Basel / Bâle to London by train

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

Connections are available at Basel SBB when travelling from a swathe of other Swiss destinations including Bern, Biel, Luzern and Interlaken.

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Routes

Option 1: taking a combination of Lyria + Eurostar trains

Travel Information

Take this route via Paris and you will need to make the transfer between the Gare De Lyon, where the Lyria train will arrive, and the Gare Du Nord, from where the Eurostar will depart.

On the usual timetable the first five departures of the day to Paris all connect into Eurostar trains on to London, which depart from the Gare Du Nord around 1hr 30 mins after the Lyria train will have arrived into the Gare de Lyon.

Checking-in at the Gare Du Nord:

At the Gare Du Nord the check in and waiting area for the Eurostar (the 'Hall Du Londres') is at an upper level, above the main concourse.
The access to this upper level is some distance from the voie/platforms/tracks that the Eurostars depart from.
The escalators leading up to Eurostar departures are located at the rear wall of the station building, on the opposite side of the concourse to voies/platforms/tracks 14 - 15.

When the service is operating normally, the transfer across Paris by the RER train will take less than 25 mins, from stepping off the TGV at the Gare De Lyon to being on the concourse at the Gare Du Nord.
So if the train from Basel arrives in Paris on time and the RER is as it should be, you will be at the Gare Du Nord around one hour prior to the departure of the Eurostar.

However, Eurostar recommends that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets should arrive at the Gare Du Nord 90 minutes before departure.
Which may explain why Trainline doesn't typically sell these fastest journey options.

Though as access to Eurostar is closed off from 30 mins prior to departure, being at the Gare Du Nord one hour before departure will allow enough time to make the Eurostar.

Eurostar recommends that holders of Business Premier tickets should arrive at the Gare Du Nord 30 minutes before departure, with access to check-in being closed off from 15 mins prior to departure.

The Eurostar on to London:

Final Destination: London St Pancras

Note that these trains will no longer be calling at Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International, until an unspecified date likely to be in 2025 at the earliest.

Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind; hence what can seem like a discrepancy between the journey time and the interval between the departure and arrival times.

Our guide to arriving by Eurostar in London is here.

up to 5 x connections per day

Tickets

Book Early And Save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of of the travel date

For this fastest option when travelling via Paris on a combination of Lyria + Eurostar trains select Basel SBB as the departure station,

Eurostar does not sell tickets for this journey.

Trainline tends not sell these fastest end-to-end journeys, though it can sell options which only involve taking a combination of Lyria + TGV trains, but which involve taking a later train on from Paris.
Also SNCF Connect can be a tad random in which of these five fastest options which it will and won't offer for sale.

Seat reservations are automatically included when booking tickets for both trains.

Your ticket will not include the RER train across Paris from the Gare De Lyon to the Gare Du Nord.

Making the connection in Paris:

There is relatively new E.U. legislation which protects travellers against financial loss in the event of missed connections due to train delays, but it only applies to 'through tickets'.
The Eurostar terms and conditions specifically state that when booking journeys which combine Eurostar + Thalys trains 'through tickets' will be issued.
However, 'for all other journeys that combine a Eurostar Service and a service provided by another carrier(s), including when purchased in a single commercial transaction, those tickets will be separate contracts and issues regarding delays, missed connections, cancellations, compensation, and the management of aftersales will be handled accordingly'.
So as 'end-to-end' tickets booked in one transaction for this journey won't be classified by Eurostar as 'through tickets', you may need to re-book tickets for the Eurostar at the Gare Du Nord, in the unlikely event of a delay to the Lyria train causing you to miss the Eurostar you are booked on to.

Because Eurostar in effect classifies the the tickets for the TGV and its train as separate bookings even when booked in one transaction, you can de-risk the need to re-book the Eurostar, at a last-minute more expensive price, by making two separate bookings - for the Lyria train from Basel and a later Eurostar on to London.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SNCF Connect *

SNCF Connect Guide

SNCF is the national rail operator in France and not so long ago it recently simplified both the range of tickets and the term and conditions of using them.
Therefore the cheapest tickets also become more flexible too.

Other improvements included a simple integration of travelling with bicycles and rail pass users being able to book reservations for national journeys, without paying booking fees.

And it also recently launched SNCF Connect as replacement for its Oui.SNCF booking service.
You can set up a low price alert to let you know when the cheapest price is available for a future journey.

Something else to look out for is that simplest way of travelling with tickets is to use the SNCF Connect App, as booked tickets can therefore be stored on your mobile device, which can then be shown to the train conductors as proof of purchase.

SNCF Connect on Google Play

SNCF Connect in the App (Apple) store

SNCF also operates RailEurope, which is in effect a dedicated online booking service for making bookings from outside of Europe.
If you reside outside of Europe you may discover that SNCF Connect rejects phone numbers or card numbers, but RailEurope won't do so.
Though RailEurope will add booking fees when making a purchase

Rail Europe *
Rail Europe (UK) *

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

Journey Features

High Speed (total journey)
Between Lille and The Channel Between Lille and The Channel
Crossing the Medway Viaduct on a grey day Crossing the Medway Viaduct on a grey day
The view of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge The view of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge

It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with distinct phases and highlights:

1: There is little to see from the high speed lines in France, particularly after Lille (the trains to Paris will rush through Lille Europe station).

2: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.

Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.

The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.

3: As the train nears Ebbsfleet International station, comes the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway on a high bridge.

4: After Ebbsfleet International (which can only be seen from the right) the train will enter a tunnel under the River Thames.

As the train exits this tunnel, from the left, the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge can be seen.

5: For most of the final 8 -10 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to enter London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).

Option 2: connecting in Strasbourg and Paris

Travel Information

This routing is slower and it involves an additional connection in Strasbourg, but the transfer in Paris can be done on foot as it involves connecting from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare Du Nord.

Departing from Basel:

The train will leave from the SNCF (French) section of Basel SBB station, over to the right of the main entrance hall.

Most of these end-to-end journey options sold by Trainline allow less than 30 minutes to make the required connections in Strasbourg.
So an option which will allow more contingency time in the event of a delay to the train from Basel, is to depart by an earlier train.
Reservations aren't available on the train from Basel to Strasbourg, so your ticket(s) can be used on an alternative service.

Checking-in at the Gare Du Nord:

At the Gare Du Nord the check in and waiting area for the Eurostar (the 'Hall Du Londres') is at an upper level, above the main concourse.
The access to this upper level is some distance from the voie/platforms/tracks that the Eurostars depart from.
The escalators leading up to Eurostar departures are located at the rear wall of the station building, on the opposite side of the concourse to voies/platforms/tracks 14 - 15.

The transfer from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare Du Nord will take less than 20 minutes and the timings between the arrival of the train from Strasbourg and the Eurostar departure on to London will typically be more than two hours.

So this journey option is within Eurostar's recommendation that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets should arrive at the Gare Du Nord 90 minutes before departure
Though as access to Eurostar is closed off from 30 mins prior to departure, the train from Strasbourg can be up to around an hour late into Paris and there will be enough time to make the Eurostar.

Eurostar recommends that holders of Business Premier tickets should arrive at the Gare Du Nord 30 minutes before departure, with access to check-in being closed off from 15 mins prior to departure.

The Eurostar on to London:

Final Destination: London St Pancras

Note that these trains will no longer be calling at Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International, until an unspecified date likely to be in 2025 at the earliest.

Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind; hence what can seem like a discrepancy between the journey time and the interval between the departure and arrival times.

Our guide to arriving by Eurostar in London is here.

Using Eurail or InterRail Passes

The mandatory rail pass reservation fees on the ICE / TGV trains on from Strasbourg are more than €15 cheaper than on the Lyria trains from Basel to Paris.
Also if you will be travelling with a pass, using it hop on an earlier TER train to Strasbourg can be the best way to go.

up to 4 x connections per day

Tickets

Book Early And Save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 4 months ahead of of the travel date

For this option select Basel SBB as the departure station,

Eurostar does not sell tickets for this journey.

Seat reservations are automatically included on the trains to and from Paris, but are not available on the train from Basel to Strasbourg

Making the connection in Paris:

There is relatively new E.U. legislation which protects travellers against financial loss in the event of missed connections due to train delays, but it only applies to 'through tickets'.
The Eurostar terms and conditions specifically state that when booking journeys which combine Eurostar + Thalys trains 'through tickets' will be issued.
However, 'for all other journeys that combine a Eurostar Service and a service provided by another carrier(s), including when purchased in a single commercial transaction, those tickets will be separate contracts and issues regarding delays, missed connections, cancellations, compensation, and the management of aftersales will be handled accordingly'.
So as 'end-to-end' tickets booked in one transaction for this journey won't be classified by Eurostar as 'through tickets', you may need to re-book tickets for the Eurostar at the Gare Du Nord, in the unlikely event of a delay to preceding trains causing you to miss the Eurostar you are booked on to.

Because Eurostar in effect classifies the the tickets for the TGV and its train as separate bookings even when booked in one transaction, you can de-risk the need to re-book the Eurostar, at a last-minute more expensive price, by making two separate bookings - for the journey to Paris and a later Eurostar on to London.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Journey Features

High Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

Both TGV trains and ICE trains, which will have travelled from Germany are used on this route

It is not a scenically interesting train journey from Strasbourg to Paris.

What gives this journey its wow factor is that for some of this trip you'll be travelling at more than 300 km/h on the fastest high speed line in France!

Journey Features

High Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

Most departures are by the e320 trains, but e300 trains can also be used.

Between Lille and The Channel Between Lille and The Channel
Crossing the Medway Viaduct on a grey day Crossing the Medway Viaduct on a grey day
The view of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge The view of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge

It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with distinct phases and highlights:

1: There is little to see from the high speed lines in France, particularly after Lille (the trains to Paris will rush through Lille Europe station).

2: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.

Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.

The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.

3: As the train nears Ebbsfleet International station, comes the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway on a high bridge.

4: After Ebbsfleet International (which can only be seen from the right) the train will enter a tunnel under the River Thames.

As the train exits this tunnel, from the left, the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge can be seen.

5: For most of the final 8 -10 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to enter London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).

Option 3: connecting in Strasbourg and Lille

Travel Information

This option, which typically involves departing from Basel at 15:21* has the advantage of avoiding the need to make a transfer between different stations, as both the TGV from Strasbourg and the Eurostar on to London will both use Lille Europe station.
*= Though by leaving Basel at this time, this end-to-end journey option is then reliant on making a connection in Strasbourg of under 30 mins between trains.
So an option is to take the preceding train from Basel, reservations aren't available to travel by it, so your ticket(s) can be used on an alternative service.

Checking-in at Lille-Europe:

The train from Strasbourg is due into Lille more than 1hr 25min prior to the departure of the connecting Eurostar on to London.

Eurostar recommends that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets should arrive at Lille-Europe 90 minutes before departure, but the access to check-in will closed off from 30 mins prior to departure.
So this won't be an issue even if the train from Lyon arrives in Lille more than 50 mins late.

The Eurostar on to London:

Final Destination: London St Pancras

Note that these trains will no longer be calling at Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International, until an unspecified date likely to be in 2025 at the earliest.

Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind; hence what can seem like a discrepancy between the journey time and the interval between the departure and arrival times.
Our guide to arriving by Eurostar in London is here.

1 x connection per day.

Tickets

Book Early And Save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 4 months ahead of of the travel date

Eurostar does not sell tickets for this journey.

Select Basel SBB as the departure station,

Seat reservations are automatically included on the trains to and from Lille but are not available on the train from Basel to Strasbourg

Making the connection in Lille:

There is relatively new E.U. legislation which protects travellers against financial loss in the event of missed connections due to train delays, but it only applies to 'through tickets'.
The Eurostar terms and conditions specifically state that when booking journeys which combine Eurostar + Thalys trains 'through tickets' will be issued.
However, 'for all other journeys that combine a Eurostar Service and a service provided by another carrier(s), including when purchased in a single commercial transaction, those tickets will be separate contracts and issues regarding delays, missed connections, cancellations, compensation, and the management of aftersales will be handled accordingly'.

So as 'end-to-end' tickets booked in one transaction for this journey won't be classified by Eurostar as 'through tickets', if delays to either of the preceding trains cause you to miss the connection into the final train of the day from Lille to London:

  • you may need to re-book tickets for the Eurostar at Lille Europe
  • and will have to fund any accommodation costs for what will then be a necessary overnight stay in Lille.
Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Journey Features

High Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

The train will be heading to Bruxellles-Midi.
On Monday to Friday and Sunday, this train can be joined on departure from Strasbourg into another train which will be heading to Nantes.

It is not a scenically interesting train journey from Strasbourg to Lille.

What gives this journey its wow factor is that for some of this trip you'll be travelling at more than 300 km/h on the fastest high speed line in France!

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