- Use this
form to book direct with
www.eurostar.com, with no booking fees & all the
cheap fares shown.
- You simply print out your own
ticket, or collect it at the station.
- St Pancras
is Eurostar's London station. You can also buy
through tickets starting in 130 UK towns & cities,
or buy a special connecting
ticket from any UK station.
- This form
is set up for journeys starting in the UK, to book a
journey starting in Paris or Brussels,
click here.
- Booking opens
120 days before departure.
- Business
Premier & Leisure Select = 1st class, fare includes drinks &
meals. Standard = 2nd class.
- For through
tickets to Amsterdam, Cologne & any station in France,
also try
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Eurostar first class. On each train,
some 1st class cars are allocated for business
travellers ('Business Premier' with flexible
tickets) others for leisure users ('Leisure Select'
with cheaper inflexible tickets). More
information.
Tips for choosing your seat.
Eurostar
standard class. Only cars 5 & 14 have
power sockets for laptops. Cars 1 & 18 are the
family-friendly cars with baby-changing rooms. More
information.
Tips for choosing your seat.
Eurostar's café-bars in
cars 6 & 13 serve hot & cold drinks, sandwiches &
snacks...
In first class
(both Business Premier & Leisure Select), Eurostar passengers
are served a hot
airline-style meal with wine and/or champagne,
included in the fare...
Eurostar is the high-speed
passenger train from London to Paris & Brussels via
the Channel Tunnel, run by a consortium of
French railways (SNCF), Belgian
railways (SNCB) & Eurostar UK Ltd. It started
running in 1994. Don't confuse Eurostar
with Eurotunnel, the company which owns the Channel
Tunnel (or 'Chunnel'), whose car-carrying trains shuttle cars, lorries
&
coaches from one side of the Channel to the other.
Eurostar does not carry cars, just passengers. London to
Paris by Eurostar is 495 km (about 307 miles), and takes as
little as 2 hours 15 minutes, centre to centre, at up to 186
mph. This page
explains all you need to know about travelling
with Eurostar.
Eurostar runs
from central London (St Pancras Station) to central Paris
(Gare du Nord) every hour or so, 7 days a week all year
round except Christmas Day.
Eurostar runs London to Brussels every couple of hours or so. London to
Paris takes as little as 2 hours 15 minutes, London to
Brussels just 1 hours 51 minutes, now that the
whole 186mph high-speed line is open in the UK. Only
a brief 20 minutes of the Eurostar journey is actually spent
in the Channel Tunnel, the rest is passing through
the countryside of Kent and northern
France. Many Eurostars stop to pick up passengers at
Ebbsfleet International near the M25 & a few stop at
Ashford International. Many
Eurostars call at Lille in northern France, the
interchange for French TGV high-speed trains to destinations
all over France,
see the France page.
Eurostar fares start at £39 one-way
or £69 return
from London to Paris or Brussels in 2nd class or £107 one-way, £189 return
1st class. Eurostar fares are like airline fares, increasing as the cheaper
seats are sold, so book early and don't buy a ticket
on the day of travel unless you have to. The cheap fares are non-changeable, non-refundable.
Check fares
& times at
www.eurostar.com or use the online booking form above.
For the cheapest fares, book ahead and avoid Friday or Sunday
afternoons when there are fewer cheap seats.
London to
Paris or
Brussels
2nd class
1st class
What does 'From' £39 mean? Eurostar prices
work like airline fares. Book early on an off-peak
train and it may be £39, but book a popular date or time
or book closer to the
day of travel, and it may be £50, £73, £89...
The fares shown without a 'from' do not
increase like this, and are what you'll pay as long as there are
seats left.
Before June 2009 there was a problem
with one-way fares on Eurostar, as one-ways were often more
expensive than returns! But in June 2009 Eurostar
introduced sensible one-way fares right across their price
range (in other words, one-way fares that are cheaper than
the equivalent return!). So the problem should now
have been solved.
Open-jaw journeys (e.g. out London-Paris, back
Brussels-London)...
There are no fares for 'open
jaw' return journeys out to Paris, back from Brussels, a shame
as these would be useful for circular journeys or travel to
(for example) Germany or Austria where some connections are
best via Paris, others via Brussels. So either
travel out and back via the same city, or buy two one-way tickets.
Eurostar bookings open 120 days (4 months) before
departure. If you're only
going from London to Paris or Brussels, the easiest &
cheapest way to buy tickets is online direct with Eurostar at
www.eurostar.com, just use the
online booking form above.
You print your tickets using your own PC printer, or you can pick up tickets at the station
before departure from the e-ticket machines, or tickets can be sent to any UK,
French or Belgian address. You can also book by calling Eurostar on
08432 186 186 (+44 1233 617575 from outside the UK).
Debit cards are free, but there's a small charge for paying by
credit card. Tips on
choosing a specific seat on Eurostar.
Buying tickets if you're
travelling beyond Paris or
Brussels...
If you are going beyond Paris or
Brussels, for example to Spain, Italy or the south of France,
it's best to
buy your Eurostar ticket and your
onwards train tickets together, either from a European rail
ticketing agency or online as explained on the
relevant page of this website. Reservations for most
other trains in western Europe only open 90 days ahead,
and I recommend waiting until 90 days before your
travel date to book the Eurostar & onward train tickets
together. That's because timings for onward trains sometimes change due to
engineering work, requiring a different Eurostar
connection. Unless you're travelling on a peak date such
as Christmas Eve, you'll still find affordable Eurostar
tickets available 90 days ahead, they won't have sold out. See the
Train travel to Europe page for more information about how
to buy European train tickets.
Changing trains and stations in
Paris by metro or taxi.
Changing trains in
Brussels.
Buying UK train tickets
to connect with Eurostar...
In partnership
with other UK train companies, Eurostar offers through
tickets to Paris, Lille or Brussels from
over 130 UK towns & cities,
just use the booking form
above to see the list of stations and book tickets
online. This is usually the cheapest option.
Alternatively, you can buy your UK
train tickets to London separately from your Eurostar
ticket. There are
special fares from almost any station in Britain to a destination called 'London International'
specifically designed for use with Eurostar tickets, which
you can buy online here. Most stations can
sell these tickets, though they seem a well-kept secret
and staff aren't always familiar with them! These
fares have few or no time restrictions, so you can travel
in the Monday-Friday peaks at an affordable fare, ay also
ensure that international conditions of carriage (the CIV)
apply to your whole journey, so you are covered if you
miss your Eurostar because the UK train is late or vice
versa.
Full details & advice for
buying UK train tickets to connect with Eurostar.
Eurostar arrival information &
passenger assistance: 020
7928 0660
Bikes &
registered baggage service: 0844 822 5822 (from outside the UK
call +44 207843 7554).
Direct Eurostars to Avignon (summer) & French Alps (winter)...
Eurostar runs
a direct service from London to Avignon on summer
Saturdays, and to the
French Alps on Friday nights & Saturdays in the winter
skiing season. See the London
to France page or
www.eurostar.com for details.
Faster & more
reliable than flying...
In 2008, 92.4% of Eurostars arrived on time or within 15 minutes, compared
with a mere 65% of competing short-haul flights.
Eurostar has been exceeding 95% so far in 2009. From central
London to central Paris, Eurostar is faster than flying, as
well as more comfortable and convenient. Not
surprisingly, Eurostar has now captured over 70% of the
London-Paris market from the airlines. Remember that
you can check all European train times at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
The environmentally sound way to travel...
Eurostar has
commissioned independent research estimating that a trip from London
to Paris on a Eurostar train emits 11Kg of CO2 per
passenger, over 90% less than the 122Kg per
passenger emitted by a London-Paris flight. In
addition, planes emit the CO2 directly into the upper
atmosphere, where it is thought to do around 2.5 times the damage of the same
CO2 emitted at ground level. Another good reason for
treating yourself to a train journey! Eurostar has
committed itself to reducing its emissions by 25% by 2012,
and from 2007, they will offset all their emissions free
of charge to passengers, making Eurostar travel carbon
neutral. See
www.eurostar.com/environment for more information.
Eurostar leaves from London St Pancras, since 14 November 2007...
The final
section of the UK high speed line opened on 14 November
2007, and Eurostar now uses the new St Pancras
International Station as its London terminal, no longer
leaving from Waterloo. The London-Paris journey time
has been cut to just 2 hours 15 minutes, city centre to
city centre.
St Pancras station: Its Victorian
Gothic facade has been a London landmark
for 140 years...
Lower level concourse: You enter
St Pancras from the Underground or off the street
onto the lower level concourse. In
this photo, the Eurostar ticket office is on the
left, the check-in for Eurostar departures is in a
passageway along and to the right...
Upper level
concourse: Go up one level for great
views of the station, and for Europe's longest
Champagne Bar, just visible on the left alongside the
Eurostar.
Ticket collection?
If you need to pick up your Eurostar tickets at the
station, you simply put your credit card into
these machines and enter your booking reference...
Check-in for
Eurostar: You check in just off the main lower
level concourse, by putting your Eurostar ticket into these
automatic ticket gates. Immediately after
the gates is an easy
X-ray security check then passport control...
Departure lounge:
Once through check-in and the security and
passport checks, you're in the departure
lounge....
Departure lounge:
The lounge has an information desk and comfortable
seating. There's also a 'laptop bar' with
stools, desk, and power-points to recharge your
laptop, mobile or camera...
Business lounge:
If you've a Business Premier 1st class ticket (but
not a Leisure Select 1st class ticket), you can
use the business lounge, with complimentary drinks
and snacks...
Boarding:
A boarding announcement is made around 15 minutes
before departure, and you head up the travelator to
the platforms above to board your Eurostar...
The new St Pancras International station opened on 14
November 2007, and from this date Eurostar no longer
leaves from Waterloo. St Pancras isn't a mere
airport terminal for trains, it's a
spectacularly-restored piece of history that will take your breath away...
St Pancras station facilities...
St Pancras International station has been designed as
a destination in its own right, with shops of all
kinds, newsagents & cafes. As well as public
toilets, other facilities include:
Europe's longest champagne bar: Before
checking-in, you can raise a toast to your journey at
Europe's longest champagne bar, 96 metres long and on
the upper level underneath the magnificent
glass-and-steel trainshed. It's level with and
alongside the Eurostar platforms, separated from
departing Eurostars by no more than a glass screen.
Left luggage: Run by the Excess Baggage
Company, you can deposit items here for £6.50 per 24
hours or part thereof. Open 06:00-22:00
Monday-Saturday, 07:00-22:00 Sunday. Bags are
X-rayed before deposit.
Eurostar & domestic ticket offices: The
Eurostar ticket office is on the lower level on the
left as you enter from the street or Underground.
The domestic ticket office is at the far end of the
lower level shopping lane, along with the left luggage
and toilets.
European train ticketing & reservations desk:
The official Eurostar ticket office can only sell Eurostar tickets
to Paris, Brussels and a few other destinations.
However, ticketing agency Trains Europe has opened a
European train ticketing desk at St Pancras which can sell tickets
for almost any train journey in Europe and make European
seat, couchette & sleeper reservations. It's
located in the domestic travel centre (signed
'National Rail Tickets') at the far end
of the lower shopping level, under platforms 1-4.
It's open 09:30-17:30 Mondays to Fridays, also
Saturdays 10:30-16:30.
Eurostar departures: The row of check-in
gates is in a wide passageway to the right, off the
main shopping lane.
Free WiFi internet access: Eurostar has
now installed WiFi throughout St Pancras International
station (August 2008), both in the departure lounge
and elsewhere in the station, available to everyone
free of charge (yes, really!). The WiFi at Paris
Nord & Brussels Midi still needs to be paid for.
WiFi internet access on board Eurostar is still being
developed.
You can learn more about St Pancras facilities, and
shopping opportunities, at
www.stpancras.com.
About St Pancras...
St Pancras was opened by the Midland Railway in 1868,
as the London terminal for their trains heading north
from London to Leicester, Nottingham, Derby &
Sheffield. Trains to these destinations still
leave from St Pancras, though they're now relegated to
new platforms 1-4 outside the old trainshed. If
you've time, walk outside onto the street to gaze at
the ornate Victorian Gothic station building, designed
by Sir Gilbert Scott and built 1868-1876. This
was the old Midland Hotel, closed in 1935, derelict
for many years, but now being restored and returned to
its intended purpose, as a stylish modern hotel.
A true London landmark...
But the most awe-inspiring sight is inside the
station. It's the spectacular glass-and-steel
trainshed, designed by William Henry Barlow
and completed in 1868. 243 feet wide, 689 feet
long and 100 feet high, when it was opened it created
the largest enclosed space in the world. The
trainshed has been totally renovated and returned to
its original sky-blue. The original station
clock has been found in a Nottinghamshire garden,
faithfully reproduced by its original
manufacturers, Dent, and put in its place of
honour at the apex of the trainshed. Under the
clock stands a 9 metre high statue of two lovers
embracing, titles 'The Meeting Place', by sculptor
Paul Day.
You can learn more about St Pancras station and its
history at
www.stpancras.com.
You
must check in for Eurostar at least 30 minutes before
departure (10 minutes for full-fare first class
passengers, 60 minutes for the direct trains to the Alps
or Avignon). The check-in gates at St Pancras
are in a passageway just off the lower concourse, one
level down from the Eurostar trains themselves. Check-in normally opens just over an
hour before departure, and you check in by putting
your ticket into the automatic ticket gates at the
entrance to the departure lounge, or (if you've
a print-at-home ticket) placing the ticket barcode
against the small scanner screen on the ticket gate. Alternatively, there
are staffed check-in kiosks. If for any reason you
want to change your allocated seat (for example, to
make sure you're facing forward), ask at one of these
kiosks on check-in. Make sure all your bags are
labelled with your name. Immediately after
passing through the check-in gates there is an
airline-style security check with X-ray and metal detectors,
but this is both quicker and easier than airport
security. You'll be inside the departure lounge
in a few minutes.
Eurostar website check-in information.
Inside the Eurostar terminal...
Once inside the departure lounge, there is a café, bar,
small shop,
toilets, and a Eurostar information desk. The
information desk can provide you with Eurostar
information, a free map of Paris, a 'carnet' of 10
Paris metro tickets or Paris visitor metro passes. The
six Eurostar platforms at St Pancras (platforms
5-10) are directly
above the departure lounge, and an announcement will
be made when your
Eurostar is ready for boarding, usually about 15
minutes before departure. There are two
gently-sloping moving walkways up to each platform, plus a lift.
If your reservation is in cars 1-5, you use one
walkway, if your reservation is in cars 6-18 you use
the other.
Business first
class, leisure first class, standard
class...
Eurostar has
three classes: Business first class (branded 'Business
Premier'), leisure first class (branded 'Leisure Select'
until Aug 2010, 'Standard Premier' from Sept 2010), and
Standard class. 'Business Premier' first class has flexible
tickets, access to executive lounges at stations and a 10 minute minimum
check-in, 'Leisure select' first class (to be rebranded
'Standard Premier' from 1 September 2010) offers more
affordable fares for upmarket leisure travellers, but
no ticket flexibility, a 30-minute minimum check-in and no access
to executive lounges. The seats in both types of 1st class are
identical, with meals & drinks included. Eurostar is completely non-smoking. All
Eurostars were completely refurbished with a new
interior design between autumn 2004 and autumn 2005. There is a virtual tour of Eurostar at
www.eurostar.com.
Food & drink
on Eurostar...
In first class
(both Business Premier & Leisure Select/Standard Premier) the fare includes
a meal & complimentary alcoholic
& non-alcoholic drinks, all served at your seat.
Business Premier & (until Aug 2010) Leisure Select fares
include an excellent hot airline-style 3-course meal with
champagne, Standard Premier (from Sept 2010) will include a
simpler cold tray meal. All
passengers have access to two bar cars, located in cars 6 &
13, serving tea, coffee, hot chocolate, beer, wine, spirits,
sandwiches, crisps and a few hot snacks. The bar
accepts credit cards as well as cash. You can eat and
drink in the bar area (standing space only, there are no
seats) or take your purchases back to your seat. Feel free to take
your own food and drink if you like, even your own bottle of
wine, there are no rules against this on trains!
All seats on
Eurostar must be reserved in advance. There's a
detailed seating plan at www.eurorailways.com/brochure/premier/eurostar_seatplan.pdf.
The plan shows which seats face forwards, which line up with
a window, which are airline-style face-to-back and which are
arranged in bays around a table. You might then
understand why this website is called The Man in Seat
Sixty-One! If you book your Eurostar ticket at
www.eurostar.com, the 'Seating preferences' section
initially only allows you to choose 'aisle' or 'window', but
later in the booking process you are now offered a section
called 'Want to choose your exact seat?'. Using
this you can choose exactly which seat in which car you
want, using a numbered seating plan. If you book
through any other agency or website (for example, Rail
Europe) you can usually choose a specific seat if you book
by phone, but not if you book online. Here are some
tips for choosing the best seats on Eurostar:
If you want a
power socket for a mobile or laptop, choose cars 5 or 14
in standard class. In first class, all cars have
these.
If you've small
children, book seats in cars 1 or 18 (standard class) as
these are near the baby-changing room, and are at each end
of the train so have less people walking through them to the
bar. These cars have lots of bays of 4 seats (with or
without a table, your choice), which are much better for
families than face-to-back airline-style seating.
If you're
travelling as a group of 3 or 4 people, choose seats
around a table as opposed to airline-style pairs all facing
the same way, as this is much more sociable.
If you're a
couple in first class, choose a pair of seats facing
across an intimate table-for-two.
If you prefer
seats facing forward, this can be seen on the plan (look
closely at the train diagram!).
If you prefer a
window seat which lines up with the window (as opposed
to one next to a blank bit of wall between the windows),
look carefully at the plan. The pale blue bits in the
coach walls on the plan are the windows.
In standard class,
a seat in the car next to the bar car makes it easier to
fetch food and drink, which might be a consideration.
If you've a
tight connection in Brussels (or for that matter,
Paris), book a seat at the front of the train (i.e.
in coach 17 or 18), as you'll get off the platform ahead of
everyone else and with less of a walk, saving a few vital
minutes!
Power points for
laptops and mobiles & WiFi access...
There are UK and
European power outlets (240/110 volts AC) for laptops and mobiles in all
Eurostar 1st
class cars and in 2nd class cars 5 & 14. Other
2nd class cars do not have power outlets. WiFi
internet access on board the trains is still in development
and not yet available, but there's WiFi internet access at
St Pancras International station for everyone, free of
charge. WiFi access at Paris & Brussels is also
available, but needs to be paid for. Top tip:
Take a
Power Monkey universal backup battery with you when you
travel. This gives up to 96 hours
phone stand-by when your phone's battery dies and similarly
recharges iPods, PDAs and some cameras. Highly
recommended!
Luggage on
Eurostar...
Unlike
travelling by air, you don't check in your bags when
travelling by Eurostar. You keep them with you,
placing small or medium size bags on the luggage
racks above your head and larger items on the big suitcase racks at the end
of the coach just inside the entrance doors. Also unlike air travel, there's no
weight limit, so you can pretty much take what you like.
Just remember that you will have to carry it! However, in theory there's a limit of two
large items per passenger, plus a smaller bag. Also
remember that as of March 2007, all bags taken onto Eurostar
must have a label showing your name and surname. Eurostar offer a
checked baggage service for extra large items,
which costs extra, see the
Eurostar website baggage information page for details.
Left luggage
lockers in London, Paris & Brussels...
London St
Pancras has a left luggage office run by the Excess
Baggage Company, where you can deposit items here for £8
per item for the first 24 hours, then £4 for each of the
next 24 hour periods. Open 06:00-22:00
Monday-Saturday, 07:00-22:00 Sunday. Bags are X-rayed
before deposit.
Paris Gare du Nord has left luggage lockers ('consigne'
in French) downstairs under the main concourse just off the
end of the Eurostar platforms. Open 06:15 to 23:15
daily. At the Gare du Nord and other stations in
Paris, expect to have your bags X-rayed before entering the
locker area. In Paris, a small locker costs 4.50
euros, a back-pack or suitcase-sized locker around 7.50
euros for 24 hours, and a larger locker for two backpacks
around 9.50 euros. There's a change machine which can
convert 10, 20 or 50 euro banknotes into the coins needed
for the lockers.
Brussels Midi
has both luggage lockers and a staffed left luggage facility
near the Eurostar check-in and Thalys reception. Both
are open 24 hours a day, the staffed facility costs 3.80
euros per item per calendar day, the three sizes of lockers
cost 3 euros, 3.50 euros, 4 euros per 24 hours.
Taking your
bicycle on Eurostar...
Bicycles can be
taken on Eurostar either free of charge as hand luggage in a zip-up bike
bag (available from bike shops), with pedals and saddle removed and
handlebars turned, or you can take it with you in the
luggage van for £20 each way. See the
Taking your bike section for information
about taking bikes on Eurostar and other European trains.
Taking dogs &
pets on Eurostar...
Unfortunately, you cannot
take dogs or other pets on Eurostar, except for guide dogs.
To get round this (other than pretending to be blind, tricky
if you have a Yorkshire terrier), you'll need to switch to
train+ferry Between London and Paris. See the
taking your dog or pet section for more information.
Children &
babies...
Unlike airlines,
children under 4 go free on Eurostar, and a special child fare
applies to children from 4 to 11 inclusive.
Children 12 & over travel at the adult fare. All
children under 12 must travel accompanied by an adult, and
unaccompanied children from 12 to 16 require a consent form
signed by their parent or guardian. See
www.eurostar.com for more details. If you're travelling with young
children in 2nd class, ask for a family area seat - this is at the end of
the train in cars 1 and 18, with seats around tables where children can play
(see the
Eurostar seating plan). Eurostar has
baby-changing facilities in cars 1 & 18, at each
end of the long 18-car Eurostar train. These are 2nd
class cars,
a long walk from the 1st class in the centre of the train,
especially when carrying a gently dripping baby! The baby changing
rooms have sink, soap, changing table and disposable
changing table covers. Bar car staff will heat baby
bottles if asked. There are more tips for travelling
with babies and children in the
Travelling with children
section.
Travellers
with disabilities on Eurostar...
Eurostar can provide assistance to passengers with special
needs travelling from London to Paris, Lille or Brussels.
If you are confined to a wheelchair, there are wheelchair
spaces and wheelchair-friendly toilets on each Eurostar
train. There are also special fares for people
travelling in wheelchairs and a travelling companion.
Electric-powered scooters can also be carried, subject to
some maximum dimensions, in the baggage area. For more information, see
www.eurostar.com.
The magnificent (and
freshly renovated) façade
of the Gare du Nord, completed in 1865. The
first Gare du Nord was built in 1846, but being too
small was moved to Lille in 1860 to become Lille
Flandres station.
Arrival at Paris Gare
du Nord. Eurostar arrives at and departs from
platforms 3-6. For Eurostar departures, follow
the Eurostar signs up the steps or escalator to the
first floor check-in and departure lounge.
Departure from Paris
Nord: The Eurostar terminal, check-in &
departure lounge are up the escalators on the first
floor.
Departure from St Pancras...
The train manager makes his announcement that the
Eurostar is about to leave, the door alarm sounds and
the doors then hiss shut. As you settle into your
seat, the brakes hiss off and your Eurostar
gently eases itself out of the magnificent arched
trainshed of St Pancras International Station. At
this stage, the train is heading north, but almost
immediately it makes a sharp right-hand turn past the
huge steel gasometers that have been a familiar sight
behind Kings Cross/St Pancras for years and which are
now, believe it or not, listed structures. Within
a minute or two the Eurostar enters a covered bridge
across the tracks leading out of adjacent Kings Cross
station, which becomes a long tunnel under east London
taking the Eurostar east and south.
...East London & the Dartford Crossing...
About 5 minutes after leaving St Pancras, you'll see a
glimpse of daylight and the platforms of Stratford
International station, due to open in time for the
London Olympics in 2012. Around 8 minutes after
leaving St Pancras, the Eurostar finally emerges from
the tunnel and starts crossing the wastelands of east
London, past warehouses and run-down housing estates.
Just 10-12 minutes from St Pancras you'll see the
impressive Queen Elizabeth II suspension bridge on the
right, which carries the M25 London orbital motorway
across the River Thames at the Dartford Crossing.
The Eurostar now plunges back into a short tunnel for
its own crossing of the Thames, emerging the other side
in the county of Kent. Some Eurostars now call at
Ebbsfleet station in north Kent, near the M25 motorway.
...the
Medway Viaduct...
Eurostar is
now running at its full service speed of 186mph (300
km/h), with traffic on the adjacent London-Dover M2
motorway almost standing still in comparison. Just
15-20 minutes after leaving London, the train crosses
the most dramatic structure on the new high-speed line,
the viaduct high over the River Medway. To the
right of the train as it crosses the viaduct, you'll see
small boats moored on the riverbanks far below you.
To the left of the train, over the top of the adjacent
M2 motorway bridge, you can see Rochester Cathedral and
Rochester Castle in the distance.
...across
rural Kent...
Now at last
you're in green and pleasant rural Kent, with villages
nestling at the foot of the chalky hills to the left.
A few Eurostars still call at
Ashford International station, a major railway junction in
east kent, but most Eurostars now 'fly' over the town on
a high flyover, with the station below you, the town
centre to the left and the old Southern Railway Ashford
works to your right.
...into the Channel Tunnel...
Just 35 minutes from St Pancras, the fields and
hedgerows of east Kent give way to the roadways and
check-in lanes of the Folkestone EuroTunnel terminal.
This is where cars and lorries are put on the EuroTunnel
car-carrying shuttle trains to go through the tunnel to
France. Your Eurostar passes through the middle of
the terminal non-stop, and the train manager announces
that you are about to enter the Channel Tunnel.
Passing through the Channel Tunnel takes just 20
minutes, and is something of an anti-climax. The
Channel Tunnel (sometimes called the "Chunnel") is just
like any other rail tunnel, only a bit longer. As
a precaution, the yellow fire safety doors between each
pair of coaches are closed during the tunnel transit,
but you can still pass through freely if you want.
...welcome to northern France...
The
Eurostar emerges into France at up to 100 mph, and you'll
see the French terminal for the car-carrying trains away to your
left. If you look to the horizon on the left, you can
just see the distinctive clock tower of Calais town hall. A
handful of
Eurostars call at
Calais-Fréthun, a few miles from Calais town centre, but
others just
start accelerating onto the French high speed line. Unlike
conventional railways, the high speed line follows the
contours of the land more like a motorway, and you will feel
the Eurostar rising onto the hills and settling into the dips.
The area of Northern France crossed by Eurostar is
largely flat farmland, dotted with villages built around
ancient stone churches. The variety of church
spires you can see is remarkable!
The
Eurostar may call at Lille or simply pass through on the
centre tracks. The line to Brussels and the line to
Paris diverge just after Lille Europe station.
...bonjour Paris..!
The high speed line to Paris
ends just short of Paris Gare du Nord, and the Eurostar
passes seamlessly onto a short stretch of conventional
line to complete its journey into Paris Gare du Nord, the historic terminus where the
traditional boat trains from Calais or Boulogne used to
arrive. The Gare du Nord is also the station for trains
to Brussels, Amsterdam, and Germany, and you will see red and
silver 'Thalys' trains arriving and departing from these
places.
On arrival
at the Gare du Nord, you walk straight off the end of
the Eurostar platform onto the main concourse, and
either out into the streets of Paris, or turn left and
head downstairs to the metro. The taxi rank is
outside the station to the right.
Changing trains in Paris or Brussels...
Changing trains & stations in Paris:
See the Paris metro page...
In Paris,
Eurostar arrives at the Gare du Nord, and your connecting
train will probably leave from one of the other Paris
stations. The Gare de 'Est is a 10-minute walk from
the Gare du Nord, but to get to any of the other Paris
stations you'll need to take the metro or RER (Express
Metro) across Paris. See the
guide to changing trains & stations in Paris by metro
or taxi.
In Brussels, all
long-distance trains including Eurostar use Brussels Midi station
(Brussel Zuid in Flemish), so changing trains is easy. These recommended times are the
minimum. Left luggage lockers and a staffed left
luggage office are available at Brussels Midi (24 hours).
Recommended
connection times in Brussels...
The minimum connection
times shown here are the minimum amount of time you
should allow between the scheduled arrival of your train
in Brussels and the scheduled departure time of your
connecting train from Brussels.
Travelling FROM London
If you're connecting in
Brussels with a local or non-reserved InterCity train,
where missing it simply means catching the next one:
25 minutes.
If you're connecting in
Brussels with a Thalys or ICE train, where you have a
train-specific ticket and reservation:
25 minutes, but preferably
a bit more - if you miss it because the Eurostar is late
they should let you catch the next one, as long as seats
are available.
If you're connecting in
Brussels with a long-distance sleeper train which you
cannot afford to miss:
60 minutes, preferably 90
minutes.
Travelling TO London
Any connection in Brussels
40 minutes
minimum, which includes the compulsory 30-minute
Eurostar check-in time.
if you miss the Eurostar
because your train is late the Eurostar staff should let
you catch the next one, as long as seats are available.
You can still take train+ferry+train from London to Paris if
you wish. It takes 9 hours, but can be cheaper if you
need to travel at short notice or want to see the White Cliffs
of Dover on the way. You can substitute
train+ferry+train for Eurostar London-Paris in any of the
journeys routed via Paris shown on this website, but you'll
need to buy separate train and ferry tickets. Times, fares and information
for London-Paris by train+ferry+train are on
the France page.
Northern England & Scotland to mainland Europe...
ScotRail sell inclusive tickets for the Caledonian Sleeper +
Eurostar, see
www.firstscotrail.com. Don't forget the ferry
options: Edinburgh (Rosyth) to Zeebrugge with
www.superfast.com (3
sailings weekly, overnight) for onward trains to Brussels and
Paris (see
http://bahn.hafas.de for train times).
www.DFDS.co.uk
sail from Newcastle to IJmuiden (the port of Amsterdam)
overnight, and
www.poferries.com sail from Hull to Rotterdam, for trains
to Amsterdam, Antwerp or Brussels.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Summer 2010 edition (June to December 2010)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
