In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Eurostar takes 1 hour 53 minutes from London St Pancras to Brussels-Midi, from £39 one way; fares vary by date. Arrive at the time on your ticket: Eurostar’s guidance is 75 minutes at St Pancras and 45 to 60 minutes at Brussels-Midi. Your passport is checked twice before you board in London, and the Entry/Exit System photo and fingerprints for non-EU visitors are taken there, free; nothing is checked when you get off in Brussels. Brussels-Midi is 1.5 km from the Grand-Place: take a local train one stop to Brussels-Central and walk the last 430 m. From Midi to London, the checks are in the Channel Terminal under platforms 1 and 2. Or book now for the day: the guided walking tourad is from €25 (GetYourGuide).
London to Brussels, compared
Eurostar prints its London fares in pounds. The fare is for one adult, one way.
| Class | What you get | From |
|---|---|---|
| Eurostar Standard | Two pieces of luggage up to 85 cm and one small bag; café on board | £39 |
| Eurostar Plus | More space and larger reclining seats, a light meal and drinks at your seat | Priced in the booking |
| Eurostar Premier | Lounges, priority ticket gates, fine dining on board | Priced in the booking |
| London to Bruges in one booking | Eurostar to Brussels, then an SNCB train; about 3 hours 20 minutes in all | See Eurostar’s page and getting to Bruges |
Fares move with the date, so £39 is the lowest, not the usual. There are no extra fees for seat selection, booking ahead or luggage once you have a ticket, and no food or liquid limits on board.
At St Pancras
Arrive 75 minutes before · gates close 30 minutes before · passport checked twice
Eurostar’s recommended arrival time is printed on your ticket, and it is longer than the gates need: queues build on busy days. Go to Eurostar Departures, scan the QR code on your ticket at the gates, and then pass security and the border control. Boarding is announced about 20 minutes before departure from platforms 5 to 10 (Eurostar).
The trainshed roof at St Pancras International. Photo: Colin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Eurostar Standard and Plus | Eurostar Premier | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrive at St Pancras | 75 minutes before | 45 minutes before |
| Gates close | 30 minutes before | 15 minutes before |
- Two passport checks: your passport is checked twice before you board, first for UK exit and then at the border control for the Schengen area, where the Entry/Exit System registration is done.
- The Entry/Exit System is the EU’s border registration for non-EU visitors, fully operational since 10 April 2026. The photo and fingerprints are taken at St Pancras on the day, they cost nothing and you do not apply beforehand. Eurostar Premier travellers and Carte Blanche and Étoile Club members may be invited to use a pre-registration kiosk opposite the Premier gates.
- Passport rules: a UK passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area, for stays up to 90 days in any 180. What to book before you go to Brussels has the entry rules for the other nationalities.
- Advance Passenger Information: complete it well before you travel, and carry your passport.
Brussels-Midi
Avenue Fonsny 47b · 1.5 km from the Grand-Place · the Eurostar station
Brussels-Midi (Bruxelles-Midi, Brussel-Zuid) is the Eurostar terminal. From a London train you “simply hop off”: the checks are done before departure, so you leave the platform by the exit and go down to the main concourse (Eurostar).
A Eurostar train at Brussels-Midi, under the station’s steel roof frames. Photo: Smiley.toerist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
To the Grand-Place
- Train to Brussels-Central: a local train takes you one stop to Brussels-Central, the underground station about 430 m from the Grand-Place. A Brupass single (€2.70) covers an SNCB train inside the Brussels Region, or you can buy an ordinary SNCB ticket. Brussels public transport has the Brupass.
- Metro, tram or bus: follow the M signs to level -1 for STIB’s ticket machines and kiosk, or tap a contactless bank card at €2.40 a journey. Metro line 6 runs from Midi to Heysel, the station for the Atomium.
- On foot: the Grand-Place is about 1.5 km from Midi in a straight line, and the train to Central cuts the walk to 430 m.
- Taxis: follow the signs to the taxi stand, and use only official, licensed taxis. The Foreign Office advises against getting into a taxi that stops to offer you a ride.
The entrance front of Brussels-Central station. Photo: Andrzej Otrębski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
In the station
- Luggage lockers with a 24-hour service, a bureau de change, shops and restaurants.
- Eurostar Information and Services is on the main concourse near platforms 4 and 5.
- Safety: the Foreign Office names the Eurostar terminal at Brussels-Midi and Brussels-North among the places where thieves and pickpockets operate, and warns of luggage stolen from racks at the ends of carriages on high-speed trains. Travel.gc.ca names Nord, Central and Midi stations. The Foreign Office and the US State Department publish the advice.
- The airport: a direct SNCB train takes about 20 to 25 minutes to Brussels Airport; see Brussels Airport to the city.
Hotels near Brussels-Midi station lists the ones beside the terminal, and where to stay in Brussels compares the areas.
Going home from Brussels-Midi
Channel Terminal under platforms 1 and 2 · arrive 45 to 60 minutes before
Trains to London leave from the Channel Terminal, which you reach by following the signs to platforms 1 and 2. You go through the ticket gates, security and passport control, which is done twice: first by the Belgian authorities and then by UK Border Force. With a biometric passport you may be able to use the ePassport gates.
| Eurostar Standard and Plus | Eurostar Premier | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrive at Brussels-Midi | 45 to 60 minutes before | 30 to 45 minutes before |
| Gates close | 30 minutes before | 15 minutes before |
- Hours: the Channel Terminal is open Monday to Saturday 06:30 to 23:00 and on Sundays and public holidays 07:00 to 23:00.
- Switching trains: if you arrive on another train and connect to London, go to the Channel Terminal for the checks; allow at least an hour.
- Download your ticket close to the date, because the arrival time on it is the up-to-date one.
- The Premier lounge is a 3-minute walk from the station at Rue de l’Instruction 158, on Place Victor Horta.
Onward from Brussels
Eurostar prints these fares in pounds, one way from Brussels.
| Trip | Time | From |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels to Paris | 1 hour 22 | £25 |
| Brussels to Amsterdam | 1 hour 52 | £25 |
- Paris: see the Paris guide for the city. France has notified border controls on all its internal borders, Belgium included, from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, so carry a passport, or a national ID card if you are an EU citizen.
- Amsterdam: the Amsterdam guide covers the city and the trains that start from Centraal.
- Cologne: Deutsche Bahn and Eurostar sell trains from Brussels-Midi, and Germany has border controls on its land borders, Belgium included, to 15 March 2027.
- Changing trains at Midi: Eurostar and ICE trains to the Netherlands, France or Germany leave from platforms 3 to 6, and security checks of ticket, ID and luggage may apply. Arrive 20 minutes before.
- Day trips by rail: day trips from Brussels compares Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Waterloo, and Bruges is the one with a through booking from London.
Which to book
- A weekend from London: Eurostar Standard from £39, arriving 75 minutes ahead.
- A bag bigger than the allowance: two pieces up to 85 cm and one small bag is the limit.
- A first day in the city: Midi to Central by local train, then the Grand-Place and the Manneken Pis on foot.
- A late train home: the Channel Terminal closes at 23:00.
- Paris or Amsterdam on the same trip: Brussels is on the Eurostar line to both.
- A plan for the days: 3 days in Brussels builds them round the closed days.
Brussels public transport explains the STIB fares for the rest of the trip, Brussels Airport to the city and Charleroi Airport to Brussels cover the flights, and what to book before you go to Brussels has the closed days and the entry rules.
Common questions
How long does the Eurostar take from London to Brussels?
1 hour 53 minutes, from London St Pancras to Brussels-Midi, city centre to city centre. Fares start from £39 one way, and they vary by date.
How early should I arrive for the Eurostar from London to Brussels?
At the time printed on your ticket: Eurostar's guidance is 75 minutes before departure at St Pancras, and the gates close 30 minutes before. For Eurostar Premier it is 45 minutes and the gates close 15 minutes before. From Brussels-Midi to London it is 45 to 60 minutes.
Do I need to do anything about the Entry/Exit System on Eurostar?
No. For non-EU visitors the registration, with a photo and fingerprints, happens at the border control at St Pancras before you board, and it is free. Nothing is checked on arrival at Brussels-Midi, because the checks are done before departure.
How do I get from Brussels-Midi to the Grand-Place?
Take a local train one stop to Brussels-Central, which is about 430 m from the Grand-Place, and walk. Midi is about 1.5 km from the square. A Brupass single (€2.70) covers the train inside the city, or tap a contactless bank card on the STIB metro.
How much luggage can I take on Eurostar?
Eurostar Standard and Plus tickets allow two pieces of luggage up to 85 cm long and one small piece of hand luggage. There are no weight limits as long as you can lift and carry it yourself, and no liquid limit.
Can I go on from Brussels to Paris or Amsterdam?
Yes. Eurostar's Brussels to Paris takes 1 hour 22 and starts from £25 one way, and Brussels to Amsterdam takes 1 hour 52 from £25. France has border controls on its Belgian border from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, so carry your passport.
