Eurostar's London terminal:  Location map

St Pancras International isn't a mere airport terminal for trains, it's a spectacular Grade 1 listed building that will take your breath away, and a destination in its own right, with shops, restaurants & cafes.  Originally opened in 1868, London's magnificent St Pancras station was beautifully restored and reopened on 14 November 2007 to become the London terminal for Eurostar trains to Paris, Brussels and now Amsterdam, taking over from Waterloo which had been Eurostar's London terminal since it started in 1994.  St Pancras still serves its original purpose as terminus for the Midland main line trains to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham & Sheffield, and it now also hosts domestic high-speed trains to and from Kent.  Underground platforms provide direct Thameslink trains south to Croydon, Gatwick Airport and Brighton.  Don't pass through without taking the time to look around...

St Pancras' beautiful gothic facade on the Euston Road.

Most of this building houses the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, with the huge Barlow trainshed behind it.  Kings Cross station is just out of shot to the right.

The station forecourt.  The archway at the foot of the square tower is the entrance to the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

The other archway visible on the far right near the clock tower is the Eastern Arch from forecourt onto the station's upper level, my preferred way to enter the station.

Station overview

Lower level (= street level):  Retail units, toilets, ticket offices, escalators down to the Thameslink platforms, entrance to Eurostar departure lounge...

You enter the station from the street, Underground or taxi rank into the shopping arcade on the lower level of the station.  The Eurostar departures area with the row of ticket gates leading to the Eurostar departure lounge is half way along the arcade, on the right when coming from the Underground.  There are toilets (free of charge) off the main arcade, on the left.  At the end of the arcade is the domestic ticket office, escalators down to the Thameslink platforms (platforms A & B) and more shops.  Walk on into the next shopping area with Yo Sushi in the centre and you'll find the left luggage office at the back.  Further beyond all this is the Eurostar Despatch office for sending bikes and parcels by Eurostar.

Upper level (with access from the forecourt):  Trains, tracks & platforms;  bars, pub & restaurants...

Trains, tracks, platforms, Searcy's restaurant & champagne bar, the Betjeman Arms pub, the statue of John Betjeman, and the huge statue of the embracing couple are all located on the upper level, which is usually much quieter than the busy lower level.  You reach the upper level by stairs, escalators or lifts from the lower level.  Or you can access it from the forecourt by walking up the slope, past the big St Pancras Renaissance Hotel entrance arch and through the Eastern Arch, just visible on the right of the photo above.

Which platform for your train?

• Platforms 1-4:  Midland Mainline.  For trains to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham & Sheffield.  Located on the upper level, outside the classic 1868 trainshed on the left-hand (west) side of the Eurostar tracks, accessed through a row of ticket gates.

• Platforms 5-10:  Eurostar.  International trains to Lille, Paris, Brussels & Amsterdam.  Although located on the upper level, these platforms are surrounded by glass security walls and accessed from the Eurostar departure lounge below via travelators & lifts.  See an explanation of the Eurostar check-in procedure.

• Platforms 11-13:  South Eastern.  For high-speed trains to Kent, including Chatham, Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone & Dover.  Located on the upper level, outside the classic 1868 trainshed on the right-hand (east) side of the Eurostar tracks, accessed by escalators and lifts from the lower level, then through a row of ticket gates.  There's no access across the Eurostar tracks from the rest of the upper level, you have to walk through the lower level until you are directly below the South Eastern platforms and concourse, then go up the escalators.

• Platforms A & B:  Thameslink.  Platform A southbound to Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Brighton.  Platform B northbound for Luton, Bedford, Stevenage, Huntingdon & Peterborough.  Located underground, accessed by escalators down from the lower level shopping arcade.

St Pancras upper level, looking north from an upstairs window in the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.  In this photo you can see the Eurostar platforms 5-10, fenced off with glass security walls - for border purposes, these platforms are in France!

You can see the champagne bar (the row of lights to the left of the left-hand Eurostar on platform 5) and the John Betjeman statue (just visible centre left, looking like a person on the walkway).  The shopping arcade on the lower level is visible through the open parts of the upper level walkways.

Platforms 1-4 and 11-13 are in the very far distance outside the historic arched trainshed, on either side of the Eurostar tracks.

St Pancras upper level, looking north from just inside the big archway from the forecourt, next to The Lovers statue.

St Pancras upper level, looking south.  You can see the John Betjeman statute, The Lovers statue at the back under the replica station clock.  The Betjeman Arms pub is in the back corner.  The large archway at the back leads outside onto the forecourt.

St Pancras lower level, looking north.  This is what you see when walking in from the Underground.  Eurostar departures & check-in gates are forward & to the right.  Toilets are down a short passageway on the left.  Steps & escalators lead to the upper level, you can see the champagne bar on the upper level in this photo.

M&S Simply Food minimarket, ideal for stocking up for your journey, is in this photo on the right on the corner right by the entrance to Eurostar departures.

Left luggage, ticket offices, ATMs, WiFi

• There is free WiFi throughout the whole of St Pancras International station including in the Eurostar departure lounge.

• There are ATMs in various locations, for example in the middle of the lower level shopping arcade.

• For domestic tickets, go to the domestic ticket office on the lower (shopping) level, near the escalators down to the Thameslink platforms.

• For Eurostar tickets, the Eurostar ticket office is opposite the Eurostar ticket gates in the Eurostar departures area.  However, they only sell tickets to Eurostar destinations, for other European tickets & reservations you'll need to go elsewhere, see more information here.  Or book online.

• Left luggage:  There is a left luggage office run by the Excess Baggage Company, www.left-baggage.co.uk, you can deposit items here for £6 for up to 3 hours, £12.50 for up to 24 hours.  Open 06:00-22:00 Monday-Saturday, 07:00-22:00 Sunday.  Bags are X-rayed before deposit.  It's on the lower (shopping) level beyond the domestic ticket office.  Tip:  Check Radicalstorage.com or Stasher.com as they allow you to leave your bags at a location across the road from St Pancras for a significantly cheaper price.

Somewhere to eat or drink

• Rails Restaurant is just across the road on the first floor of the rival Great Northern Hotel at Kings Cross (gnhlondon.com/restaurants-and-bars/kings-cross-restaurant).  An excellent upmarket option I can personally recommend.

• For something cheaper, the Betjeman's Arms pub  (www.thebetjemanarms.co.uk) is the place to go for a pint of real ale and some pub grub.  It's on the upper level behind the Eurostar buffer stops near the huge statue of the embracing couple.  It's relatively quiet on the station's upper level, away from the bustle below.  You'll also find Carluccio's here, www.carluccios.com, good for Italian dishes or just a decent coffee.

• Searcy's champagne bar, reputedly the world's longest, is on the upper level, searcysstpancras.co.uk.  You'll spot it easily after going up the escalators or steps from the shopping arcade below, it's 96 metres long and located in the open underneath the station's magnificent glass-and-steel trainshed, separated from departing Eurostars by no more than a glass screen.  Searcy's also have a good indoors restaurant opposite the champagne bar, another personal recommendation and also a respite from the bustle below.

• There are various cafes and a Yo Sushi on the busy lower level shopping arcade, see www.stpancras.com.  But it's quieter and nicer upstairs!

Searcy's Champagne bar on the upper level.

Treat yourself!  The 96m long row of seating alongside the nearest Eurostar platform is allegedly the world's longest champagne bar.

At the rear of the upper level under the clock, you'll find the Betjeman Arms pub (visible above, in the far corner, www.thebetjemanarms.co.uk), Carluccio's (above, foreground, www.carluccios.com) for Italian dishes or just a good coffee, and Mi+Me (out of shot to the right) for gourmet burgers, salads or a coffee.

Supermarkets & shops

• There's a Marks & Spencers food store on the lower (shopping) level just on the corner by the Eurostar departures area.  Ideal for stocking up for the journey.

Local transport:  Walking, taxis, buses, underground

• Walking:  Walking to (say) Oxford Circus takes 40 minutes.  Walking to Euston station takes 10 minutes along Euston Road, as fast or faster than taking the Underground.

• Taxis:  For a taxi fare calculator see www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=London.  Black cabs are plentiful in the cab rank which is on the west side of the station.  Taxis usually drop off on the east side of the station, next to Eurostar departures.

• Underground & buses:  See www.tfl.gov.uk for a map & London transport information.

Meeting someone arriving by Eurostar

• Passengers arriving by Eurostar exit through these doors into the lower level.  You can either wait for them outside these doors, or arrange to meet somewhere else such as the Betjeman Arms on the upper level.

Tips for using St Pancras

• Don't just rush through, look around and admire before checking-in for Eurostar...  This is one of the most magnificently-restored stations in Europe.  Very nearly demolished in the 1960s, saved but neglected for the next few decades, now transformed into a world class international terminal, the ultimate phoenix risen from the ashes.

• Take the time to wander up to the quieter upper level, admire Barlow's amazing 1868 trainshed now gloriously restored in powder-blue, pay your respects to the bronze statue of Poet Laureate John Betjeman who was instrumental in saving the station, and admire the sheer size of the bronze statue of the embracing couple known as The Lovers by sculptor Paul Day.  Wander briefly out of the big open archway onto the forecourt and gaze up at that amazing gothic facade and clock tower.

• If you're in the money, have a glass of champagne at the world's longest champagne bar on the upper level, searcysstpancras.co.uk.  If you're on a budget, an individual chilled bottle of prosecco from Marks & Spencers near Eurostar departures gives even a standard class trip on Eurostar a first class feel!

• Have a pint and some pub grub at the Betjeman Arms near the embracing couple statue.  It has both inside seating and an 'outside' seating area underneath the magnificent trainshed.

• Don't forget the station has free WiFi so you can catch up on emails or further research your travel plans!

A brief history

• St Pancras was opened by the Midland Railway in 1868, as the London terminus for their trains between London and Leicester, Nottingham, Derby & Sheffield.  Trains to these destinations still leave from St Pancras, though they're now relegated to new platforms 1-4 outside the old trainshed.  Bricks, tiles and stone to build the station were brought down to London by train from the area served by the Midland Railway, this station was designed to impress travellers right from the start.

• Make sure you walk outside onto the street to gaze at the fabulous Victorian Gothic station facade, designed by Sir Gilbert Scott.  The lower two storeys opened in 1868 along with the rest of the station, the remaining floors and clock tower were completed by 1876.  This building housed the old Midland Hotel, opened in 1873 and closed in 1935, too large and outdated to continue as a hotel.  It lay derelict for many years, but in 2011 it was restored and reopened as one of London's best hotels, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel - a 5-star London landmark.

• However, the most awe-inspiring sight is inside the station.  It's the spectacular glass-and-steel trainshed, designed by William Henry Barlow and completed in 1868.  243 feet wide, 689 feet long and 100 feet high, when it was opened it created the largest enclosed space in the world.  The trainshed has been totally renovated and returned to its original sky-blue.  The original station clock was found in a Nottinghamshire garden, faithfully reproduced and put in its place of honour at the apex of the trainshed, read the story of the clock here.  Under the clock stands a 9 metre high statue of two lovers embracing, titles The Meeting Place, by sculptor Paul Day.

• The platforms at St Pancras are raised 20 feet (6m) above street level, on a deck supported by iron columns.  This allows the Midland main line to approach the station at high level across a bridge over the Regent Canal.  In contrast, the engineers for the adjacent Great Northern Railway into Kings Cross tunnelled under the canal, allowing the platforms at Kings Cross to be at street level, but with some sharp gradients for trains running into that station.  The raised tracks at St Pancras allowed a street-level warehouse to be created underneath the platforms.  This lower level is now full of shops and the Eurostar departure lounge, but it was formerly a vast warehouse for beer brought down from Burton on Trent and other midland towns in barrels.  The beer was then distributed from St Pancras, either in barrels or bottled on-site.  You sit waiting to board your Eurostar in what was once a beer warehouse.

• This marvellous station was almost demolished by British Rail in the 1960s, as the old Euston station was.  Poet laureate John Betjeman led the campaign to save it, and although this succeeded, St Pancras spent several decades in a pretty run-down state before it's dramatic rebirth in 2007.  Fittingly, a statue of John Betjeman now stands on the upper level, gazing at the magnificent Barlow roof.  If only he could see it now...

• Today, the station is owned by the government, but leased to HS1 Ltd together with the high-speed line to the Channel Tunnel.  HS1 employ Network Rail to operate the station.  Train operators Eurostar, Midland Mainline, South Eastern & Thameslink are tenants.

• Learn more about St Pancras station and its history at www.stpancras.com.

Up on the roof

• A rare privilege, below is a view of the adjacent Great Northern Hotel & Kings Cross station from the top of the Barlow trainshed at St Pancras, 120 feet (36m) above ground level.  Taken by the author whilst being shown around the station by HS1.

• Rule Britannia.  If you look closely, to the left of the clock tower is a statue of Britannia, looking down on Kings Cross.  The story goes that this is deliberate, the Midland Railway looking down on it's rival next door!

More information

• There's a plan of the station at www.stpancras.com.

Hotels near St Pancras

Inexpensive hotels near the station

• These affordable hotels also have good or great reviews: Alhambra Hotel, Meridiana Hotel, MacDonald Hotel, Angus Hotel or Crestfield Hotel.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel:  Pricey, but world class

• At the other end of the scale, the luxurious, expensive and beautifully-restored St Pancras Renaissance Hotel opened for business In 2011.  Originally designed by the renowned architect Sir George Gilbert-Scott, it first opened in 1873 as The Midland Grand Hotel, a railway hotel built into the Victorian architectural masterpiece that is St Pancras station.  The hotel closed in 1935, too large and outdated to continue as a hotel.  After a period of being used as railway offices, this beautiful landmark building was left derelict and slowly decaying.  However, its fortunes have been reversed.  High-speed Eurostar trains to Paris, Brussels & Amsterdam now leave from St Pancras' magnificently-restored Barlow trainshed and the once derelict Midland Grand Hotel has been reborn as the glorious 5-star St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.  No expense has been spared in recreating and restoring this Grade 1 listed building to its former glory.

• There are two categories of room:

  Barlow rooms are in the modern Barlow House annex at the side of the station, built in 2011.  These start at around £250 a night.  Very comfortable, but if your objective is to experience the historic building, a room on this modern annexe doesn't cut it.

  Chambers rooms are in the original historic St Pancras Midland Hotel building and start at around £486 a night, rising to suites costing several thousand.  Chambers rooms give you access to the Chambers club (a VIP lounge) on the ground floor, where complimentary breakfast & afternoon tea are served.  If you are going to splurge on staying here for the history and the experience, make sure you book a Chambers room.

• You can of course, just have a drink in the bar or meal in the restaurant, accessible from the south west corner of the upper level concourse, the same level as the Eurostar trains.  The bar-restaurant is housed in what was once St Pancras station's booking office, the Grade 1 listed wood-panelled booking windows are still there behind the bar, and it still says 'Booking office' in the stones above the entrance doors.  The hotel lobby has been built in what was once the station's taxi rank.

5 stars: The magnificently-restored St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.  Above right:  A Chambers room.

A Chambers room, lounge and bathroom.

Great Northern Hotel:  The rival next door

• Another classic railway hotel has been re-born, re-opened after refurbishment to top class standards in April 2013.  This is the former Great Northern Railway hotel at Kings Cross station, arch-rival to the Midland Railway's hotel next door.  The Great Northern Hotel is cheaper than the Renaissance St Pancras, and directly across the road from the entrance to St Pancras International's Eurostar check-in area, ideal for an early morning train.  On each floor you'll find a pantry with complimentary coffee, tea, cake and (my favourite!) jelly-babies.  Check the reviews and book the hotel.

The Great Northern Hotel is next to Kings Cross station, just across the road from St Pancras.

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