Eurostar

Advantages: fast, frequent trains, affordable when booked in advance
Disadvantages: trains getting a little tatty, legroom, limited stations

...market. We had booked our Eurostar tickets way back in September. I had voted for Brussels in December rather than Paris for my birthday in October (mainly due to the fact that I cannot stand Paris - well, Paris is kind of alright, it's the Parisians I have a problem with). Living just inside the M25 motorway in the north, I was highly delighted when in November the Eurostar terminal changed from Waterloo International to St Pancras International. ...
... Booking Eurostar Tickets There are a number of ways to book tickets for the Eurostar service. We had opted for the official Eurostar website where we scoured the 'special offers' for weeks until we found a day and time we liked. The day trip to Brussels cost £59.00 per person (£29.50 each way) and after paying securely online, the tickets arrived within a couple of days. We had opted for normal delivery which was free but if you want to make ... Read review

Advantages: Quick, Easy and Oh So Comfortable In First Class!
Disadvantages: Trains Are Getting On A Bit, Not As Romantic As The Ferry, Queues At Paris End.

...taking the train. The Eurostar is not a cheap option, I searched high and low on the internet and found that the lowest priced tickets demand the organisational skills to book months in advance. Without time on our side and only a couple of days before our holiday, the most economical seats were still £122.00. In the end I booked them in conjunction with the hotel, through the Trainhols.com site, hoping that at least the package would save us a ...
...discovered that Eurostar prefer to leave seats empty rather than sell the tickets at a lower price on the day – not exactly business minded of them, but reassuring when you have had to pay full whack. While we were away, the news story broke that it is far cheaper for those living outside the UK to buy tickets. You’ve probably seen this, but it’s as simple as selecting an alternative nationality when booking online, pretending to be American for ... Read review

Advantages: Speed, comfort, catering, customer service
Disadvantages: Pricing, Online booking facilities, Limited network

...months, I've travelled extensively on Eurostar between London and Paris (minimum weekly), as well as completed the odd trip to Brussels and Lille. Generally, I'd always aim to travel Eurostar rather than fly, because I live in central London, and instead of 40 mins to get to Heathrow, I can make it to Waterloo in 10 mins instead. My first comments relate to ticket pricing. Even in advance of the pricing structure changes in 2003, the amount charged ...
...in standard class on the Eurostar for half the price. But there's a nice way around this for people regularly travelling to France over a prolonged period. Those booking leisure tickets over the weekends have this option anyway. The trick is to book your tickets in reverse to take advantage of leisure fares coming in from the French side. So instead of booking London to Paris Monday to Friday, book Paris to London Friday to Monday. Makes a massive ... Read review

Advantages: Fast, efficient, comfortable
Disadvantages: Still a bit expensive

...that is the Channel Tunnel Eurostar service to show us, in its chic and efficient manner, just how easy it is to do the continental. Now, the Eurostar service has I think copped a fair amount of flak from problems with the tunnel in general. As far as I can tell, this is pretty unjustified. With the exception of one horrible journey home when storms flooded the whole of Northern France (not something even the railway services can really be held ...
...with here is that the Eurostar is extortionately expensive. Not true. Ticket start at £70 for a return - considering the alternatives, very reasonable. Of course you can fly for less, about half that price - if you just include the ticket. But add on airport taxes, the cost of getting out to Heathrow and then finding your way into Paris from Charles de Gaulle airport and all the drinky snacky things you'll buy on the way, and I think you'd be hard ... Read review

Advantages: More than just travel details
Disadvantages: Oh God! He's a train spotter!

...of my trips on the Eurostar have been in 2nd class, usually as part of some two-for-one offer, resulting in paying about £49 return. The Lille trips were a treat though and we pushed ‘le bateau’ out and paid double for the 1st class upgrade. To be honest, the major benefit is the increase in elbowroom that comes from having only three seats across ways. Seats WILL recline but only by reducing legroom. Food in first class is an enigma. Yes, it’s better ...
...‘take yer own tucker’. The Eurostar buffet cars would not be out of place on one of our own expresses, with ALL that that implies, and they’re pricey too. All train staff have to be at least tri-lingual, i.e. in English, French and Flemish/Dutch. This tends to be variable, with the French-speaking crew taking the middle ground. Yes, they sound like Maurice Chevalier but fluent nonetheless. The Flemish speakers seem to be able to speak all three ... Read review