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Eurostar today

Posted by (Freedonia) on

I took the Eurostar from London to Paris today. Here's what I experienced at St. Pancras:

You scan your ticket to get into the Eurostar area. From there you go through airline type security but not a stringent. Next stop is exit UK where they look at your passport. I don't know why . Then it's French immigration. They want to see your passport and proof of vaccination. (I showed the pass but I have been told they accept the CDC card.) That's it. Except for showing proof of vaccination, everything else is the same.

There were signs up saying that you will be asked for your French Locator form by Eurostar staff.. No one asked for mine

I then boarded the train. No one asked for my ticket.

In Paris, I had to change station (Nord to St. Lazarre.) The line for taxis was long and it took 30 minutes to finally get one. The taxi louts were out and tried to get me. They ran off when the SNCF police arrived.

The train was a Nomad and no one wanted to see my pass. Just my ticket.

Yes, I know I could have taken the metro. I didn't want to.

Posted by
33819 posts

I've never had a ticket check once on the Eurostar. Your ticket through the barrier is the ticket check.

Posted by
10192 posts

Yes, as Nigel points out, the ticket check is when the ticket is read against the reader at the turnstile, before you go through security, emigration, or immigration.

The UK checks your passport when departing London on Eurostar for emigration purposes, just as they do at the airport , or as the French do when departing Paris on Eurostar for London (or at the airport).

Bienvenue en France, Frank!

Posted by
16274 posts

The UK never checks my passport when I fly out of the UK. The airline does.

On Eurostar, they didn't check my ticket but confirmed my name at my seat. I pointed this out to say nothing has changed on board.

Leaving France for the UK means leaving Schengen so there has to be French emigration. I have a feeling the people checking passports in London as you leave are from Eurostar just making sure you have a valid passport.

At St. Pancras, in the Eurostar waiting room, there were people walking up to anyone not wearing a mask properly or at all, asking them to put one on and wear it properly. I was drinking coffee and one came up to me to say I can pull the mask down to drink the coffee. Kind of hard to drink it with the mask on.

Posted by
14976 posts

I finally yielded to the temptation of taking a taxi only once at Gare du Nord, stood in line and waited over 30 mins as it was on a Friday in July at rush hour. No big deal since that is to be expected.

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