St Rumbold's Cathedral

Have you ever heard of the Flanders Region? Do you know how far it is? Did you know that one of the Flanders cities has a link with the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven?

Well, I understand for many could sound surprising but the Flanders region is only just over 2 hrs from us and includes cities like Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven and many more. However, with this blog I would like to introduce Mechelen.
Mechelen may be small, but it is perfectly formed and ideal for a weekend break.

The capital of the Lowlands or Burgundian Netherlands Read more…

Here’s the first in a series of regular blogs on how to get the best out of a trip to Europe’s magical Kingdom.

The UK provides the biggest number of non-French visitors to the Parks with approximately an equal volume travelling by air, driving themselves, and those arriving by Eurostar.

From experience, and because it’s the most convenient, I usually travel by Eurostar. The journey is just over 2 ½ hours and the station (Marne Le Vallee) is right at the entrance to the parks (with lovely yellow, regular buses just outside to take you to your hotels). This way you can make the most of your time there.

Book as far ahead as possible – there is only one direct service a day departing from St Pancras (with a scheduled stop at Ashford) and returning from Disney at about 19:30. This service does book very early, especially at peak times weekends, school holidays and when Disney run one of their promotions. Eurostar are very much in line with the low cost airlines, in that the earlier you book, the better the deal you are likely to get.

Travel via Lille – Another way to arrive by rail is to use the ‘indirect service‘. This means taking Eurostar to Lille (as well as being able to travel from St Pancras or Ashford, you can travel from Eurostar’s new station at Ebbsfleet near Bluewater Shopping centre) and then hop onto a fast SNCF train taking you direct to Disney. There are numerous connections and a half hour ‘transit’ time is enough. Sounds like a hassle, but I have travelled this way twice and my wife has done it with my two young sons by herself. It’s made easier by having lifts from the platforms to the station concourse and also having a train plan on the platforms so you wait exactly in place for your carriage. If you are travelling back from Disney via Lille you’ll go through passport control and security at Lille. Again, it’s no hassle.

A Guide to Disneyland Paris, image courtesy padrian2, Flickr

Final tip is to consider using the service known as Disney Express. With this (only available on the direct Eurostar service), your bags are taken from the train to your hotel, allowing you to go directly to the parks when the train arrives at about 12:30. Your luggage is then waiting for you to take to your room when you check in at your chosen hotel. On the way back, you check out in the morning of departure and then head off to the parks, collecting your luggage at the station ready for your journey home. This works especially well if you have a lot of baggage or if you are just taking a short break to Disneyland Paris - either one or two nights. The service costs £12 cost per adult and no charge for children…

Look out for our self drive and flying tips, coming soon.