London to Paris is one of the most famous short-haul routes in the world, but for many travelers the train (Eurostar via St Pancras) is now faster door-to-door. The flight from LHR to CDG is roughly 350 km (220 miles), with a flight time of about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Who flies it
British Airways and Air France both operate the route with multiple daily frequencies. The market is much smaller than it was pre-Eurostar, and pricing is competitive with rail when booked in advance.
Flight vs. train: the honest comparison
- Flight: 1h15 in the air, plus airport time on both ends. Realistic door-to-door from central London to central Paris is 4–5 hours.
- Eurostar: 2h20 city-center to city-center. Realistic door-to-door is 3–3.5 hours.
The flight is usually the right choice only if you're connecting through CDG to a long-haul flight, or your origin in London is closer to LHR than to St Pancras (rare).