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Take the train to Monaco
For the environmentally aware traveller, or those that can no longer face the hastle of battling through Britain's airports, consider letting the train take the strain if you are travelling to Monaco. You may need to change trains at Paris or Nice, but it's an ever faster and more convenient way to travel - and you keep your luggage with you. On top of that, you know your carbon footprint will be that bit smaller, particularly if you may have been tempted to hop from Nice airport to Monaco using the helicopter service.
The new St Pancras Eurostar service has got off to the start that the operators of Heathrow's Terminal 5 dreamt of, but failed so spectacularly to achieve. St Pancras, and the long-awaited high-speed rail link to the Channel Tunnel, have shaved twenty minutes of the journey time - it's now 135 minutes to Paris, although an 18-carriage Eurostar train has managed the run in just over two hours.
This contrasts with ever longer check-in times at airports, and as the experience at Heathrow's new Terminal 5 has shown, a good chance your luggage will not arrive on the same flight as you. France, in particular, has a superb range of fast rail services, including to Nice from Paris in under six hours. The whole trip to Monaco may take a little longer but you should arrive less stressed - and with your luggage safely to hand.
This article was written for TravelSavvy Europe by Bob Cartwright. If you come across any good European holiday deals we have missed, please get in contact.
