Taking the Eurostar with Kids: All you Need to Know

Are you planning a family trip on the Eurostar with kids? We did it recently for the first time, with our two boys aged 4 years old and 17 months old. It was an absolute dream compared to flying! I would highly recommend it.

In this post, I’ll give a full review and tell you everything you need to know about taking the Eurostar with kids, including tips to enjoy it as a family and specific tips on taking the Eurostar with a toddler.

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What is the Eurostar?

If you haven’t heard of it before, the Eurostar is a high-speed train that connects some of Europe’s great countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. The most popular route is London to Paris (or Disneyland). You can see the full route map here.

Of course, they’re are not as many options as you would have flying, but if you’re coming from the United States (or similar) and want to connect multiple cities in one trip, it’s a great option. It’s also great if you live in one of the cities serviced, to take a long weekend away.

Top Reasons to Take the Eurostar with Kids

Taking the Eurostar train with children is an excellent option for European travel. There were many benefits to taking the Eurostar with kids, including:

• Under 4’s can travel for free (if they sit on an adult’s lap). We were lucky both ways, and there were empty seats, meaning our 18-month-old could have his own chair.
• Children aged 4-11 get a discounted fare, which makes it more budget-friendly than flying.
• Luggage is included in the ticket price, which is great as little kids don’t always travel light. Sometimes, with flying, the luggage can cost as much as the airfare. Adults can take two suitcases without weight restrictions, but you do need to lift them onto the train and luggage rack yourself.
• It’s quicker. You only need to arrive 60 – 90 minutes before, compared to 2 – 3 hours when flying. As you take your luggage with you, you don’t need to wait for your suitcase at the other end.
• There are great baby-changing facilities. The changing table and bathroom are much larger than on a flight.
• They have family seats. We were able to sit on 4 seats together with a table in the middle. This is perfect for kids to colour, play or watch their screens while you ride. They’re also more spacious and comfortable than plane seats.
• They had both UK and European plug outlets, so you can charge your devices en route.
• The stations are generally more central than airports. From Paris Gare du Nord, we could walk to our accommodation. The airport would have been an hour’s drive. Anything to cut the journey time down with kids is great!
• They offer free WIFI on board, however, the connection wasn’t great in our experience.
• You can take your pushchair onboard with you, but it does need to be folded and stored in the luggage rack.
• You can take your own food and drinks onboard. You’re not restricted to 100ml maximums like when flying, which is great. There’s also a cafe if you need it.

Disadvantages of Taking the Eurostar with Kids

When taking the Eurostar train with children, the advantages by far outweigh the disadvantages, but a couple of things to note:

• Destinations are limited (as I already mentioned). You have more options if you fly.
• There’s quite a big step from the platform to the train. This was a little tricky with a toddler and luggage, but not unmanageable.

How to Book Eurostar Tickets for Families

For family travel on the Eurostar, you need to buy tickets in advance, and you can do this on the Eurostar’s Official Website. Generally, the further in advance you purchase, the cheaper they will be. If you’re flexible with your dates, you can click the “Find Lowest Fares” button, located just under the search bar. Or simply follow this link. This will highlight the cheapest fares for you with adult tickets as low as £39 each way.

Trains run frequently throughout the day, and the prices do vary between the times, so check what works for you.

Another benefit for families travelling on the Eurostar is that under-4s can travel for free! They would need to sit on an adult’s lap (unless spare seats are available). This is a huge money-saving tip!

Tips for Boarding the Eurostar with Kids

Here are our top Eurostar travel tips for families boarding the Eurostar with kids, and what to expect from your journey.

You can check in online a couple of days before, and the tickets will be sent to your email address.

You need to arrive 45 minutes to 90 minutes early for your train (this is specified in your email). You’ll go through airport-style security, but it is a quicker, simpler process. One way we were asked to fold our pushchair (stroller), and the other we weren’t, but be prepared, you might have to.

You then go through to the waiting room. It can be quite crowded and there’s not much to do, but there are usually cafes and a small shop. Gare du Nord had a small wooden van that little kids could play with.

20 minutes before departure, the gate will open and you can proceed to the train.

Your seats will have been allocated prior to boarding. If you’re seated in a high number, you should get on the coach before. Our seats were around 85 in coach 12, but getting on at the back of coach 11 was the closest entrance.

You can store suitcases in the luggage racks and smaller bags above or under your seats.

There is no priority boarding for families like on a plane, but it is very easy, and there was plenty of space, so getting on the train first was not necessary.

What’s Eurostar Like with a Toddler?

We found the Eurostar to be very toddler-friendly, and taking the Eurostar with a toddler was certainly easier than flying. I have already mentioned some of these tips, but I will summarise them again here.

• Under 4s can travel on the Eurostar for free. On a full train, they would sit on an adult’s lap; however, on all our journeys, there have been spare seats.
• The seats are more comfortable and spacious than plane seats, and we had 4 together. 2 on either side of a table that is great for kids.
• You can take a pushchair (stroller) on board for free, but it has to be folded and stored in the luggage rack.
• The Eurostar has baby changing toilets that are more spacious than the one’s on a plane.
• For the most part, we managed to keep our kids entertained in their seats. When they got restless, we walked to the cafe and back.

Final Eurostar Tips

There are some extra deals you can claim with your Eurostar ticket. Including 2-for-1 entry to some London Museums, or 20% off TootBus stores in London and Paris. Click here to see all the current deals.

Dont forget everyone needs to have a valid passport to travel, and everyone (including infants) will need a Eurostar ticket.

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Thank you for reading our guide about taking the Eurostar with kids. I hope we’ve helped you to plan your trip and you benefit from our Eurostar travel tips!

OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE:

Taking the Eurostar from London to Disneyland Paris is one of the most popular routes for families.

We live in London, so we have lots of family-friendly travel guides linked here.

Also, check out my Paris & Disneyland Paris Guides here.

Happy Exploring,