A Love Letter to Eurostar

With Eurostar celebrating its 30th anniversary this autumn, Caroline Harrap pays tribute to the train service on which she has traveled every month (pandemics permitting) for more than a decade…

It’s an ongoing joke among my friends that I am the definitive Eurostar fangirl. Frankly, I can’t really argue with that. Ever since I started living and working between the UK and France, more than 10 years ago now, I have been extolling the virtues of this cosmopolitan train service to anyone who’d listen.  

Put me in a taxi to the station and I’d have the driver planning his Parisian mini-break by the second roundabout. Ask me at a party about living between two countries and I’d inevitably end up telling you how, if you book your ticket for the right Tuesday afternoon, it’s not much more than going from London to Brighton. Sit me down at the hairdresser’s and, by the time of the blow-dry, they’d be more than au fait with my opinion on the Eurostar algorithms. Boring train geek; moi? 

Well, all right, maybe a bit – but there’s just such a lot to love. For a start, there is the obvious but nonetheless compelling fact that you get on the train in London and, voila, just over two hours later, you arrive in the center of Paris. For me, this will never lose its magic. 

It’s also super-good value if you can be flexible with your timings. Did I tell you that if you book for the right Tuesday afternoon… ahem. But, seriously, as I write, you can book a ticket from London to Paris starting from €44 each way – and not only on Tuesdays either. What is more, they have just reintroduced Snap tickets, where passengers are allocated their train time but at a reduced fare.  

Even more importantly, the Eurostar is by far the most environmentally friendly option, too. On average, the carbon footprint of traveling on their trains is 95% less than flying, according to a recent study. Plus, all their trains use a growing proportion of renewable energy, with the aim of getting to 100% by 2030. 

To my mind, a trip on the Eurostar also seems to hark back to a more glamorous era of travel when the journey was almost as important as the destination. I mean, what could be more alluring than sipping a glass of Bordeaux on a train that travels under the sea?  

Just think about all the weekends away – and even day trips – that wouldn’t happen without the Eurostar. Then there are the trans-European business deals that might never be struck; the friendships that wouldn’t be forged; the romances that would never blossom. There was one guy I heard about who met his future wife on the train.  

Today, the Eurostar feels even more important post-Brexit, as it represents a symbolic link between Britain and the rest of Europe. A sign that, despite Brexit, us Brits value our relationship with our European neighbors more than ever. And, let me tell you, they’re all right there on the train.  

There’s always the impeccably dressed Parisian lady with her YSL coat, and Louis Vuitton luggage, wafting past in a cloud of Chanel. And you can be sure there’ll be a nonchalant French musician or two, guitar slung over shoulder, and battered leather jacket de rigueur. Another regular fixture is the ethereal models heading back from Fashion Week and usually looking like they’ve just sucked on a lemon – probably because their agent has booked them in Standard class instead of Premier.

At other times, you’ll see whole teams of sportspeople on the train, all in matching tracksuits, as happened during this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. And, occasionally, some celebrity or other will commandeer an entire carriage. Even Queen Elizabeth II was known to travel on the Eurostar.  

Of course, not everything is perfect. The sandwich selection in the buffet carriage leaves something to be desired – and I think we’re all still reeling from the decision to sell their wine in cans instead of bottles (I know, I know, plastic, but cans…?). Also, I think I last managed to log onto the Wi-Fi circa 2019.  

Oh, and they really need to re-think the location of some of their plug sockets. If I had a Euro for every time I spend the start of the journey with my face in the next person’s lap, as I scrabble about underneath the seats, I’d be traveling in Premier myself. I have now taken to running to my seat to get said plug in place and avoid getting intimately acquainted with my unfortunate neighbor. 

Overall, though, I truly cannot think of a more enchanting travel experience. So, yes, a Eurostar fangirl I may be, but for that I am unapologetic. Here’s to the next 30 years.

My top five tips for traveling by Eurostar 

• For the best price, it’s usually advisable to book your journey as far ahead as possible, but keep an eye out for the sales too. Alternatively, if you’re open to a late deal and can be flexible with your timings, take a look at Snap tickets – with discounts of up to 50%. 

• To be the first to hear about Eurostar offers, as well as recommendations for the various destinations, sign up to their newsletter and download the app. 

• Follow the Eurostar drivers on X for insider tips, handy updates and a glimpse behind the scenes. Check out @EurostarJustinp, @TrainManagerJo, @TMBlakeEurostar and @ilseoceansoul.  

• My favorite seat on the train is at the very back of the carriage on the aisle. Not only can you beat the queues when you arrive at your destination, you’ll also find an extra storage space just behind your seat.
• If you’re a regular traveler, be sure to join the Club Eurostar reward program, which is free. Members earn one point for every €1 spent on purchasing their own tickets. The points can then be put towards future travel. 

Did you know?  

• The first Eurostar train departed from London Waterloo on November 14, 1994, with the service moving to London St Pancras from November 2007. 

• Over the last 30 years, more than 380 million passengers have traveled on the service, with a current average of 50,000 per day.  

• The fastest journey time between London and Paris is two hours and 16 minutes, with the trains reaching a speed of 300 kilometers per hour (186mph). 

• There are reduced fares available for juniors, seniors and groups of 10 people or more.  

• During the last three decades, the number of passengers has multiplied by six – and, in May 2024, Eurostar announced that it would be investing in up to 50 new trains.