Get Latest Business News from All Over the World 24/7 throughout the Year: Here's what it's like to take the 4-hour train journey on Eurostar from London to Amsterdam

Eurostar journey London to Amsterdam — The interior of a Eurostar carriage.
Grace Dean/Insider

I spent almost $200 to take the Eurostar from London to Amsterdam and it took four and a half hours.
The train was very clean and modern and I could even go to a duty free shop at St Pancras station.
However, the train wasn't as luxurious as I'd expected, with unreliable WiFi and a limited menu.

I can't count how many hours I've spent on trains. I grew up taking the train to school and to visit friends, and as someone who doesn't drive I use it for almost all of my trips in the UK. But recently I took the Eurostar for the first time to travel from London to Amsterdam.

The Eurostar departs from St. Pancras, right next to King's Cross station in central London.

Though St. Pancras is known mainly for its Eurostar connections, it also serves a variety of destinations in England.

Eurostar gates at St. Pancras close 30 minutes before the train departs. There were huge Tube strikes on the day I traveled, and I arrived just a few minutes after the gates closed.

But I wasn't the only passenger with this problem, and Eurostar staff at the station were switching people onto later services. I hadn't expected this as it wasn't the company's fault I failed to arrive with enough time to make it through security.

Three other train operators offer services from St. Pancras ...

... but Eurostar has a separate section in the station. This included customer service desks and counters where you could buy and collect tickets.

Tickets are scanned at the barriers before passing through security like at airports. Passengers also get their passports stamped. Despite a long queue, it was relatively fast-moving, and the process only took about 30 minutes.

Then you're through to the waiting area for Eurostar passengers. The company advises Eurostar advises arriving 90 minutes before your train departs, so I had a while to wait.

It was very similar to being in an airport lounge, with departure screens dotted about.

There was a coffee shop with quite a long line ...

... as well as a duty-free store, which I hadn't expected to see.

The waiting area was busy – it seemed that a lot of people planned to travel that day, and the room was littered with suitcases too. About 20 minutes before our train to Amsterdam was due to leave, the screens updated and said we could start boarding.

The interior of the train had a dark blue color scheme with hints of yellow, like the Eurostar logo.

The seats were arranged as pairs on either side of the aisle ...

... with small tables that fold down. There were also small foot rests, though I didn't find mine very comfy.

A few seats in each carriage were arranged in fours around a small table, although each passenger could extend the table out a little.

The train was really clean. Eurostar has three travel classes – standard, standard premier, and business premier. I opted for the former.

There were racks at the ends of each carriage for passengers to store suitcases, big bags, and foldable bikes ...

... as well as racks above the seats where you could put smaller bags and coats. Unlike on a plane, you didn't have to pay extra for large luggage – passengers in standard class can bring two pieces of luggage plus hand luggage for free.

Source: Eurostar

My train stopped off at four destinations: Lille, France; Brussels, Belgium; Rotterdam, and Amsterdam, both in The Netherlands.

Messages on screens throughout the train told you information such as the time, the next stop, the train's maximum speed, and the length of the tunnel ...

... switching between English, French, and Dutch. Announcements were made in all three languages, too.

The Eurostar also had a cafe on board, but it only sold food and drink to take back to your seat. It accepted payment in both euros and pounds.

When I first went to the cafe at around 1:20 p.m., I was told that its staff was on break. I returned after 10 minutes and ordered the risotto but was told there wasn't any left. I opted for a falafel sandwich, brownie, and orange juice under its 10.20 euro ($10.22) meal deal. I thought that was expensive but not entirely unexpected.

There were restrooms at the end of each carriage. They looked very much like normal train toilets – but I'd expected them to be a bit nicer given the price of the tickets and the length of Eurostar journeys.

The train did have free WiFi, but it was very unreliable. I kept losing my connection and ultimately gave up.

Instead, I passed my time reading a book. Other passengers spent the journey talking with fellow travelers, reading, sleeping, and watching films and TV shows. I presumed they downloaded the video to watch offline.

I also tried to enjoy the view, but most of it wasn't very exciting, especially when we passed through the Channel Tunnel and could only see darkness.

Most of the other passengers looked like groups of friends and family, alongside a few solo travelers. They were largely dressed in casual clothing and looked like holidaymakers. Because it was a Monday morning train, I had expected there to be more people in business attire working on their laptops, but maybe they were in business class.

I enjoyed the journey – until we got to Rotterdam, where we had a long stop. Upon arrival, an announcement on the train warned us of "pickpockets and luggage thieves" known to operate in the area. I dashed over to check on my suitcase, but thankfully it hadn't been taken. I had never heard a warning like this before on a train and it made me feel quite unsafe.

But that was the only incident I had during the journey. Other than that, my first trip on the Eurostar was similar to any other train journey I'd been on, apart from the fact that it took four and a half hours. At almost $200, it was more expensive than flying – but it included up to two large suitcases and took me between two city-center stations, rather than airports on the outskirts. Train travel also has a much smaller carbon footprint.

I'd definitely travel on the Eurostar again, but I plan to keep my eyes peeled for discounts and special offers. And next time, I won't travel on a Tube strike day.