FAMILY TRAVEL

Children under 12 must travel with a responsible person aged 16 or older.
 
Children 12 to 15 (inclusive) can travel on their own, as long as they’ve got a fully completed Eurostar unaccompanied minor form.

This must be signed by their parent or legal guardian (or by a responsible adult given consent by the parent or legal guardian) at the station in the presence of a member of the Eurostar team. 

The child will need to keep this signed form with them throughout their journey and show it to the onboard team if they’re asked.

Children under 16 years of age cannot travel unaccompanied on the direct route between London or Ashford and Lyon, Avignon and Marseille, on our direct ski trains to the French Alps, or on our direct route between London/Brussels and the Netherlands. 

16 to 18-year-olds can travel by themselves, as long as they’ve got all the usual travel documents and meet all the legal requirements (see Documents your child will need).

From 15 January 2017, anyone under 18 who is a French citizen or a foreign minor, resident in France, must complete an Authorisation des sortie de territoire (AST) form before they travel alone or without their parents.

This applies to journeys from France and is required for any unaccompanied children leaving the country.

Up to 16 years old

All unaccompanied minors:

• Eurostar ticket
• Identity card or passport
• Eurostar unaccompanied minors form signed by parent

French citizen or a foreigner living in France who is leaving France

As above, plus:

• Authorisation des sorties de territoire (AST) form signed by parent
• Photocopy of the identity card or passport of the parent who has signed the AST form

Up to 18 years old

All unaccompanied minors:

• Eurostar ticket
• Identity card or passport

French citizen or a foreigner living in France who is leaving France

As above, plus:

• Authorisation des sorties de territoire (AST) form signed by parent
• Photocopy of the identity card or passport of the parent who has signed the AST form

Kids travelling on a children’s ticket can take:

• 1 piece of luggage (up to 85cm long)
• 1 piece of hand luggage

Kids under 4 can travel for free on Eurostar, provided they can sit on an adult's lap. Here's how it works:

• Your child will need to sit on your lap throughout the whole journey.
• If you want them to have their own seat you'll need to buy a child ticket (see below).
• Travelling with more than one child under 4? They'll each need to sit on an adult's lap.
• Travelling alone with two or more kids under 4? You'll need to take one on your lap and buy child tickets for the others.
• Remember, kids of any age need their own passport to travel.

Special fares for kids aged 4 to 11 years old are available in Standard class.

Children,  aged 12 and over, are eligible for our youth fares.

Baby changing

All of our trains have baby changing facilities. If you'd like to sit nearby, simply log in and choose your seats once you've booked.

Family seating

If there's space, you can also choose to sit around a table so you can spread out the colouring books or get stuck into a game on the way.

Entertainment

If you're travelling on one of our new trains there's also a good selection of children's programmes and games on our Onboard Entertainment platform, so don't forget to bring headphones for your child.

Ever wondered what’s outside your window as you travel under the Channel? Odyssey, the first virtual reality experience on a train, lets you dive into the world beyond the tunnel walls using your phone or tablet. Click here to try it!

Child-friendly options are available at Café Métropole, our onboard bar buffet. We don't sell baby food but we're happy to help by warming it up at Café Métropole.

If you think you need an extra pair of hands,you can pre-book assistancefor your journey.

One of our team will be able to support you through the whole departure process, from going through the ticket gates to passing security and stepping on board.

We’ll also be able to help you once your train arrives in its destination. If you only need assistance for part of thedeparture process, make sure you let our teams know so they can help you accordingly.

Please note that some of our local providers in France and Belgium can only offer assistance to pregnant women, but aren’t able to do so for adults travelling alone with children.

Find out more about Assistance