Domestic vs. International Trains from St. Pancras

Yes, it is pretty obvious. You won’t have any problems once you are there. There is a sign that says Southeastern Rail above the entrance to tracks 11-13.

You won't make a mistake. For domestic trains, you just go to the track and get on board. The actual track will be announced about 20 minutes before departure.

For Eurostar, you enter a well signed area saying Eurostar. Then you start a maze of immigration and security before you get to the waiting area. You can't go to the track until they let you.

There is excellent signage all over the station. You won't make a mistake. You can enter any entrance you want.

There are really 4 rail stations at St Pancras. Just look at the massive information board for the correct platform. The platforms for Canterbury will be to your left as you look at the train departure board, and up a level. To the right and down a level are the Thameslink trains from Brighton to Bedford. To the right up a level are East Midland trains to Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield. To the right, then left and on the same level is the entrance to Eurostar immigration.

Like most train stations, St Pancras International is basically long and narrow. It is so huge that the narrow seems wide but that's the basic shape.

Ignoring all the shopping and eating options throughout the station (there are many), here's what you have.

If you are at the Euston Road end looking into the station, you have the big hotel above you and the Underground station below.

Walking through the station about midway along on the right hand side is Eurostar. Well signed.

A bit further and escalators and lifts go up, and up there on the left most of the way along is the East Midlands Railway terminus which goes to Derby, Chesterfield, Nottingham, Luton Airport and many others.

If instead of going up you kept going to the end of the main corridor on the left you could go down by escalator or lift to Thameslink platforms. They run through the station to and from Brighton, Gatwick, Bedford, Luton, St Albans, Cambridge and many others.

Also at the end of the main corridor you can turn right. That takes you to a big set of doors to lead over the street to Kings Cross station next door. Before the doors there are escalators and lifts going up. That is where Southeastern is and where your train to Canterbury is.

It is all very well signed and very easy to find the right place.

So, from the Euston Road end, it is all the way down, and then on the right and upstairs.

We took this train last summer. We were in London for a few days before the trip and so on a day prior to our trip we went over to St. Pancras to walk around and get our bearings without having our luggage with us. We've done this scouting trip before in cities with big train stations such as Paris but as others have said it will be easy to find.

Thank you all for the descriptions and directions, especially the reference to the door to Kings Cross Station, where I have been before, and where to look on the departures board. Even when signage is good, I do better when I have a picture in my mind. Our local train station is one track going north, and one track going south, so the big city stations get a bit overwhelming for me.

It's completely obvious - just check the boards. Whilst most routes have their regular slots they can suffer minor variations for operational reasons