I LOVE a good train. And especially as I try to cut down on flying, I’m booking more trains trips than ever.
The Eurostar in particular is one I’m fairly familiar with, since I’ve been taking it for years. While I used to take it mostly for work, I grew to really enjoy the service and now book it for personal travel as well. Still, a lot of people tell me they find it too expensive to book.
In this blog, I’ll highlight what you need to know about the Eurostar London to Paris leg, including average prices, whether it’s cheaper than flying, and what you should prepare for your trip.
Cost: is taking the Eurostar cheaper than flying?
Let’s get started with the big one. How expensive is the Eurostar? People say it’s more expensive than flying, but is it true?
The simple answer is this: if you’re taking a suitcase and travel with notice, odds are that the Eurostar will be cheaper than flying. If you’re traveling last-minute, flying with a budget airline and just a bag pack, flying will usually be cheaper.
Want the full answer? Check out what else you should consider when comparing the Eurostar versus a flight.
But what about business class?
The Eurostar business class is called Premier. In my opinion, it’s comfortable and reasonable. It costs around £30-70 on top of a standard ticket, and includes larger seats, a light meal and drinks served at your seat. The next level up is Business Premier, which is set at around £275 per leg. This includes three pieces of luggage (plus one hand luggage), a more comfortable seat, a three-course meal served with champagne, a special lounge, and bespoke lines.
There isn’t really the equivalent of these on a budget airline, but an airline like British Airways might charge £100 more for business class on a London-Paris trip if paying in cash.
If you’re comparing cost like-for-like, don’t forget to factor in costs like:
- Luggage, as outlined above
- Getting from a city to/from the airport. With public transport, this usually ranges from £5 to £20 in London
- Getting from a city to/from the train station. Both London St Pancras and Paris’ Gare du Nord are in the centre of the cities
- Seat selection, which is free on the Eurostar but comes at a cost with budget airlines
Hopefully that gives you an idea of cost. But what about the other pros and cons?
Like-for-like: Eurostar vs. Flying
💺 Comfort: with larger, plush seats, proper leg room, a cafe and some nice views, the Eurostar is indisputably a lot more comfortable than a flight in my opinion.
📌 A to B: with the Eurostar, you travel from the centre of one city to another in 2.5 hours, bypassing travel to and from airports.
💚 Carbon footprint: you save a lot in CO₂ emissions when you train over flying. The Eurostar London to Paris journey emits 2.4 kg of CO₂ versus 66 kg on a flight, making the train 96% lower in emissions.
💧 Liquids: flights have a 100ml limit on liquids, the Eurostar does not, so you can bring things like toiletries or wine more comfortably.
🛂 Security and controls: Eurostar tends to have shorter passport control/security (unless you have some sort of priority pass at the airport, but then again Eurostar’s business program also allows you to queue jump). Plus, because you do all the controls before the journey, once you arrive you are free to grab your bag and immediately enjoy your trip.
✈️ Lounges: are definitely better at the airport. There’s not much to do in London after Eurostar security, and the waiting area is quite uncomfortable (not enough seats, just a couple of places to get food, and they always have lines).
⏰ Journey time: 2 hours 20 on the Eurostar (London to Paris) vs. 1 hour 20 flying. However, the hour you save flying you probably lose getting to/from airports and with longer security.
🔄 Flexibility: This is actually a biggie. With any Eurostar fare, you can change your tickets for free up to seven days before departure. You only need to pay the difference in fare, if there is one. Unless you have a flex fare with an airline, you’ll pay dearly for that privilege.
Taking the Eurostar from London to Paris: what else do I need to know?
There are a few things that are helpful to know if you’re taking the Eurostar from London to Paris.
Getting to St. Pancras, London
If you haven’t been to St. Pancras or King’s Cross, know that they’re big stations which can take some time to navigate. Don’t get to the station and expect to be right where the Eurostar leaves. Plan some time to get around to the right platform.
How long before the Eurostar should I arrive?
Your ticket will give you a suggestion of when to arrive, but remember the following key detail: the Eurostar ticket gates close 30 minutes before your trip. That means you need to scan your ticket at the machine before the Eurostar entrance with more than 30 minutes to spare. Sometimes there’s a line, sometimes there isn’t.
This is why Eurostar usually tell you to arrive anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes ahead of your journey. For me, what they tell me ranges: sometimes it’s arrive 45-60 minutes before, other times it’s 75-90 minutes. My past two trips have been the former.
Thankfully it’s never happened to me, but I am told that they will not let you through if you scan your ticket within thirty minutes of your train leaving. If you’re getting really close to the thirty-minute mark, tell the staff or the people there so you can scan your ticket earlier.
As always, don’t cut it too close. It just makes things stressful.
What happens after I scan my Eurostar ticket at St. Pancras?
Once you scan your ticket, you’ll go through security and two passport controls – the British, and then the French. For me, this usually takes between 10 and 20 minutes, depending how busy the station and train is. As a result, if you’re taking the Eurostar London to Paris route, you’ll have nothing to do when you arrive at Gare du Nord in Paris.
Is there much in the Eurostar waiting area at St. Pancras?
Unfortunately, I find the regular waiting area a bit of a bummer. There aren’t enough seats, it’s often crowded, and there are only a few places to get food, which almost always have lines. There is a bathroom and a little shop, but overall it’s a pretty chaotic place to wait for the train. Luckily, between security, passport control, and the train starting to board around 15-20 minutes before it leaves, there’s usually not too much time to kill.
How do you find the lowest Eurostar fares?
I use the Eurostar low fare finder, which shows a calendar of the lowest fare. If you want to compare it to flying at the same time, you can use Ita Software by Google, BUT it does not include many budget airlines.
Other questions?
Hopefully that’s been a good overview of the Eurostar from London to Paris, but don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions. Drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them to the blog as they come up.
Question (this one came up on my Instagram):
How are the passport controls these days after Brexit? They recommend arriving early because of the queues don’t they? I generally like Eurostar, but their waiting areas once you get past security are pretty crappy and tend to get overcrowded.
Answer:
You’re SO right on the crappy waiting area, it’s just not big enough and gets horrendously crowded. It drives me crazy! Usually they tell you to get there early to ensure that you scan your ticket at least 30 mins before departure (if you don’t, they won’t let you through), which should be enough time to get through security and controls. The lines I’ve seen in the past year have all been due to strikes on either sides, which are a nightmare, but Eurostar are pretty good about letting you change tickets if there’s chaos. I have an Italian passport and go through quickly, but I haven’t seen Brits have any problems either. I do remember it was awful right after Brexit as they were figuring things out. Now there are lines, but I usually clear both security and passport within 15 mins, if not 10!
In Paris and looking for somewhere affordable to stay? Check out our ultimate guide to affordable hotels in Paris.
Leave a Reply