How to take the London to Paris train: my guide after 20+ trips

I take the Eurostar from London to Paris at least four times a year, and in my opinion, it’s the easiest and most enjoyable way to travel from London to Paris. 

Taking a mere two hours 15 minutes, the London to Paris train is high-speed and comfortable. When I post about it on social media, people often complain about the price – BUT when you book early and are flexible with times, you can get good deals (sometimes as low as £35). 

As I’m an avid overland traveller, it makes sense for me to take the Eurostar from London to Paris a lot. Usually, it’s at the start of an overland trip to Southern Europe (like Spain or Italy), because it’s the gateway to the south of the continent. 

If you’re wondering “what is Eurostar like?” I can go through my full experience! Let’s take a look at this journey, and everything you need to know, in this post! 

London to Paris train: what you need to know

• Journey time: 2 hours 15 minutes (much quicker than Flixbus!)
• Operator: Eurostar are currently the only operator on the route
• Departure and arrival point: London St Pancras International and Paris Gare du Nord.
• Prices: it’s hard to say, as I’ve paid as little as £35 and as much as £220.

How to book Eurostar

I would always recommend booking Eurostar direct on their website (you can find the official website here). Third-party sellers DO exist, but will nearly always be more expensive! 

There are a few things I do to ensure my Eurostar isn’t too expensive:

1. Book as far in advance as possible. Most bookings open 11 months in advance. 
2. Be flexible about your timings, if you can. The most expensive tickets are around 7-10am, as people travel from London to Paris for meetings!
3. Join Club Eurostar for savings if you’re a frequent traveller. 
4. Consider Eurostar Snap, where you will choose a slot to travel in advance, and you’ll be given an exact time on the day. 

You can see more Eurostar money-saving tips in this blog post. 

Another thing I always do is use TopCashback to purchase a Eurostar gift card. TopCashback is a website that enables you to earn money back on purchases you make. I’ll go onto the site, buy a giftcard and use the giftcard to make a purchase, then I get the TopCashback money back into my account. 

You can use this link to sign up and get a £10 bonus when you earn your first £10 with TopCashback.

The lowest I’ve paid for Eurostar, during a sale, using some points and with a giftcard, is around £27 (the lowest base rate is £35). The highest is £220, when my travel plans changed last minute, and I had to purchase a train ticket the day before travelling – and it was during May half term!

In general, the London to Paris bus is definitely a lot cheaper – but I think the price of the train is comparable to flights. 

Eurostar have a function where you can find the lowest fares in any particular month – you can go through to that here.

After booking Eurostar

You’ll receive a link to complete your Advanved Passenger Information (API) after you book. This is your passport information, full name etc. Fill this in before you travel. You can also pick your seat during booking and can change it as many times as you like for free. 

If you want to sit somewhere without too many other people around (which isn’t always guaranteed), I’d recommend checking a day before and changing your seat to a quieter spot if possible. 

Eurostar classes

I usually use standard class on Eurostar, but I have tried all three. 

Standard includes seats in a 2-2 configuration, either airline or with a table. More seats have a table than on a standard train. Leg room is decent, there’s lots of places to stash  your bag and the WiFi is stronger than most trains. There are WCs at either end of the carriage, which are usually clean (thanks to it being a short journey!) and for refreshments, you’ll need to go to the Eurostar cafe. 

I’ve travelled in Plus twice, both times when I could get a cheap or free upgrade. I once paid £25 to upgrade, and a second time I got a free upgrade because I’d accrued enough Club Eurostar points. 

I found it has slightly comfier, more spacious seats, and you can reserve a single seat (if you’re quick). I also got food – a basic veggie bowl and a small chocolate. I wouldn’t pay a large amount to upgrade, but for free or up to around £20, I’d say it’s worth it. 

Premier is a definite step up, in both service and price. I’ve only done this once, and don’t think I could afford to do it again! This was on the Paris to London Eurostar train, so I went to the lounge at Gare du Nord, where I could have drinks and snacks. On the train, I had a four-course meal, drinks (including alcohol), comfy seats and dedicated service. 

It was a lovely experience, but it cost me around £350!

Where to eat on the Eurostar

At London St Pancras, there’s a Pret a Manger and a couple of other eateries past Eurostar control. In Paris Gare du Nord (when departing from Paris) there’s a PAUL and a couple of other spots.

To be honest, I’d recommend purchasing food and drink outside and taking it through with you, as there are more options there!

I don’t usually eat at Eurostar cafe, as it is a little pricier than on “land”, but I’ve purchased a veggie sandwich there before for lunch and sometimes go in for a drink if I fancy stretching my legs. 

Getting to St Pancras and early starts

St Pancras is easy to reach from most of London, with Thameslink services and the following tube lines calling at the station:

• Circle line
• Hammersmith & City line
• Metropolitan line
• Northern line
• Piccadilly line
• Victoria line

But please remember that you have to be at Eurostar check-in EARLIER than normal trains. Eurostar will tell you the time to arrive on your ticket – it’s usually around 90 minutes before your train, but it may be earlier in particularly busy trains. 

If you are taking the earliest train of the day (around 6:00 am to Paris), this means that you’ll need to arrive around 4:30am – and of course, this is before tubes start running! I always leave plenty of time when taking tubes and trains around London, too, as they can face delays. 

If it saves stress and a ridiculously early wakeup, I’d recommend taking a look at hotels around St Pancras station to stay the night before. 

Arriving and getting through

Now, the reason you’ll need to arrive early at Eurostar’s terminal is because there are rather a lot of checks and things to go through! It’s similar to the airport, as you’ll need to do the following: 

1. EES kiosks (if you haven’t yet gone through EES)
2. Ticket gates: I always have my ticket pre-loaded on my Eurostar app and wallet
3. Security: Liquids are allowed, I once took my coffee through and they gave me a cup holder to put it in!
4. UK exit check: This is a passport check. 
5. French passport control: Another passport check, and you may get a stamp in your passport!

The GOOD news is that you’re legally in the EU once you’ve done that! 

I always struggle to get a seat in the waiting area; if you spot some, grab them while you can! Listen to the announcements and watch the boards, as trains to Amsterdam and Brussels also leave from the waiting area. 

Last time I took the Eurostar, a man was supposed to travel to Paris, and he accidentally got onto the Amsterdam train! Luckily he was able to get off and on the right train in time – but do be mindful, as there are no checks here. 

Seats are reserved, so make sure you know where you’re sitting in advance – it’ll be on your app. This can be changed for free, as well!

See official information (from Eurostar) about what to do when you arrive here.

The journey

From London St Pancras, you’ll travel just under an hour southeast through Kent to Folkestone, before entering the Channel Tunnel. 

Now, the Channel Tunnel IS an engineering feat (I don’t want to sound otherwise!), but don’t expect anything too dramatic. From the train, it’s really just like being in a very long (50km, infact), tunnel. I know I wasn’t the only primary school kid who thought I’d be seeing fish and dolphins swimming around me!

Once you arrive in France, it’s about another hour to Paris. I’ve nearly always found it a very seamless journey; I’ve only been delayed once (which is a stark contrast to the delays I’ve had on other British and European trains!). 

Arriving at Gare du Nord

You’ve already done French immigration in London, so arriving in Gare du Nord is easy! Just walk through the channel, past French customs. You may get stopped here; I never have, however. 

Then, you’re in the main terminal! From Gare du Nord, RER lines B, D and E connect to other spots in the city. I often take RER line D to Gare du Lyon (more on that below!). 

Gare du Nord isn’t where any of Paris’s main attractions are, but if you get in late, it might make sense to stay in the area! I usually stay at St Christopher’s Inn, which is a hostel, but I’ll try to book a private room if I can! Take a look at it here.

Carrying on by train

If you’re on an overland journey to Spain or Italy, you’ll want to head to Gare de Lyon by RER line D. It’s only around 10 minutes long, and I usually go down to the RER area and purchase a ticket there. 

Previously, I took the night train from Paris to Berlin from Paris Gare de L’Est. This is walkable from Gare du Nord (six minutes). 

Any onward train will likely be a separate ticket, unless it’s a Eurostar train. I’d highly recommend leaving at least three hours (and maybe more!) between the Eurostar’s arrival and onward departure. 

FAQs about the London to Paris train

How much does the bullet train from London to Paris cost?

The cost for the train from London to Paris varies hugely depending on many factors. I’ve paid as little as £27 and as much as £220. 

Is it cheaper to fly or take a train to Paris from London?

I think it’s usually cheaper to take the train, when you factor in getting to and from each airport and the extra cost of baggage. This is likely not always the case, however!

Is 1 hour enough time for Eurostar?

I wouldn’t leave just one hour to check in for Eurostar. Official recommendation is around 75-90 minutes and I’d always leave closer to 90 minutes. 

Do Eurostar gates really close 30 minutes before?

Eurostar check in does, and if there’s a big queue it could take you much longer than that to get to the front of it.