When based in Brussels, one of the joys of life was hopping onto the Eurostar and cruising to London. I often did it for work but I took advantage of it for pleasure too. Hassle-free service, the sense of calm, the lack of problems – A classy way to travel.
While the train connections in the Czechia are good, I still miss the familiarity of the Eurostar. Last year when I noticed that my Eurostar frequent traveller scheme was about to expire due to lack of use, I felt a little sad.
Which is not to say that I cannot hop on to a train and head off to my nearest destination for a weekend break but the sense of style, the high-speed travelling and the beauty of destinations like London and Paris mean that the Eurostar is incomparable to any other train network.
Together with the people at Eurostar and their handy infographics, here are my favourite things about Eurostar:
Frequency
I could catch a train at almost any time of the day. Flights tend to be scheduled once a day or, if you’re lucky and you’re flying on a regular route, maybe 3-4 times a day.
Not so by train.
Eurostar saves time
Annoyingly, but understandably, airports tend to be located outside a city. This means calculating the time needed to get to the airport, check in, go through security, board, travel, de-plane, collect your luggage and get into the destination city. With Eurostar you just need to head to your local train station, plan 20 minutes for check-in, security and boarding, travel and then walk out.
While my other comments could apply to other train companies too, comfort is something that they take seriously at Eurostar. As this infographic shows, you get to comfortably sit and stretch without the hassles of a reclining seat. Even though the trip isn’t long, is there any reason you would travel uncomfortably?
Unrestricted Luggage
By far one of my favourite aspects of shopping in England was the serenity of mind that came with knowing that I would not be penalised for excess luggage if I’m taking the Eurostar. My last Eurostar trip to the UK was to the Oxford Literary Festival where I filled a suitcase with books. There’s no way I would have risked that had I been flying.
Economy Saving
Apart from the great deals that you can find (Tickets are always available at reasonable rates if you book about a month in advance; as I write, return tickets London-Paris are EUR 72.00 or GBP 51.00 per person), you also no longer need to worry about taking extra pieces of luggage with you when you travel.
There’s no charge for that.
Travel by Eurostar, with the ability to quickly zip under the Channel and to be in central London in less than 2 hours, is something I sorely miss now that I live in Prague.
Maybe it’s time I moved to London
Just to be close to a Eurostar station
Have you tried the Eurostar yet?
What do you like most about it?
This article was made possible by Eurostar’s marketing team who kindly provided the infographics.
