How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Rotterdam

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London to Rotterdam by train

Rather wonderfully there are now direct Eurostar trains from London to Rotterdam; but if the timings of those trains don't suit, another option is travel via Bruxelles and make a connection at Midi/Zuid station.

Routes you can take to go from London to Rotterdam

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:
Looking for connections?

Route Information

Option 1: taking a direct train
Travel Time (approx)

3hr 1min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

Current timetable:
2 x trains per day

Usual timetable:
Mon-Fri = 3 x trains per day
Sat/Sun = 2 x trains per day

Route Information

Via stations: Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid

Option 2: travelling via Bruxelles
Travel Time (approx)

4 hrs - 5hr 15mins (approx)

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

All of this info below relates to the usual timetable. pre-pandemic:

The discrepancy in journey times is mainly due to the variations in the connecting time between trains at Bruxelles-Midi/Zuid station.

Mon - Thurs = 6 x connections per day
Friday = 7 x connections
Saturday = 5 x connections
Sunday = 6 x connections

If the timings of the direct London to Rotterdam trains don't suit, then this journey option is the more frequent alternative.

Travel on high speed lines virtually all the way from London to Rotterdam on this combination of
 Eurostar + Thalys trains**.**

MOST of these journey options have total a total travel time of less than 4hr 50min - and on those journeys, the connecting time between trains in Bruxelles is around 45mins.

So if the departure/arrival times and price suit - target those journeys.
50 minutes in Bruxelles should ensure a stress-free transfer at Midi/Zuid station, even if the Eurostar  arrives more 20 mins late.

More information is available on our changing trains at Bruxelles-Midi station guide.

However, Saturday is not the best day of the week to travel between London and Rotterdam by this combination of Eurostar and Thalys trains.

All of the connections on Saturday have journey times of more than 5hr 30mins -  all of which involve spending more than 90mins at Bruxelles Midi/Zuid station between trains.

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