Go to Lanzarote by train? Is it possible? Of course not - well, not all the way. But you can take the train as far as Madrid, and travel on by plane to Lanzarote, or to any of the Canary Islands for that matter. I found this out recently when the volcanic ash cloud that grounded all the air traffic in Northern Europe for 6 days, stopped me from flying to Lanzarote from Gatwick.
I travel this route up to 10 times a year as my wife and I live mainly in Lanzarote these days, and I have business interests both there and in the UK. On this occasion, I was planning to be on the island (the smaller one, that is) for 3 weeks, and I really needed to get there as soon after my planned arrival time as possible.
I worked out that if I could get across the Channel and on to Paris, there was an overnight train to Madrid, where flights were operating normally as long as you were going South, West or East, and not to Northern Europe. So...that became my plan.
Of course, the world and his wife were trying to get across the Channel at the same time, so getting tickets proved to be a real challenge. In the end, I got a Eurostar ticket for the Saturday (a day after I was due to travel), but could not get a Paris-Madrid ticket until the Monday night, forcing me (such a shame!) to have two nights in Paris. It was comparatively easy to get an Easyjet flight from Madrid to Lanzarote on the Tuesday afternoon, and I booked a cheap and cheerful hotel in Montparnasse for my two nights in Paris. Travel plans sorted. "Simples", as Mr Meerkat would say.
Now, listen up. Anyone who has the time and is prepared to spend a bit more money to see a bit of Europe, really should consider this way of getting to Lanzarote, Tenerife or one of the other islands - at least once in their lives. Once I had got used to the idea that I would not arrive at my destination until Tuesday, four days late, I settled down to enjoy the journey.
There isn't space to tell you all about it here, but I enjoyed a beautiful Spring day sightseeing around Paris, ate delicious bread, cheese, pate and sausages from street markets (much cheaper than eating out), and on the train had the utterly spiritual experience of watching the sun rise from my sleeper cabin as we crossed the border from Southern France to Northern Spain. Those mountains of Northern Spain, waterfalls and the sheer vastness of the panorama really were something to behold. My arrival at Madrid was exciting, as we arrived two hours late, and I had to race to get my flight, which I managed with half an hour to spare. Needless to say, I was greeted like a conquering hero by my wife and a friend, when I eventually did arrive at Lanzarote.
If you're interested in this rather different way to travel to Lanzarote from the UK, you probably want to know the cost, so here's an approximate breakdown of what you should expect to pay, leaving from from St Pancras International in London on a normal weekend. All costs are one way, and per person:
Eurostar: St Pancras International, London - Gare du Nord, Paris:.......... from 100 euros
Hotel in Paris (one night, 3 star standard)...................................................... 70 euros
Spending and Metro costs for a day's sightseeing in Paris(before returning to hotel to collect luggage before departing for Gare d'Austerlitz).
You can spend what you like of course, but I spent about..................................50 euros
SNCF 'Trenhotel': Gare d'Austerlitz, Paris - Madrid Chambertin
(price for a reclining seat).....................................................................from 160 euros
Easyjet: Madrid - Lanzarote - variable, of course, but I paid.............................75 euros
Meals and drinks, allow.................................................................................100 euros
TOTAL BUDGET ...................................................................................555 euros
This is a lot more than you'd normally pay for a flight, but, hey - you've seen a lot of Europe on the way!
Lanzarote From the UK by Train
Miles Couchman is Editor and Owner of All Things Lanzarote (http://allthingslanzarote.com), a comprehensive information site about the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. In addition to detailed listings of available hotels, the site includes villas in Lanzarote, apartments, car hire and things to see and do on the island.
