November and December 2017. During my solo trip to Taiwan – the vacation which was a catalyst to start Trip By Trip – I met Ugo. Fast forward to August 2025. Ugo is touring Europe and we decided to meet up. Showing him Antwerp was an option, but fitting the metropolis into his itinerary was hard, as Antwerp doesn’t have a great train connection with Berlin, his next stop. So, we decided on converging in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia for a weekend. 

One of our job perks is receiving a few vouchers per year for a ride on the Eurostar. I wanted to use one to get from Brussels to Cologne, but there were no ‘voucher seats’ left. Similar to airlines only allocating (or no) seats to miles users per flight. So I had to book commercially. 

In August 2025 at least, Eurostar has three classes: Eurostar Standard (second class), Eurostar Plus (first class), Eurostar Premier (first class seat, and included drinks and a meal).

When I booked, a Standard ticket was 90 euros, a Plus 95 euros, a Premier 95 euros as well. So this was a no-brainer. I booked a Premier seat.

This gave access to to the lounge. 

Eurostar Premier Lounge Brussels

Eurostar has two lounges at Brussels-South (Brussel-Zuid, Bruxelles-Midi).

Eurostar offers Premier Lounges in London, Paris and Brussels, providing a space for passengers to relax before their journey. Access is available up to two hours before departure for Eurostar Premier travellers, as well as Carte Blanche and Étoile Club Eurostar members and their guests.

The lounges include cocktail bars where mixologists serve seasonal drinks from 15:00 until closing time on weekdays, although Brussels does not have this feature. 

In London St. Pancras International and Paris-Nord, smoothie bars operate on weekday mornings from 6 AM to noon. Food and drink are available throughout the day, including hot, cold and alcoholic options, with many products supplied locally. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices are also provided.

The spaces are designed to be quieter than the main station areas, with booths and zones for privacy. Free wi-fi, newspapers and magazines are available for those who want to work or simply unwind.

Sustainability measures have been incorporated into the lounges. In Paris and Brussels, furniture is made in Europe using mostly natural materials, and much of the old furniture was recycled. Across all locations, Eurostar uses reusable crockery and tableware, and prioritises local suppliers where possible.

Each lounge is located either in the departure area or just outside the station, and entry depends on the traveller’s departure point.

In practice

I went to the Eurostar Premier Lounge Brussels, just outside the station, across, on your left. Brussels has two lounges. One for passengers going to France, Germany and the Netherlands, aka intra-Schengen, and for those going to the United Kingdom. That one is inside the Channel Terminal. 

At entry, the attendants didn’t scan my ticket, they just visually checked it. 

The lounge isn’t large, but not small either. There a different types of seating options, the circular bar with a bar attendant is striking. As in films, two guys were sitting at the bar talking to the bartender and each other. 

Next to the bar, an area offers drinks such as water, soft drinks, wine and warm drinks such as coffee, tea and chocolate milk. 

For food, the options were limited. Some salty biscuits, some gingerbread and some pistachio pastry. Also some candy. 

Nothing extravagant, but it’s a railway lounge, not an airport lounge. Different levels of offering, but also of expectation. 

So?

It’s not awesome, in the literal sense sense. But it’s not bad. You keep far away from the madding crowd, you have a decent bathroom option and you have good seating. 

Good enough to wait up to two hours before your departure. That’s your maximum time.