Cologne-London
January 18th, 2012 | by fredrik.eriksson |I didn’t realize that getting on the Eurostar train was going to be like flying. Since The UK is not part of the Schengen Agreement, it’s like leaving for any other country outside the EU. Except it’s not. They have both the exit check (Belgian, since I’m leaving from Bruxelles) and the UK check at the same time. I assume that means I won’t have to show my passport again.
I remember going through a similar procedure with US customs in Montreal many years ago but I don’t know if those procedures have changed since 2011.
This certainly makes train travel more of a hassle than it is on the continent and I’m not sure I would chose this method again to reach the UK. Of course, I don’t have to drive to and from airports, so there is something to be said for it.