Head to London by train

The fastest way to travel to London is ... by train! Get to the heart of the British capital with SNCB International and the direct Eurostar trains departing from Brussels, Paris, Lille or Amsterdam. Hooray for shopping, culture and sightseeing!

Book your train tickets to London

Brussels - London Direct train 2:01

from € 44 *

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Paris - London Direct train 2:20

from € 44 *

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Lille - London Direct train 1:22

from € 44 *

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Amsterdam - London Direct train 4:10

from € 44 *

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Cologne - London With a change 5:11

from € 58 *

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What's up?

Travel between the EU and the UK: documents and formalities

EU citizens need a passport and an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travel to the UK.
Inversely, non-EU citizens gradually have to register with the EU's new Entry/Exit System to travel to the European Union.

EU citizens travelling to the UK

The Electronic Travel Autorisation (ETA) is a digital autorisation required to enter the United Kingdom.

Since 2 April 2025, it has been compulsory for all citizens of the European Union (including children and babies), the European Economic Area and Switzerland travelling to the UK for short stays (up to 6 months), tourism, visits to relatives, business or short studies.

The ETA costs £16 per person. Once granted, it will be electronically linked to your passport and will be valid for 2 years (or until the expiry of the passport to which it is linked).

You must apply for your ETA online. Most applications are processed within 3 days, but this may be longer in some cases. So remember to apply for your ETA well in advance of your departure.

Apply for your Electronic Travel Autorisation or read more information on the UK Government website.

Non-EU citizens (including UK citizens) travelling to the European Union

The European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES) aims to automatically record entries and exits into the Schengen area for short stays (max. 90 days within a 180-day period) of non-EU citizens.

Non-EU citizens travelling to a European Union country will be required to provide the following when entering the Schengen area:

a scan of their passport
their finger prints
their facial data (photo)

Nothing needs to be undertaken in advance: everything is done at the time of customs control (at the border, at the airport or at the Eurostar terminal in London). Non-EU citizens who have already provided this data will not need to provide it again in future: it will be stored for subsequent travels, making checks quicker.

The EES will gradually come into service from 12 October 2025: some non-EU travellers (increasing in number over the months) will be required to provide their data into the EES when they first enter the Schengen area for a short stay.

It will be fully implemented from 10 April 2026. From that date, all non-EU travellers will be required to provide their data into the EES if they have not already done so.

More information available on the EES website of the European Union.