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And they left!
It’s a train versus two planes in a race from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London to the Stade de France in Paris, where the 2024 Olympic Games begin on Friday.
The competitors? A Eurostar high-speed train, a British Airways Airbus A319 and a Vueling Airbus A321neo, along with two travel experts from travel website The Points Guy and a former Olympic diving champion from Great Britain. Matty Lee.
The Points Guy’s Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer enlist Matty’s help to figure out the best means of transport to get to this summer’s sporting extravaganza from the UK capital.
The starting point is the Aquatic Centre and all participants film their experiences. Read on to find out how the race unfolded and watch the competition trailer below.
Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer (left and right) enlisted the help of Great Britain’s Olympic diving champion Matty Lee to work out which was the best option for getting to the Olympic stadium in Paris: train or plane. Pictured above they are on the “starting platform” – the Aquatics Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
The image above shows the ‘finish line’: the Stade de France in Paris.
British Airways
Matty Lee flew on a BA Airbus A319 and paid £486 ($629.23) for a business class seat from London Heathrow Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
To get to Heathrow, he took the Elizabeth line from Stratford (free for British athletes) and to get to the Stade de France he paid €62 (£52/$67.58) for a taxi.
Matty, who won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the men’s 10m synchronised platform event, described the Elizabeth Line as “really reliable” and his “favourite train line in London”.
Matty Lee flew on a BA Airbus A319 and paid £486 ($629.23) for a business class seat from London Heathrow Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Diving champion Matty, who won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the men’s 10m synchronised platform event, described his flight with BA as “brilliant”
And the flight?
In the video, Matty describes the foot room as “not terrible,” the seat as “quite comfortable,” and enjoys a glass of champagne, along with a meal of roasted sweet potato, olive bread, and a strawberry and cream panna cotta for dessert.
Summing up, he tells MailOnline Travel: ‘The business class flight with British Airways was brilliant and the staff were incredibly friendly.
In the video, Matty describes the foot room as “not too terrible.”
Matty told MailOnline that the business class food was “amazing”
Matty with the ‘supportive’ BA crew
“They really supported me and helped me win the race! The food and drinks they served on such a short flight were amazing.”
After disembarking, Matty “especially loved the taxi from the airport,” thanks to a “lovely” driver who “got him excited about the Olympics” and taught him a little French.
Any disadvantages?
Matty said: “There were a couple of hiccups. Heathrow Terminal 5 was very busy so I didn’t get a chance to visit the Galleries Club lounge which I had access to with my ticket, and when it came time to get the taxi, road closures in the area made the journey quite slow.”
Vueling
Nicky paid £46 ($59.56) to race a Vueling Airbus A321neo from London Gatwick to Paris-Orly Airport.
Nicky paid for a “space plus” seat and described it as “comfortable.”
Editor-at-large Nicky paid £46 ($59.56) to fly on a Vueling Airbus A321neo from London Gatwick to Paris-Orly airport. He spent £14.60 ($18.90) to get to Gatwick by tube and Thameslink train service, and then 54.60 euros (£46/$59.43) for a taxi to the stadium.
Nicky, who paid for a ‘space plus’ seat, told MailOnline: ‘Overall my experience was very good, but most importantly it was cheap, especially compared to others.
‘Public transport to Gatwick Airport was fortunately quick, convenient and cheap.’
The Vueling seat doesn’t recline, Nicky notes, but it offers “plenty of legroom”
An ‘unexpected highlight’ on Nicky’s flight was the ‘delicious Spanish omelette’
How did you find the flight?
In the video, he describes the seat as “comfortable” but notes that it can’t recline. However, it does feature “a nice folding table” and there’s “plenty of legroom.”
In an email to MailOnline, Nicky added: “The flight itself was fantastic. For a budget flight, Vueling were efficient, the crew were very friendly and the flight arrived on time.
The Vueling crew was “very kind,” Nicky revealed, and the flight arrived on time.
“An unexpected and very special detail was the delicious Spanish omelette, which was served to us piping hot. Don’t hesitate to try it if you fly with Vueling!”
Any disadvantages?
Nicky said: ‘A big downside to my flight was arriving at Orly airport, which was on the wrong side of Paris to get to the Olympic stadium.’
Eurostar
The Eurostar was put through its paces by Liam Spencer, who paid £238 ($308) for his ticket.
Liam, above, described his trip as “fantastic.”
Liam, a senior marketing manager, spent £4.80 ($6.21) on a Southeastern high-speed train from Stratford to London St Pancras International and £238 ($308.14) on a standard-premium Eurostar ticket.
In Paris, he spent 2.10 euros ($2.29) on a RER commuter train ticket to the stadium, which he bought on board at the train’s cafeteria.
He told MailOnline Travel: “My trip was fantastic. My experience was 10 out of 10.”
Liam’s standard-premium ticket included a meal of quiche and cheesecake which helped make the trip “very enjoyable.”
Liam commented that there was “plenty of legroom” on the train.
The three competitors take stock of the results at the Stade de France
‘I started the journey on the high-speed rail service from Stratford to St Pancras International, so the journey started very quickly.’
And how was the Eurostar?
In the video, Liam shows how the seat features a “winged headrest,” which is “not the softest in the world,” but he says there’s “plenty of legroom.”
She told MailOnline that overall the train was “brilliant” and her ticket included a meal of quiche and cheesecake which helped make the journey “very enjoyable”.
Liam added: “I loved being able to pre-clear customs and immigration in London, which meant I didn’t have to wait at all once I arrived in France.”
To watch the full video and see the result, click here hereFor more information about The Points Guy, please visit thepointsguy.com/travel-to-the-ukFor more information about Nicky, visit her Instagram account: www.instagram.com/nickykelvin. Visit www.instagram.com/liam_spencer for Liam’s posts.