And they’re off!
It’s train versus two planes in a race from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London to the Stade de France in Paris, where the 2024 Olympics 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 The Points Guy travel site and former GB Olympic diving champion Matty Lee.
Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer from The Points Guy enlist the help of Matty to discover which mode of transport is best for reaching this summer’s sporting extravaganza from the UK capital.
The ‘starting block’ is the Aquatic Centre – and all the travellers film their experiences. Read on to discover how the race unfolded and see the trailer for the video of the contest below.
Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer (left and far right) enlisted the help of GB Olympic diving champ Matty Lee to find out whether train or plane is best for reaching the Olympic stadium in Paris. They’re pictured above at the ‘starting blocks’ – the Aquatic Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Pictured above is the ‘finish line’ – the Stade de France in Paris
British Airways
Matty Lee raced a BA Airbus A319, paying £486 ($629.23) for a business-class seat from London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
To reach Heathrow, he took the Elizabeth line from Stratford (free for GB athletes) and to reach the Stade de France he paid 62 euros (£52/$67.58) for a cab.
Matty, who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s synchronised 10m platform event, described the Elizabeth line as ‘really reliable’ and his ‘favourite train line in London’.
Matty Lee raced a BA Airbus A319, paying £486 ($629.23) for a business-class seat from London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Diving champ Matty, who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s synchronised 10m platform event, described his BA flight as ‘brilliant’
And the flight?
On the video, Matty describes the feet space as ‘not terrible’, the seat as ‘kind of comfy’ and he enjoys a glass of Champagne, along with a roast sweet potato meal, 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.
On the video, Matty describes the feet space as ‘not terrible’
Matty told MailOnline that the food in business class was ‘impressive’
Matty with the ‘supportive’ BA crew
‘They really threw their support behind me to help me win the race! The food and drink served on such a short flight was impressive.’
After disembarking, Matty ‘particularly loved the taxi from the airport’, thanks to a ‘lovely’ driver who got him ‘excited for the Olympics’ and taught him a bit of French.
Any downsides?
Matty said: ‘There were a couple of downsides. Heathrow Terminal 5 was very busy, so I didn’t get a chance to check out the Galleries Club Lounge that I had access to with my ticket, and when it came to the taxi ride, road closures in the area meant it was quite slow going.’
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, describing it as ‘comfortable’
Editor at Large Nicky paid £46 ($59.56) to race a Vueling Airbus A321neo from London Gatwick to Paris-Orly Airport. He spent £14.60 ($18.90) reaching Gatwick via Tube and a Thameslink train service, then 54.60 euros (£46/$59.43) on a cab 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 the others.
‘The public transport to Gatwick Airport was thankfully quick, comfortable and cheap.’
The Vueling seat doesn’t recline, Nicky notes, but does offer ‘plenty of legroom’
An ‘unexpected highlight’ on Nicky’s flight was the ‘delicious Spanish tortilla’
How did he find the flight?
On the video he describes the seat as ‘comfortable’, but notes there’s no recline. However, you do get ‘a nice tray table’ and there’s ‘plenty of legroom’.
And in an email to MailOnline, Nicky added: ‘The flight itself was brilliant. For a low-cost flight, Vueling was efficient, the crew were very friendly and the flight arrived on time.
The Vueling crew were ‘very friendly’ revealed Nicky, and the flight arrived on time
‘A key unexpected highlight was the delicious Spanish tortilla, which was served piping hot. Definitely try this if you fly Vueling!’
Any downsides?
Nicky said: ‘One huge downside of my flight was flying into Orly Airport, which was on the wrong side of Paris to reach the Olympic stadium.’
Eurostar
The Eurostar was put to the test by Liam Spencer, who paid £238 ($308) for his ticket
Liam, above, described his journey as ‘fantastic’
Senior marketing manager Liam 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-premier Eurostar ticket.
In Paris, he spent 2.10 euros ($2.29) on an RER commuter train ticket to the stadium, which he bought onboard at the train cafe.
He told MailOnline Travel: ‘My journey was fantastic. My experience was 10 out of 10.
Liam’s standard-premier ticket included a meal of quiche and cheesecake that helped make the journey ‘very enjoyable’
Liam remarked that there was ‘a tonne of legroom’ on the train
The three competitors take stock of the results at the Stade de France
‘I started the journey with the high-speed train service from Stratford to St Pancras International, so the trip began in a very speedy fashion.’
And how was the Eurostar?
In the video, Liam shows how the seat features a ‘winged headrest’, which ‘isn’t the softest in the world’, but he remarks that there is a ‘tonne of legroom’.
He added to MailOnline that, overall, the train was ‘brilliant’, with his ticket including a meal of quiche and cheesecake that helped make the journey ‘very enjoyable’.
Liam added: ‘I loved being able to pre-clear customs and immigration in London, meaning there was no waiting around at all once I arrived in France.’
And who won? The Eurostar claimed gold.
To see the full video and the podium standings click here.
