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Lille to London by train
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Routes
From Lille Europe to London St Pancras International
Journey Summary
1hr 22min - 1hr 43min
Daily
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: Between 138 and 190 days ahead of the travel date
The price shown above is the standard, most heavily discounted, one way Standard Class price.
Eurostar frequently offers special fare/deals promotions, so the price you see on the home page of the Eurostar website MAY be cheaper.
But check the terms and conditions of these deals BEFORE making a booking. The special price MAY depend on additional factors, such as the need to book a return trip and/or MAY not be available when making day trips.
The booking path on the Eurostar website is comparatively straightforward and an advantage of booking direct with Eurostar, is that it offers its ticket purchasers the ability to choose specific seats from a seating plan (after the booking has been made).
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Also worth knowing is that when travelling by Eurostar you can choose between three classes of service, but it isn't possible to select different types of ticket.
So there isn't an option to pay a higher price for a less restrictive type of ticket, which can be refunded etc - all tickets are non-refundable if you subsequently need to cancel your travel plans.
If you book Standard or Standard Premier tickets, you can exchange them if need be, to an alternative departure on your booked route - but you will need to pay an admin fee of £30 for Standard Class tickets, £40 for Standard Premier tickets PLUS the price difference with the new ticket you will be booking - and prices will probably have increased since making your original booking.
Business Premier tickets are less restrictive, they can't be refunded, but they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference.
Business Premier tickets can also be exchanged to the alternative journey options with a connection in Bruxelles - but if you booked Standard or Standard Premier tickets, they can only be exchanged to alternative direct trains.
Eurostar's full ticket terms and conditions are here
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Using Rail Passes on Eurostar:
Rail pass users can now pay reservation fees to travel on Eurostar trains, in a similar manner to other international European high speed trains.
The new rail pass reservation fees are similar to the cheapest single journey ticket prices, but as those cheapest tickets can sell out quickly, it's likely that the rail pass reservation fees will save money.
You can purchase these online with no booking fees via B-Europe - or they ARE now available on the Eurostar website.
Booking in advance is recommended as it's not unknown for rail pass reservations on Eurostar services to sell out days or weeks in advance - there is evidently limited availability per departure.
You can obtain a rail pass reservations without paying a booking fee at Eurostar stations.
However, if you want to do this on the day of travel be prepared to be flexible re: the train you will take.
If you are a UK resident, your rail pass + reservation is only valid if you take a train from the UK on the first day that your pass is valid for and return to the UK on the final day that you wil be using a pass.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Eurostar | from £44 | |
| Trainline | from £44 | |
| B-Europe | from €50 (approx) | |
| Oui.SNCF | from €50 (approx) | |
| Omio | from €50 (approx) | |
| Oui.SNCF | from €50 (approx) | |
| Omio | from €50 (approx) |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar is operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Final Destination: London St. Pancras International
Some trains* also call at : Ebbsfleet International; Ashford Interntional
*No morning departures call at Ebbsfleet International.
The only train of the day which calls at Ashford International departs at 18:36 (except on Mondays).
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour shorter.
Most of the departures between Lille and London will be by the e300 trains - but the newer e320 trains are now also being used on this route.
Our guide to arriving by Eurostar in London is here.
TAKING A EUROSTAR TRAIN FROM LILLE EUROPE STATION:
These four things are good to know:
(1) Eurostar check-in is located in Hall 4 on the concourse.
(2) Check-in will open around 30 - 40 mins before the next Eurostar to Britain is due to depart - you can only check-in for the next departure, you cannot check-in ahead and then wait for your train in the Eurostar departure hall.
(3) Announcements will be made in English and French as to when the check-in has opened, there is little point in joining the queue for the check-in desk prior to this announcement.
(4) Around 5 -10 mins prior to departure another announcement will be made that travellers can now descend to the voie (platform/track) which the Eurostar will be departing from.
The departure screens shown above will show you in which zone/répére you can wait for easy boarding into the specific coach in which your reserved seat will be located.
ShowMeTheJourney has produced a detailed guide to connecting into a Eurostar from a TGV train.
THE JOURNEY:
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with five distinct phases and highlights:
1: There is little to see from the high speed lines in France.
2: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
3: As the train nears Ebbsfleet International station, comes the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway on a high bridge.
4: After Ebbsfleet International (which can only be seen from the right) the train will enter a tunnel under the River Thames.
As the train exits this tunnel, from the left, the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge can be seen.
5: For most of the final 8 -10 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to enter London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar is operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Final Destination: London St. Pancras International
Some trains* also call at : Ebbsfleet International; Ashford Interntional
*No morning departures call at Ebbsfleet International.
The only train of the day which calls at Ashford International departs at 18:36 (except on Mondays).
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour shorter.
Most of the departures between Lille and London will be by the e300 trains - but the newer e320 trains are now also being used on this route.
Our guide to arriving by Eurostar in London is here.
TAKING A EUROSTAR TRAIN FROM LILLE EUROPE STATION:
These four things are good to know:
(1) Eurostar check-in is located in Hall 4 on the concourse.
(2) Check-in will open around 30 - 40 mins before the next Eurostar to Britain is due to depart - you can only check-in for the next departure, you cannot check-in ahead and then wait for your train in the Eurostar departure hall.
(3) Announcements will be made in English and French as to when the check-in has opened, there is little point in joining the queue for the check-in desk prior to this announcement.
(4) Around 5 -10 mins prior to departure another announcement will be made that travellers can now descend to the voie (platform/track) which the Eurostar will be departing from.
The departure screens shown above will show you in which zone/répére you can wait for easy boarding into the specific coach in which your reserved seat will be located.
ShowMeTheJourney has produced a detailed guide to connecting into a Eurostar from a TGV train.
THE JOURNEY:
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with five distinct phases and highlights:
1: There is little to see from the high speed lines in France.
2: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
3: As the train nears Ebbsfleet International station, comes the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway on a high bridge.
4: After Ebbsfleet International (which can only be seen from the right) the train will enter a tunnel under the River Thames.
As the train exits this tunnel, from the left, the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge can be seen.
5: For most of the final 8 -10 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to enter London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
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