Eurostar is the international high-speed rail service through the Channel Tunnel that runs direct from the magnificently renovated London St Pancras International railway station (adjacent to Kings Cross mainline station) through the Channel Tunnel direct to Lille, Brussels, Paris, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

During the winter, there’s also a direct Eurostar Ski Train service to Moûtiers, Aime-la-Plagne and Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

What's it like on board Eurostar?

It's a quality train experience. The seats large and comfortable, there are at-seat power sockets (both UK and European sockets) and free Wi-Fi. You can put your luggage overhead or in the larger racks in the aisles either mid way along or at the end of the carriages. You are free to stroll around and there are several bar-buffet carriages that sell a range of hot and cold, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including champagne, as well as snacks and wholesome, hearty dishes.

Seats and luggage racks on board Eurostar.

Types of Tickets

There are three types of tickets for travelling on board Eurostar:

Standard: Large comfortable seats, including lots of tables that are ideal for families or groups of friends. Tickets are exchangeable with no fee up to 1 hour pre-departure and refundable up to 7 days pre-departure for £25.

Plus: Roomier seats and a choice of two dishes with a round of drinks served at your seat. Tickets are exchangeable with no fee up to 1 hour pre-departure and refundable up to 7 days pre-departure for £25.

Premier: A few extra benefits that include priority ticket gates for all London routes, a three-course hot meal, champagne and other drinks served at your seat, a later check-in, a flexible ticket and access to the smart business lounges in London, Paris and Brussels, and the NS International Lounges on platform 1 at Amsterdam Centraal and platform 2 at Rotterdam Centraal. Tickets are exchangeable and refundable with no fee up to 48 hours after departure.

Tickets provided by Trainline, which does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheaper tickets when they're available.

Tickets that connect with Eurostar

It's not particularly well known, but Eurostar has negotiated with rail companies throughout the UK so that you can buy a train ticket to get you to London to connect seamlessly with your Eurostar departure.

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There are two kinds of tickets:

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1. Through-fare ticket: when you initially buy your Eurostar ticket from Eurostar, you can also purchase your train ticket to London as a 'through-fare' ticket, which combines the price of the UK journey and the Eurostar ticket to Paris, Lille, Brussels (or in fact anywhere in Belgium). For instance, you could buy a train ticket from Manchester to Paris or Newcastle to Brussels. These tickets are available as long as you book less than 3 months before travel. If you need to change station in London to get to St Pancras, your National Rail tickets will be valid for transfers on the London Underground, plus all changes between trains are synchronised so that there are minimal transfer times.

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2. Add-on ticket: this is useful if you've already purchased a Eurostar ticket but haven't yet bought your train ticket to London as part of the through-fare ticket scheme (above) OR if you want to book your UK train ticket more than 3 months in advance before travel (not available for the through-fare ticket). You can purchase the initial leg of the journey to London at your local train station (there are about 100 stations in the UK where you can do this). Just take your Eurostar ticket with you to the station and ask to buy the 'add-on' ticket to take the train to London to catch that Eurostar. The reason why it is worth buying this Eurostar 'Add-on' ticket is that they'll give you what's known as a ticket to 'London CIV', which means that should your train to London be delayed and you miss the Eurostar connection, you can jump on the next available Eurostar. In practice, Eurostar will probably put you on the next available Eurostar anyway, but with this 'Add-on' ticket it is guaranteed.

If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its booking enquiries.

Group Travel

If you're travelling as a group of more than 10 people, you can get in touch with a team at Eurostar that are dedicated to group travel and can give you a quote regarding all sitting together and other services such as a group meal. Email groups@eurostar.com or telephone +44 (0)3448 224 800.

​Luggage

For all ticket types, there’s no weight limit for your luggage (this is particularly great for skiers and snowboarders compared with the large fees some airlines charge for taking these in hold luggage, see our guide to Eurostar's Snow Train), but you should be able to carry and lift your bags safely.

Each bag can be up to 33½in (85cm) long at its widest point. In both Standard and Plus you can take 2 pieces of luggage and 1 small daypack/handbag, while in Premier you can take 3 pieces of luggage plus 1 small daypack/handbag.

There's no restriction on liquids.

Taking bikes on board Eurostar

You can take bikes on board for Eurostar services between London, Paris, and Brussels but you have to book a space for your bike by emailing travelservices@eurostar.com and you'll need to drop it off in a dedicated luggage area before departures.

Fully assembled bikes can only be taken on trains between London and Brussels; if you’re travelling between London and Paris, your bike must be disassembled and in a box or bag when you drop it off. At the end of the journey, your bike will be handed back to you on the platform.

You can bring a folding bike, folding electric bike, or children's bike on board as long as it's no longer than 85cm in length and it's carried in a protective bag that covers the whole bike.

What's the journey like?

It’s about 30 minutes from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel, then, after about 20 minutes in the tunnel, you emerge for the quick onward journey through the beautiful countryside of northern France.

For the routes and onward connections in Europe, see the Map of Eurostar's Routes

For information on how to cross between train stations in Paris, see our step-by-step guide to How to transfer between train stations in Paris