Take the Eurostar to the French capital and travel in style to a shopping Mecca

ONE catastrophic day this week, my 18-mile commute into central London took two-and-a-half hours.

It involved a freezing cold, crowded platform, umpteen cancelled Thameslink trains, a cheek-by-jowl Tube ride and a mad dash to the office.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Last Friday I started a very different train journey in style.

A decent coffee and crispy croissant in Eurostar's Premier lounge at London's St Pancras station were enjoyed with a flick through some glossy mags and the morning papers.

From there, it was a quick stroll to the platform and with one last admiring view of that fabulous, soaring Victorian gothic wrought-iron roof, I settled into a wide, comfy seat on one of Eurostar's new e320 trains.

With a seat-side plug, USB charger and the new trains' free onboard wifi and entertainment system, I was soon engrossed in a cheeky boxset as the train pulled out of London and began its smooth dash to Paris.

Despite my croissant, it would been rude to refuse breakfast. Overseen none other than Raymond Blanc, there was a choice of a tasty full English or a smoked salmon light dish, along with fruit, rolls, jam and yoghurt.

Reclining my seat, I'd barely got to episode two of my current show before we pulling into the Gare Nord train station in the of Paris.

The journey had taken less than two hours 15 minutes and there I was, stepping into the bright sunshine.

But there was some serious shopping to be done. With Christmas just around the corner, I had to use my time wisely if I wanted to pick up some presents with a bit of French flair.

The must-visit department store combining Christmas chic with gourmet eats has to be Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann.

This institution has been the go-to for the chic set since the beginning of the last century.

It's a ten-minute cab ride from the station and within half an hour, I was admiring the stunning art nouveau stained glass dome at the centre of this glittering shopaholics' dream.

The main store has seven floors of gifts, beauty, perfumes, women's and children's clothing and toys.

Each year, the shop's Christmas theme is as eagerly awaited by the locals as our Oxford Street lights — and for 2016, a tribute to the polar bear and its icy home was the inspiration. The sevenstorey Christmas tree at the heart of the store is swathed in white, while all around, furry friends adorn shelves and more.

The higher you climb, the more visible the price labels become — something of a relief for me.

The Prada handbag pompoms on the ground floor were adorable but at 200 euros, a little bit out of my price range.

A few hours flew by and with a rumbling tummy telling me it must be lunchtime, I popped across the road to Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet — a temple to food and drink.

Stalls selling everything from and oil to and delicate are joined tasting bars offering lunch the hop.

Of course, this being Paris, an entire stall devoted to the luxurious black truffle seemed the perfect pitstop an indulgent truffle risotto pick-me-up and a not too unreasonable at £15. Don't miss the wine department — or Cave — while you are there.

There are 2,500 wines on display and although the 55,000 euros Imperial Petrus may be out of my league, decent wines can be picked up from just 4.5 euros.