Budapest to London in June

[trawscymru27]

I'm planning on travelling from Budapest to London in June, taking the Kalman Imre sleeper to Stuttgart to arrive 0838, then the 1052 ICE to Paris-Est for 1413. The next Eurostar from the Gare du Nord would be the 1512. Has anyone done this and is it a reasonable connection? (The advice on the seat61 website is not to risk it.) The next Eurostar would be 2 hours later at 1712. Also, if I booked onto the 1512 Eurostar but the train from Stuttgart was delayed and I missed it, would my ticket be valid on the next Eurostar?

TIA for any help.

 

[Nunners]

I'm planning on travelling from Budapest to London in June, taking the Kalman Imre sleeper to Stuttgart to arrive 0838, then the 1052 ICE to Paris-Est for 1413. The next Eurostar from the Gare du Nord would be the 1512. Has anyone done this and is it a reasonable connection? (The advice on the seat61 website is not to risk it.) The next Eurostar would be 2 hours later at 1712. Also, if I booked onto the 1512 Eurostar but the train from Stuttgart was delayed and I missed it, would my ticket be valid on the next Eurostar?

TIA for any help.

In theory it's doable but if the ICE is more than 30 minutes late then you won't make it. I don't think your ticket would be automatically valid on the next Eurostar but the staff are generally quite reasonable. If there's a slightly earlier ICE/TGV I'd try and take that.

 

[Krokodil]

I can't answer most of your questions (though I'll be doing the reverse of that journey in the spring) but when I and another couple were significantly delayed on a Nightjet into Amsterdam, the Eurostar staff were very helpful and just rebooked us onto the following train. This was midweek though, availablity may be limited on a peak day such as a Friday.

Personally I wouldn't risk a 1hr connection. Once you've accounted for the walking time between the two stations you only have 15 minutes of slack before check-in closes. Not a risk I'd fancy taking, particularly given that your inbound train is an international train from Germany - a service not famed for punctuality. If I were you I'd book the 17:12 for peace of mind and find somewhere to eat. Sadly Café Les Deux Gares will be closed at that time in the afternoon, as it'll be after lunch has finished but before dinner service starts.

 

[nwales58]

... Stuttgart to arrive 0838, then the 1052 ICE to Paris-Est for 1413

What if the sleeper is late? Even though Railteam HotNat should apply, into France is reservation compulsory, I don't know whether those services get full in June.

The advice on the seat61 website is not to risk it.

Myself, I would trust that advice.

Also when in June? If after 14/06 Euro 2024 is on which might affect demand but I don't know enough to predict.

 

[lkoroes]

I do this trip every 3-6 months and while the EN is comfortable, I would recommend travelling via Vienna instead and taking a nightjet to Brussels or Paris. Take a mid-afternoon railjet to Vienna, enjoy a walk around, make use of the lounge before departure. If you're travelling on Interrail, you could do Vienna - Hannover - Cologne - Brussels on the new generation nightjet as well which is very comfortable with outstanding suspension.

 

[Alfonso]

That connection is far too tight, especially coupled with the (much lower) risk of not making the connection is Stuttgart. Whatever you do its worth looking at the fares on Hungarian railways website as well as obb/nightjet/trainline/wherever.

 

[trawscymru27]

Thanks everyone for your replies - very helpful. I'll go for the later Eurostar.