Great Britain By train
A blend of rich history and tradition injected with modern influence, Great Britain is one of the most visited European destinations. It offers a palette of world-famous sights, museums, top nightlife, and picturesque countryside. Scotland, England, and Wales are its 3 distinct countries – varied in character, yet all full of flavor. Venture off the European mainland for some time spent discovering everything that Great Britain has to offer.
Train types in Great Britain
- Route map
- Domestic Trains
- International Trains
- Night Trains
Rail network
Visitors to Great Britain will find it easy to travel around England, Scotland, and Wales on the extensive and well-developed train system. Britain's train network criss-crosses the land with services to even small towns and villages with almost 20,000 train services on a typical weekday. See National Rail for overall travel information.
Visit the Rail Delivery Group website for an overview of train companies in the UK and links to their web pages. However, Eurail is not valid on all carriers. See a list of all carriers included below:
- Avanti West Coast
- Caledonian Sleeper
- c2c
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country
- East Midlands Railway
- Elizabeth line
- Eurostar
- Gatwick Express
- Grand Central
- Great Northern
- Great Western Railway (Including Night Riviera sleeper)
- Greater Anglia
- Hull Trains
- Island Line
- LNER
- London Northwestern Railway
- London Overground
- Lumo
- Merseyrail
- National Rail
- Northern
- ScotRail
- Southeastern
- Southern
- South Western Railway
- Stansted Express
- Thameslink
- TransPennine Express
- Transport for Greater Manchester
- Transport for Wales
- West Midlands Railway
- Runs on the following routes:
- London Euston – Edinburgh – Aberdeen
- London Euston – Edinburgh – Glasgow – Fort William
- London Euston – Inverness
- Runs on the following route:
- London Paddington – Plymouth – Penzance
Popular connections
- Domestic routes
Main stations & connections
London Euston
Trains to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Holyhead, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle
London Kings Cross
Trains to Cambridge, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, York
London Paddington
Trains to Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Oxford, Penzance, Plymouth
You can use your Eurail Pass on the Elizabeth Line (by TfL) to travel between Paddington and Heathrow Airport.
London Victoria
Trains to Brighton, Dover, Portsmouth, Southampton
London Waterloo
Trains to Exeter, Portsmouth, Southampton, Weymouth, Windsor
Liverpool Lime Street
Trains to London, Manchester, Glasgow
Manchester Piccadilly
Trains to London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Glasgow
Birmingham New Street
Trains to London, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Penzance
Reservations
Eurail reservation self-service system
- Eurail
- Eurostar (International tickets) only
Administration costs when booking through Eurail self-service
- € 2,- p.p.per train
- Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)
With railway carriers
- SNCB (b-europe): Only Eurostar trains
- LNER (London North Eastern Railway): Domestic trains
- ACP Rail: Domestic trains
- GWR (Great Western Railway): Domestic day-trains
- Caledonian Sleeper: Domestic night train (For a seat reservation you need to contact the Guest Service Center)
Other platforms
- Rail Europe: International trains
- Eurostar and connecting TGV trains from Paris and Lille
- ACP Rail: Domestic trains
- Railtourguide (UK based travel agent)
An explanation of how each booking platform works can be found here: How do I book my reservations
Locally at the train station in Great Britain
Good to know
Eurostar: All customers with a Global Pass are eligible to travel on the Eurostar (between London and Paris, London and Brussels, and London and Amsterdam/Rotterdam respectively), with a compulsory reservation. However, the Eurail Great Britain Pass is not valid on Eurostar. Reservations in Great Britain can be made online at ACP Rail (€6) or locally for free. Reservations are free for only LNER.
Reservations for Eurostar can be booked through
- Our Reservation Service
- The Rail Planner App
- Via the B-Europe website
- Via phone at the Eurostar booking center (+44) 01233617575 (outside the UK) or (+44) 03432186186 (within the UK)
- Directly at Eurostar terminals.
Note: Bicycles are generally allowed on British trains, but conditions vary between companies.
- Mandatory reservations required
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- Eurostar
- Caledonian Sleeper
- Night Riviera sleeper
- No reservations required
-
- Avanti West Coast
- c2c
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country (Recommended)
- East Midlands Railway
- Elizabeth line
- Gatwick Express
- Grand Central
- Great Northern
- Great Western Railway (Recommended)
- Greater Anglia
- Hull Trains
- Island Line
- LNER
- London Northwestern Railway
- London Overground
- Lumo
- Merseyrail
- National Rail
- Northern
- ScotRail
- Southeastern
- Southern
- South Western Railway
- Stansted Express
- Thameslink
- TransPennine Express
- Transport for Greater Manchester
- Transport for Wales
- West Midlands Railway
Get your Pass for Great Britain
Eurailing in Great Britain
Do you only want to travel in Great Britain? You can do this with a BritRail Pass, which lets you travel in all of Great Britain. You can also purchase a BritRail Pass for one specific country, such as England or Scotland.
Tips and tricks for Great Britain
Pass Benefits in Great Britain
Take advantage of discounted ferry travel and other benefits.
Get inspired
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Edinburgh Go one stop further than London and visit Scotland's capital with your Eurail Pass. Discover its top attractions and gain local tips in our City Guide.
Change of currency
You cannot change the currency once you have a Pass in your cart. Remove the Pass, and then change the currency on the website header.