But our day trip from London to Paris was such a special part of our 6 days in London, I would absolutely do this again. If you’re looking to book your first trip aboard the Eurostar, here is everything you need to know for picking your seats, saving money, and what you need to purchase your tickets. The reasons for this are: You get the biggest bang for your upgrade buck by sticking with Standard Premier. That table in the middle has additional width panels that pull up and out from the sides so that you can have a roomier table for the food trays or your computer. During our spring break trip, the cheapest tickets were the last ones out of the station at night but the morning tickets were much more expensive. We decided to start our “day trip” the evening before and took the affordable last train from London to Paris. We then took the last train from Paris back to London the next day. The money we saved across four tickets on both routes paid for a hotel stay in Paris for just the one night. Also factor in that you need to be at the train station 2 hours in advance of your departure. For early-morning trains, this can end up being very early. Double check all of your info is exactly as listed on your official documents (names vs. nicknames, etc.) Remember the train schedule is on military time. There is a time difference between London and Paris that also complicates things. The time listed in the timetable is the local time. If you’re departing from London and heading to Paris, the departure time is London time, the arrival time is Paris time. Finally, I found it helpful to register for a Eurostar account even though we won’t travel enough for the benefits. It helps when it comes time to adding your account to the mobile app for your phone. You can download your tickets from the app and add them digitally to your Apple wallet as long as you made the Eurostar account. SAFETY TIP: Print your tickets as back-up in case your phone is stolen, lost, or damaged or simply not working. Wi-Fi and cell service can be a little tricky when traveling internationally. Once you’re in the app you will be able to see your assigned seats and change spots as needed. Be sure to sign up for alerts within the app so you’ll be notified for a change in train schedule or seating assignments. You will be checking through both a security line and the customs line as you enter the new country on your departure side. This process can take some time, especially during peak travel seasons. The good news is that once you are on the train, you are officially in your destination country. When it arrives at your next station, you simply get off the train and on your way. There are restrooms and several shops and restaurants at the train station, so getting there early means you can just relax and wait for them to board your group for the train. For our late evening trains, this included a dinner with beverage service including complimentary wine. From London to Paris we enjoyed: The food is all served chilled, not warm. But it was a vast improvement over the airplane food we received on the flight over to London. On the train from Paris back to London we received: There are also luggage racks inside each cabin that look like this: Our cabin was nearly silent both trips with most people on board appearing to be computers with laptops getting some work done. Here are some things we found especially nice to have: Have a transportation plan for getting from the train station to your hotel before you arrive and just move quickly. Get away from the train stations as quickly as possible, especially if you’re traveling later at night like we did. Just use caution, be aware of your surroundings, and keep your kids close.
