached in a less than six hours, or the bright lights of Marseille in little more than six hours.

As reported, Eurostar revealed plans for the service earlier this year.

The service will start on May 1, 2015, and five daily trains will run between July 5 and August 31. Currently, one weekly service is planned for November and December, while three services will run weekly for the rest of the year.

The news will be welcomed by rail travellers in France, who this week were hit by news of a 2.6% increase in train fares.

Tickets for the new year-round route start at €111 return for Lyon and €123 return for Avignon and Marseille, with up to five services a week, depending on the time of year, the train operator has said.

Passengers travelling from France back to the UK can board their train without the need to arrive 30 minutes before departure, because check-in, security and immigration checks will take place at Lille Europe, where customers will leave the train before continuing to Ashford and London.

Lille Europe has recently reopened following extension and refurbishment in preparation for welcoming passengers from Lyon and the south of France.

For more information, log on to the Eurostar website.

Photo: JackPeasePhotography