Int'l flight then eurostar

When you factor in the cost of getting across London and the Eurostar, what are you actually savings? Maybe a hundred dollars? It is not worth the hassle. You are assuming more risk for little gain. Crazy!

Exactly — you end up saving maybe a hundred bucks or so in straight money — but add in a whole lot of additional factors/pain points where things can go wrong.

Agreed if it was just me, but for 4 of us, the AMS route (including train) is about $1700pp, and the London route (including train) is about $1300pp... so we are talking a $1600 saving for the family of 4. I mean the flights are stupid expensive now, anyway... but I can stomach $1300 a bit better than $1700. We are flying home from Munich and also we have exact dates we need to travel on due to work.

We want to fly United since we have status and can get economy plus for all of us, which matters to us on a 10-12 hour flight. So prefer not to do United's partner airlines. The Brussels with a connection somewhere is also about $1700pp, and left too early in the day (I can't leave work too early), or had stupid connections like 1 hour in Frankfurt...

For example, I was once Eurostar-ing between London and Brussels, but a train hit a pedestrian on the French track section. My train was delayed eight hours, with jammed waiting rooms and an experience like being at an airport during a strike or volcano-dust eruption.

Are you aware that you now have to arrive at least an HOUR before your Eurostar departure time for ... ... wait for it ... IMMIGRATION and CUSTOMS out of the Brexit-Zone. If you are not there early enough, they will turn you away, even if the train has not yet left. You can verify my statement on the Eurostar website.

Note also that RyanAir flights from London to Brussels may not go to BRU. I've never been on one.

I agree that you are being pennywise and pound foolish. I will admit that my last London plane arrival had very fast Immigration because I had a plain vanilla but Biometric US passport, entry was 100% automated. Any Green Cards or dual passport people in your group? My wife was once stopped on entering England because she has a very Irish name, and at that time, they were sure that she was coming to steal a job. Our return tickets and hotel reservations didn't cut much ice with the immigration duuuude. (Long ago, before the Celtic Tiger years.)

Yes, but you won't be paying $1300 vs $1700 (sure, on the single charge for the airplane tickets, you will be, but. . . )

You'll be paying $1300
Plus whatever to get into London
Plus usually around $120 or so pp to get to Brussels
Plus the extra time on your bodies coming all the way from the West Coast

Remember to do Eurostar from Heathrow, you have to :

Stand in line in Heathrow to buy Tube tickets (and pay however much that costs, so subtract from the $400)
Make it from Heathrow into London
Make it across London to St Pancras
Check in to Eurostar at least one hour prior to departure (and being in the line one hour before departure does not mean you will succeed in being checked in in the required hour prior)
Take the train two hours to Brussels

Sigh yes... I already added all the train costs into the final analysis so it really is the $400 savings per person.

I get the hassle... and we usually are willing to pay the extra to have the easier journey... but $1600 is a crap ton of money difference... and we will still need to take a train into Brussels from somewhere because none of the flights that connect to Brussels work.

Amsterdam was the easier train version because the train is right at the airport, goes to Brussels, about 1:45. This is the easiest version (or also would be similar if we went to Paris, about same cost)... London is definitely more hassle, but damn that is a lot of money....

I wish there was just a flight to Brussels that worked and then I may be willing to pay it... but like it's a hassle either way. The UK-EU thing is an added hassle, as is the transfer to St. Pancras. But am I willing for that much savings? I guess I just don't know... :)

Thanks for the advice!!

The biggest problem you face is flight delays. Or train delays getting from Heathrow to St. Pancras. Or replacement bus services. Or a strike. (I've encountered all of these.)

Let's say you arrive into Heathrow on time. Plan an hour to get through immigration and customs. (You will probably make it through quicker but you never know.) Then plan for an hour and a half to get into London including the walk to the tube from Terminal 2. You need to be starting the Eurostar process--security, French immigration, etc--at least one hour prior to departure. (If it's busy, lines can get long. I prefer at least an an hour and 15 minutes when I take it.)

So far, we have about 3.5 hours after arrival. So you still have about an hour of wiggle room but probably less.

The question is....do you feel lucky. Remember, if you miss your train, you have to buy new tickets at full price.

If it was me, I'd take a later train or spend the night in London and take an early train the following morning. The Premiere Inn St Pancras, across the street from the station, is a good, clean budget hotel. I've stayed a few times when I've had early trains out of London.

3:05pm train can still be too tight. Perhaps taking the last or second last Eurostar train will give you more buffer?

It depends on which day you land. From Heathrow to St Pancras, it is not very likely you encounter strikes on all routes (Tube, Crossrail and Heathrow Express). The alternative is via Motorway M4.

another thing is your insurance cover. Is your insurance policy covering any of the above delay? If so, the risk is covered by the insurance company.

3:05 is the latest one - Sat 7/23. Ugh. Yes need to check travel insurance...

Wow it is has never been this hard to plan! And who knows about covid... I am not even thinking about that and just hoping for the best there. Seems pointless to try to figure it all out now when it is very likely to be very different by July!

ACK!!!!!!

Kim,

just a suggestion...fly into Paris-CDG-and train to Brussels...I have not done this from CDG...so I have no idea if you could leave from airport. But the train time is about 1hour 30...I realize you may have to get to the train station...just thinking.

I would fly into Amsterdam, just limiting all the possibilities of what "might" occur.

Happy Travels!

SNCF has trains from the Paris airport, CDG, directly to Brussels. No need to go into the city.

It certainly can be done. If your flight arrives on time then it is doable. Post arrival factors include getting through passport control and the time it takes to get from the airport to St Pancreas station. The recommended arrival time for Eurostar checkin is at least two hours beforehand (90 mins Monday thru Thursday). For non premier ticketed passengers the gates close 30 minutes before departure. Additionally, you’ll need to present the necessary documents for travel from London to Brussels. That includes covid requirements. See Eurostar website for details. Although my trip on the Eurostar was early 2020, the process went very smoothly and quickly. Enjoy the savings!

It can be done, but is a bit of a faff. If Amsterdam is too expensive, consider flying to Paris or Frankfurt. Both airports have high speed trains stopping at the airport with easy connections to Brussels.

And when travelling in covid times, going via a non-EU country adds a bit of extra risk.

I get the savings of flying into London vs. Brussels. That dynamic usually sends us to London first too. I can think of two better ways to deal with it than rushing across London to get to St Pancras:
1. Why not just get a connecting flight Heathrow to Brussels? You can probably get a fairly cheap fare, at least competitive with the cost of ground transport + train + your convenience. Don't know your dates but I'm seeing flights around GBP 50.
2. If that doesn't work for you, consider spending a great day in London and taking the train the next morning?

Air France is offering some great fares now. I am taking a direct flight from Houston to Paris in the middle of April, and I notice they also have some good fares from SFO to Brussels through Paris.

It looks fine to me if everything goes reasonably smoothly.

My calculations would run along - leave 90 minutes to walk through the frosted glass doors at Heathrow (might be less, not terrifically likely to be much more than 30 minutes more unless it is right when regulations change, by the end of July is probably OK) so that's noon.

It doesn't take half an hour to walk to the Tube unless you each use the toilet for a long time sequentially, so round down and call it 70 minutes including getting an Oyster or using a contactless card or phone each to get to St Pancras Kings Cross. That's 10 past 1. You need to be in the queue to check in for the Eurostar at 1:50. So you have 40 minutes to scrounge food from the very many choices at St Pancras and across the street at Kings Cross. Then again you could blow most of that time deciding on which combinations of food. Maybe check the website for the stations and do all the drooling before you travel so you don't have to decide in a jet lagged fog.

If you run out of time before checkin there is a Cafe Nero in the waiting room.

Word to the wise - I found out the hard way that the security (first step immediately after check-in) make you throw away cups with coffee or tea in - they don't want loose hot liquids in their machines. Another check in the box for the after check in Cafe Nero.

Would I do it in your shoes with the temptation of all that money? dunno.

It is a good thing that July is a way off. I just checked for my trip by car to Belgium and found that I'd have to take tests and quarantine until the result to go to Belgium and stay more than 48 hours - even fully vaccinated. I will make sure that I only transit Belgium if they don't relax that rule.

by the way again - what will you do if United move your flight time between now and July? Seems like a lot of that going on...

I agree with Nigel. Plus the train is relaxing. It is not difficult or expensive to take the Tube in London. I think the timing should work as well. In my younger days I wouldn’t have hesitated. Do it. It is worth the savings and your kids will learn how to get around on various transportation options.

People on this forum are often telling people to fly into Italy and get immediately into Rome and onto a train to elsewhere, so I am kind of surprised at the answers you are getting. You will be jetlagged anyway that day (or really just fatigued) so you might as well take the train and relax.

We did this several years ago and it worked fine: Virgin Atlantic to London (because tons of free miles in our account) . I think we used a cab although the Piccadilly Line would be good if you didn't have too much luggage. (Even better if it is the weekend so not as crowded.) Our plane was on time so we filled the extra hours by stashing the bags at a nearby left luggage, visiting the British Library, and enjoying a leisurely lunch at the St. Pancras restaurant next to the kissing couple statue.
For the return to London we took the ferry from Calais because "White cliffs of Dover."

People on this forum are often telling people to fly into Italy and get immediately into Rome and onto a train to elsewhere, so I am kind of surprised at the answers you are getting.

In Rome, some trains leave directly from the airport to other cities, and if not, they depart directly from the main station at which trains from the airport arrive.

As well, with departures from Rome or Milan or wherever, the person is usually heading elsewhere within the same country, and not from a non-EU/non-Schengen country into the EU/Schengen. (Thereby avoiding additional border controls and security that are required at St Pancras to go to Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam, not to mention the minimum hour-prior check-in required.)

Those are the two most obvious differences that pop into my head, although there may be more.

OK thank you everyone for the thoughtful replies! I think we are going to go for it... we got the Eurostar tickets for $300 total for the 4 of us. I feel worst case is that we miss the train, then we have to buy new tickets and a hotel - that is still not more than what we would have paid originally to go to Amsterdam. And there were literally no other good options... couldn't even get to Brussels with what was available to us! We have no big important plans in Belgium, so if we end up missing a day and spending the evening in London, there are worse things!

Yes I also hear you on the covid issues... we are hoping for it to relax before we get there - otherwise we may scrap Belgium altogether and go somewhere else - which we also thought would be very easy from London. I don't even want to look at restrictions now because who knows what will be happening in July... We have a home exchange in Belgium so we won't really be out anything if we don't make it - other than that we have to find other lodging, but we have had to do that before when we got fogged in one Xmas arriving London, got stuck, and ended up having to go to Munich instead of the planned trip to Nurnberg! So we can wing it if necessary! :)

Thank you!!
Kim

there is a brand new youtube video by The Man in Seat 61 going from London to Amsterdam by Eurostar a couple of days ago.

I mention this because I noticed that there is also a Pret a Manger in the after check in waiting room at St Pancras. So they will have great sandwiches and salads as well as very good coffee.

Because the train on the video also stops in Brussels it is a good learning for your trip. Only about 12 minutes, https://youtu.be/cjpeGVVs_BI

The Cafe Nero was closed when I was there in October.

In 2008 we did the fly-to-London-Eurostar-to Paris in one day.
Back then there was no COVID and the there was no 1 hour before arrival.
Also, we had a 4 hour window from landing to train.
The flight arrived on schedule and we made it to St. Pancreas with time to spare.
The biggest concern is the plane arriving on time.
You probably have the right attitude as to making it or not.
Good luck and have fun.