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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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London to Paris and Beyond: Eurostar Guide for Families
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Quick summary
Eurostar offers a convenient and family-friendly way to travel between London and major European cities like Paris, Lille and Brussels.
Children under 4 travel free if seated on an adult's lap, but only one lap child is allowed per adult and all children require passports.
Discounted fares are available for children (4-12) and youth (13-25), with periodic flash sales offering additional savings.
Booking early, selecting off-peak trains and adjusting seat assignments can help families secure preferred seating and lower fares.
What to consider
Arrive at least 90 minutes before departure due to longer immigration lines and security checks.
Space for luggage and strollers is limited, especially in Standard class, so early boarding is recommended for families with bulky items.
Children under 4 without a ticket must remain on an adult's lap for the journey, and only one lap child per adult is permitted.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed tips on securing the best seats, navigating onboard amenities and managing family logistics for a smooth Eurostar journey.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
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Children under 4 do not need a ticket for the Eurostar but technically need to sit on an adult's lap the entire journey if they don't have a ticket. However, if you book a less busy train or an upgraded carriage there are often extra seats. You can also bring your young children to the dining car or walk the train. One TPG reader suggested finding a space on board and unfolding your stroller for your baby's nap.
You are also restricted to only one lap child per adult, so if you're traveling with two children under 4, as I often do, you have to buy at least one of them a seat. According to the Eurostar website, if you're traveling alone with children and alert the staff, they will provide extra assistance from check-in to the train. I have not seen this assistance but have not explicitly mentioned that I was on my own. Don't forget that even though children under 4 don't need tickets, they do need their passports (it's international travel, after all).
(Photo by Kathleen Porter Kristiansen/The Points Guy)
Child and Youth Tickets
Children between 4 and 12 travel on a reduced fare called a "child" ticket and children 13-25 travel on a "youth" ticket. If the adult price is already deeply discounted, like the fares below ($46.80 each way), then the youth ticket is the same price, and the child ticket is only mildly discounted.
Periodically Eurostar puts on unannounced flash sales for a few days for tickets over the coming months. If you have a upcoming trip, we suggest following them on social media or signing up to their mailing list. I just snagged tickets from London to Amsterdam for $45 each way in June for the adults with my young kids riding free.
Book Ahead and Look For Early/Late Trains
The Eurostar website highlights the least expensive tickets. Often these tickets start early in the morning or come back late. Another option, if you have found a great hotel or Airbnb in either London, Belgium or Paris, is to book a day trip to the other country. I have made several single-day trips from London to Paris and back again to avoid overnighting in Paris with this train taking a bit over two hours each way.
A day trip from London to Paris with my then 2-year-old.
Booking Seats
As soon as your Eurostar booking is confirmed, you will automatically be assigned seats. You can then log in to your booking and change your seat assignments so that your family can sit around a table for four (if available) or closer to the changing rooms or cafe, depending on your preferences. The seat map will show you where your seats are currently located. Also, if you are prone to motion sickness, sit facing in the forward direction (these seats often book up first).
The baby on the seat map refers to changing facilities in the bathrooms.
We have had good luck in getting a table of four to ourselves on offseason dates, but remember that it can be more difficult to fit a child on your lap in this configuration if others are sitting across or next to you. In high season it could be worth purchasing all four seats, even if you have children under 4.
Standard class tables for four.
There is a bit more space to spread out at the tables for four in Standard Premier.
Standard Premier tables for four.
Check-in/Security
One of my favorite things about the Eurostar used to be that you could arrive 30 minutes before your train and still make it comfortably to embarkation. That, sadly, has changed. Long lines at immigration mean that arriving 90 minutes early is standard practice. However, I love that you can still carry a hot beverage through security and then nurse your coffee (for that cheap early-morning train!) throughout your immigration experience. Immigration is immediately after security so hold on to those passports. Other families reported a tight policy on removing babies from slings.
Love the cup holder at security.
Travelator
Hang on to your children on the travelator. The moving sidewalk to board the train means that your stroller will become heavy as it goes up. (Technically, strollers are not allowed on the travelators, but I have always used them and see other families that do the same.) Young children start to naturally fall back on the incline so hold on tight to them.
Luggage Tips
It helps to board the train as early as possible if you have a lot of large luggage or a stroller. On the Eurostar you wait in a holding area until your boarding announcement, but you may be able to go up early if you explain that you need the space for your stroller. Space in the storage compartments at the end of each carriage is limited.
On my last trip, I traveled Standard on the way out and Standard Premier on the way back and noticed more luggage space with Standard Premier. You can also fit a small item like a jacket or handbag above your seat.
Standard luggage area.
Meanwhile, the Standard Premier fits this folded UPPAbaby Vista easily.
Standard Premier luggage area.
Food On Board
There are lots of food options at the onboard Eurostar cafe, which are reasonably priced, considering how captive you are to their selection. As there is no liquids restriction on the train like there is at an airport, you can bring Champagne on board and have yourself a celebration, if you want. Otherwise, I tend to pick up sandwiches at a local place in London or Paris before getting on board.
In Standard Premier, they serve a meal and have free wine and beer. They do not have a children's meal option.
Virtual Reality?
On my last trip I saw this Eurostar virtual-reality headset for sale, so I purchased one for £3 (about $4). The Wi-Fi on board was terrible (make sure you have enough programs downloaded) and I could not get it to work.
Bottom Line
Traveling from London to Paris, Lille or Brussels on the Eurostar (plus changing trains to go farther afield) can actually be a highlight of a family vacation in Europe, especially if train travel is relatively novel for your family. TPG readers use points to get to London and then use the Eurostar to avoid flying back out from the UK, thus way avoiding the UK's notorious air taxes and fees.
Have you used the Eurostar as a family? Tell us about the trip.
All photos by Kathleen Porter Kristiansen/The Points Guy
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
