Eurostar trains
Eurostar runs high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel from London, and across the mainland network between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
Everything from London leaves St Pancras International. Direct trains reach Lille Europe in 1 hour 22 minutes, Brussels Midi/Zuid in 1 hour 53 minutes, Paris Gare du Nord in 2 hours 16 minutes, Rotterdam Centraal in 3 hours 13 minutes and Amsterdam Centraal in 4 hours 19 minutes. Treat those as the fastest booked times, not a promise for every departure: some London to Paris trains take 2 hours 37 minutes.
Thalys is now part of Eurostar, so the mainland network sits under the same brand. Brussels to Rotterdam takes from 1 hour 10 minutes, Brussels to Paris from 1 hour 22 minutes, Brussels to Amsterdam from 1 hour 52 minutes, and Paris to Amsterdam from 3 hours 20 minutes. Antwerp and Schiphol are on it too. Germany comes via Belgium rather than straight from London: Cologne, Aachen and Düsseldorf all mean changing at Brussels Midi/Zuid, in the same station and with no second passport check, and Eurostar sells the whole journey as one booking.
Three classes now run across the network: Eurostar Standard, Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier. The old names have gone. Standard, Standard Premier and Business Premier on the London routes, and Standard, Comfort and Premium on the mainland, were all replaced, so older guides still name classes you will not see at booking. Plus buys a roomier seat and, on London routes only, a meal served at your seat.
Premier is a different order of money. London to Paris starts from £39 in Standard and £70 in Plus, but from £245 in Premier, and those London figures are one-way prices based on buying a return. Mainland fares sit lower in their own currency, with Brussels to Paris from €29 in Standard. Each is a lead-in price for the cheapest departures rather than a going rate.
What Premier mostly buys is flexibility. Standard and Plus tickets can be exchanged with no fee up to an hour before departure, though you pay any fare difference and never get one back when the new train is cheaper. A refund costs £25 or €25 per person per leg, and only seven days or more before departure. Exchange a ticket to a later date inside that final week and it stops being refundable at all. Premier can be exchanged or refunded with no fee up to 48 hours after your booked departure, and it carries a same-day boarding guarantee onto any other available train that day at no extra charge.
A Standard or Plus booking made by phone or at a station carries a service fee of £12 or €14 per transaction for exactly the same ticket. Use eurostar.com or the app instead. Fares across the whole network are released at the same time, which helps when you are planning a connecting leg.
Border and luggage checks on the London routes all happen before you board. That is why the ticket gates close well before the train leaves, and Eurostar can refuse boarding once they have. Reach the station before departure anyway and the ticket office can move you to the next available train when there is space, for a £44 fee in Standard or Plus. It is not a free rebooking.
Interrail and Eurail passes are accepted, though not on their own. The FAQs below set out what you pay on each side of the network.
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Frequently asked questions
How early do I need to get to the station?
On the London routes you clear ticket gates, security and border control before you board, so leave real time for it. Eurostar asks for 75 minutes at London St Pancras in Eurostar Standard and Eurostar Plus, and 45 minutes there in Eurostar Premier. In Standard and Plus, Paris Gare du Nord and Amsterdam Centraal want 75 to 90 minutes, Brussels Midi and Rotterdam Centraal 45 to 60. The number that catches people out is the gate: it closes 30 minutes before departure on every London route, or 15 minutes in Eurostar Premier, and it does not wait. Trains between Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands have no border checks, so 20 minutes at the station is enough.
Do I need a passport to travel on Eurostar?
On any train to or from London, yes. You also have to submit your Advance Passenger Information in the app or in Manage your booking, because Eurostar will not release your ticket until you do. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status can use a national ID card instead. If you are entering the UK without a visa and are not exempt, check whether you need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before you book: it costs £20, lasts two years or until the passport it is linked to expires, and most applications are processed in about three working days. Between Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands there are no document requirements at all, though spot checks do happen, so carry ID anyway.
Does an Interrail or Eurail pass cover Eurostar?
It does, but never the pass on its own. On the London routes, Global Pass holders travelling between the UK and France, Belgium or the Netherlands book a seat reservation in advance through Interrail's reservation service and pay a reservation fee on top of the pass, travelling in Eurostar Standard or Eurostar Plus depending on the class of the pass. Pass holder seats are subject to availability and do sell out. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, because once they are gone the only way onto that train is a full-price ticket. Between Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, Global Pass and Interrail or Eurail Benelux Pass holders buy a Pass fare instead, from €22 for Brussels to Amsterdam and from €27 for Brussels to Paris or Brussels to Cologne, sold at the NS, SNCF and SNCB international counters or by phone. That ticket can be exchanged once, is never refunded, and is not valid on the Snow and Sun routes.
How much luggage can I take on Eurostar?
Two pieces plus one item of hand luggage in Eurostar Standard and Eurostar Plus, three plus one in Eurostar Premier. There is no weight limit, but you have to be able to load and unload your own bags. Size is the rule people miss: each piece can be up to 85 cm long on the London routes and 75 cm everywhere else. Extra and oversized items work differently by route. On the London routes book them ahead in Manage your booking, where excess luggage costs £35 and an oversized item £60 when booked at least 48 hours before departure, and the Registered Luggage Service runs only on selected London to Paris and London to Brussels trains. Between Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands you can turn up and pay €30 per extra item on the day.
Can I take an earlier or later train than the one I booked?
Not without changing the ticket first. Between Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands your ticket is valid only on the train you booked, and changing it on board costs the highest fare in your class for that journey plus a €25 fee, payable by card or cash. Change the booking in Manage your booking or the app before you leave for the station. Whether a change is possible at all, and what the fare difference comes to, depends on the ticket you bought, so read those conditions when you book rather than on the platform.