So working backwards from the train jaune, how do you get there by connecting Eurostar deals and TGV all the way from London?

To The Train Jaune via Andorra

Well on the Spanish side, the independent principality of Andorra which actually borders with France as well, is quite close to the western terminal of the train jaune, but you need to get a taxi between Andorra and Latour de Carol since the bus service was apparently withdrawn in 2005. The taxi from L’Hospitalet near Andorra to La tour de Carol costs around 50-60 euro which is quite steep for a 20km trip.

It is possible though to miss out Andorra entirely by catching the overnight ‘Lunéa’ sleeper train from Paris Gare d’Austerlitz as follows:

Eurostar Deals to l’Hospitalet près l’Andorre

Get tickets for the London to Paris Eurostar which departs from London St Pancras station at 16:22 and arrives at Paris Gare du Nord at 19:47. The best Eurostar deals for this train (from £39 one-way or £69 return 2nd class) are available close to 3 months in advance. You then travel across Paris by metro to Gare d’Austerlitz. Proceed from Paris Gare d’Austerlitz to l’Hospitalet près l’Andorre overnight by ‘Lunéa’ sleeper train, leaving Paris (Gare d’Austerlitz) at 21:56 and arriving at l’Hospitalet at 07:20. This train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes and 2nd class reclining seats. It does not run on 24th or 31st December. It can sometimes be affected by engineering works, so check the service for your date of travel using www.raileurope.co.uk or www.tgv-europe.com.

A daily bus service then connects with the train from Paris, leaving L’Hospitalet station forecourt at 07:35 for Pas de la Casa (arriving 08:15), Soldeu (08:40), Encamp, and Andorra La Vella, arriving 09:05. It’s a very scenic ride through the Pyrenees – try and get the front seats for the best views. The bus is operated by La Hispano Andorrana SL, www.andorrabus.com. Subject to cancellation when the mountain passes are blocked by snow!

OK, I’ve just realised that what I’ve just done is to plan a long journey to get to Andorra which then requires another bus and a taxi in order to get the the little yellow train – le petit train jaune!  Not the best solution at all.

Eurostar Deals to Perpignan

From the other end of the line, the Eastern or French side, it looks more straightforward since there is a direct connection from Perpignan to Villefranche de Conflent, where the little yellow train starts. And you can get to Perpignan by Eurostar deals from London for as little as £101.00 with a journey time fo from 08h32m with only one change from Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon. I just checked and some return tickets are even available  for as little as £89.50 each way, All the way from London to the far southwest corner of France, which seems like one of the best Eurostar deals of the decade to me!

Eurostar Deals - London to Perpignan

At Perpignan there is a standard SNCF train to Villefranche de Conflent from which you can transfer onto le petit train jaune for the most amazing journey high up in the Pyrenees, passing through little Catalan villages where life is so different to Paris or London.

This train is a real adventure for young and old alike.

Alternatives to Eurostar Deals

Whichever route you take by train it’s going to take the best part of 24 hours on and off travelling to get there. You could always fly direct by Ryanair from London Stansted to Perpignan ( until 28 Oct 11 / restarts 25 Mar 2012 ) or from Southampton to Perpignan with Flybe from 19/5/2012 so is it going to be worth it?

On Board the Train Jaune

The actual train ride, especially in the open top carriages, really looks like a panoramic film, accompanied by a soundtrack from the pivoting bogeys, situated halfway up the steep slopes of the valley of the Tet. The little yellow train then crosses the mountain pass into smooth bucolic open spaces at the foot of Canigou, the Cambre d’Aze, Carlit and Puigmal, catching sight of the silhouette of the Serra del Cadi in the distance.
At the cusp of a bend, we see a village or a Romanesque church, then navigate the entrance to the narrow valleys of the Upper Conflent, normally available only to hikers. In winter there are magnificent ski slopes along the sides of Cerdagne.

Le Train Jaune is considered one of the best Catalan heritage railways, since it has some quite remarkable features. This is the highest railway line in France (without rack and pinion) with a high point at the station of Bolquère Eyne which rises to 1592 meters above sea level, a vertical climb of 1165 meters from the station of Villefranche at 427 meters. Inclines reach 6% over a significant portion of the route and follow very tight curves which necessitate a careful low-speed journey.
Finally, the yellow train passes through the rich countryside of the Regional Natural Park of Pyrénées Orientales. The train Jaune actually connects two UNESCO World Heritage sites – Villefranche de Conflent and Mont-Louis, known worldwide for their medieval fortifications built by Vauban, 1633 – 1707, the foremost military engineer of his age.

This is the only railway line that connects the Cerdagne to the plain of Roussillon, opening up the region as a recognised public service.

The yellow train has been an electrified line right from its construction, 100 years ago, and so is perfectly in line with modern environmentally friendly transportation practises.

But the main attractions at the ned of the day, after travelling all those rail miles to get there, starting with the Eurostar or whatever, the point is to take in the views, the atmosphere and the fresh, pine-scented, mountain air These pictures may give just a taste of that:

The Cerdagne line is better known as “Le Train Jaune”  or “El Tren Groc” in Catalan, owing to the livery worn by its rolling-stock which reflects the colours of the Catalan flag.

Fore  example on September  8th at 17:27 for one adult travelling to Lille from Ashford would cost only £49 and the 14:04 train is only £37

So if you have a single journey requirement that doesn’t need to take in the main Eurostar terminals of Paris Gare du Nord and London St Pancras, it’s still well worth doing a search for the exact stations that you would prefer to travel from and to. Even if it’s a combination of Lille Europe, Ashford International, Ebbesfleet International or maybe even Calais.

Go to the  bookings site and check the Eurostar deals availability now.

Meanwhile in Brussels, The European Commission has ow taken action to break the monopoly on a high-speed rail networks operating between France, Belgium and Britain. They won a pledge from existing market incumbents Eurostar and Thalys etc to drop any existing barriers to outside competitors, leaving the way clear for new Eurostar deals across Europe in the near future.

The European Union’s executive arm had been asked to approve the creation of “New Eurostar” – a joint venture between the French, Belgian and British state railway companies, which also control the Eurostar service between London, Paris and Brussels.

The commission gave the New Eurostar project a green light, but only after the three companies committed themselves to facilitating “the entry of new rail operators on the London-Brussels and London-Paris routes,” a statement said.

Joaquin Almunia EU Competition Commissioner wants more varied Eurostar Deals

A spokeswoman for Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said the action was taken in light of the EU’s decision to liberalise international rail services as of January 1, 2010.

Amelia Torres said.

In the future, we expect more diversification of services, more choice for consumers, more innovation and lower prices as a result of greater competition

Eurostar Deals to Frankfurt and Madrid

As an example, she raised the prospect of “passengers being able to travel from Frankfurt to London or from Madrid to London without changing trains.”

The commission specifically insisted that potential newcomers to the Eurostar rail network should be able to use station infrastructure and access passenger information currently in the hands of the “New Eurostar” joint venture.

The incumbent companies also pledged to be ready to make space for rivals in their Eurostar timetables.

It’s quite simple really since the Eurostar company has introduced a charge of £3 per credit card transaction for all bookings by phone, at the station or on the internet. The internet is still the most convenient and easiest way to book Eurostar deals, and sometimes cheaper, but never more costly than the other methods described. Charging for credit card use is a practice that is increasingly common with all kinds of travel companies, including airlines, someof whom charge more than the £3 and add other extras as well. They all do this because the credit card companies themselves levy a charge per transaction, which is picked up by the vendor.

The way to save £3 on Eurostar deals is to use a bank debit card instead when making the internet booking. Cards such as Maestro and Visa Debit Card come in two sorts – bank account direct debit cards and pre-paid debit cards, which are equivalent to electronic cash. By using any kind of bank debit card instead of a credit card the £3 fee is waived, reflecting the much lower costs levied by the banks for this type of payment card so you get your Eurostar deals for £3 cheaper every time.

With the best value Eurostar deals to visit Paris on a short break you are unlikely to be staying in the 8th arrondissemnet but it’s certainly somewhere to experience whilst you’re in the city. The showcase of the 8th arrondissment in Paris is the Champs-Elysées, a prestigious big boulevard with extra wide pavements stretching from the Arc de Triomphe at the top all the way down to the Egyptian obelisk at the place de la Concorde at the bottom.

Throughout the 1970s from when I was working in the area, way before the Eurostar tunnel have even been planned, the Champs Elysées slowly turned into a garish mall street, with excessively noisy traffic, lots of American fast food outlets and the broadways a major gathering place for thieves and beggars of all types. In the 1990s the new mayor of Paris launched a cleanup campaign in the area, widening the pavements, restricting traffic and planting new trees. So now you can find fashion houses, smart hotels, restaurants and shops. Everything in the 8th arrondissement is the city’s best, grandest, and most impressive, although the idea that this street is an implant from the USA and not really Parisian at all, still pervades to some extent. The top restaurant is the Taillevent and there are celebrity nightclubs too such as the Crazy Horse Saloon and the Lido. The place de la Concorde is still worth a stroll and you can cut through to the Seine to catch the Batobus there as well – a favourite tip for getting about Paris on Eurostar trips. The great Arc de Triomphe is still in the middle of the craziest roundabout but now you can see all the way across to the Grand Arche at La Defense as ell, carefully ligned up. Arrive via Charles de Gaulle Etoile metro, Georges V or Franklin D Roosevelt, the world oldest underground station.

To conclude about the 8th as a destination for Eurostar Deals, I wouldn’t want to make it the main base for a Paris trip, you’d miss out on far too much of the genuine Parisian charm, but on the second or third day you may well want to drop in for an afternoon or early evening to experience a different side of life. Uptown as a change from downtown perhaps.

Book a two night hotel stay through the Eurostar website before June 2009 and they’ll give you a third night completely free. This deal is valid on loads of different hotels including the four star Villa Beaumarchais in the fashionable Marais district, ideal for romantic Paris breaks. You can stay for three nights for £300 per person, including the Eurostar train tickets. These Eurostar deals are valid if you book before 1 June 2009 and take your trip before 31 October 2009.

** book 3 for 2 Eurostar Deals **

At weekends sometimes, the cost of going first class on the Eurostar may be only slightly more than second. So if you appreciate the additional comfort, leg room, and dining on the move with a three-course meal then that’s well worth considering but check the times below to see which meal you would be served with:

• Breakfast is served on all trains departing up to 11:00 with a choice of hot or continental breakfast.
• Lunch is then served on all trains between 11:00 and 14:00 with a choice of 2 main dishes
• The afternoon meal is served on all trains departing between 14:00 and 17:00 with 3 courses consisting of starter, light hot main course and pastries
• And then a three course dinner is served on all trains departing after 17:00 with a choice of 2 main dishes

Free newspapers and magazines are provided in the first class carriage, and the seats are more spacious, reclining and have generous legroom which could be a deal maker for particularly tall people with long legs that might get squashed in behind the seat in front on second class. The First Class seats also benefit from having either a slide-out table or a fixed table shared with adjacent passengers, so it’s easier to work on your laptop conducting business deals at 186 kph!