Got a Eurostar ticket, a suitcase that could double as a wardrobe and a nagging feeling someone at St Pancras is going to charge you for it? Relax a bit. The Eurostar luggage allowance is far more generous than anything you’ll get on a budget flight. Nobody weighs your bags, and the 100ml freezer bag can stay in the kitchen drawer.
A few rules do bite, though. Bag length is the big one (85cm on London routes, 75cm on everything else), followed by a short list of banned items and a pre-booking system for anything extra on London trains. After years of budget airline bag sizers, the whole thing feels a bit like cheating.
And if you still think in the old class names, Standard Premier is now Eurostar Plus and Business Premier is now Eurostar Premier.
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Eurostar Luggage Allowance: Quick Facts
Eurostar luggage allowance by class
Your class sets your Eurostar luggage allowance, and that’s the end of it. There’s no stripped-back fare that takes your suitcase away, which is the first thing that surprises people who mostly fly. Standard and Plus get exactly the same bags. Premier gets one extra case and a couple of paid add-ons.
Children with their own child ticket get a smaller allowance in every class. Under 4s who travel free on a lap don’t get one at all, so their nappies and toys come out of yours.
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| What you get | Eurostar Standard | Eurostar Plus (formerly Standard Premier) | Eurostar Premier (formerly Business Premier) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suitcases | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Hand luggage | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Child ticket allowance | 1 bag + 1 hand luggage | 1 bag + 1 hand luggage | 1 bag + 1 hand luggage |
| Max length, London routes | 85cm | 85cm | 85cm |
| Max length, other routes | 75cm | 75cm | 75cm |
| Weight limit | None, you carry it | None, you carry it | None, you carry it |
| Extras | Folded pushchair travels free | Folded pushchair travels free | Folded pushchair free, plus paid VIP Meet & Greet, porter and chauffeur |
Eurostar suitcase size and weight limit
For normal bags, Eurostar only cares about one measurement: length. On any train to or from London, each suitcase can be up to 85cm long. On mainland-only routes, the services that used to run as Thalys (think Paris to Brussels or Brussels to Amsterdam), the limit drops to 75cm, and Eurostar’s continental conditions put the full size at 75 x 53 x 30cm.
The 85cm rule is the only one that really bites. If your big case is anywhere near 80cm, measure it, because that’s fine on a London train but over the limit on a mainland one. Doing London to Paris and then Paris to Amsterdam? Pack for the stricter leg.
How to measure your bag
Eurostar just says ‘length’, so I’d count everything:
- Stand the case upright and measure from the floor to the very top, wheels included.
- Push the telescopic handle all the way down first.
- Measure soft bags and rucksacks packed, not empty. A stuffed duffel grows.
- Do it at home with a tape measure, not on the concourse at St Pancras.
Is there a weight limit on Eurostar?
No. There’s no Eurostar weight limit on the bags included in your ticket. No scales and no 23kg panic at the desk.
The condition is that you can carry it all yourself, safely. Eurostar staff only carry bags for passengers who qualify for special assistance, and even then each piece should weigh no more than 15kg and have a working handle. Extra luggage booked on London routes is capped at 30kg per item, while mainland routes don’t set a weight limit for extras.
Not every railway is this relaxed, mind. Amtrak puts weight limits on carry-on bags, as our Amtrak baggage allowance guide explains. My own rule for Eurostar? If I can’t get the case up a flight of stairs without help, it’s too heavy for a day of Metro changes and hotel lifts built for one and a half people.
Security, border checks and storing bags on board
Leaving from London feels like a mini airport. You scan your ticket at the gates, your bags go through an X-ray scanner, you walk through security and then you clear UK exit checks and French border control. The big difference is how little hanging about there is. There’s no bag drop queue and no liquids tray.
UK passport holders have an extra step now under the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). First-timers register their passport, photo and fingerprints at self-service kiosks in St Pancras before the ticket gates, then French border officers check it again at passport control. Eurostar builds time for this into the arrival time on your ticket.
Coming home from Gare du Nord or Brussels-Midi, it’s the same routine pointing the other way. Bags go through the scanner and you clear passport checks before you reach the platform.
- To and from London: arrive at the time printed on your ticket, which allows for security and border checks.
- Ticket gates close 30 minutes before departure in Standard and Plus, and 15 minutes before in Premier.
- Mainland routes: Eurostar suggests turning up around 20 minutes before your train.
On board, smaller cases go on the racks above your seat and bigger ones go in the luggage racks in your carriage. Keep everything in the coach you're sitting in. Eurostar's conditions say your luggage has to stay under your close control for the whole journey, and they can open, remove or even destroy bags left unattended.
Which is where labels come in. Eurostar's conditions ask for every bag to be labelled with your full name, seat number and destination station. Two minutes with a pen and a luggage tag, done.
While you're sorting travel-day admin, get your data sorted too. An Airalo eSIM for Europe means maps and your hotel booking load as soon as you step off the train.
Eurostar hand luggage: what counts and where it goes
Your hand luggage is the small extra on top of your suitcases. Eurostar’s examples are backpacks, handbags, briefcases and laptop bags, and it doesn’t publish a size for it (refreshingly un-airline of them).
In practice, keep it small enough to sit by your feet or slide onto the rack above you. This is the bag for anything you’d hate to be separated from, because your big case could end up in a rack a few rows away.
What goes in mine:
- Passport, plus the ticket on my phone with a screenshot as backup
- Phone charger and power bank
- Any medication, with a doctor’s letter if you’re carrying syringes, an oxygen cylinder or a large amount of meds
- Water and a picnic, since Eurostar is happy for you to bring food for the journey
- A jumper, because carriage temperatures are a lottery
Liquids, toiletries and the Eurostar alcohol limit
Can you take liquids on Eurostar? Yes, as much as you like. There’s no 100ml rule and nothing to pull out at security. Full-size shampoo, sun cream, contact lens solution, nail polish and hairspray all go straight in the bag.
Alcohol is where Eurostar draws a line, and it’s about what you drink on board. The limit per person is either:
- four 440ml cans or bottles of beer, or
- one 750ml bottle of wine.
You can’t drink large bottles of spirits on the train. Unopened bottles you’re taking home or to your hotel are fine, and if you’re bringing back serious quantities, Eurostar points you towards a courier. Staff can confiscate excessive amounts meant for the journey and can refuse travel to anyone clearly worse for wear. Fair enough, honestly. Two and a bit hours beside a rowdy stag do is plenty.
Off to a festive market and planning to bring a few bottles home? Unopened is fine. Our pick of the best Christmas markets in Europe is a good place to start if you haven’t chosen yet.
Eurostar vs flying: how the luggage rules compare
Put Eurostar next to a cheap flight to Paris and the airlines start to look a bit stingy. Here’s a Eurostar Standard ticket against easyJet’s Standard fare and British Airways’ Basic fare.
Prices are a guide and vary by route, date and demand.
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| Eurostar Standard | easyJet Standard fare | British Airways Basic fare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Included bags | 2 suitcases + 1 hand luggage | 1 small under-seat bag (45 x 36 x 20cm) | 1 cabin bag (56 x 45 x 25cm) + 1 personal item (40 x 30 x 15cm) |
| Weight limit | None, you carry it | 15kg per cabin bag | 23kg per cabin item |
| Liquids | No limits | Airport rules: 100ml at some UK airports, up to 2 litres at others | Same airport rules as easyJet |
| Hold luggage | Not needed, bags ride with you | Paid extra | Paid extra on Basic, included on other fares |
| Cost of getting it wrong | Oversized case on London routes: from £60 (€70 / $80), pre-booked | Large cabin bag added at the gate: £60 (€70 / $80) | Heavy bag of 23 to 32kg: £65 (€76 / $87) |
| Latest arrival | Ticket gates close 30 min before (15 min in Premier) | Bag drop closes 40 to 60 min before, gate 30 min | Short-haul bag drop closes around 45 min before |
The liquids row is the one I'd frame. New scanners have scrapped the 100ml limit at some UK airports but not others, and you still have to check the rules at your return airport. On Eurostar, the bottle of olive oil from the market just goes in the bag.
The arrival row matters more than it looks, because the airport security queue still sits on top of those bag drop times. If you want the full picture on a fare you're eyeing up, our British Airways baggage allowance guide goes through every fare.
What you can't take on Eurostar
Eurostar prohibited items are mostly common sense, with a handful that catch people out. Banned outright:
- Anything flammable, including camping gas and butane canisters (even empty ones), petrol, lighter fuel and firelighters
- Fireworks, flares and explosives, which includes old military shells and those decorative shell-casing vases from flea markets
- Replica, deactivated or toy guns that look real
- Flick knives of any size and any folding knife that locks
- Furniture
- E-scooters, hoverboards and electric unicycles (plus their batteries) on London routes, and lithium e-bike batteries carried separately on any route
- Surfboards and windsurf kit on London routes
The shell-casing one sounds daft, but Eurostar says these have caused station evacuations, and it ignores certificates claiming they’ve been deactivated.
Knives are where it gets fiddly. Eurostar’s prohibited items page says a small folding pocket knife without a lock, with a blade under 3 inches (UK) or 77mm (France), is fine. Its camping page says camping knives under 3 inches should be registered as extra luggage. When Eurostar’s own pages don’t agree, I leave the knife at home.
On London routes, some items can only travel if you register them in advance and keep them in a proper case the whole time: chef’s knives, straight razors, scissors with blades over 77mm, tradesman’s tools, ceremonial knives, licensed firearms, fencing kit, crossbows and ice axes. Darts turn up on both Eurostar’s ‘carry freely’ and ‘register’ lists, so email them before you pack your arrows.
Then there’s food. Great Britain currently restricts bringing in cheese, milk, butter, yoghurt and most meat (pork, beef, lamb, sausages and the like) from the EU because of animal disease outbreaks. A picnic you eat on the train is fine. A wheel of Comté and three saucissons for the fridge back home aren’t, so check GOV.UK before you pack.
| Item | Allowed | Register first (London routes) | Banned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquids and toiletries | Yes, no limits | No | No |
| Alcohol | Unopened bottles; drinking capped at 4 beers or 1 bottle of wine | No | Drinking spirits on board; all alcohol on ski and sports-event trains |
| Razors | Everyday razors aren't on the restricted list | Straight (open) razors | No |
| Small pocket knife | Folding, no lock, blade under 3in / 77mm | Eurostar's camping page says register camping knives | No |
| Locking knife | No | No | Yes, any size |
| Scissors | Blades under 77mm | Blades over 77mm / 3in | No |
| Camping gas | No | No | Yes, even empty canisters |
| E-scooter | No | No | Yes on London routes, batteries included |
| Skis and snowboards | Yes, in a full protective case, counts as one bag | No | No |
| Golf clubs | Up to 120 x 35 x 35cm, counts as one bag | Bigger kit needs a booked space | No |
| Surfboard | Mainland routes, up to 2m | No | London routes |
| Bike | Folding bikes: up to 85cm in a sealed bag (London), or folded to 75 x 53 x 30cm (mainland) | Full-size bikes must be pre-booked | No |
| Picnic food | Yes, for the journey | No | Some meat and dairy can't come into GB |
Bikes, skis, golf clubs and musical instruments
Bikes are the fiddliest part of the Eurostar baggage allowance, because the rules change depending on where you’re going.
- London to Brussels: fully assembled, or taken apart in a sealable bike box or bag, pre-booked
- London to Amsterdam: fully assembled standard road bikes, pre-booked
- London to Paris: taken apart only, in a sealable box or bag
- To or from Lille or Rotterdam: no bike or extra luggage service at all
- Mainland routes: both wheels off, everything inside a soft cover of no more than 135 x 85 x 30cm, €30 (£26 / $34), and be on the platform 30 minutes early
Folding bikes are far easier. On London routes, a folding bike, folding e-bike, child’s bike or scooter up to 85cm long counts as part of your luggage if it’s in a protective bag that seals and covers the whole thing. On mainland routes, a folding bike is standard luggage if it folds to 75 x 53 x 30cm or less. You can’t charge an e-bike at the station or on board.
Skis and snowboards count as one of your two bags and need a protective case that covers the whole item, with straps. On Eurostar’s dedicated snow trains, there’s extra space for one pair of skis or one board on top of your normal allowance.
Golf bags and hockey sticks up to 120 x 35 x 35cm go as one of your pieces on any route, no registration needed. Bats, pool cues and fencing kit need registering on London routes.
Musicians, this is how it works:
- Under 85cm, and guitars in a case: part of your normal allowance
- 85 to 136cm, like a cello: book a companion seat through Eurostar’s contact centre (closed at weekends), use a courier, or email the travel services team about a dedicated space on selected London, Paris and Brussels trains
- Over 136cm, like a harp or double bass: courier only
Extra and oversized luggage: what it costs
On London routes, Eurostar extra luggage goes through the Registered Luggage Service. You book it in advance (Manage your booking, then Add extra luggage), drop it at the luggage area before heading through departures and pick it up on the platform at the other end. It has to travel on the same train as you, each item can weigh up to 30kg, and the service only runs on selected trains between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam.
Mainland routes are far simpler. Nothing to pre-book, just pay €30 (about £26 / $34) per extra item on the day, with cases up to 200cm long and no weight limit as long as you can carry it.
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| Item | London routes price | London routes max size | Mainland routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra bag | From £35 (€41 / $47) | 85 x 85 x 36cm | €30 (£26 / $34), case up to 200cm |
| Oversized item | From £60 (€70 / $80) | 165 x 135 x 57cm | €30 (£26 / $34), case up to 200cm |
| Bike, taken apart | From £45 (€53 / $60) | 165 x 90 x 36cm, sealed box or bag | €30 (£26 / $34), wheels off, soft cover up to 135 x 85 x 30cm |
| Bike, fully assembled | From £45 (€53 / $60), Brussels and Amsterdam trains only | Standard road bikes only | Not allowed, must be taken apart |
| Sports equipment | From £45 (€53 / $60) | 85 x 85 x 36cm | €30 (£26 / $34), case up to 200cm |
| Musical instrument | From £35 (€41 / $47) | 85 x 85 x 36cm (85 to 136cm needs a companion seat) | €30 (£26 / $34), case up to 200cm |
London route prices are Eurostar's guide prices for a one-way London to Paris trip booked more than 48 hours ahead.
Nobody hands you a trolley on the platform, either. If you're arriving in Paris with a bike box and two cases, I'd book one of the Booking.com stays near Gare du Nord and walk it rather than wrestle the Metro.
Two other options if you'd rather not lug it at all:
- Sherpr Luggage Buddy, Eurostar's door-to-door courier partner, collects your bags and delivers them where you need them
- Eurostar Premier passengers can pay for VIP Meet & Greet, porterage for 5 to 10 items per booking and a chauffeur
Travelling with kids, babies and pushchairs
Families do nicely out of the Eurostar luggage allowance. Kids on a child ticket get one bag and one piece of hand luggage each, in any class. Under 4s travelling free on your lap don't get an allowance of their own.
On top of that, you can take one pushchair and one car seat per child, free and separate from your allowance. Both go in the luggage racks in the carriage you're sitting in, and the pushchair has to be folded.
Heading to Disneyland Paris? The usual London-route rules apply, so it's the 85cm limit to check on the giant family suitcase.
- Fold the pushchair before you reach the train door, not in it
- Keep wipes, snacks and a spare outfit in hand luggage, not the big case
- Give older kids their own wheelie case and let them pull it. Character building
Lost, damaged or forgotten luggage
Left something behind? Where it ends up depends on where you lost it.
- On the train: it goes to the lost property office at the train's destination station
- In a Eurostar terminal: it stays at the lost property office of the station where it was found
St Pancras keeps non-perishable items for 28 days, and you might have to pay collection, storage or postage charges. In Brussels, the SNCB office may charge €5 (about £4 / $6) when you collect. At Gare du Nord, SNCF's lost property office is on level -1, beside the car hire desks. Anything perishable gets thrown away at the end of the day, so the forgotten baguette is a lost cause.
Have the date, train number (plus coach and seat if you know them), a detailed description of the item and your contact details ready when you report it.
Damage and theft are harder. Eurostar's conditions make you responsible for keeping an eye on your own bags, and it's only liable when it's at fault, up to a capped amount and with receipts. Complaints go to Eurostar's Traveller Care team within three months. So if you're carrying a laptop, a camera or anything you'd hate to replace, get travel insurance that covers your bags, and check the single-item limit while you're at it.
Gear we actually travel with
Passport holders, packing cubes, travel wallets. Stuff that earns its place in the bag.
Browse the shopSources Checked
- Eurostar: Luggage allowance, allowance by class, sizes, extra luggage prices and eligible trains
- Eurostar: Prohibited items, banned and registered items, alcohol policy
- Eurostar: Bikes, bike rules and prices by route
- Eurostar: Musical instruments, instrument sizes and options
- Eurostar: Sports and camping equipment, skis, golf, surfboards and camping knives
- Eurostar: Lost property, where lost items go and how long they are kept
- Eurostar: Conditions of carriage, labels, liability, mainland bag sizes
- Eurostar Help: When should I arrive for my train?, arrival times and ticket gate closing
- GOV.UK: Bringing food into Great Britain, current meat and dairy restrictions from the EU
- easyJet: Cabin bags, cabin bag sizes and the gate fee used in the comparison table
Final Thoughts
The Eurostar luggage allowance is one of the best things about taking the train to Europe. You get two cases each, nobody weighs them, and they stay a few metres from your seat the whole way. Check the length of your biggest case, label everything, and pre-book anything extra on a London train well before the 48-hour mark.
Then go and enjoy wherever you’re heading. Our France travel tips are worth a skim before Paris, and if it’s Brussels, drop the bags and follow our Brussels walking tour. Rather someone else plan the afternoon? There are plenty of GetYourGuide Paris tours to pick from.
FAQs
Can I take a large suitcase on Eurostar?
Yes, as long as it’s no longer than 85cm on a train to or from London, or 75cm on a mainland-only route. Each adult in Standard or Plus can bring two of them, plus hand luggage. Anything longer has to be booked as an oversized item on London routes or paid for on the day on mainland routes.
Does Eurostar weigh your luggage?
No. There are no scales for normal bags and no weight limit on the luggage included in your ticket. The only condition is that you can lift and carry everything yourself. Extra items booked through the Registered Luggage Service on London routes are capped at 30kg each.
How much alcohol can I take on Eurostar?
For drinking on the train, it’s four 440ml beers or one 750ml bottle of wine per person, and no big bottles of spirits. Unopened bottles you’re taking home can go in your bags. Night ski trains and sports-event trains ban alcohol completely.
Can I take a razor, scissors or a pocket knife on Eurostar?
Everyday razors aren’t on Eurostar’s restricted list, but straight razors need registering on London routes. Scissors with blades under 77mm are fine, and longer ones need registering. A small folding pocket knife without a lock and with a blade under 3 inches is listed as allowed, while any locking knife is banned.
How much does extra luggage cost on Eurostar?
On London routes, extra bags start from £35 (€41 / $47) and oversized items from £60 (€70 / $80), booked in advance through Manage your booking. Bikes and sports kit start from £45 (€53 / $60). On mainland routes you just pay €30 (£26 / $34) per item at the station.
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