Destination from London by train, advice please
 

Hello,
So I need to be in London in Spring 2017. I have two obligations that are 10 days apart. So I'm thinking of taking the train (no flights) from London to a destination that's within 5 hours and stay 3 nights then come back.
I've already been to a lot of places in the UK so I was thinking of going to France or Belgium. I've already been to Paris (several times), Amsterdam, and Bruges.


I'm interested in great food (a must), walkable cities, architecture, street art (not a must), people watching.

Beauty is not enough, the place needs to be interesting :)

I'm thinking Lyon (there is a direct train from London to Lyon), Antwerp, Rotterdam?

Thanks a lot

Esperanza - if you are talking about taking the eurostar and TGV from London to Lyons I think that would be a great choice. I did that last May at the start of a cruise which started in Lyon so we only had ½ a day there but it looked like a terrific place to spend a few days, and the food! The weather might be warmer than the Belgian options too!

I loves Antwerp, great food and interesting museums and streets and plazas. easy to get around and did i mention food!!!Friendly helpful people

Thanks annhig and Avalon2.
Both Lyon and Antwerp are great choices, and Antwerp is closer but is it worth 3 nights?

The direct train to Lyon runs 3 times a week and is under 5 hours, annhig.

I spent 3 months in Antwerpen. Loved it.
If you think it is too much go from there to gent.

Great, thanks WoinParis

Easy to daytrip from either Antwerpen or Gent. Brugge, Brussel, smaller towns such as Mechelen, Lier. Or if the weather is good, a day at the beach.

Antwerpen ticks all your boxes. There's some interesting new architecture too.

Lyon or even better Avignon area is great for five days - no direct trains now I think but a simple change of trains in Lille-Europea station is not bad. Will be in Lyon or Avignon in at least 5 hours.

For lots on trains and places to go by them check www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com (check their online European Rail & Planning Guide for lots of rail destinations.)

Lyon and the Avignon area -great weather in spring vs the fickle cool springs often in the Lowlands and northern Europe in general.

How about Edinburgh too?

The direct train to Lyon runs 3 times a week and is under 5 hours, annhig.>

Fine if you can get the odd direct train but the change of trains at Lille-Europe means hourly trains to Lille and hourly trains about from there to Lyon/Avignon.

My recollection is that our Euro star train left London at about 1 pm, and we arrived at Lyon at about 8pm, though I may be an hour out either way. We had about 20 mins to change trains at Lille, and of course there is the 1 hour time difference which knocks an hour off the actual travel time.

You do lose an hour on the clock when going to France from UK - look up schedules on www.bahn.de/en for times -www.eurostar.com and www.voyages-sncf.com for online booking of discounted tickets -book ASAP.

Brussels is a 2-hour city at best. See the Grand Place, eat some waffles and fries, ten hop on the train to the next destination: preferably Ghent or Antwerpen.

Lille is supposed to be gorgeous too, according to my Instagram feed. Give it a try and let us know. :)

www.bahn.de/en has London to Lyon in as little as 5 hours though depending on the time of day you leave London it could be 5.5 hours or even 6+ hours. But leave at 8am and you're in 4 h 58 minutes later (plus losing an hour on the clock).

Thanks for all the great replies. We've decided on Antwerp.

Saving Lyon to a future trip, the train from London to Lyon still seems doable to me.

Loacker, I've been to Lille and liked it, loved the food there which was excellent.

Antwerp is a good base too - can make forays into Holland - like Delft or Rotterdam or The Hague or to Gent or Bruges or even Heaven forbid Brussels.

The ABS fare added onto Eurostar tickets gives you 24 hours to go to any or all Belgian train stations on any train - not including Thalys however but no need for that. www.eurostar.com

In Amsterdam check out the Middleheim Statue Park in suburban Middleheim - one of the best in Europe and many famous artists represented.

In Antwerpen, check out Mercado; a food market in the old post office building on Groenplaats, with lots of food stands.

If by good food you mean Michelin star restaurants, try to snag a table at The Jane; almost impossible to book, but you never know. 3 months in advance, at 8 am, I think. It's easier (and less expensive) to eat in the bar upstairs (book 1 month in advance), and lunch tables are easier to come by than dinner. It is a very beautiful restaurant with fabulous food.

the Zilte, on top of the MAS museum, is another Michelin star restaurant. Great views. Again, easier on the wallet for lunch.

The area around the MAS is great now; lots of new restaurants, and outdoor terraces in good weather. MON is good; in a lovingly restored 16th century building.

And do check out the Art Nouveau Zurenborg district in Berchem. For modern architecture, see the new Port of Antwerp head office by Zaha Hadid. Stunning in the evening when the lights are on.

Great tips PalenQ and Tulips. Thank you both.

I'd be interested to get opinions on Rotterdam. I met people from Holland who cringed when I mentioned that I wanted to visit the city. They enumerated several reasons why I shouldn't, including that it's ugly. Well, I'm still interested.


I read an expose in a magazine that said that Dutch people love to hate Rotterdam, even though it has a lot to offer. Insights?

We've been to Amsterdam and it's not my favourite.

Menachem is the resident expert on Rotterdam here on Fodors.
The city has a lot going for it; including some amazing architecture. Check out the Markthal. Rotterdam is very different from Amsterdam. Easy to get to from Antwerp by train for a daytrip, so you can make up your own mind.

We love Rotterdam, but then we love Brussels too, and consider it way, way more than "a two-hour city." Rotterdam is unique. When you first arrive there, you may be surprised, even shocked, at what appears to be total dissonance in architectural style, colors, shapes, but it's fascinating and the more of it you see the more unusual and intriguing it becomes. It's really unlike any other place I've been, which is always a plus for me. Maybe the Dutch people in other cities are jealous?

And no, 3 days in Antwerpen is not too much. I love that place.