When I set up our family’s trip to Europe, I left an open-jaw between London and Paris. That meant that I would have to find my own way between London and Paris, and I thought it might be cool to take the Eurostar train from London to Paris through the Chunnel Tunnel underneath the English Channel. This Eurostar London to Paris review will talk through how to buy Eurostar tickets, how much do Eurostar tickets cost and what is it like to ride the Eurostar train from London to Paris.

For more articles from our Europe trip, see the bottom of this post

Buying Eurostar Tickets

While it is possible to buy Eurostar tickets at the station, we decided to book our Eurostar tickets in advance on Eurostar’s website. The Eurostar ticket buying process was quite straightforward. The price of Eurostar tickets will depend on the date as well as the time that you are traveling. We would have preferred a train leaving earlier in the day, but those were significantly more expensive, so we ended up buying a 3:31pm departure.

I believe our adult tickets were $139.50 each and the child tickets were $129.50 each. The tickets are delivered electronically.

Waiting For The Eurostar – London St. Pancras Station

In London, the Eurostar trains leave from London St. Pancras station. St. Pancras is attached to Kings Cross on the London Underground, so we took the Circle line from Hammersmith (site of the Holiday Inn Express London Hammersmith, where we were staying. When we got to Kings Cross, we first went to Kings Cross station itself to look for Platform 9 3/4 (unlike a few years ago, they now charge 20 Euros if you want to take your picture next to Harry Potter’s trolley cage half in the wall), and then went outside to St. Pancras, though I believe that there is a underground connection between the two.

We arrived about an hour or so before our train was supposed to depart, and easily showed our tickets and went through security. You do pass through UK and EU immigration in London, where you’ll get your passports stamped. Then there is a small waiting area which is quite crowded.

About 15-20 minutes before the train was set to depart, they announced the platform. You head upstairs from the waiting area on a series of motorized walkways (like escalators but without the steps, to make it easy to carry luggage).

Once you’re upstairs on the platform, you find your carriage. We were in Car 14.

Eurostar Train London to Paris Review

There is plenty of room onboard the Eurostar for luggage and to stretch out. The Eurostar train cabin is set out in a 2-2 configuration, and the seats were quite comfortable (especially compared to flying economy!) I was not able to get a picture of the whole cabin with the seats, because the train was already quite full by the time we got onboard.

There are racks above the seats to store small luggage, and at the ends of each car there are additional compartments to store larger luggage.

At the end of each car is also where the restrooms are available. Annoyingly, the restrooms on both ends of our car were blocked off / inoperable, so we had to go through 2 cars to reach the restroom.

What’s It Like Onboard The Eurostar Train London to Paris

Departing London on the Eurostar train, you go through the city for about 10-15 minutes and then enter the Chunnel Tunnel underneath the English Channel. I thought this was pretty cool, though I will say that I resonate with this meme below :-).

Instead, it’s just black for the time you’re in the Chunnel (which is about 15 minutes). There is a dining car onboard where you can buy snacks and drinks. I did take a picture though unfortunately it came out blurry. There was Eurostar Train train wifi available for free. The speeds were fine when it worked, but it was a bit finicky and kept kicking me off and making me reconnect. The total time between London and Paris on the Eurostar Train was about 2 hours 30 minutes, plus you will move forward one hour going from London to Paris.

We mostly relaxed in our seats, dozed for a bit, read some books and chatted – the time went by quickly.

The Bottom Line

Traveling on the Eurostar train from London to Paris was a bucket list item and definitely an experience to remember. Buying tickets was easy to do in-person at the train station, though you can also buy tickets online beforehand. If you are wondering how fast the Eurostar train goes, it can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour) though only about 160 kilometers per hour through the Chunnel Tunnel. To go from London to Paris on the Eurostar train takes about 2.5 hours, plus a 1 hour time difference.

Have you ever ridden the Eurostar train from London to Paris? Share your experience in the comments below

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