Ireland, Paris and Europe

Three border systems in one trip

A trip that takes in London, Paris and Dublin crosses three separate sets of border rules, and Americans often assume one covers another. They do not. The UK requires an ETA. Ireland requires nothing in advance. France and most of the rest of the EU belong to the Schengen area, which now records your fingerprints and face through its new Entry/Exit System and plans to add its own travel authorization, ETIAS.

Time in the UK and Ireland does not count toward your 90 Schengen days, so a long British and Irish trip with a week in Paris is nowhere near the limit. For the UK side of all this, read our full page on entry requirements and the ETA.

Eurostar: London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam

Eurostar is the only passenger train through the Channel Tunnel, and for London to Paris or Brussels it beats flying on almost every count. You leave from the middle of London, arrive in the middle of Paris, skip the airport transfers on both ends, and the whole trip takes less time than getting to Heathrow, checking in and flying. Rival operators have announced plans to run trains through the tunnel in the coming years, but for now Eurostar has the route to itself.

Eurostar no longer stops at Ebbsfleet or Ashford in Kent, or at Calais, and the direct trains to Disneyland Paris and the south of France have ended. For Disneyland, change at Lille to a TGV or take the RER from central Paris.

Classes

Eurostar renamed its classes in late 2024. Standard is second class, with a café-bar car, power sockets and free Wi-Fi. Plus is first class with wider seats and a light meal and drinks served at your seat. Premier is the business class: fully flexible tickets, lounge access, fast-track check-in, a hot meal and wine or champagne.

For most leisure travelers Standard is fine for two hours. Plus can cost little more than Standard on quiet trains, so compare both when you book; it is a pleasant upgrade on a morning train when the meal stands in for breakfast.

Fares and booking

Fares work like airline fares: they start low and rise as the train fills. Booked well ahead, Standard from London to Paris or Brussels starts at around £51 (about $68) one way or £78 (about $104) return, and Plus from about £98 (about $130) one way. Premier is around £325 (about $432) one way. Fares for popular trains, Friday evenings, school holidays and the days around Christmas climb much higher, so book as soon as your dates are firm. Sales open up to about 11 months ahead, though some dates appear later because of engineering work.

Book on eurostar.com or the Eurostar app. Return trips from Paris or Brussels are priced in euros if you book a one-way from the continent. Children under 4 travel free on a lap; ages 4 to 11 pay a child fare.

Luggage

Eurostar is generous by airline standards: up to two large items per person, each no longer than 85 cm (about 33 in) on any side, plus a small bag. There is no weight limit and no charge for bags, but you must label each one with your name, and you have to lift them onto the racks yourself.

Check-in and border checks at St Pancras

Eurostar works more like an airport than a train. The international terminal is at the back of St Pancras International, reached from the main concourse on the ground floor, and all border controls happen in London before you board. When you get off in Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, you simply walk out of the station.

1. Arrive 60 to 90 minutes before departure. Check-in normally opens about 90 minutes ahead and closes 30 minutes before departure (15 to 20 minutes for Premier). If you miss check-in, you miss the train.
2. EES kiosk, if you are directed to one. Non-EU travelers, including Americans, register their passport, face and fingerprints at self-service kiosks for the EU's Entry/Exit System. Signs and staff direct you.
3. Ticket gates. Scan the barcode on your phone or printed ticket.
4. Security. Airport-style bag scanners and metal detectors, though liquids can usually stay in your bag.
5. UK exit check, then French border police. The British desk checks passports on the way out, and then French officers carry out the Schengen entry check, completing your EES registration where needed. That second check is what used to put an entry stamp in your passport.
6. Departure lounge. Boarding is usually called 20 minutes or so before departure, with escalators up to the platforms.

Coming back, the process is reversed in Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam: French or Belgian or Dutch exit checks, then the UK border, where US passports can usually use eGates and your ETA is checked. You arrive at St Pancras as a domestic passenger. At Paris Gare du Nord the Eurostar terminal is upstairs on the first floor (the second floor in American terms), reached by the escalator opposite platform 17. Queues there can be long on Sunday afternoons and during school holidays, so give yourself the full 90 minutes.

The EU's Entry/Exit System explained

The Entry/Exit System, or EES, is the EU's new digital border record for non-EU visitors to the Schengen area. It started on October 12, 2025, was phased in over six months, and was due to be fully running by April 10, 2026. It replaces the old system of stamping passports by hand, and it records each entry and exit so the 90-in-180-day rule can be counted automatically.

What happens to you, in practice:

• First trip: your passport is scanned, your photo is taken and four fingerprints are recorded. You may be asked a few short questions about your trip. Children under 12 are photographed but not fingerprinted.
• Later trips: your record lasts three years, and on later crossings you are matched with your face or fingerprints, which is usually quicker.
• Cost: free. There is nothing to apply for and nothing to do in advance. Any website asking you to pay for EES registration is a scam.
• Where: for the Eurostar from London, the ferries from Dover and Le Shuttle from Folkestone, the checks happen in Britain before you leave. Flying into Paris, they happen at the airport on arrival.

Eurostar installed 49 kiosks at St Pancras in three zones near check-in and said each registration should take about 90 seconds. The rollout there has been slow: only some passengers were sent to kiosks at first, and full registration of every non-EU passenger, due by April 2026, was put back. Follow the instructions in your booking emails and on the station signs on the day, and keep to the 60 to 90 minute arrival advice.

ETIAS: coming, but not yet

ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, is the Schengen area's version of the UK ETA or the US ESTA. Americans will need it to visit 30 European countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Norway. It does not apply to Ireland or the UK.

After years of delays, the EU had aimed to launch ETIAS in the last quarter of 2026, but as of late October 2026 no start date has been announced, and recent reporting points to 2027 at the earliest. The EU has said it will give several months' notice. The key facts as announced so far:

• Fee: €20, raised from the originally planned €7. Travelers under 18 and over 70 still need one but pay nothing.
• Validity: three years, or until your passport expires, for unlimited short trips.
• Transition: once it starts, there is a transition period of at least six months in which travelers are asked to get one but are not turned away without it, followed by a grace period for first-time visitors.

So for a trip in late 2026 or the first half of 2027, you are very unlikely to be refused travel for lacking an ETIAS. Before you go, check the official EU site, travel-europe.europa.eu, which is the only place to apply once it opens. As with the UK ETA, a wave of lookalike sites already charges large fees for "ETIAS applications" that do not yet exist.

Ferries to France

Ferries matter mainly if you have a car, since the short crossings are built around drivers and foot-passenger options are limited. If you are traveling without a car, the Eurostar is almost always simpler.

The same EES checks apply at Dover and Folkestone as at St Pancras, carried out by French officers in Britain before you sail. Dover has seen long queues at the start of school holidays, so if you are driving in summer or at Easter, leave a big margin and check the port's traffic updates before you set off.

Ferries to Ireland and Northern Ireland

The Irish Sea crossings are a real alternative to flying, especially if you are driving, carrying lots of luggage, or touring Wales, Scotland or northwest England on the way.

For foot passengers, the classic route is rail and sail: a through ticket from London Euston (or any British station) by train to Holyhead, then the ferry to Dublin. It takes most of a day, but the train runs along the North Wales coast past Conwy Castle, and the through fare is fixed and simple. Stena Line sells these as Rail & Sail tickets; check Stena Line's Rail & Sail page for current fares and connections.

Holyhead port closed for several weeks after storm damage in December 2024, and Irish Sea sailings are cancelled in severe weather, mostly in winter. If you have a flight home from Dublin, do not cut it fine with a ferry the same day.

Ferries also connect Ireland and France directly, from Dublin and Rosslare to Cherbourg, which can work for a slow trip with a car. For Northern Ireland itself, see our Northern Ireland page, and for Wales on the way to Holyhead or Pembrokeshire, see Wales.

Ferries to the Netherlands

Three long crossings link eastern England with the Netherlands. They are slower than the Eurostar to Amsterdam, but an overnight cabin saves a hotel night and suits travelers with a car or bikes.

Budget flights

For anywhere beyond Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and for Dublin, Edinburgh to Europe or regional hops, budget flights are usually the cheapest and fastest option. The main airlines are Ryanair, easyJet, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Wizz Air and Jet2, plus Vueling and Transavia.

Which London airport

London has six airports, and the cheapest fare is often from the least convenient one. Ryanair's main London base is Stansted, northeast of the city; easyJet flies heavily from Gatwick and Luton; Wizz Air uses Luton and Gatwick. Aer Lingus and British Airways fly to Dublin from Heathrow, which is easiest from central London. Add the train or bus to the airport (£20 to £30, about $27 to $40, each way on the airport express trains) before deciding a fare is a bargain. Our flights page covers getting to and from each airport.

How budget fares work

• Bags cost extra. The base fare on Ryanair and easyJet usually includes only a small bag that fits under the seat. A wheeled carry-on or checked bag adds a fee, cheaper when bought at booking than at the airport.
• Check in online. Ryanair charges heavily for checking in at the airport. Do it in the app and keep the boarding pass on your phone.
• Watch the airport name. "Paris" can mean Beauvais, about 90 minutes from the city by shuttle bus; check which airport before you book.
• Passport checks still apply. Flights between the UK and Ireland carry passengers inside the Common Travel Area, but airlines check your passport, and you need your ETA to fly into the UK.

Eurostar or fly?

London to Paris or Brussels: take the train. Door to door it is faster, you can carry more for free, and you skip airport transfers. London to Amsterdam is closer; the four-hour train still wins for most people coming from central London. London to anywhere farther, such as Rome, Barcelona, Berlin or Prague, flying is usually quicker and cheaper unless you want a rail adventure through Paris or Brussels.

Adding Ireland

Ireland is the most natural add-on to a UK trip: an hour's flight, no extra paperwork, a shared language, and the Common Travel Area, which means fewer formalities than crossing into the EU. Dublin, Galway and the west coast, Kilkenny and the Ring of Kerry all combine easily with London, Wales or Scotland.

• Paperwork: Americans need no visa and no ETA for Ireland. Irish immigration checks your passport on arrival.
• Northern Ireland is the UK. A day trip from Dublin to Belfast or the Giant's Causeway still needs a UK ETA, even though there is no border post. The Enterprise train between Dublin and Belfast takes a little over two hours.
• Money: Ireland uses the euro; Northern Ireland uses the pound. Prices in Dublin are similar to London's.
• Driving: Ireland drives on the left like Britain. Irish rental companies generally allow you to take the car into Northern Ireland, sometimes for a fee; tell them when you book. Speed limits are in kilometers per hour in Ireland and miles per hour in Northern Ireland.

Planning a London–Paris–Dublin trip

This three-city trip is one of the most popular first trips to Europe for Americans, and the order matters. The train link between London and Paris is the easiest leg, and the Dublin end has the best flight home, so the classic order is fly into London, Eurostar to Paris, fly to Dublin, fly home from Dublin. The reverse also works, landing in Dublin and leaving from Paris, but you lose preclearance on the way home.

Booking it

1. Book an open-jaw ticket ("multi-city" on airline sites): into London, home from Dublin. It usually costs about the same as a round trip, and saves backtracking. Long-haul flights leaving the UK carry the UK's Air Passenger Duty, one of the highest departure taxes in the world; Ireland has no equivalent tax, which helps make flying home from Dublin good value.
2. Get your UK ETA for every traveler before you leave home.
3. Book the Eurostar as soon as your dates are set; fares rise as trains fill.
4. Book Paris to Dublin: Aer Lingus and Ryanair both fly it in under two hours. Check which Paris airport you use and what bags cost.
5. Check your passport against Schengen rules: issued within 10 years and valid at least three months after you leave France, and check ETIAS status a few weeks before you go.

A 12-day version

1. Day 1

   Arrive in London

   Overnight flight, eGates at Heathrow, Elizabeth line or Piccadilly line into town. Stay awake until evening with a walk along the South Bank. See London.

2. Day 2

   Westminster and the West End

   Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, St James's Park and a West End show. Book the Abbey ahead; see London sights and theatre.

3. Day 3

   The City and the Tower

   Tower of London at opening time, St Paul's, then Borough Market for lunch and Tate Modern.

4. Day 4

   A day trip

   Windsor, Oxford or Bath by train. See day trips from London.

5. Day 5

   Museums, then Eurostar

   British Museum in the morning, then an early evening Eurostar from St Pancras. Dinner in Paris.

6. Days 6–8

   Paris

   Three full days: the Louvre (timed ticket), the Marais, Montmartre, the Seine, and perhaps Versailles. Remember France is one hour ahead of London and Dublin.

7. Day 9

   Fly to Dublin

   Morning flight from Paris; afternoon at Trinity College and the Book of Kells, evening in a traditional music pub.

8. Day 10

   Dublin

   Kilmainham Gaol (book ahead), the Guinness Storehouse or the Little Museum of Dublin, and Phoenix Park.

9. Day 11

   A day out

   Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains, or the train north to Belfast (ETA required) for the Titanic Quarter.

10. Day 12

    Fly home

    Allow extra time at Dublin Airport for US preclearance; check your airline's advice, which is usually to arrive about three hours before departure.

With more time, add Edinburgh between London and Paris (about 4 hr 20 min by train from King's Cross, next door to St Pancras), or spend longer in Ireland on the west coast. With less, drop the day trip and one Paris day. Our planning page has more routes, and the trip builder can help you rough out timings and costs.

Money, phones and plugs across borders

• Currency: pounds in the UK, including Northern Ireland; euros in Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Contactless cards work almost everywhere in all of them, so you need little cash. See money.
• Phones: most US international plans and eSIMs that cover the UK also cover the EU, but check that your plan includes both before relying on it. See staying connected.
• Plugs: the UK and Ireland both use the three-pin Type G plug; France, Belgium and the Netherlands use round two-pin plugs. Pack one adapter of each kind, or a universal one.
• Time zones: the UK and Ireland share a time zone; France, Belgium and the Netherlands are one hour ahead.
• Customs back into Britain: you can bring wine and spirits from France within the UK's allowances, but no cheese, butter, ham or other beef, pork and lamb products from the EU, so eat the cheese in Paris. See entry and customs.