How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Frankfurt (Main)

At St Pancras:

Eurostar is currently suggesting that Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders should be at the Eurostar departure area in St Pancras International 90 mins before departure; and that Business Premier ticket holders should be there 45-60mins prior to departure.

The departure gates will close 30 mins prior to departure for Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders; and 15 mins prior to departure for Business Premier ticket holders.

Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.

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.

At Bruxelles-Midi:

When the end-to-end journey time is around 5hr 30min the connection at Bruxelles Midi/Zuid station, between the arrival of a Eurostar from London and the departure of an ICE on to Frankfurt (Main) will be around 20 minutes

Though on Monday to Friday, when taking what is the first Eurostar of the day from London, it usually allows around 1hr 10min to make the transfer - because by taking this train the end-to-end journey time is around 6hr 15min.

Pre-departure security checks are in place at Bruxelles-Midi in the part of the station used by the other international high speed trains - though the ICE trains can be scheduled to depart from voies (platform /tracks) 7 or 8, which are not accessed through international boarding area.

How long it takes to pass through these security checks inevitably varies according to how busy the station is
So it's a good idea:

• to move to the front of the train before arrival
• head down the staircase from Eurostar arrivals instead of waiting for the elevator
• go directly to international departures, don't stop to use the shops or food/drink outlets in the station.

20 minutes should be enough time, but 15 minutes or less between the arrival time of the Eurostar and departure time of the ICE increases the risk of the missing the connection.
And this connection is not absolutely guaranteed, the ICE train on to Frankfurt (Main) won't usually hang back for more than 5 - 10mins, if the Eurostar from London is running late

Book Early And Save: Yes

Online bookings open: usually open around 6 months ahead of the travel date.
This booking period tends to be shorter when looking up journeys between mid August and mid October.

Eurostar's online booking service does not sell tickets for this journey.

Eurostar ticket terms summary:

The only ticket type are the Flexible tickets, but it is the class of service you opt to travel by, which impacts on the terms and conditions of travel.

*Exchanges

Book to travel in Standard and Standard Premier class:
The booked date and time can be exchanged to a different departure to the same destination up to one hour* before departure time.

• If the cost of your new ticket is more than the cost of your original ticket, you will be required to pay the difference;
• If the cost of your new ticket is less than the cost of your original ticket, you will not receive a refund of the difference.

Book to travel in Premier class:
The booked date and time can be exchanged to a different departure up until the end of the previous day, without having to pay any price differences on any other charges.

The Eurostar ticket terms summary is here

Refunds

Book to travel in Standard and Standard Premier class:

• Up to seven days or more before the date of departure you will need to pay a fee of £25 per person for a one-way / single ticket and £50 per person for a two-way / return ticket - So you will only receive any sum you paid in excess of these sums.
• Less than seven days before the date of departure, tickets are non-refundable - Also applies if you exchanged a ticket to an alternative departure, under seven days ahead.

Book to travel in Premier class:
Up until the end of the day before departure date, tickets can be refunded at no additional cost

Seat Reservations on the Eurostar

Reservations are mandatory so seats are assigned when booking - But after a booking has been completed, you use the ‘Manage Your Booking’ facility, which can be easily found on the Eurostar website and select specific seats within the travel class you have chosen.

You don't need to have booked the ticket with Eurostar
You will need to enter a Booking Reference number - but other booking agents such as Trainline, Rail Europe, SNCF Connect, B-Europe and NS International, will also include this number on the communication sent to you.

ICE trains ticket terms summary:

• Super Sparpreis Europa / Super Saver Fare Europe tickets: cannot be exchanged or refunded.
• Sparpreis Europa / Saver Fare Europe: these tickets can be 'refunded; up until the day of departure for admin of €10. The refund will be in the form of a voucher, matching the value of the price paid.
  So in effect these tickets can be exchanged for a fee of €10 and the difference in price will need to be paid.
• Flexible tickets can be refunded free of charge with payment returned, but after the travel date a €19 admin fee is applied.
  So in effect if you want to 'exchange' flexible tickets, you can use the cost you originally paid towards the cost of a re-booking, but the new price will likely be higher.

Seat Reservations:

Your seats will automatically be reserved on the Eurostar, but seat reservations on the ICE trains are an additional cost unless you book the most expensive type of ticket.
Though if you will be using a rail pass they are now mandatory ion the ICE trains when travelling between mid-June and mid-August - check the Train guide for the exact dates.

What if you miss a booked connection in Bruxelles:

Eurostar classifies end-to-end journeys involving Eurostar + Eurostar Thalys trains as 'through tickets', but it classifies journeys involving Eurostar + ICE trains as being booked as a ticketing bundle.
There are relatively new E.U. 'rules' protecting against financial loss in the event of a delay, but they only apply to 'through tickets'.

But DB which operates the ICE trains on to Frankfurt, has signed up to Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC) policy for when a traveller holds separate transport 'contracts' for an end-to-end journey involving more than one train.
So this agreement applies both when 'a bundle' of tickets / contracts is issued as the result of a single transaction - and if travellers have bought several different tickets for their journey, even from different sales channels/ticket providers.
As long as the passenger had planned enough connecting time to change trains (called “reasonable connecting time”), the AJC will apply.

So in usual circumstances, if a delay to a Eurostar has caused a booked connection on to Frankfurt to be missed, replacement tickets/reservations should be issued at Bruxelles-Midi
However, the AJC does not cover the cost of any overnight accommodation which will need to be booked if the final train of the day on to Frankfurt is missed.

Using Rail Passes on Eurostar:

Rail pass users can now pay reservation fees to travel on Eurostar trains, in a similar manner to other international European high speed trains.

The new rail pass reservation fees are similar to the cheapest single journey ticket prices, but as those cheapest tickets can sell out quickly, it's likely that the rail pass reservation fees will save money.

You can purchase these online with no booking fees on B-Europe.
Booking in advance is recommended as it's not unknown for rail pass reservations on Eurostar services to sell out days or weeks in advance, there is evidently limited availability per departure.

You can obtain a rail pass reservations without paying a booking fee at Eurostar stations.
However, if you want to do this on the day of travel be prepared to be flexible re: the train you will take.

If you are a UK resident, your rail pass + reservation is only valid if you take a train from the UK on the first day that your pass is valid for and return to the UK on the final day that you will be using a pass.

The end-to-end journey time when travelling by train from London to Frankfurt via Paris is at least 1hr 45mins longer than when travelling via Bruxelles (option 1).
The journey via Paris also involves having to make a transfer between two different stations, but there are two reasons why it can be worth considering:

• price
• the time to make the transfer in Paris will be at least 1hr 15mins, so when the trains are operating to schedule, it won't involve having to change trains against the clock.

At St Pancras:

Eurostar is currently suggesting that Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders should be at the Eurostar departure area in St Pancras International 90 mins before departure; and that Business Premier ticket holders should be there 45-60mins prior to departure.

The departure gates will close 30 mins prior to departure for Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders; and 15 mins prior to departure for Business Premier ticket holders.

Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.

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.

Book Early And Save: Yes

Online bookings open: usually open around 6 months ahead of the travel date.
This booking period tends to be shorter when looking up journeys between mid August and mid October.

Eurostar's online booking service does not sell tickets for this journey.

Eurostar train's general ticket terms:

'Customers can exchange tickets for travel in Standard and Standard Premier class multiple times without paying an exchange fee, as long as tickets are exchanged 7 days or more before the departure time of their individual journey
Though if the new ticket option is more expensive the difference in price will need to be paid, but if it is cheaper the price difference won't be refunded.
But make the exchange within 7 days of the individual journey and an admin fee of £30 will need to be paid, along with the price difference
Tickets to travel in Standard and Standard Premier class are not refundable.
In contrast tickets to travel in Business Premier Class can be refunded and they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference'.
Eurostar's full ticket terms and conditions are here .

ICE trains ticket terms summary:

• Super Sparpreis Europa / Super Saver Fare Europe tickets: cannot be exchanged or refunded.
• Sparpreis Europa / Saver Fare Europe: these tickets can be 'refunded; up until the day of departure for admin of €10. The refund will be in the form of a voucher, matching the value of the price paid.
  So in effect these tickets can be exchanged for a fee of €10 and the difference in price will need to be paid.
• Flexible tickets can be refunded free of charge with payment returned, but after the travel date a €19 admin fee is applied.
  So in effect if you want to 'exchange' flexible tickets, you can use the cost you originally paid towards the cost of a re-booking, but the new price will likely be higher.

Seat Reservations:

Your seats will automatically be reserved on the Eurostar and on the ICE trains on this route:

What if you miss a booked connection in Paris:

Eurostar classifies end-to-end journeys involving Eurostar + Eurostar Thalys trains as 'through tickets', but it classifies journeys involving Eurostar + ICE trains as being booked as a ticketing bundle.
There are relatively new E.U. 'rules' protecting against financial loss in the event of a delay, but they only apply to 'through tickets'.

But DB which operates the ICE trains on to Frankfurt, has signed up to Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC) policy for when a traveller holds separate transport 'contracts' for an end-to-end journey involving more than one train.
So this agreement applies both when 'a bundle' of tickets / contracts is issued as the result of a single transaction - and if travellers have bought several different tickets for their journey, even from different sales channels/ticket providers.
As long as the passenger had planned enough connecting time to change trains (called “reasonable connecting time”), the AJC will apply.

So in usual* circumstances, if a delay to a Eurostar has caused a booked connection on to Frankfurt to be missed, replacement tickets/reservations should be issued at Paris Est
However, the AJC does not cover the cost of any overnight accommodation which will need to be booked if the final train of the day on to Frankfurt is missed.

Using Rail Passes on Eurostar:

Rail pass users can now pay reservation fees to travel on Eurostar trains, in a similar manner to other international European high speed trains.

The new rail pass reservation fees are similar to the cheapest single journey ticket prices, but as those cheapest tickets can sell out quickly, it's likely that the rail pass reservation fees will save money.

You can purchase these online with no booking fees via B-Europe.
Booking in advance is recommended as it's not unknown for rail pass reservations on Eurostar services to sell out days or weeks in advance, there is evidently limited availability per departure.

You can obtain a rail pass reservations without paying a booking fee at Eurostar stations.
However, if you want to do this on the day of travel be prepared to be flexible re: the train you will take.

If you are a UK resident, your rail pass + reservation is only valid if you take a train from the UK on the first day that your pass is valid for and return to the UK on the final day that you will be using a pass.