Green Traveller's Guide to taking the train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Milan, Italy.
Important: The Paris–Milan line has been blocked due to a landslide in the French Alps and is likely to remain so until Spring 2025. An alternative route is to go from Paris via Switzerland (changing at Geneva, Lauranne, Basel or Zurich) to Milan. If you leave on one of the early Eurostar departures from London St Pancras you can get to Milan the same day.
Journey Time: from 10 hours 40 minutes
Sample timetable: Depart London 9.22am, arrive Milan 9.50pm
Changes: 1
Transfer: Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon
Frequency of Departures: 23/day
Carbon emissions: 18.51kg (flight would be 243.9kg)*
Train tickets provided by Trainline:
Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It 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 cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
What's the journey like?
You have to change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER line (it's only two stops, though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer - you have about an hour and a quarter to get the connection). See our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris. At Gare de Lyon, you board a TGV high speed train to 'Milan Centrale' station.
Stopover hotels to break the journey in Paris
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay near both Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon. Here are some examples of hotels that are conveniently near these stations:
Miss your connection in Paris?
Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection between high speed trains because of a delay on the preceding leg of your journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed TGV train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager. Whenever you’re connecting, always remember to validate your onward train ticket at the machine on the platform before departing (these are often coloured yellow).
For more overland routes to Italy, see Green Traveller's Flight-Free Train/Ferry Journey Planner
On arrival at Milan Centrale station
Benvenuto a Milano! If you’re arriving on an international train service, you will probably arrive at Milano Centrale, the city’s main rail terminus – however various intercity services also serve Cardona and Garibaldi stations: all three are connected to Milan’s metro and bus services for onward travel around the city. There are plenty of hotels close to the station, see below:
Hotels near Milan's train station (Milan Centrale):
Milan has one of Italy’s best developed public transport systems, consisting of a metro network, trams, buses, and a suburban rail system (the latter is unlikely to be of use to visitors). Whilst many of the city centre’s main sights are within walking distance of one another, you’ll probably end up using public transport at some point during your stay. The metro consists of four lines, with a fifth under construction; there are seventeen tram lines crossing the city – trams are emblematic of travel in Milan; and numerous bus services, they are co-ordinated by ATM. You can find maps of the metro and suburban rail network on ATM’s website - see Milan Journey Planner, as well as a breakdown of the different tickets (including useful tickets for tourists), and a journey planner for transport within the Milan urban area.
Like many European cities, Milan has a bike sharing scheme, allowing you to hire a bike from numerous points across the city and then return it to a different docking point when you have completed your journey: for more information, and maps, check out BikeMi (information in English).
Buon Viaggio!
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