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FRANCE BY TRAIN


which has cut 20 minutes off the journey to Paris,” says Andrew Hawkins, of Chesterton Humberts (www.chestertonhumberts.com). Eurostar moving to St. Pancras has also made it far easier for anyone living north of London to connect with Europe. The East Midlands line runs direct into St Pancras station, and King’s Cross, which is only a few minutes away, connects with the north and north-east of England and Scotland.


So where can you get to with ease? Eurostar runs direct to Paris, and to


Avignon from July to early September. At other times of the year, you have to change at Lille. The cheapest return fare beyond Paris starts at £89 and you can reach the far south for £119 return.


The longest journey takes up to nine hours, with the last bit along the picturesque coast from St Raphael to Nice. Trevor Leggett, managing director


of the French estate agent Leggett Immobilier, says he has seen a consistent demand for properties accessible by train. “It’s an incredibly civilised way to


travel. I often take the train, and can work comfortably on it. If you book in advance, you’ll often fi nd fi rst-class seats available for less than some standard fares – now that doesn’t happen on the airlines.” Skiing afi cionados can jump on


the Eurostar ski train with all their clobber from December to April at St Pancras or Ashford International and jump off six to nine hours later in


Moûtiers, Aime la Plagne or Bourg-St- Maurice in the French Alps. Fares start at £149 return. Or, you could take your car on the train from Paris by motorail to Bordeaux, Biarritz, Avignon, Narbonne or Nice. Details on fares and timetables from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk).


“If you book in advance, you’ll often find first-class train seats available for less than some standard fares - that doesn’t happen on airlines”


“IF YOU GO FIRST CLASS, YOU GET A DECENT MEAL”


John and Linda Allen, 50 and 49, bought a four-bedroom house off-plan for around €700,000 (£559,700) in 2009, in Le Hameau du Temple, near Uzès. “The food on Eurostar is OK, and if you go fi rst class, then you get a decent meal,” says John, a software entrepreneur. “It’s an extremely easy way of travelling, especially if you live in London. The only downside is that it’s not that cheap. But you only need to arrive at the train station 30 minutes beforehand and there are no restrictions on what you carry. Our children, Sabine, 9, and Harvey, 7, prefer it because they can take their own entertainment and move around.” Three- and four-bedroom new stone houses with garden, terrace and swimming pool are for sale from €642,000 (£513,350) through Chesterton Humberts (www.chestertonhumberts.com)


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