Eurostar’s been running through the Channel Tunnel for over 30 years now, and yet a surprising number of British travellers still haven’t tried it. If you’re one of them, here’s a straightforward look at where you can actually get to from London St Pancras — and why the train genuinely beats flying for several of these routes.
In This Article
The Seven Destinations
Paris
The classic. Two hours and 16 minutes, city centre to city centre. By the time you’ve factored in airport transfers, security queues, and boarding at Heathrow or Gatwick, the train is comfortably faster than flying. It’s not even close, really.
Brussels
Just under two hours. Brussels gets overlooked as a weekend destination, which is a mistake — the beer, the food, and the Art Nouveau architecture make it worth far more than a stopover. It’s also your gateway to onward Belgian rail connections.
Amsterdam
Around four hours direct. The journey’s a bit longer, but you arrive at Amsterdam Centraal with no transfer needed. The return journey now clears UK border controls in Amsterdam, which has removed the biggest previous hassle.
Lille
The closest Eurostar destination at just 80 minutes. Lille’s brilliant for a day trip or overnight stay — fantastic food market, a proper old town, and prices that make London look even more absurd than usual. Seriously underrated.
Rotterdam
A stop on the Amsterdam route, Rotterdam deserves its own visit. The architecture alone — rebuilt almost entirely after the war — makes it one of Europe’s most visually striking cities. About three hours from London.
Calais and Lyon
Seasonal and connection services extend the network further. Calais is useful for onward travel into northern France, while Lyon (via a connection in Paris or Lille) opens up southeastern France, the Alps, and some of the country’s best food.
Why the Train Wins
Let’s be honest about what makes Eurostar better than flying for these distances. There are no luggage weight limits — pack whatever you want without worrying about excess baggage fees. You can bring full-size liquids. There’s legroom that makes economy class on a plane feel like punishment. And you arrive in the city centre, not at an airport 40 minutes outside it.
The environmental argument is significant too. A Eurostar journey produces roughly a tenth of the carbon emissions of the equivalent flight. If you’re trying to travel more sustainably without giving up on exploring Europe, rail is the obvious answer for shorter distances.
The Practical Bits
Speeds hit 186mph through the tunnel and on high-speed lines in France and Belgium. Check-in closes 30 minutes before departure — compare that with the two-hour airport buffer most of us build in. You can work on the train with decent Wi-Fi and a proper table. Try doing that in seat 34B on a Ryanair flight.
For connecting onwards to destinations further afield, Brussels and Paris act as excellent hubs. From Paris, you can reach virtually anywhere in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany by rail. It’s a different way of travelling — slower in some cases, but infinitely more pleasant.
If you’re looking for affordable European travel from the UK, combining Eurostar with regional rail passes can work out surprisingly well. And for destinations like Copenhagen or Helsinki, a train-and-flight combo through a European hub often makes more sense than a direct flight from a regional UK airport.
Thirty years on, Eurostar remains one of the best ways to start a European trip. More people should use it.