Travelling with your luggage by train
Wherever you are travelling, various regulations apply when you board the train with your luggage. Size and weight are factors which need to be taken into consideration.
Generally speaking, you may:
- take your hand luggage (or any item which can be easily carried) with you.
- get on board with particular items seen as hand luggage. You can travel with these free of charge. They include prams, pushchairs, folding or packaged bicycles, wheelchairs, musical instruments and sports equipment.
- place your luggage in the storage areas as long as it fits easily. Storage areas are usually found above your seat and throughout the carriage. However, the height of these areas is restricted, which means that very large items cannot be stowed here. Small items (handbags, sports bags, etc.) can be placed underneath your seat.
Thalys and Brussels-France TGV
On
Thalys and
Brussels-France TGV trains, the number of items you take on board is not restricted but the total weight of your luggage may not exceed
30kg per passenger. Also, if your luggage does not fit above your seat, you must place it on the large racks located in the areas between each carriage. Luggage placed on these racks must be labelled
with your name and seat number. These labels can be obtained free of charge from your departure station.
Eurostar
You may take up to
3 items of luggage with you on these trains. If you have more than 3 items, the additional ones must be sent as
registered luggage. Your registered luggage items can be collected 24 hours after they have been registered at your arrival station. If you wish to collect your luggage when you arrive, you must send your luggage 24 hours before your departure. Each item of registered luggage will cost
14 euros.
On
Eurostar trains, you will also find large racks in the areas between the carriages. Large items must be placed here and each must be labelled
with your name and seat number.
ICE trains
On
ICE trains, there are storage areas above each seat for ordinary-sized luggage items. Passengers are requested to put
larger items into the allocated areas between the seats.
International daytime trains
All
international trains (IC, EC, etc.) have storage space
above the seats. Depending on your destination, you will also find
racks for your larger items of luggage, either
in your carriage or in the areas between the carriages.
International night trains
As you are travelling in separated compartments, you can choose how to store your luggage in your bed/couchette compartment.
If you're sharing a compartment with other passengers, simply make sure you share the available spare fairly. The larger items can be stowed on the floor, under the beds or lower bunks.
Left luggage in international railway stations
Using the left luggage service or the lockers, you can make use of the available time to look around the area surrounding the station or visit the city centre.
However much luggage you have, there are always storage solutions available, whether it’s for a few hours or for several days.
To find out about the storage facilities available, please choose your station >
