The Layover - June 2026

Jun 26

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London to Burgundy

Eurostar/TGV Trip Report

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting friends in the heart of Burgundy and tested the Eurostar/TGV train service round-trip from London to Le Creusot – Montceau.

Here is our report.

Journey:

Eurostar St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord – Eurostar Plus – 2h 24m / TGV ‘inOui’ Paris Gare de Lyon to Le Creusot – Montceau – Standard Premiere – 1h 20m

St Pancras Hotel

We stayed at the St Pancras Hotel on the night before the rail journey and it is an excellent choice. It’s a quality hotel with a lot of history and character and an excellent bar and restaurant.

It’s on the Elizabeth Line for easy travel from Heathrow but importantly, it is a 5-minute walk from the hotel lobby to the Eurostar check-in.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel – the perfect overnight stay before an early Eurostar departure.

St Pancras Station

St Pancras is a busy station serving a large range of English destinations and is also the hub for Eurostar’s international services to Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rotterdam and Lille.

Check-in is busy with a restriction on when you can enter the security and immigration area – so don’t get there before the time indicated on your ticket as you won’t be able to join the queue.

This is where the priority check-in benefit of Eurostar Premier comes in really handy as they have a dedicated lane and separate security and customs clearance which fast-tracks you through a very busy area. (also available to Carte Blanche or Étoile tiers of the Club Eurostar loyalty program)

Once through the formalities you have to wait in a fairly crowded terminal area with limited facilities and expensive cafes and shops. Another benefit of Eurostar Premier is the private lounge access (also available to Carte Blanche or Étoile tiers of the Club Eurostar loyalty program)

Keep an eye on the board as when the platform is announced there is a rush for the entrance to the platform which is only opened when the platform is confirmed. Getting baggage into the limited space on board the train carriage, especially in economy is the driver here!

Eurostar Plus

The configuration in the airline equivalent of business class is 1-2 with a variety of seat options facing forward and rear. We chose 2 seats next to each other facing forward. All seats are in a plush fabric with pull down tray table and iPhone and laptop charging stations. There is adequate recline and legroom for this 2-hour journey.

This class of service includes a meal on every departure, but I have to say breakfast was not very inspiring with only a choice of savory or sweet pastry and a fruit compote served with tea and coffee and a choice of juices. (lunch on the return journey was more substantial with complimentary wine or beer) None the less the crew were very friendly.

I took the opportunity to go to the buffet carriage and walked through the Eurostar Standard class. The key difference here is the 2-2 seat configuration and limited luggage storage. The cabins were very busy and if you are travelling with suitcases, storage can be a challenge in this class. For the difference in cost, I would recommend paying the supplement for Eurostar Plus for this reason alone!

Transit Paris

All Eurostar service arrive at Paris Gare du Nord and you need to get to Gare de Lyon to catch TGV services to most places south of the city.

There are a couple of ways to do this with the Metro being the cheapest and quickest – but you have to navigate the station and ticket purchase process. We jumped in a taxi and got between stations in 20 minutes, but if there is a line at the taxi rank or busy traffic this can take up to 40 minutes.

So be careful about your connecting time in Paris as this could get stressful if you leave less than an hour.

Note: don’t fall for the guys telling you to ‘follow them to the taxi rank’ – it’s a scam and the licenced taxi rank is clearly marked, and they will take you to the other stations for about 15 Euro

TGV InOui (this is branding for their full-service flagship fast train services) Standard Premiere.

Standard Premiere is the ‘First Class’ on TGV services and has a similar 2-1 layout to the Eurostar Standard Plus carriage. There was no food/drinks service in this cabin on such a short journey, but you can go to the buffet car for the normal selection of train food and drink.

The comfort, space and access to more luggage space is the drawcard here. And a quieter cabin.

Note: We travelled back to London via Paris on an afternoon service and experienced the same transit in Paris and international check in challenges in Gare du Nord.

Tip – leave more than an hour for this transit as Eurostar check in at Gare du Nord can also be a lengthy process.

Verdict

An efficient and comfortable way to get to any part of France. Expect challenges getting through the formalities but once on board this is a lovely way to travel and much more efficient than flying. Just bear in mind the day and time of day you transit between stations in Paris to avoid missing your connection!

Is Eurostar Premiere (First Class) worth it?

Although travelling in Eurostar Plus was comfortable, the station experience was the same as Standard and the catering unimpressive. Is it worth paying the premium for Eurostar Premiere?

Bottom line, the seating is the same in Eurostar Plus and Premiere but the added service benefits of fast-track and lounge access at the terminal, priority disembarkation and the ‘spoil yourself’ aspect of the dining experience is worth considering!