Eurostar E300 Standard Premier: 300km/h Brussels to London (in just 2 hours!)
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
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Eurostar is one of the most famous and most recognisable train services in the world. They're well known for their modern and fast fleet, but they still have some of the original Class 373/E300/TMST trains running on select services to Brussels and Paris. I took one in Standard Premier and covered my experience. Enjoy the video!
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0:00 Intro
1:45 Arrival at Brussels-Midi and "check in"
2:06 Passport control experience
2:50 Boarding our Eurostar
4:21 Departure from Brussels-Midi
4:44 Babbel sponsored segment
6:15 Scenic views and seat review
7:20 Standard Premier meal
9:03 Entering the Channel Tunnel
10:11 Cafe-car and toilet
11:22 Kent, England, out of the tunnel
12:36 Prices and how to book
13:37 Conclusions, thanks, and goodbye!
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Eurostar is one of the most famous and most recognisable train services in the world. They're well known for their modern and fast fleet, but they still have some of the original Class 373/E300/TMST trains running on select services to Brussels and Paris. I took one in Standard Premier and covered my experience. Enjoy the video!
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In September I’m doing to Slovakia by train London/Brussels/Vienna/Bratislava/Poprad-Tatry and return. I've done this journey before in last January
Question, how often do you get back home and how long do you usually stay there?
The Eurostar to Brussels is a blessing. I live in Aachen, Germany, and I travel to London several times a year. The airplane takes about 6h door to door counting German trains, the Stansted Express, and whatnot. Instead with the Thalys/ICE and the Eurostar I can make it in about 5h20 door to door, and I don’t even feel tired, I’m ready for the action on arrival. The prices tend to be quite high though and there’s very limited chances for onward travel if you take the last train to Brussels…
In 1999, on the way back from London, we missed our connection to Cologne (Thalys) due to the delay of the Eurostar in Brussels. Since it was the last train to Cologne that day, the return journey turned into an odyssey. We even had to take a taxi from Aachen to Cologne.
I used to be a driver on this route when it was based at Waterloo. In Belgium before their high speed line was completed we used to go via Ath and the charmingly named Silly which can be seen if you know where to look.
Thanks for posting this made me nostalgic 👍
St Pancras looks so amazing, hard to believe they wanted to demolish it.. the trains look really well maintained and cleaned especially for their age..
These are fairly new German trains which replaced the original TGV Eurostar. I love St Pancras, used to go for nights out in London & would arrive in the old dark space just as they were starting construction on the extension. They kept the trains running for the most part which was an amazing feat!
St Pancras looks nice, but the lack of seating and the complete absence of bins are annoying. It's more of a shopping center than a station.
Have travelled on Eurostar twice while on my working holiday in the UK, (I am from NZ). Have done London to Lille for work and London to Paris for a holiday, enjoyed both, the best way to travel 😊
Wish we had something similar here In Australia a high speed rail network would work very well here flying is very expensive between cities loved the video as well excellent as always thanks Paul
They've been doing 'cost benefit analysis' for Sydney to Melbourne for about 30 years now.
Totally agree with you Maggie I’m from Victoria
We've got the same problem here in Canada.
I agree that TPE service from Brisbane to Sydney terrible no sockets no internet & takes hours ( never ever would i travel that route again).
Will never happen here in 🇦🇺
I live in the Scottish Highlands and am seriously considering going to Paris for lunch one day. Caledonian Sleeper from Aviemore, Eurostar to GdN, spot of lunch somewhere then Eurostar back to London in time for the Caledonia Sleeper back to Aviemore! 😊
That is a long day but I’d go for it!
The Caley Sleeper is unreliable and often has delays as well as equipment failures on the Mk5 stock such as en-suites not working properly (if at all). It's not unheard of for the Club Car to run out of food or to have things like the coffee machine broken. I'd avoid it.
E* on the other hand, is a far better operation.
@@johnstansfield5265 going back to Scotland, it's still an option, though, the worst case is they put you on an Avanti or LNER to Scotland the next morning and put you up in a hotel for the night, with delay compensation for your ticket...
I've done Eurostar 3 times when I've been travelling in Europe and love it.🇨🇦
Your London to Amsterdam Eurostar trip is one of my most favourite travel video. I have watched it many times and still keep on returning to watch it.
Travelled in May from London to Paris. Loved the journey & so much nicer (& quicker)than flying.☺️
I once took the Eurostar train in the mid 1990s from London to Belgium, on a business trip. Loved the ride on those early days train and was excited to make the trip.
I have been fortunate enough to have used Eurostar from London to Paris a few years ago and I have to say that I loved it. That being said, I hope to do it again sometime soon but perhaps London to Amsterdam this time. Love your videos Paul, cheers from Atlantic Canada.
No comparison between VIA Rail and Eurostar modern train comfort and style. I live in Toronto we need a HST electric route dearly between Windsor and Quebec City.
Absolutely love Eurostar and I’ve travelled to both Paris and Brussels on it - in fact, I used it for my stag do to get to Brussels in 2006! I’ve not been on it for a while though.
But, just last week, we came back on Le shuttle with the car using the channel tunnel having spent an excellent week in Luxembourg!
Nice! I took my son to Paris for a day trip a few years ago. Couple of days before we went, I got a message that our return train was cancelled. So I went to St Pancras, spoke to the guy there, who put us on the later train (no problems with that), and then said "And I'll see if I can get you upgraded to standard premier". Result! They even got us a Kosher meal. Wasn't worth paying the extra for IMHO (the regular standard class seats are fine given the journey is about 2h15m) - but was nice as a free upgrade! I think Business Premier also has a better wine selection possibly. And things under the sea... I once rang a friend's Ring doorbell and he answered it from under The Channel!
We booked standard premiere from Paris to London in June, 2022. Our TGV from Turin was delayed, and we missed the connection we’d booked. There was a rail strike in Britain,so service was limited. We ended up getting rebooked in standard on the last train scheduled for the day. It was disappointing not to get the amenities you describe, but I’m really glad to have had the experience of the Chunnel.
That waiting area at Brussels is so disappointing compared to the choice on offer at St Pancras!
I know! It is the ugly cousin compared to St Pancras, Amsterdam and Paris-Nord!
@@Paul_Lucasdid they really get rid of the small cafe in Brussels inside the waiting area? What a stupid idea, in particular as I always had the impression it was insanely busy at most times.
Its barely even a waiting area at all, back during the 2022 train strikes, the lines were so backed up that there literally wasnt any seats left
St Pancras! Most beautiful station in the world.!
@@marcd6897 it was not there when I travelled through last September!
Enjoyed the nostalgia trips and some comments,especially by the previous driver and good to keep interested travellers to learn about different experiences. Well done.
I recall those early days. Out of Waterloo before HS1 took an age to get to the channel and then the increased speed as we entered France. Much better these days.
Eurostar is an amazing service. I've done London to Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam and Disneyland Paris using the service. So convenient!
European train travel is fantastic. We’ve taken Eurostar from London to Paris R/T twice now and TGV from Paris to Amsterdam R/T.
Shame you didn't get into the business lounge - it's quite fun to compare the different lounges at the different Eurostar terminals. The Brussels one has Belgian Trappist beers, the St Pancras one has a cocktail bar and British beers, and the French one is very wine focused. You can also get in with a carte blanche (top tier Eurostar loyalty card) or the equivalent from SNCF, DB, Thalys etc (which are generally easier to get).
Awesome Eurostar review! I was meant to take the Eurostar from London to Paris last year, but my travel companion got unwell the day before our trip so we had to cancel. Hoping to get back in a few years to give it a go myself! Keep up the great work Paul!
I’ve taken the Eurostar R/T from London to Paris in 2014. In 2016, we took it one way from Paris to London. It was my first European high speed train. I love European HSR and have taken DB ICE, Thalys, Renfe AVE, Trenitalia Frecciaargento, Italo, and SNCF TGV.
re: the Any Belgian station ticket you mention, I did a brilliant hack with it last year: use it to get from London to Arlon, the final stop in Belgium before Luxembourg. Then in Luxembourg, all the trains are free. Then use a 7 euro ticket from the Luxembourg border to Trier in Germany, which has a direct service from Luxembourg... so you've gone from London to Trier, in Germany's Rhineland, for very little more than the price of going to Brussels. You only need to change at Brussels and in Luxembourg.
Woah… That is quite the travel hack! Thanks Jon!
I travelled on Eurostar just last Friday from Rotterdam to London in Standard Premier. Can confirm they still have not sorted out the menu. That aside, the food was tasty, service was great, seat comfortable, wifi worked (until we got to England) and check-in was nice and straight forward. Wish the departure lounge in Rotterdam was a bit more spacious.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the trip and will probably use it again.
Great video! Fun fact : the lounge can also be accessed by Carte Blanche (frequent traveller) or American Express Platinum cardholders. I wonder how good the lounge in Brussels is since it’s the only “big” Eurostar lounge I have not been to …
Another terrific & inspirational video as always, Paul. I'm glad you had an enjoyable trip. Living the life for sure. Your enthusiasm and passion for that particular journey were easy to see. Look forward to your next one.
Great video !!
Thank you for making this video! I will travel from Amsterdam to London later this year and since I have to change trains in Brussels for the train to London this video was very helpful. I only have 48 minutes to change trains in Brussels, during which I have to go through Customs. Hopefully, I will have enough time to do so without missing my train to London.
Finally! I actually did this trip in May except left from Amsterdam. We had to change in Brussels on the way over with a small layover & it was chaos there. The return trip was much smoother.
There’s been talk of connecting the cities of Helsinki and Tallinn by an underground passenger train for quite some time now, but it has yet to become reality. Hopefully it happens one day, would love to see it.
I travelled on Eurostar in 2004 from London, Waterloo International, to Paris, Gare du Nord, for a short Easter break. It was a great experience for this Aussie, being my first trip to Europe. 😊
Thanks for the video. Always wondered what it was. Now through you have seen it. Cheers Lynne Victoria Australia 🇦🇺 🐨👍🏻😃
Love your choice of music! 🕺✨
Traveled on Eurostar last year from St. Pancras to Gare du Nord and it was a perfectly fine experience. We were in standard class, which was quite adequate, the train was on time and, despite scary looking lines (queues) at St. Pancras, the security and immigration process was efficient and relatively quick. It was Jubilee holiday so the station was packed. Still, Eurostar handled it well and I’ll absolutely use the service again in the future.
I wish that Eurostar would bring back the ski train as it was the most civilised way to get down to the alps.
Thanks for sharing as always mate!
Eurostar to Brussels and Paris and both return trips on the same day were great fun ....its Amsterdam next ...really like the product Paul, and a great video !
I've been to Paris, out on Saturday afternoon, back Monday night, loved it!
Fantastic trip report Paul!😸
Great review!! Thanks Paul.💚👌
I love Eurostar!
Our first trip from Paris to London and then London to Brussels is in several weeks. We love traveling by train and this is something we have been looking forward to.
Love the video Paul! Me and my family used to travel via Eurostar to Disneyland once a year. Sadly since they ditched Ebbsfleet/Ashford and now ditched Disneyland we have been left no choice but to travel via car / Eurotunnel. I really feel like Eurostar have shot themselves in the foot by not at least having one of the Kent stations!
Last took Eurostar London to Paris and back in 1997.
My husband still has the t-shirt he bought with the original logo!
Hoping to take a 1 night trip to Brussels for the Xmas markets when I’m in London in December.
Really enjoy all your train trips.
🇨🇦
A train from Split? I bet that was a lot of fun.
Wow! Good choice. My family and I will be travelling next year to EU and this is a good tip. 😊
Rode the e300 with the old interior down to Lyon and back twice in 2016, as well as more recently in the refurbished sets on the way back to London this summer. Somehow I find, despite the bigger loading gauge, the e320s to feel incredibly cramped, like the backrest of the seat in front of you is only inches away, whereas the refurbed e300 seemed much roomier in comparison!
Great trip. Can't wait for your trip from Split to Brussels by train.
We travel on Eurostar every time we visit Europe. It's clean, has great schedules, and is convenient. This past March we traveled throughout France on Eurostar and never had a problem.
I sooo enjoyed the Eurostar trip - when I took the train berlin cologne Brussels to London. Wish they are bit cheaper but I guess everyone is recovering from covid. The service is great - wish the meal on standard premier are bit bigger. Great video as always!
I went to Scotland for vacation this year and I gladly took the train, since I'm too tall to be comfortable on flights inside Europe. While the journey took 2 days in each direction, I made the best of it and stayed in London for 2 nights on the way to Scotland and another 3 nights in Paris on my way back (without bringing home bed bugs).
The Eurostar is possibly the most comfortable European high-speed train and the staff was great, especially on the way back.
My only complaint is St Pancras station. It needs more seating and bins. Seeing how passengers might spend several hours there, it's just not enough.
About six years ago when I turned up super early at st Pancras heading to Brussels I asked if I could get an earlier train & yes answered the man at the desk but at a price, much more than I'd spend on coffee whilst waiting, I said oh it's ok, thanks, then he asked me if I travelled often on Eurostar, I said yes as I did then, (about two to three times a year)& got upgraded to first class I think they still called it then - on the next train out😊💚 love Eurostar.
18 coaches!!! Wow!
I have traveled on Eurostar from Brussels, and from Paris. Right after Eurostar opened, I booked a stunning First Class trip from Paris to London, with spectacular food and service. Sadly it's no longer available. I have done a couple of London-Paris returns including one where I went to Paris for Lunch. Quite an experience. All of my travel was into London Waterloo. I am looking forward to a St. Pancras trip.
Even though I've done this exact journey many times, I still can't quite believe Brussels to St Pancras is less than 200 miles.
And that’s by rail, not even in a straight line!
I miss traveling on the Eurostar for work. The 17:30 to Paris GDN and 18:01 GDN to St Pancras was my usual bi-monthly fare for a good 6 years. The joys of getting ginned up in the Business class lounge and getting Carte Blanche points reminded me of the good times. The renovated lounge at Gare Du Nord is perfect for a post-work Mojito after you've missed your train because of delays on the Line 4!
Boarded on at Lille Europe after a changeover from a TGV at Avignon once and I have to say that the facilities were more spartan than at Brussels. It also throws the meal service because you're used to having your aperitifs served the moment you leave Paris, with your main meal dispensed by the time you get to the slag heaps surrounding Lille!
Eurostar reminds me of a time before Teams teleconferences and actually meeting people face to face to have productive meetings. That and the fact that I used to keep the bottles of wine in my bag for cooking when I needed to drive once I got back to the South West. Long days but great service.
Eurostar is awesome! I want to travel in one someday.
Awesome Video
Wonderful journey.
Lovely vlog 👍👍
I always wanted travel on euro star , it’s looks amazing
The business fare has been £300 forever - but it at least used to be quite a bit cheaper if you booked through a non UK domain website
We travelled Standard Premier to and from Brussels in June - never had before, always standard class. It was a great deal more comfortable, and nice to have a pain au raisin in the morning and a very nice meal on the way home. I did think the coffee tasted slightly burnt, though, both ways!
I still find it fantastic that the major capitals of Europe are connected by high speed rail!! Including a link under the sea and it isn’t even that new anymore, meanwhile in North America, no HSR yet
One thing people forget is that if you get eurostar in belgum the ticket will also cover any other trains on that day.
Looking forward to your TGV reviews as well
I have been on Eurostar once but it was only between Lille and Brussels just to get a taste of what it is like (took the TGV from CDG to Lille which was my first experience on a high-speed train).
Hi Paul, Lovely video and on one of my favorites. I've been on Eurostar several times: early on from Waterloo to Paris and also Paris to Waterloo. I've gone from St Pancras to Paris and Lille, but never onward. I agree about the station in Lille. It's unfortunate, because the older station has a lot of character and warmth. I've used it several times traveling to/from both Paris and Brussels.
In 1995 , my wife and I , on my wife's first time out of Australia , telephoned booked seats from London to Paris on the brand new Eurostar. When I was making the reservation , the lovely lady at the other end of the line advised that we should not travel at the time we wanted as England were playing France in a "friendly" that night and it would be more prudent to travel on the following train .... Wise advice. We have since traveled on the Eurostar in 2000 , 2004 and enjoyed every moment.
Ah, Eurostar 😁
Used it to come back from Paris last November, enjoyed it !!
We have used it to go to and from Brussels, that was a good twelve years ago.... 😮
Always enjoy rail travel just as much as air.... rail seems a bit more civilised to me, and the ability to move around the carriages is a winner every time 👍
Great vlog as always! How does that check in time compare to fly between Brussel and London? I thought the train was going to win. The prices… wow! Lets race. Plane or train BRU-LON! Keep up the good work. Be safe!
My first time on Eurostar in July travelled to Brussels, very impressed with train but didn’t enjoy check in at St Pancras , nothing was working , so once through passport control couldn’t get to see the waiting area ,as had to board train .
Thought these trains were history... interesting to know!!
The feel of an e300 is just so much better than an e320, even post refurb. Much less cramped, much better sightlines, and all in all feels much more relaxed. I wish I got to use them more often!
Another terrific video. I've been Business (for business) and Standard (for vacation) but never Standard Premier. Given the price differential I'm really wondering why I'd want to book Business (for vacation) over Standard Premier. Seat comfort looks similar. Meals/drinks for 2 hours - not too fussed. If i want to buy some drinks in Standard Premier, the cost would be peanuts compared to the savings. Definitely inspired me to give Standard Premier a go.
Never travelled on Eurostar before, but it's been something that I've wanted to do for a while now. Just need to find somewhere in Europe with easy reach to Eurostar that I want to visit, and book up
Good to see you back on the train. Is the rest of your journey from Split on the channel?
It will be!
That waiting area reminds me of the post-US preclearence area in Dublin airport.
Hi Paul. Huge train fan. Love planes also. St Pancras is so different from how as a 9 year old saw it in 1970. Last saw it in 1983. I was back in the UK on the way to Northampton. No fast trains down under. No airport train in Melbourne. The Eurostar did not exist then. Love high speed trains.
Been lucky enough to travel on Eurostar from Waterloo and St Pancras, been to Lille and Paris, found the former "new" but usable tbh
I do remember going on the Eurostar E300 Class 373 from London Waterloo to Paris when I was very young and went to Disneyland Paris. I quite like the E320 Class 373 that Siemens built them and are lot more faster and quieter.
I had the chance to travel by Eurostar in 1995 between Waterloo and Gare du Nord - when everything was brand new
Rode it once on my only western europe trip. Same route, also E300
Me and my parents use to use Eurostar on the Disneyland Paris line (R.I.P 2023) from Ashford International….it’s eerily creepy to see the half abandoned Eurostar platforms at Ashford
St Pancras to Brussels. Line in St Pancras was very long. Doesn't look like much of a wait in Brussels. We traveled in July though.
The wonders of modern hi-tech. Fantastic. I lived in the Welsh Marches and from ‘69 to ‘72 studied at Lille University. The journey there would take me TWO days. On the 2nd day after a night at friend’s in London, I would take the diesel train from Victoria to either Folkstone or Dover, then either the ferry to Boulogne or the hovercraft, then a steam train to Lille. Exhausting.
it is quite awesome that your commute included a hovercraft though 😄
Better still, it was FOC. If I am not mistaken each car was entitled to carry 6 [?] occupants on and off the hovercraft. So I hitched a ride in one. LOL
Used it when was at Waterloo to Lille for wedding anniversary and from there went to euro Disney on local train . Second time went from ebbsfleet for weekend with my son I'm 2019
I managed to grab two return seats from St. Pancras to Amsterdam in November. Really looking forward to our three day trip. Any recommendations for places to stay near Amsterdam station?
Five star coverage
Hi Paul. Great video! Do you think it's a good option from Amsterdam? Gonna travel in March & price Is quite similar than a flight with B.A. + avíos, etc
I' ve enjoyed 2 St P- Midi trips in standard premier and a single Paris - St P trip in standard. Fares weren't as high as they are these days, mind you...
Hi, I was wondering what app you use to track your speed. I have tried one or two apps at high speed but they don’t seem to be able to cut the mustard when you’re going under electric wires on a high-speed train. which one do you use as I noted it did record 300 K pH. Cheers
I took the Eurostar under the English Channel from London to Paris and back! I was staying near London in Bedford with relatives for a couple weeks...I love England...Paris not so much. I'm from Chicago.
I used Eurostar on Cologne-London Trip for few Days recently, i was able in a one booking process over Eurostar getting a Ticket for the Thalys to Brussel and Eurostar Brussel to London. It was really a convient trip, it only takes about around 5Hour with Train Change and whole Eurostar Boarding. if recall Eurostar and Thalys had a Fussion, for moment they have seperate booking system and own fleet. Also is posible booking a Destination with Thalys as transfer to Brussel. I'm curious what this fussion brings, hopefully they would extending do more cities or planing new route to connect citys like Berlin, Frankfurt or Zurich. I'm looking for my next UK Trip use again the Eurostar service.
I wish that we (the UK) had more local Eurostar services. They trailed them up the ECML in partnership with GNER but nothing ever came from it. Be nice to have an Edinburgh to Paris for example
They were going to but cheap airlines plus time etc
There were technical issues with the 373's. They drew too much power from the OHLE on the ECML and were difficult to accomodate.
I remember reading about a complete cock up with HS2 as well, they could have factored in a branch from HS2 down to HS1 and we could have had high speed rail from Manchester to Europe as originally planned, but no, it's the UK... What do we expect? 🤨
@@SOPM944 Not enough of a market for direct trains between the north and Europe, plus the journey times (even with high speed lines) are uncompetitive compared to flying.
@@peteking8063 Perfect for a night sleeper train.
I've never taken the Eurostar, but really want to. Not sure whether to get it to France, Belgium or the Netherlands though...
I took the Eurostar once as a kid, ca. 2004, to Paris on a long weekend with Mum and Dad. I thought it was cool to take the Chunnel and go under the water, but aside from that it was just another train ride for an 8 year old kid. I do remember thinking it was odd that the ride from Liverpool Lime St. to London took longer than London-Paris.
Got one of these in standard just 2 days ago. My seat was broken but there were plenty of empty seats. Great ride but weirdly stopped at Lille even tho it wasn't advertised. Said it was stopping at ebsfleet and then didn't. I prefer the E320s but each to their own.
Unbelievable in 2 hours!!!!!