Here's what it's like to take the 4-hour train journey on Eurostar from London to Amsterdam

Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
  • I spent almost $200 to take the Eurostar from London to Amsterdam and it took four and a half hours.
  • The train was very clean and modern and I could even go to a duty free shop at St Pancras station.
  •  However, the train wasn't as luxurious as I'd expected, with unreliable WiFi and a limited menu.
I can't count how many hours I've spent on trains. I grew up taking the train to school and to visit friends, and as someone who doesn't drive I use it for almost all of my trips in the UK. But recently I took the Eurostar for the first time to travel from London to Amsterdam.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
The Eurostar departs from St. Pancras, right next to King's Cross station in central London.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
St. Pancras station.
Though St. Pancras is known mainly for its Eurostar connections, it also serves a variety of destinations in England.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
St. Pancras has more than a dozen platforms.
Eurostar gates at St. Pancras close 30 minutes before the train departs. There were huge Tube strikes on the day I traveled, and I arrived just a few minutes after the gates closed.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Tube stations were closed on the day I traveled.
But I wasn't the only passenger with this problem, and Eurostar staff at the station were switching people onto later services. I hadn't expected this as it wasn't the company's fault I failed to arrive with enough time to make it through security.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
My Eurostar boarding pass.
Three other train operators offer services from St. Pancras ...
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The platforms at St. Pancras.
... but Eurostar has a separate section in the station. This included customer service desks and counters where you could buy and collect tickets.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar ticket counters at St. Pancras.
Tickets are scanned at the barriers before passing through security like at airports. Passengers also get their passports stamped. Despite a long queue, it was relatively fast-moving, and the process only took about 30 minutes.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar security at St. Pancras.
Then you're through to the waiting area for Eurostar passengers. The company advises Eurostar advises arriving 90 minutes before your train departs, so I had a while to wait.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar waiting area at St. Pancras.
It was very similar to being in an airport lounge, with departure screens dotted about.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar waiting area at St. Pancras.
There was a coffee shop with quite a long line ...
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar waiting area at St. Pancras.
... as well as a duty-free store, which I hadn't expected to see.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar waiting lounge at St. Pancras.
The waiting area was busy – it seemed that a lot of people planned to travel that day, and the room was littered with suitcases too. About 20 minutes before our train to Amsterdam was due to leave, the screens updated and said we could start boarding.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar waiting area at St. Pancras.
The interior of the train had a dark blue color scheme with hints of yellow, like the Eurostar logo.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
The seats were arranged as pairs on either side of the aisle ...
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
... with small tables that fold down. There were also small foot rests, though I didn't find mine very comfy.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
A few seats in each carriage were arranged in fours around a small table, although each passenger could extend the table out a little.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
The train was really clean. Eurostar has three travel classes – standard, standard premier, and business premier. I opted for the former.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
There were racks at the ends of each carriage for passengers to store suitcases, big bags, and foldable bikes ...
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The luggage racks in a Eurostar carriage.
... as well as racks above the seats where you could put smaller bags and coats. Unlike on a plane, you didn't have to pay extra for large luggage – passengers in standard class can bring two pieces of luggage plus hand luggage for free.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The luggage racks in a Eurostar carriage.

Source: Eurostar

My train stopped off at four destinations: Lille, France; Brussels, Belgium; Rotterdam, and Amsterdam, both in The Netherlands.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The screens on board a Eurostar train.
Messages on screens throughout the train told you information such as the time, the next stop, the train's maximum speed, and the length of the tunnel ...
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The screens on board a Eurostar train.
... switching between English, French, and Dutch. Announcements were made in all three languages, too.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The screens on board a Eurostar train.
The Eurostar also had a cafe on board, but it only sold food and drink to take back to your seat. It accepted payment in both euros and pounds.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The cafe on board a Eurostar train.
When I first went to the cafe at around 1:20 p.m., I was told that its staff was on break. I returned after 10 minutes and ordered the risotto but was told there wasn't any left. I opted for a falafel sandwich, brownie, and orange juice under its 10.20 euro ($10.22) meal deal. I thought that was expensive but not entirely unexpected.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
My lunch on the train.
There were restrooms at the end of each carriage. They looked very much like normal train toilets – but I'd expected them to be a bit nicer given the price of the tickets and the length of Eurostar journeys.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The train did have free WiFi, but it was very unreliable. I kept losing my connection and ultimately gave up.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
Instead, I passed my time reading a book. Other passengers spent the journey talking with fellow travelers, reading, sleeping, and watching films and TV shows. I presumed they downloaded the video to watch offline.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
I read during the journey.
I also tried to enjoy the view, but most of it wasn't very exciting, especially when we passed through the Channel Tunnel and could only see darkness.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The view wasn't inspiring.
Most of the other passengers looked like groups of friends and family, alongside a few solo travelers. They were largely dressed in casual clothing and looked like holidaymakers. Because it was a Monday morning train, I had expected there to be more people in business attire working on their laptops, but maybe they were in business class.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
I enjoyed the journey – until we got to Rotterdam, where we had a long stop. Upon arrival, an announcement on the train warned us of "pickpockets and luggage thieves" known to operate in the area. I dashed over to check on my suitcase, but thankfully it hadn't been taken. I had never heard a warning like this before on a train and it made me feel quite unsafe.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The luggage racks in a Eurostar carriage.
But that was the only incident I had during the journey. Other than that, my first trip on the Eurostar was similar to any other train journey I'd been on, apart from the fact that it took four and a half hours. At almost $200, it was more expensive than flying – but it included up to two large suitcases and took me between two city-center stations, rather than airports on the outskirts. Train travel also has a much smaller carbon footprint.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
I'd definitely travel on the Eurostar again, but I plan to keep my eyes peeled for discounts and special offers. And next time, I won't travel on a Tube strike day.
Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam
The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
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