Kicking off the second instalment of my point to point journey series “From A to B”, I’ll be documenting my near 15 hour odyssey travelling from London to Berlin by both Eurostar high speed train and Europe’s newest night train operator, European Sleeper! This two-legged journey now means that London to Berlin is only one sleep away… so join me as we go capital to capital without flying!
Journey details:
Date of travel – November 2023
Operators – Eurostar and European Sleeper
Origin – London St Pancras International
Destination – Berlin Hbf
Price – £271.69/€313.74/$332.03, broken down as follows:
Eurostar standard class – £97/€111.99/$118.53
European Sleeper private cabin – €201.75/£174.69
/$213.50, including 25% promotional discount offered by Seat61 (huge thanks!) https://www.seat61.com/
Duration – 14 hours, 44 minutes
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed the video!
Music from EpidemicSound and is used under license.
Huge thanks to @doc7austin for his contributions to this video, please do check out his channel!
Follow me on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/midland__london
Instagram: https://instagram.com/midlandlondon
Support the channel here: https://ko-fi.com/midlandlondon
Link to the Eurostar Café menu: https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/your-trip/food-on-board/our-menu
For further information on European Sleeper’s catering offerings, see here: https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/european-sleeper.htm
#eurostar #london #berlin #europeansleeper #nighttrain #sleepertrain #sleeper #uk #germany #tripreport #vlog
50 Comments
I notice straightaway that Eurostar still hasn't learned how to clean a train window. I cross three or four times a year and the grimy windows really irritate me. I know it's only a detail, but you'd imagine that the PR department would have flagged this up to management by now. It could be fixed even if it meant a permanent team of people on the platform of St. Pancras or Gare du Nord giving a quick squeegee to the windows before boarding starts.
£271 one-way? Insane. If it were £71 I would do it.
Cool, I have traveled with Eurostar quiet a few times and I enjoyed. European rail network is wonderful, I have used it many times, in different countries and enjoyed it very much, I recomend it to everyone, however, I think London to Berlin is a bit too far for a train ride unless you are just enjoing yourself and having fun and have plenty time. I could do it for fun and for the experience but not as a method. Thanks for the video.
Beautiful well-made video, plenty of useful information, thanks so much.
I took the Eurostar from London to Amsterdam back in 2018, stayed there a few days and then took a direct train to Berlin. London to Amsterdam was great. I was visiting London from the US, staying with a friend who lives 2 tube stops away from King's Cross. He was leaving town the same day at almost the same time on another train, so we left together in the late afternoon and arrived 15 minutes later. Try that with a London airport.
The trip to Amsterdam takes I think around 4 1/2 hours – quite a lot of the track after Brussels wasn't high speed, at least at the time. This sounds bad, but really it wasn't. Getting to the airport and then getting thru the airport to the gate in London takes at least an hour and a half in my experience, if you want to leave sufficient time for clearing security lines. Then there's customs and the trip from the airport into town on the other end. I'm sure I could have gotten to Amsterdam faster by plane if everything had gone right and there had been no delays, but probably only 90 minutes to an hour or so faster, and with a lot more stress and rushing about.
But here's the deal – I'd have also needed to stop at some point for dinner, either paying outrageous airport prices for food after clearing security (assuming there was still adequate time to eat) or dining late in Amsterdam. On the Eurostar, they served us a fantastic meal I could eat at my leisure, so of that 4 1/2 hour trip, I consider an hour of it "dinnertime", time I would have spent anyhow even if I'd flown.
If I were leaving early in the day on a business trip or something I'd still consider flying to Amsterdam, but for leisure travel later in the day, if I'm staying or living in central London and the train includes dinner, I'd rather just take the train and not deal with the hassle. You're saving yourself a lot of hassle and worry and city travel and not really consuming much more actual time, since you'd have to find a restaurant and grab dinner once you arrived, anyhow.
The trip from Amsterdam to Berlin wasn't as much fun. The air conditioning on the German train was malfunctioning – a common occurrence (unlike the Americans, Japanese and Koreans – and even the French – air conditioning seems to be a technology which vexes the Germans) – and we were held up for almost an hour once crossing the border as they swapped out an engine or something attempting to fix it. I think it ultimately took like 6-7 hours to get to Berlin. The train was crowded and somewhat uncomfortable, although my cabin mates were a friendly older family from Hamburg. And the countryside was beautiful to watch. Still, I'd totally try a sleeper car from Brussels or Amsterdam to Berlin. I've always thought it was a time and money saver to sleep and travel at the same time, sparing you the expense of a hotel for the night and also the tedium and stress of travel by sleeping thru most of it and arriving refreshed. It puts the night to work.
You are a much luckier/nicer person than me. I made the same trip last autumn and was appalled by the European Sleeper. The carriages are far too old; the sanitary arrangements revolting (as you touch on) and – for me – the trip out was ruined by the private room carriage being out of commission, and having to sleep on a couchette, despite having it to myself. The whole ‘feel’ is dirty (and, indeed, on the way back there was no hot water). Sorry, but these mobile chicken coops need to go for scrap – European Sleeper are nuts if they think they can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. I agree with you on one point – the staff were lovely.
Very informative and great information.
Wait 'til you find out about aeroplanes… 😊
US Amtrak system–New York City to Miami, Florida. About 1800 miles, time of train ride, 24 hours. Lovely, huh.
I don't get It I would drive or fly to get to in this case Berlin
Great detailed sharing! thank you for your dedication 😍I also saw a discount on trainpal for buying EU train tickets on another channel, anyone who needs it can contact me for the code😃
Really good review of this combined service, thanks!
We have been to Brussels/Bruges on holiday precovid but not since as the Eurostar no longer stops at Ebbsfleet International which is our local station. Now we would have to catch the hispeed to St Pancras and then get onto the Eurostar there to travel back past the Ebbsfleet station. We are still hoping it will reopen.
I would love to do it but only with ensuite accommodation, the toilet you showed!!!!! And I would never wash my face in the sinks, given what people use them for.
Koľko stojí lístok ❤❓
It's great to see. I would like to add that there are extra discounts on train tickets recently, friends who are interested can pay attention to it.
Definitely a train fan, and would certainly try this sleep to add to the journeys I’ve tried. I would however say, that the train website can be improved with more indication as to availability of each category. You have to click date and thenSeats, Couchettes or Sleepers to determine availability. If was you are searching isn’t available then you have to go back several steps and carry out the process all over again. You really have to want to travel by train doing this back and forth with the website.
When I was travelling through Europe 35 years ago, you would always worry about being robbed on sleeper trains, is this not the case anymore?
The original Eurostar had sleeper cars and was intended to run from Manchesrer to Paris. With the privatisation of BR the operator did not want to run such a service. The carriages were parked in an army base in Warwickshire before being sold and shipped to Canada.
Travelled London to Oostende, Aachen , shunted onto the Paris Moscow express. Through the wall at Helmsted,into Berlin Central, though the wall again, West Berlin bright and alive East Berlin the opposite. Frankfurt oder. Then on Warszawa. 20 coaches in all, of rolling stock of 5 countries. Never forget it, made friends and seen each country and there people. Amazing. Age with held.😊 but you can guess.
Your commentators are right. There are big reservations on this project.
You should be able to get to Berlin the same day.
The intransigence of the major shareholders SNCF, causing problems for DB to run a direct service, has just been messing about and restricting the potential of the Tunnel.
At present, it's 6 hours from Brussels to Berlin and that includes a half hour wait at Köln (which could be eliminated).
This gives you an insight into European red tape.
I experience it all the time even on my telephone, so much so I'm installing an non-European VPN.
1,5 hrs direct flight. Why would I go on a traun?
American Express Platinum card holders get access to the Eurostar lounges on any ticket
Its just 3 times as expensive as a plane and takes just 14 times as long as a plane… wtf 🤣
That pinging noise every minute or so is annoying as hell
Berlin is amazing hope you had fun
Does the train pass by Hamburg in Germany? Or does it take a different route?
The train is super slow by world standards
6.30am is way too early to arrive in Berlin
Interesting, well filmed with good sound. Highly watchable.
Lovely video very informative thank you. Cant beat train travel.
The European Sleeper from Brussels to Berlin is absolutely awful. Old, dirty, smelly, noisy and extremely uncomfortable. My sink had no water. The train terminated at a suburban station instead of centrally as it should have done. The shared toilet was tiny, stank and the floor was washing in water/urine.
wonder if obb can sart a service between london to berlin and vienna makingg it much more used
Berlin can be under two hours away on plane
How can we put pressure on European Sleeper to add a car transport option. There used to be many motor-rail services in Europe, most gone now, but with the price of fuel and the eco-friendly electric trains I am sure this would catch on – certainly in the main holiday seasons.
Arriving at CDG at 8:15 am. Would a 3-4pm Eurostar give us enough time to get thru customs, get to Gare du Nord to get to London?
When I visit Europe, Great information. Thanks
Done it several times via Koln and I love travelling by train, but it Costs as much to get from my home station to London as it does to fly from Manchester to Berlin unfortunately. If governments want us to cut emissions then they must do something about rail prices. The best unfulfilled idea was the “Night Stock” which was never even given a fair trial. UK rail is still making a big error in not connecting HS2 to HS1. At lest we might have then had Birmingham to Berlin without a walk down the Euston road in the rain !
I would definitely try this. Per usual when I take extended distance – tandem trains (ala London – Paris – Munich) I do the opposite of you and book many hours in between so I can have a nice walk around the city before departing on the 2nd train. It breaks the train trip up. The only time I didn't do this if the scheduling doesn't allow it such when I did Barcelona – Paris – London.
Fun fact around 2:24
The white dots seen are the X-ray radiation becoming visible through the camera!
My son used the same services as yourself last month, he said he would do it again but not in a six-berth couchette next time! I am interested in the Schipol Airport stop, a flight from there would save both Eurostar and ex-London trains and would probably be cheaper. Thanks for the vid!
Hi i do like using eurostar from London as i live in Berlin just booked it for 58 EUROS .one way which i find ok . But going through Amsterdam to London St Pancress than Amsrerdamm Berlin only takes me 10 hours i total with break in Amsterdam . I find it more fun thsn through Brussels. Ciao
Surely' Team GB' for the Olympics and not the 'Rugby World Cup'. 4.24 / 25.21.
when will te train operating companies realise that if they want more people to use their services that they need to provide some sort of reastaurant car an bar, the last time I took a night train was Paris to Madrid(albeit first class) the food was cooked fresh served by waiters in white gloves and a fair sized bar area, I am sure a lot of people would pay more for a much better experience
Well done ,and a very comfortable trip !
Sleeper cabin seemed quite claustrophobic and basic. In 2024 through western Europe? No restaurant ok, but surely a cafe bar at the very least. Informative vid since I'll be going to Berlin in due course but I think via cologne
4 past 3!! What type of time is that…
No way. I’ll fly.
Still doesn’t feel great value, but let’s hope it gets there — for the same price I could fly and stay in nice comfortable hotel, and save myself quite some time. If this route was circa €150 one way then feels more aligned with value for significantly more time added to a journey.
Lancaster's were more effective.