Europe Travel Blog

It seemed that for many years St Pancras, the grand old brick-built Gothic revival railway station next door to King’s Cross (also a railway station for those of you not familiar with London), was a bit forlorn and forgotten, compared to its busy neighbour. But now, as I reported a while back, the station is now St Pancras International, home of the Eurostar, with trains going all the way to Paris, Lille and Brussels, via the Channel Tunnel. In keeping with this turn of events, the station itself has now undergone a multi-million pound renovation, and has become a fantastic up-to-the-minute shopping centre worth visiting in its own right, with shops and eateries in abundance, as well as being just a short hop away from mainland Europe.

Beneath the beautiful red-brick arches of this Victorian building you can find The Arcade, with an array of beautiful boutiques selling jewellry, clothing, gifts and books. There is the famous toy shop Hamley’s, and Foyles bookshop. There are patisseries, creperies and bakeries.

And when you have done all your shopping, you can enjoy a wonderfully refreshing glass of bubbly at the world’s longest champagne bar, or have a traditional pint of ale at the Betjeman Arms. All the favourite coffee houses are here, Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa Coffee, as well the chic sandwich shop Pret a Manger. If you feel like munching some sushi, then look no further than YO! Sushi, where you can get fresh sushi, sashimi, nori rolls and even ramen. If you feel like some delicious pasta or pizza, then how about Carluccio’s for traditional Italian food?

All this glitz is overlooked by Paul Day’s magnificent nine metre high statue depicting intertwined lovers, right beneath the famous St Pancras clock.

St Pancras International looks set to become a popular meeting place and shopping venue, as well as a link to other European capitals.

Filed under: Shopping, Eurostar, Architecture, Art, Food, England