This was my first experience with the Eurostar, and I was immediately very impressed. Getting to St Pancras International Station was far easier and quicker than travelling to London airports such as Gatwick or Heathrow (and especially Stansted!). When I arrived, check-in and security were very quick, and there was no need to arrive two hours early as you would for a flight. You also don’t need to worry about liquids or how much luggage you have, and you can bring food and drinks for the journey. Once through security, I caught up with a group of other researchers from King’s who were all heading on the same train to Amsterdam—a good indication that sustainable travel is becoming a popular option.
Upon boarding the train, I quickly found my seat, which had chargers and plenty of space to do some work during the journey. I was amazed at how quickly our train made it through the tunnel to France and then on to Belgium. It was lovely to look out the window and see the scenery whizzing past. In around four hours, I had arrived at Amsterdam Centraal Station, right in the heart of the city. It was fantastic to simply walk out of the station into the city without further passport control (as this is all handled in London before boarding). I then took a quick metro train to reach my hotel. While in Amsterdam, I made good use of the public transport network; metro, trams, and buses were all very easy to use by simply scanning your bank card (as we are accustomed to in London).