High Speed Train Travel to Europe

The high speed rail revolution is changing the way people travel to Europe

Fast new trains are making city breaks across Europe simple. Practical, affordable, and comfortable too. And not just to Paris or Brussels. Oh, and did we mention the carbon emissions? Richard Hammond makes three quick hops...

The lightening fast rail service from London’s St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel has heralded a new age of international train travel. Reaching speeds of up to 186mph, it now takes less than two hours from London to the centre of Brussels and two and a quarter hours to Paris. Thankfully it means the UK is now plugged in to Europe’s high speed rail network, which is all about efficiency, service and punctuality: check-in times are famously short, the seats are spacious, clean and comfortable, you can wine and dine and on arrival there’s none of the hassle of baggage reclaim or inconvenience of a shuttle transfer from an out-of-town airport. Also, travelling from London to Paris or Brussels on Eurostar emits ten times less carbon than flying the same distance. It’s no wonder that more and more of us are choosing to take the train to the continent rather than the plane; last summer, Eurostar carried its 100 millionth passenger.

The billions of Euros that have been invested in high speed rail travel in Northern Europe have meant that the opportunities for a short break by train now go beyond Paris and Brussels. Eurostar’s spokesperson Aude Criqui says many more passengers are now prepared to travel on journeys of up to six hours (about 1,000km) making use of the high speed routes that go directly to the centre of many other European cities, north and south. For international train journeys from London that take less than 4.5 hours, less than 6.5 hours, less than 12 hours and overnight sleeper trains, see greentraveller's Rail Journey Planner. Below I have picked three of my favourites, with journey times short enough for a long weekend. Welcome to the renaissance of rail.

The impressive architecture of Antwerp's train stationAntwerp
Journey time: 2 hours 53 minutes.

Journey highlight: Relaxing with a croissant and coffee while slicing through the poplar-lined countryside of Northern France and arriving in Antwerp in time for lunch.

Where to go: Belgian’s second city is an effervescent fashion centre and is great for a weekend’s shopping break. Before heading into town, it’s worth admiring the late 19^th century train station, one of the city’s main landmarks. On the Meir, there’s a wide range of shops and many more chi-chi boutiques on Schutterhofstraat and Nationalestraat, including the famousAntwerp fashion designers Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester. Head to Kloosterstraat for antiques and galleries and stroll along the river to the contemporary art museum, Muhka. The mansion where Rubens lived between 1610 and his death in 1640 , at Wapper 9-11 (rubenshuis.be) has 10 of the artist's works and gives an absorbing insight into Flemish fine living in the 17th century.

Where to stay: Boulevard Leopold , a luxury B&B in Antwerp’s traditional Jewish quarter (+32 3 225 5218, boulevard-leopold.be).

Departure: Eurostar to Brussels, a leisurely platform change and 50-minute high speed Thalys train to Antwerp Centraal. With your Eurostar ticket to Brussels you can also take any train in Belgium for no extra cost within 24 hours.

Canals and Cycleways in Amsterdam. Photo: EurostarAmsterdam
Journey time: 4 hours 16 minutes. 

Journey highlight: Thanks to the new high speed line from Brussels to Amsterdam you can reach the Dutch city faster than it takes to go from London to Edinburgh.

Where to go: As well as the stylish restaurants, hip hang outs and clubs, Amsterdam is an outdoorsy city with plenty of green spaces, tree-lined canals, cycle lanes and farmers’ markets. It’s a relatively small city and many of the sights are within walking distance, from the cobbled streets of Jordaan and the popular Vondelpark to the art galleries, museums and fringe theatre in the centre of town.

Where to stay: There’s no better way to experience the city’s waterways than to spend a night on a houseboat. For a comprehensive listing see houseboathotel.nl.

Departure: Eurostar to Brussels then a quick platform change to catch the high speed Thalys train to Amsterdam. 

Strasbourg
Journey time: 5 hours 17 minutes.

Journey highlight: The modern carriage interiors on the new TGV Est trains have been designed by Christian Lacroixwith reclining seats, soft cushions, adjustable headsets, reading lights and extra leg room.

Where to go: Strasbourg, the easternmost city in France sits prettily on the Rhine.  More than just the home of the European parliament, it’s a fascinating mix of modern French influence and deeper-rooted Alsatian customs. A magnificent Gothic cathedral is the landmark at the heart of a well preserved old quarter ‘Petite France’ with half timbered buildings, narrow streets and river views. The Strasbourg Pass (three days, €11.90) includes free entrance to one museum, a boat tour, and use of a bicycle for half a day (otstrasbourg.fr). After a day of seeing the sights, sauerkraut, baeckeoffe, flambé tart, spaetzle and foie gras will fortify you.

Where to stay: Hotel du Dragon – a 17^th Century hotel handy for the cathedral and Petite France (+33 3 88 35 79 80, dragon.fr).

Departure: Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord then a short ten minute walk to Gare de l’Est to take the fast new TGV Est Européen service to Strasbourg.

Ways and means
Book International Rail Travel

In general, the earlier you book the lower the price of the ticket. If the full cost of the combination of Eurostar and a scheduled train service in Europe seems high, try splitting the booking into two parts, for example from London to Paris then from Paris to Strasbourg, and ensure you check the return fare for each trip. For help with planning your journey and more information on rail connections in Europe, go to: .

Research commissioned by Eurostar ( 2009 ) has shown that a Eurostar journey between London and Paris or Brussels generates just one-tenth of the CO2 of an equivalent flight.

All aboard for Avignon
In summer, Eurostar runs a direct service (on Saturdays) from St Pancras International and Ashford to the medieval city of Avignon in the South of France. The journey time is 5 hours 49 minutes. Take the Eurostar to Paris Gare de Nord , cross the city to Gare de Lyon to catch the high speed TGV to Avignon Centre station, which is just outside the city’s historic walls.

Over the sea to Holland
The ‘Dutchflyer’ is a rail and ferry service via Harwich in Essex to the Hook of Holland. Take the train from London Liverpool Street (or any National Express East Anglia station such asCambridge, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich - for the full list see nationalexpresseastanglia.com) to Harwich International port then catch either the morning Stena Line ferry service at 9.00am or the overnight service which leaves at 11.45pm. It’s a six hour crossing to the Hook of Holland from where onward travel is included to any rail station in the Netherlands. The Dutchflyer Rail and Sail service costs from £58 daytime return and from £102 overnight return (Rail Sail to Holland).

Conveniently just outside the port’s terminal building is the Hook Van Holland Haven train station from where it is about half an hour by train to Rotterdam and 1 hour 45 minutes to Amsterdam (ns.nl).

Eurostar runs a direct service from London to Avignon in the summer