We will be lodging for a couple of nights at a farm house in a village in Kent for our visit to Canterbury Cathedral. From there we will travel to Bruges, and the journey presents some challenges. Rome2Rio shows the Eurostar departs from Ashford International only once a day, around 7AM, so this is close to impossible for our leisurely travel style. Alternatively, it looks like we must train back to a London train station to catch a Eurostar to Brussels, offered frequently throughout the day.
A friend suggested the cost of that train is double if purchased on the spot, so we are thinking we had better make arrangements prior to leaving the US. Our journey begins August 1st. We travel from Kent to Bruges on September 4th.
Thank you for experience based tips and recommendations.
Posted by
Chicago
7811 posts
That is correct the longer you wait the more expensive the Eurostar is. If you want to cut cost while taking your time, take the bus from London to Brussels which takes about 7 hours
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Yes, there are very few Eurostars stopping at Ashford now, and you will probably have to head back to London. You can get a Southeastern high speed train from Canterbury West station to London St Pancras where the Eurostar leaves from. Alternatively, if you are lucky, you may not have to go all the way into London, as if you pick the right time of day you could change at Ebbsfleet station in north Kent: not all Eurostars stop there but far more do than stop at Ashford. Make sure you leave at least an hour between your arrival time from Kent and the Eurostar departure.
To have any chance to get the cheap Eurostar tickets for September you need to book RIGHT NOW. They sell out fast.