Buy Your London International CIV Ticket Online: The Flexible Fare to Connect With Eurostar
The London International CIV ticket is a special fare that allows you to travel at an affordable rate from almost any station in Great Britain to London if you are connecting to the Eurostar.
If you want to take the Eurostar to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam but don’t live in London, these London International CIV tickets can be an excellent way to save a lot of money compared to the often sky-high regular fares charged by British train operators.
In this guide, we’ll explain what the London International CIV ticket is, what its benefits are, and how you can book these special fares online.
Eurostar train at London St Pancras. ©Discoverbyrail
What are London International CIV fares?
There are special fares available from nearly all railway stations in Britain to a destination known as London International CIV.
London International CIV isn’t a railway station, but rather refers to a special fare available from most British stations to London that can be bought by passengers who intend to connect in London to the Eurostar, or to a train bound for Harwich International for the ferry to Holland as part of the Stena Line Rail & Sail offer.
For example, if you live in Newcastle and need to travel to London to take the Eurostar to Paris, you can buy a cheap ticket from Newcastle to London International CIV that allows you to take any LNER or Lumo train – even peak departures – to London King’s Cross.
Similarly, if you live in Truro and want to use a Stena Line Rail & Sail offer between London and Amsterdam, you can buy a special fare from Truro to London International CIV that allows you to take any GWR train to London Paddington.
Advantages of the London International CIV ticket
There are many advantages to buying a London International CIV ticket when you need to travel to London to take the Eurostar or a connecting train to Harwich for the ferry to the Netherlands:
– Few or no restrictions
Depending on the specific fare, London International CIV tickets have few or no restrictions regarding permitted routes or departures. In many cases, London International CIV tickets have no time restrictions, allowing you to take even peak-hour trains on weekdays, giving you full flexibility.
– A competitive price, better value
Although London International CIV tickets are typically not cheaper than advance fares, they are generally priced similarly to standard off-peak tickets and are certainly more affordable than anytime fares. Even if the price is more or less the same as a regular off-peak ticket, these London International CIV fares come with far fewer restrictions, therefore offering much better value!
– No need to buy in advance
London International CIV tickets can even be bought on the day of travel, so there is no real need to buy your ticket in advance.
– You’re covered if your train is delayed
The CIV in the London International CIV fare stands for the Convention Internationale pour le transport des Voyageurs, a French term that refers to the International Conditions of Carriage.
This means that for the entire duration of your journey – including all British trains you take to get to London – the International Conditions of Carriage apply, rather than the National Rail Conditions of Travel.
In practice, this means that if, for example, your train from Manchester to London Euston is delayed and you miss your booked Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels, Eurostar is obliged under the International Conditions of Carriage to place you on the next available Eurostar free of charge.
It works the other way around as well: if your Eurostar is delayed and you miss your intended train connection in London, the CIV ticket allows you to take any later train on your route.
– Transport between London stations is included
Another small advantage of these London International CIV tickets is that they include travel on the Underground, as well as by train or DLR between London stations.
Of course, this won’t be necessary if you arrive at King’s Cross and need to get to St Pancras for the Eurostar, as the stations are within easy walking distance of each other, but it comes in handy if you need to take the tube from Victoria Station to St Pancras or from Paddington to Liverpool Street for the train to Harwich.
How to book a London International CIV ticket
You can easily book your London International CIV ticket online at Trainsplit.com.
To do so, first deselect the “use split tickets” option underneath the booking tool, then enter your departure station and type “LNE” as your destination, after which London International will appear as an option.
It’s possible to buy London International CIV tickets as a one-way fare (both to London and from London to most British stations), as well as return fares.
When a certain fare appears, ensure that it includes the name ‘Euro’ and is not actually an advance single or another type of ticket.
If only advance fares appear in the search results, change the search settings from ‘fixed time’ departures to flexible, which should help ensure that only the London International CIV fares appear.
All fares with the name ‘Euro’ in it are London International CIV tickets.
Make sure to read the description field to check if restrictions apply to your fare, or click on “Click for details” to view the full terms and conditions.
Among other things, it will specify whether your ticket allows travel on any permitted route and whether or not it is valid at any time.
Different London International CIV tickets and their restrictions
There are two types of London International CIV fares:
– Advance
– Euro Open/Euro Saver/Euro Anytime
Advance CIV fares must be booked in advance and are only valid for the selected departure. On the other hand, Euro Open/Euro Saver/Euro Anytime CIV fares have a fixed price, can be bought on the day of travel, and are usually flexible, valid on any train departure that day.
Do note that depending on the train operator and station you are departing from or travelling to, there may be restrictions on London International CIV tickets.
For example, a ticket between Manchester and London International CIV typically has the restriction that it is not valid for travel during the morning peak on weekdays, although you are free to take any train afterwards or in the weekend.
However, many stations and operators in Britain have no such restrictions for London International CIV tickets and allow you to take trains during the morning peak as well.
The bottom line is that you should always check for any potential restrictions in the terms and conditions, which are clearly outlined by Trainsplit.com in the description box.
You can buy a London International CIV ticket to connect from almost any station in Britain to the Eurostar in London. ©Discoverbyrail
Frequently Asked Questions
Are London International CIV tickets refundable?
London International CIV tickets are generally refundable within 28 days of the ticket’s expiry date, although an administration fee of up to £5 per ticket may apply. Check the ticket conditions for your chosen route to confirm whether your London International CIV fare is refundable.
Can you use a railcard with London International CIV fares?
Railcards can be used in combination with London International CIV fares.
Are first class London International CIV tickets available?
On some routes, first-class fares to London International CIV are available, listed as ‘Anytime Single 1st (CIV)’ or ‘Euro 1st Single’.
Can London International CIV tickets be booked from/to any British station?
While London International CIV tickets were once available to and from every British station, this is no longer the case, though they are still offered from the vast majority of stations across Britain.
Is it possible to buy London International CIV tickets at the station?
You can buy London International CIV tickets from a staffed counter at British railway stations. However, not all booking clerks may know about these fares. If that happens, help them with the train booking by simply asking them to enter the destination code LNE, which should bring up these London International CIV fares.