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Is there a "seat guru" to say which are best (and worst) seats on Eurostar?

  • 20 April 2023
  • 19 replies
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  • Keeps calm and carries on
  • 25 replies

I’m traveling Standard Premier London to Amsterdam in June and booked directly with Eurostar, so I can change the assigned seat.  I have chosen a seat that says “window seat” but came to find out there is no window at all, it is simply not an aisle seat, but no window.  I want to pick a forward facing seat with a window, preferably a single seat format.  But it appears there are very few of those with a window in Coach 1.  I was wondering if there is a website like seat guru for airplanes, that tells which are ok seats on Eurostar and which are really bad seats.

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Best answer by Al_G 20 April 2023, 22:06

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Userlevel 7
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The infamous French windows…

You can see the window alignment on the Eurostar seat map, when you go to Manage Booking to choose another seat. I don't know how accurate it is but it should give you an idea of the alignment.

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Thanks.  I’m not sure what that comment about French windows means.  But I’m getting the picture.  Going to their seating chart does not give the best info.  One seat that looks like a window seat, when selected, says “no view”.  So, there must be some seats that those who know, never book.  And, there must be seats that are better than others.  I just was hoping there was a site that broke that all down, an provided some insight.  If there isn’t, there should be.

Userlevel 7
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https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/london-to-paris-by-eurostar.htm#choosing-your-seat-on-eurostar

Here you go ! Seat61 is an amazing website in general

https://www.seat61.com/reference/trainseatplans/Eurostar-e320-seat-plan.pdf

Userlevel 7
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Just to address a point you made; It is not necessary to book with Eurostar to select seats.

Bookings made from other sources such as B-Europe or Interrail can use the reference provided to log in to the Eurostar website and change seat (and meal) preferences.

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Thanks.  But as an example, seat 55 Coach 1 shows there is a window, and the same seat on the Seat61 site shows no window.  This is my confusion!  An email from Eurostar said the gray lines indicate where there is  window.  On the Seat61 site, it is the opposite.  But I just can’t figure this out. 

Userlevel 7
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I’m not sure what that comment about French windows means.

Maybe it's just my (and my friends') idiolect, but the analogy is that a French balcony isn't a real balcony.

Userlevel 7
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The dreaded "Wandfensterplätze" in German. Which roughly translated as wall-window seats.

Something incresingly prevalent the last decade, very annoying indeed. 

If you're nerdy enough to know the type of trains driving on a particular route, you just might find it via google. E.g. "ICE 4 plan Deutsche Bahn"

Fir all the others the man in seat 61 is your go to for most (international) long distance trains

With some domestic British companies (like Avanti West Coast), they usually have clear plans of the trains and they indicate which seats have very restricted views. Something that ALL operators should do imho. 

But again, it's a bit train nerdy stuff ;)

If you mentioned other trains you'ld like to take, guess there are plenty of people able to say which seats best NOT to reserve to avoid looking at white plastic or overstretching your neck. 

Userlevel 7
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Thanks.  But as an example, seat 55 Coach 1 shows there is a window, and the same seat on the Seat61 site shows no window.  This is my confusion!  An email from Eurostar said the gray lines indicate where there is  window.  On the Seat61 site, it is the opposite.  But I just can’t figure this out. 

 

The PDFs from Seat61 are accurate, can’t speak for the online selector. The grey spaces being the windows, blue the blank panels. C1 S55 would be almost entirely blank plastic. It is also facing backwards on journeys from London, coach 16 leads towards Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam.

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There are two different types of trains on Eurostar. If the sets are switched your best laid plans will fail. If you use twitter they are usually quite helpful. Coach 1 is sometimes  Business Premier  and you can’t use your pass in there! Check really carefully! The excess fare is around 300 euros each.I usually book carriage 2 seats 71 or 75 for my wife and I. 

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Oops just seen you’re on an Amsterdam service and my trips are to Paris so I might be wrong about where the Business Premier is on these services

Userlevel 3
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Trains to Amsterdam AFAIK are always e320 sets. 

Userlevel 7
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Yes AFAIK e300s are not allowed to run in the Netherlands

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Does anyone know a USA phone number to call Eurostar?

Userlevel 7
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Does anyone know a USA phone number to call Eurostar?

There is no such number. 

Here are the different ways to contact Eurostar 

https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/contact-us/eurostar-contact-details

 

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Thanks.  Now they moved me to seat 75 saying it is a window, but it doesn’t look like one.  I just can’t seem to get this simple request handled.  So frustrating!

Userlevel 7
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Thanks.  Now they moved me to seat 75 saying it is a window, but it doesn’t look like one.  I just can’t seem to get this simple request handled.  So frustrating!

Coach 1 Seat 75 has a good window view, it may have wall by your shoulder but the window is to your front where you will be looking.

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Thanks!  That is a relief!  Thanks again.

 

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Eurostar says there are no single window seats facing forward left.  I find that hard to believe.  Seat 21 sure looked like a window seat to me, but they said it wasn’t.  Anyway, when the two seat maps seem to contradict each other, it’s very frustrating. 

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So, here is the interesting grand finale to this seat question I had.  Turns out the Eurostar representative who was communicating with me was reading the chart backwards so that walls were windows and windows were walls (see her response below).  She kept telling me my selected seats were not window seats, but looked at a wall.  In reality, they ARE window seats with a view!  You would think they would train these people on how to read the seating chart from day #1.  So, I’m writing to let people know not to blindly accept what Eurostar says!  My question is now answered and I appreciate everyone’s comments.  I do hope someone creates a seat by seat advisory like seatguru.com does for air.  I also hope Eurostar adds a legend to the seat map you get when managing your booking, and trains their people appropriately


“I have asked a senior colleague to take a look in to this further and it does indeed appear that the grey lines indicate the panels and the spaces are windows. I have learnt something myself, so please accept my sincere apologies for the confusion and frustration caused …..”
 

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