Europe takes its trains seriously and no wonder considering Eurostar now boasts a traveling time of two hours and 15 minutes from London to Paris and one hour and 51 minutes from London to Brussels. Air travelers will likely agree that the trip is longer between central London to London Heathrow.

Eurostar had even more good news this week when it announced the opening of its new  terminal at St. Pancras station slated for November 14. Now this is a train station, a temple to rail travel. The 1868 structure has undergone $1.6 billion renovation and will be the London terminus for all Eurostar lines. St. Pancras Station is a grand space that tells you, "You have indeed arrived."