Pros and cons of Ouibus overnight coach from London to Paris
The fact that you can get a coach from London to Paris was actually a bit of a revelation for me before going on my latest trip to Paris. I was going for a long weekend and I’d originally planned on taking the Eurostar train however when it came to booking, the prices were way above what I was prepared to pay. My other option was to fly but I was really keen to avoid the unneccessary hassle of an airport so, it was only after doing a bit of research that I found out about the option to get a coach with Ouibus.
From as little as £20 one way Ouibis offers a direct service from London to Paris city centre and vice versa. There are multiple departures from both cities throughout out the day and travel time can range from around 7 hours to 15 depending on traffic (as I found out on my return journey).
I booked the quickest (and I think the most practical option) which was to take the Ouibus overnight (departing around 10pm London time) which gets to Paris in the morning at 7am if it’s on schedule (so just in time for croissants and coffee).
Living in Brighton the coach option worked particularly well for me because for just £50 I had a return journey booked from Brighton to Paris via London so I didn’t even have the added expense of a train ticket up to london and back or airport transfers either.
I booked my trip through National Express coaches which used their own carrier to get from Brighton to London and then the Ouibus service to get to Paris.
Key Information
- Overnight service leaves London at 10pm and mine arrived at 9am in Paris (although the journey was considerably delayed on the way home).
- The bus goes straight from London to Dover for a ferry crossing and then from Calais to Paris
- The ferry crossing uses P&O ferries and takes 1 hour 30 minutes
- Ouibus prices start at £20 one way
- Goes from London Victoria coach station to Paris Bercy
- Paris Bercy is in the 12th arrondissementt in the centre of paris and is on the metro line. I walked to the Latin Quarter in half an hour.
Pros
- Clean
- Toilets on board
- Cheap
- Comfortable
- Reclining seats
- Assigned seats
- Friendly staff
- Departs from the centre of both cities
- 2x stowed luggage and 2x hand luggage
- Straightforward travel process
- Charging points for phone (plug socket and USB ports)
- Overnight journey saves a night’s accommodation costs
- Ouibus lets you exchange or cancel your booking up to 30 minutes before departure in exchange for a voucher
Cons
- Can be delays due to traffic/ferry
- Slower than other options e.g train, plane
- Ferry crossing is early around 3am meaning it’s hard to sleep
- Announcements are in French
- Only limited wi-fi
- No stops apart from ferry crossing
Things to remember
- Arrive 15 minutes before coach departure time
- Make sure you have a European adapter to charge devices on board
- Bring your passport to present at start of journey and at border crossing
- Download the Ouibus app for your tickets and travel updates
- Bring plenty of water and snacks as there isn’t a stop until Dover
- Bring a blanket
- Bring change in both GBP and Euros for toilets at either end of the journey
- Travel sickness tablets
- Download the Citymapper app for the metro and underground in Paris and London
overall I was really impressed with the Ouibus service. It was very clean, comfortable and punctual on the outward journey and unfortunately we were several hours delayed on the way back due to queues at Calais but this wasn’t a fault with the company. The Ouibus does what it says on the tin: Cheap and comfortable travel between London and Paris. Just be sure to clear the travel day free as pretty much the entire day will be taken up with the journey.
Ouibus also offer plenty of other budget friendly routes From London and Paris (direct and connecting) all over Europe. Have a look at the full destination list here: https://www.ouibus.com/destinations
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