Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Fares soar in race to reach France by 11pm to beat travel ban

‘Please only come to London St Pancras if you have a confirmed booking for that day and a negative test result,’ says Eurostar

Simon Calder
Travel Correspondent
Friday 17 December 2021 15:59 GMT
Comments
Waiting game: Eurostar is preparing for a busy day at its hub, London St Pancras
Waiting game: Eurostar is preparing for a busy day at its hub, London St Pancras (Simon Calder)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Air fares are soaring and train tickets are dwindling as travellers race to beat the French travel ban that begins at 11pm GMT on Friday.

British Airways flights this afternoon from London Heathrow to Nice are selling at £740 one-way, while Air France is charging £683 from Newcastle to Paris.

During the course of the morning, Eurostar has sold all its afternoon and evening departures to Paris after the 12.31pm train – for which one-way tickets are on sale for £195. Passengers will need to meet current French rules, including being fully vaccinated and having a negative Covid test.

The cross-Channel train operator is telling passengers: “Please only come to London St Pancras station on Friday 17 December if you have a confirmed booking for that day and a negative test result.”

Eurostar told The Independent that forward bookings for 18 December onwards have more than halved since the ban was announced.

The travel deadline was set by France to try to stem the spread of the omicron variant of coronavirus, which Boris Johnson has described as a “tidal wave” engulfing the UK.

For British travellers, holidays and business trips to France cannot go ahead until further notice. Family visits are allowed only in extreme circumstances: the death or terminal prognosis of a close relative.

With very few exceptions, only French citizens and residents will be able to enter after 11pm (midnight French time) – regardless of vaccination status.

At the time of writing, from Edinburgh to Paris, easyJet still has three seats left at £95 for its afternoon departure. There are also two seats on the final easyJet flight from Manchester to the French capital at 6.55pm for £112.

Space is selling out rapidly on cross-Channel ferries. While sailings from Dover to Calais can normally accommodate “drive-up” vehicles, P&O Ferries is urging travellers to book in advance for travel on Friday.

It emerged overnight that the new rules on transit through France are extremely tight. While international-to-international connections at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport are allowed for British travellers, UK motorists may not drive through France to Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy or Spain.

Only EU citizens and residents travelling to their main place of residence may cross France. They will be required to show proof, and to meet the new, tight French travel regulations – including a test within 24 hours of departure.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in