Greentraveller's Guide to taking the train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Brussels, Belgium.
Journey Time: from 2 hours 16 mins
Sample timetable: Depart London 3.04pm, arrive Brussels 6.05pm
Changes: None, it is a direct train
Frequency of Departures: 17/day
Carbon emissions: 5.8kg (flight would be 59.7kg)*
Car hire at Brussels Midi station: Yes
What's the journey like?
It's a direct train from London St Pancras International Railway Station to Brussels Midi station. On board Eurostar, there’s a bar-buffet carriage that sells a range of hot and cold, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including champagne, as well as snacks and wholesome, hearty dishes. For those with standard premier tickets, light refreshments are served at your table, including a fresh, light, healthy meal, tea, coffee and soft drinks, and a glass of wine or beer. It’s about 30 mins from London to the Channel Tunnel, then, after about 20 minutes in the tunnel, you emerge for the quick onward journey through the beautiful countryside of northern France and on to Brussels. This direct service is a fast and efficient way to travel from London to Brussels, arriving in the centre of Brussels in under 2 hours.
NB. Your Eurostar ticket will be valid for travel to and from Brussels-Midi/Zuid and within the Brussels metropolitan area only. Choose the Any Belgian Station ticket if you wish to continue your journey beyond Brussels. You’ll have the flexibility to travel on any domestic Belgian service, except Thalys and ICE trains. The ticket has the added benefit of allowing you to complete your onward journey within 24 hours of your Eurostar train arriving in Brussels. You can also start your journey from your Belgian station up to 24 hours before your Eurostar departure from Brussels to the UK.
On arrival
Bienvenue à Bruxelles | Welkom in Brussel. Standing awestruck in the Grand Place, strolling among graceful Art Nouveau buildings, imagining Tintin chasing round the Comic Strip Centre or politicians debating in the European Parliament. These are perhaps the stereotypical preconceptions of many visitors to the Belgian capital, yet while Brussels may not immediately associated with leafy open spaces, cycles routes or clean air, perhaps it should. There are lots of hotels near Brussels Midi station, these get good reviews: Hotels near Brussels Midi station.
Getting around Brussels
Since the mid-1990s the greater Brussels region has been developing cycle networks, investing in its parks and forests and encouraging the formation of “green continuities” such as the Promenade Verte, a 63km-long pathway for hikers and cyclists that circles the city. It also a network of 'sustainable neighbourhoods' across the city and has carried out an environmentally sensitive redevelopment of the Heysel Plateau, the first time the site has been updated since the 1958 World’s Fair, for which its famous Atomium monument was built. A demand from Brussels’s citizens for more eco-minded facilities has seen a blossoming of sophisticated organic restaurants, ethical shops and other low-carbon businesses over recent years, making its greener side more obvious.
For more information on Brussels, including hotels, restaurants and markets selling fresh local produce, museums and other attractions, see our Green Traveller's Guide to Brussels.
Bon Voyage!
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