English Channel by Eurostar
- See also: English Channel by Ferry
The fastest and most convenient way to get from Big Ben to the Eiffel Tower is by rail. The Eurostar zips you from downtown London through the "Chunnel" to downtown Paris (15+/day) or Brussels (10/day) in 2.5 hours, faster and easier than flying. The main stations are London St. Pancras (with nearby connections to the north of Britain), Paris Nord, and Brussels Midi/Zuid. Some trains also stop at Ebbsfleet, Ashford (3/day to Paris, 1 to Lille), Calais (2 - 4 /day), or Lille (transfer point for TGVs to Disneyland Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport, and some other French connections). For the fastest London—Amsterdam route, connect in Brussels or consider flying (see www.easyjet.com). The Paris—Brussels route is served by another fast train (Thalys) and not sold on this page.
Tickets between London and Brussels include travel to/from any Belgian city at no additional cost within 24 hours of the Brussels Eurostar arrival or departure (except not on Thalys express trains). Just show the Eurostar ticket when boarding the other train(s). You can also connect free to/from Ebbsfleet and Ashford on the Southeastern Railway network (around Kent) and on Fastrack bus links between Ebbsfleet and local stations nearby.
Security measures are similar to airlines and you must check in 30 minutes before departure with most tickets. Carry-on luggage is limited to two large bags and a small day bag per person. Smoking, pets, lab rats, other animals except guide dogs, and dangerous materials are not allowed. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Kids under 4 are free when they share your seat.
I choose standard class to save money and have shown only standard class fares in the chart below. First class (also called Leisure Select) gets you a little more leg and elbow room, a newspaper, a classy meal, and power plugs at seats. Business Premier class is only for serious business travelers willing to spend $482 one way. Railpasses do not cover the Eurostar trip, but many entitle you to the "passholder" discount fare.
Cheap Tickets: Buy Early, Read Restrictions
All Eurostar tickets include a seat reservation for a particular departure (no "open" tickets). If you're ready to commit to a travel date and time, you can buy tickets up to 6 months in advance. There's no deadline to purchase, but the number of seats available at each fare is limited (just like with the airlines) and the lowest fares sell out first. Prices can be lower for roundtrip travel, youth or senior travelers, and passholders. Within any one of these categories, multiple fares are listed and the early bird gets the best price. Within any one category (e.g., within the Leisure category or within the Passholder category), roundtrip fares can be mixed and matched so that you get the best available fare for each direction of travel.
Unless you pay full fare (starting at $331 one way), tickets are not refundable. (Just a few are 25% refundable, and 25% ain't much.) Some fares allow you to change your reserved travel time once before departure, but others do not. You'll pay the difference between the original ticket price and the fares still available on the date of exchange. Be sure of your plans before you reserve.
Fares listed on this page are for standard (second) class travel between London and Paris or Brussels. Follow the ordering link below to see higher first class fares (which may have different restrictions) and slightly cheaper rates to/from Calais or Lille. We recommend ordering the lowest fares offered on your day(s) and time(s) of travel. The ordering system shows only those fares and departures currently available for sale.
| Eurostar Standard Class Fares: London, Ebbsfleet, or Ashford to/from Paris or Brussels | ||||
| Fare Name | One Way | Roundtrip | Who Qualifies | Refund or Exchange |
| Full fare | $331 | $662 | Anyone | Exchanges allowed. Full refund up to 60 days after departure date. |
| Leisure Flexi 1 | $243 | $486 | Anyone | One exchange allowed before departure. 25% refund at place of purchase up to 3 days before departure. |
| Leisure Flexi 2 | $211 | $422 | Anyone | |
| Leisure 1 | $177 | $263 | Anyone | No refund or exchange. |
| Leisure 2 | $148 | $221 | ||
| Leisure 3 | $111 | $175 | ||
| Leisure RT Same Day | NA | $117 | Anyone traveling roundtrip in one day. | No refund or exchange. |
| Passholder 1 | $169 | $338 | Traveler with valid, active railpass for England, France, or Belgium. | No refund. One exchange allowed before departure. |
| Passholder 2 | $146 | $292 | ||
| Passholder 3 | $94 | $188 | ||
| Senior 1 | $169 | $338 | Age 60 or over on date of travel. | No refund. One exchange allowed before departure. |
| Senior 2 | $146 | $292 | ||
| Senior 3 | $133 | $266 | ||
| Senior 4 | $109 | $218 | ||
| Youth 1 | $169 | $338 | Under age 26 on date of travel. | No refund. One exchange allowed before departure. |
| Youth 2 | $146 | $292 | ||
| Youth 3 | $133 | $266 | ||
| Youth 4 | $111 | $222 | ||
| Youth 5 | $88 | $176 | ||
| Youth 6 | $73 | $146 | Under age 26 on date of travel. | No refund or exchange. |
| Child | $59 | $118 | Ages 4–11 on date of travel. | Exchanges allowed. 50% refund at place of purchase up to 3 days before departure. |
| Wheelchair User or Companion | $62 | $124 | Wheelchair user and (maximum) one companion. | Reserved space is in first class. Exchanges allowed. Full refund up to 60 days after departure date. Companion fare also available for a companion to a blind traveler (who pays regular fares). Sorry, these fares can't be reserved on this web site. |
| Wheelchair User Child | $54 | $108 | Wheelchair user aged 4–11. | |
| We sell tickets online only. Seats are limited. Fares subject to change. See more important notes below. Prices lower to/from Calais or Lille. | ||||
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If you qualify for more than one discount category (passholder, roundtrip traveler, or youth/senior/child), explore the best fare available before adding a ticket to your shopping cart. If you check "I have a railpass," then you will NOT be offered other rates. Placing travelers into the shopping cart in separate groups may mean that the groups won't be seated together (but you can trade seats within your group while on the train). Order carefully, as many tickets cannot be changed after the order is placed. It is no longer possible to add notes to an order. |
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Important Notes
Passholder fare: Travel with a Passholder ticket must take place during the validity period of a railpass that covers one end of that day's Eurostar route (Britain, France, or Belgium). This trip does not use one of your counted travel days on a flexipass. However, both flexi- and consecutive-type passes must be validated. For instance, if you have a Passholder ticket from London to Paris and a Eurailpass for use on the continent, then you must have the Eurailpass validated at the station in London before boarding the Eurostar train. Class of service for this trip (first or standard) need not match your railpass. Passholder fares are also available in local currency (starting about £50 or €75) at select European locations including Eurostar departure stations, the Eurostar office near London's Victoria station, and Euraide offices (Munich Hbf and Berlin Hbf stations). The Passholder fare is often the best rate for adults age 26+ traveling one-way. Those traveling roundtrip, or who qualify for youth/senior/child discounts, should explore the best rates available before ordering a ticket. If you check "I have a railpass" when ordering, then you will not be offered other rates.
Roundtrip vs. Open Jaws: One-way fares can be mixed for either roundtrip (e.g., Paris-London-Paris) or open-jaw travel (e.g., Paris-London-Brussels). Compulsory roundtrip fares (the Same-Day Roundtrip fare and discounted roundtrip versions of the Leisure Flexi and Leisure categories) require travel between the same pair of cities in both directions.
European Fares: Fares sold in Europe are similar to U.S. rates but not necessarily the same. You can view or order them at www.eurostar.com and pick them up at your departure station. You can also order by phone with a European agent: London 011-44-8705-186-186, Paris 011-33-8-92-35-35-39, Brussels 011-32-2-528-28-28. Passholder discounts are available by phone with these agents, or at departure stations, but not at www.eurostar.com. To take a car through the Chunnel, see www.eurotunnel.com.
Insurance: We do not recommend adding the Rail Protection Plan ($10 for each one-way ticket) to your Eurostar order. Tickets have a unique 6-letter "PNR" identifier printed near the bottom. If necessary, a PNR or photocopy of the tickets can help you get them reprinted at Eurostar stations for a small fee. Keep your tickets in your moneybelt and a photocopy in a separate place.
English Channel by Ferry
The old-fashioned way of crossing the Channel is cheaper than Eurostar, but twice as complicated and time-consuming.
Ferry only:
Dover–Calais is served by P&O Ferries (tel. 0870-600-0613, www.posl.com) or Sea France (tel. 08705-711-711, www.seafrance.com) for about £20 - £30 each way, travel time 70 – 90 minutes.
Travel Harwich–Hoek van Holland by Stena Line for £20 - £33, 4 hours or overnight (tel. 0870-570-7070, www7.stenaline.co.uk).
Brittany Ferries serve Poole–Cherbourg, Portsmouth-Cherbourg, and Portsmouth-Ouistreham, starting at about £40 one-way or roundtrip (tel. 08703 665 333, www.brittanyferries.co.uk).
DFDS Seaways runs overnight services daily from Newcastle to Amsterdam and 2 - 3x/week from Harwich or Newcastle, England to Scandinavia (tel. 08705-333-000, www.dfdsseaways.com).
All phone numbers in UK. Search and book these ferries and more at www.aferry.to. £1 = about $2.
Bus/ferry combo: from London to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam, full fare is £37 one-way, £50 roundtrip; special offers as low as £18; 7-8 hours to Paris or Brussels; 10-12 hours to Amsterdam on Eurolines (tel. 08705-143-219, www.eurolines.co.uk).