Combining a sophisticated visit to the the UK with an indulgent stay on the Cote d'Azur used to be the kind of vacation only available to jet setters,royals and others with very deep pockets. But today you can race across Europe on trains so fast they call them Trains à Grande Vitesse (translation: Very Fast Trains). You can fly to the UK from one of the international airports strung like a necklace of beads along the Mediterranean Coast. And you can do it relatively cheaply with a minimum of fuss.
So, capping off a French holiday in the sun with a spot of sophisticated shopping, dining, sightseeing and theatre going in London, or a few days hiking around the Lake District or festival going in Scotland is a realistic option on a European vacation. If you're planning to cross an ocean or fly around the world to visit Europe, remember the UK and the South of France are separated by just a few hours at most. Here's how to travel between them:
Flying to the UK from the South of France
From the Pyrenées in the western border with Spain to the Alps on the eastern border with Italy, there are eight international commercial airports on or near the French coast from which you can fly direct to multiple points in the UK. Depending upon where you spend your Mediterranean vacation, you've got an abundance of choice.
Marseille and Nice are the biggest airports, connecting with the most destinations year round. The smaller airports are usually served by one or two budget airlines and flights may be limited to popular months or a few flights per week. If you do choose to fly using one of the budget carriers, you'll have to travel light. Most now only allow one carry-on bag (and that includes your handbag) free of charge. By the time you add in the checked bags, you may find that you've spent as much on your flight as with one of the larger airlines.
Find a convenient airport on this map
- Perpignan-Rivesault Airport Convenient for departures from southwestern France and the eastern Pyrenées, this is a small airport, currently served by Ryanair to London Stansted and Flybe, during the summer months, to Southampton in England's southeast and Birmingham International Airport in the British Midlands. Air France connects most other destinations in the UK to Perpignan through connecting flights from Paris.
Find out more about this airport. - Béziers Cap d'Agde is convenient for departures from the Languedoc Rousillon region and the famous family style nudist resort at Cap d'Agde. Ryanair flies from Béziers to Bristol International Airport, London Luton Airport and Manchester. Flybe flies to its Southampton hub with connecting flights from there to Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Jersey and Guernsey.
Find out more about this airport. - Montpellier Mediterranée Airport is a popular departure airport for the UK year round, giving travelers an alternate choice from the eastern Languedoc Roussillon area, the Camargue, Arles and Nimes in the winter months. Ryanair flies to Leeds Bradford Airport, in Yorkshire, twice a week, year round and to Birmingham twice a week in summer. Easyjet flies to both London Gatwick (two flights a day) and London Luton year round.
Find out more about this airport. - Nimes From March through October you can fly to London Luton or Liverpool from this small Spanish and Roman influenced city with Ryanair. Nimes airport is also useful for departures to the UK for the resorts of the Camargue and the Cevennes.
Find out more about this airport. - Avignon Airport Avignon is not strictly on the Mediterranean, but this airport in central Provence is close enough to departure points in the center of the coast to make it useful. It's also handy for the Luberon and Vaucluse regions of Provence - so popular from the book A Year in Provence that during the holiday season they are practically British. Flybe has regularly scheduled direct flights from here, between May and October, to Southampton, Exeter, Birmingham and London City airports. Through Southampton, the Flybe connects to the rest of its UK destinations.
Find out more about this airport. - Marseille-Provence Airport This is one of the busiest airports serving Provence, the Vaucluse and Luberon, the Camargue and the central Cote d'Azur, nowadays called the Cote Bleue. Scheduled direct flights leave daily for three London airports. Ryanair flies to London Stansted, Easyjet serves London Gatwick and British Airways flies to Heathrow every day, year round. Ryanair also flies to Edinburgh twice a week spring through autumn. It's worth looking through search engines for othr flights from here are American Airlines and Lufthansa sometimes fly between Marseille and the UK.
Find out more about this airport.
Compare prices on flights to the UK from Marseille. - Toulon-Hyeres If you've been to the glamorous resort of St. Tropez and the offshore islands of the Cote d'Azur, you can then visit the UK from this airport. Ryanair flies to London Stansted three times a week between March and October and Cityjet flies to London City Airport twice a week year round and four times a week in July and August.
Find out more about this airport. - Nice Nice is the main international airport for the French Riviera including Cannes, Antibes, Monte Carlo and all those other glamorous and expensive places you've seen in James Bond movies. Naturally, you can fly all over the UK from Nice all year round. The main direct flights include 35 British Airways flights per week to London Heathrow and four to London City; two Easyjet flights per week to Bristol, 12 per week to London Gatwick, four per week to London Luton and three per week to London Stansted. Quantas, Cathay Pacific and Flybe also have flights from Nice to London and other points in the UK.
Find out more about this airport
Compare prices on flights to the UK from Nice
Travel to the UK by Train
Eurostar now books train travel all the way from Avignon and Marseille to London. During the summer, the journey from Avignon is direct on Eurostar. The rest of the year, it's a combination of TGV to Paris and Eurostar onward to Ashford in Kent or London. The Marseille trains change at either Paris (which involves changing stations) or Lille - a better option since the onward train to London leaves from the same station. If you like trains or have a lot to carry, both of these are comparable options to the budget airlines in terms of price and - if you factor in time spent getting to airports, clearing security and passport control and so forth - not a whole lot longer than flying.
Learn more about Eurostar and how to book tickets from the USA
