It’s a baking hot August afternoon at Paris’s Gare du Nord, and all around there are people heading home for the weekend.

A glance at the departures board shows trains for Amsterdam, Lille, Marseilles, Brussels and, of course, London St Pancras. Which is a good thing really – if it didn’t I’d be in serious trouble.

But there it is: London St Pancras by Eurostar, departing at 5.13pm and arriving at 6.28pm, British time.

And the thing is, you take it for granted. You’re about to travel 307 miles, from the heart of Paris to the centre of London, in two hours and fifteen minutes, on a train that will go underneath the English Channel, and you don’t really think about how amazing that is, what an incredible achievement it represents. Instead it’s like getting on a plane and flying somewhere.

The Gare du Nord in Paris - on a direct line to London

But, actually, it isn’t like getting on a plane. It’s much simpler than that. To begin with there’s no drive to the airport, there are no expensive parking fees, no shuttle to the terminal, no long queues at departures, and no train or bus journey to get you into the city.

No, you simply check-in at least half an hour before your train is set to depart and enjoy the ride. And if you book in advance return tickets can be bought for £69. It really couldn’t be simpler.

But, make no mistake, the Eurostar is special.

There are 18 services return services each day, from the early hours of the morning until late at night.

I’m travelling back late afternoon and that gives me most of the day to explore the city. If I was flying at the same time I’d probably have left Paris at lunchtime in order to get the bus to Charles de Gaulle Airport.

In the heart of the city of Paris - the entrance to the Gare du Nord

But with Eurostar there’s no need. I’ve spent the morning walking from La Defense, the heart of Paris’s business district, to The Arc de Triomphe, and then walked back to my (cheap, tiny) hotel before getting the metro to the Gare du Nord. And I still have time to explore this area, which is bustling and crowded and, it has to be said, faintly seedy, before catching the train.

It’s fair to say that a walk around Gare du Nord doesn’t show Paris at its best, but it’s near well-known landmarks such as the gleaming white Sacre Coeur church, which looks out over the city, and not far from Notre Dame cathedral.

Both can be reached easily by using the underground Metro, and both are within walking distance, but if you are pushed for time, or want to see the city rather then travel under it, then there’s really only one way to get about: by bike.

Paris pioneered cheap bike hire with the Velib scheme. This is a network of 20,000 bikes, available around the clock, and spread over 1,800 stations dotted across the city.

A Velib bike is perfect on a summer’s day. Simply insert a credit or debit card (a 150 euro fully refundable deposit is required), buy a one or seven-day pass and take a cycle to your destination.

Cycles are free for the first 30 minutes, and if you plot your route you can cycle from one landmark to another in minutes along the many cycle lanes.

Parking stations are located every 300 metres, so it’s always easy to find somewhere to park a bike, or take another, even near crowded destinations such as the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.

Where you go – and Paris is not exactly short of sights to see – is entirely up to you, but Velib is a great way to get around quickly while seeing as much of the city as possible.

Whatever you visit, all too soon you’ll find yourself back at Gare du Nord waiting to get your train back to Blighty.

The Eurostar terminal is up a flight of stairs. It doesn’t take long to pass through security and into the departure lounge, where there are plenty of seats, refreshments and a row of shops offering expensive perfumes, chocolates and soaps. (But if you’re sensible you’ll have bought whatever you need in the shops that surround the station.)

After a short wait looking down on the passengers coming from and going to various European destinations, we are called to board. It’s a short walk down to the platform and on to the train, and the helpful staff direct me to my carriage and my seat.

The easy way to get around Paris - a Velib bike hire station. There are thousands dotted around the city.

I’m coming back on the standard service, which is used by business travellers, families and backpackers. It’s clean, tidy and air-conditioned, with plenty of leg room and comfortable seats. It’s quiet, too, and as we depart – at 5.13pm on the dot – I can hear the conversation of the people behind me. But it’s all in French so I can’t understand one word of it.

The train whizzes through the French countryside, which is flat and green and beautiful, and stretches ahead as far as the eye can see, before entering the tunnel at 6.32pm, French time. It takes just over 20 minutes to travel the 31 miles, and then, suddenly, we’re back into the light and in England.

We pull into St Pancras Station dead on time. The station’s designers, like those behind the Gare du Nord, have pulled out all the stops to combine the ultra modern trains with the Victorian surroundings.

There’s also a huge Olympic symbol hanging from the roof, and this will be the first thing that tens of thousands of visitors see next summer when they arrive for the Games.

However, there’s not much time to admire it on the return journey. You simply get off the train, go down a moving walkway and in a few minutes you’re outside the station and in London, ready to make your way home.

So my advice would be to turn up a bit early when you’re setting off from London to Paris, or Lille, or Brussels. Then you can spend a bit of time admiring the place while you have a drink and await your departure. There’s even a Marks and Spencer food shop.

Fly to Paris? Why on earth would you want to do that?

By Andrew Owen

Travel facts

• Eurostar operates up to 18 daily services from London St Pancras International to Paris with return fares from £69. Fastest London-Paris journey time is two hours and 15 minutes. Tickets are available from eurostar.com or 08432 186 186.
• Child fares start from £49 return and children under four years old travel free (not allocated a seat).
• Standard Premier fares start from £119 return.
• Business Premier fares start from £450 return.
• Eurostar Plus Culture offers two-for-one entry into a number of attractions in Lille, Paris, and Brussels on presentation of a Eurostar ticket. Paris galleries include: Musée d’Orsay les Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Le musée du quai Branly, la Cité de la musique, le Jeu de Paume, le Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris.