London is getting a train route straight to Antwerp

A photo of buildings in Antwerp. — (Image credit: Eurostar)

Right now you can get from London to Antwerp by train fairly easily, but it involves a stop in Brussels. That changes this December.

Eurostar’s London-to-Antwerp direct line launches this December.

From 14th December, four trains a day will run from London St. Pancras to Antwerpen-Centraal. It will take two hours 41 minutes, a pretty healthy time saver compared to the roughly 3.5 hours it takes today, thanks to that stop off and train change in Brussels.

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Searching through the Eurostar booking system, you can already book these direct journeys, with the cheapest fares we found starting at £44.

There’s just one snag. You can’t also book a direct return journey. This is because there’s no border and customs outpost at the Antwerp end, which we do have in London. And this also means it’s not something likely to be remedied any time soon.

Journeys back from Antwerp typically take around 3.5 to 4 hours, with a 40 minute or so stop over at Brussels — plenty of time to change platforms.

We were able to snag a return fare for £88, although you do have to be a little loose on timings to get such a low-cost total.

A black Grand Central train and several red and white LNER Azuma trains park side-by-side at the platforms of London King's Cross Station

You may be able to get even cheaper travel during one of Eurostar’s regular sales. These take place a few times a year, with the lowest rates typically at £35 each way.

Get in early with these £44-a-leg tickets and you’re not doing too bad already.

Antwerp joins Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Rotterdam among Eurostar’s direct destinations, beating Cologne to the punch for a direct line.

But is Antwerp worth a visit? Its train station is one of the city’s most famous sights, so you’ll definitely catch that following your Eurostar journey out there.

The city also offers a beautiful main square, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, and it’s known for both its food and fashion.

Should you pick it over a first visit to Paris or Amsterdam? Probably not. But the upcoming direct route makes Antwerp a top pick for Londoners looking for an easy weekend away.

Forget the airport queues, London is set to get direct trains to Cologne by 2030

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Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.