Eurostar vs BA vs Vueling: Travel experts take on two planes in a race from London to the Stade de France in Paris (with help from Olympic diving champion Matty Lee)

And off they go!

It’s a race between a train and two planes, from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London to the Stade de France in Paris, where the 2024 Olympic Games begin on Friday.

The participants? 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 former British Olympic diving champion Matty Lee.

The Points Guy’s Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer enlist Matty’s help to figure out the best mode of transport to travel to the sporting event from the British capital this summer.

The ‘starting block’ is the Aquatic Centre – and all travellers film their experiences. Read on to find out how the race unfolded and watch the trailer for the race video below.

Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer (left and far right) enlisted the help of British Olympic diving champion Matty Lee to work out whether the train or plane is the best way to reach the Olympic stadium in Paris. They are pictured above at the ‘starting blocks’ – the aquatic centre in

Above you can see 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 to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

To reach Heathrow he took the Elizabeth line from Stratford (free for British athletes) and to reach the Stade de France he paid 62 euros (£52/$67.58) for a taxi.

Matty, who won gold in the men’s 10m synchronised at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, described the Elizabeth line as “really reliable” and his “favourite train line in London”.

Matty Lee raced in a BA Airbus A319 and paid £486 ($629.23) for a business class seat from London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Diving champion Matty, who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s 10m synchronised, described his BA flight as ‘brilliant’

And the flight?

In the video, Matty describes the footwell as “not terrible,” the seat as “quite comfortable,” and enjoys a glass of champagne, along with a meal of roasted sweet potatoes, 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 fantastic and the staff were incredibly friendly.

In the video, Matty describes the footwell as ‘not terrible’

Matty told MailOnline the food in business class was ‘impressive’

Matty with the ‘supporting’ BA crew

“They really supported me to win the race! The food and drinks served on such a short flight was impressive.”

After getting out, Matty found the taxi ride from the airport “particularly enjoyable,” thanks to a “nice” driver who “got him excited about the Olympics” and taught him a little French.

Are there any disadvantages?

Matty said: ‘There were a few downsides. Heathrow Terminal 5 was very busy so I didn’t get a chance to check out the Galleries Club Lounge that my ticket gave me access to, and when it came to the taxi ride, road closures in the area made it quite slow.’

To fly

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-in-chief Nicky paid £46 ($59.56) to race from London Gatwick to Paris-Orly Airport on a Vueling Airbus A321neo. He spent £14.60 ($18.90) to reach Gatwick via the Tube and a Thameslink train service, and then €54.60 (£46/$59.43) on 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 the others.

‘Fortunately, public transport to Gatwick Airport was quick, comfortable and cheap.’

There’s no way to lean back, Nicky notes, but “plenty of leg room”

An ‘unexpected highlight’ on Nicky’s flight was the ‘delicious Spanish tortilla’

How did he like the flight?

In the video, he describes the seat as “comfortable,” but notes that there’s no recline function. However, you do get “a nice tray table” and there’s “plenty of leg room.”

And in an email to MailOnline, Nicky added: ‘The flight itself was brilliant. For a low cost flight Vueling were efficient, the crew were very friendly and the flight arrived on time.

The Vueling crew were ‘very friendly’, Nicky revealed, and the flight arrived on time

‘A major unexpected highlight was the delicious Spanish tortilla, served piping hot. Definitely try this if you fly with Vueling!’

Are there any disadvantages?

Nicky said: ‘A big downside to my flight was having to arrive at Orly airport, which was on the wrong side of Paris to get to 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 trip 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 train ticket to the stadium, which he bought at the train café.

He told MailOnline Travel: ‘My trip was fantastic. My experience was 10 out of 10.

Liam’s ticket included a meal of quiche and cheesecake, which made the trip “very enjoyable”

Liam noted that there was ‘lots of leg room’ on the train

The three participants take stock at the Stade de France

‘I started the journey on the high speed train from Stratford to St Pancras International, so the journey started very quickly.’

And how was the Eurostar?

In the video, Liam shows that the seat features a “winged headrest,” which “isn’t the softest in the world,” but he notes that there’s “loads of leg room.”

He told MailOnline that the train journey was ‘fantastic’ overall and that his ticket included a meal of quiche and cheesecake, making the journey ‘very enjoyable’.

Liam added: ‘I loved that I was able to go through customs and immigration in London, meaning I didn’t have to wait at all in France.’

To watch the full video and see the result – click here. For more from The Points Guy visit thepointsguy.com/uk-travel. For more from Nicky visit his Instagram account – www.instagram.com/nickykelvin. Visit www.instagram.com/liam_spencer for messages from Liam.