King's Cross has two of London's busiest stations side by side, and behind them one of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe. Eurostar passengers arrive at St Pancras from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Office workers, students and visitors fill the streets around Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard. Minibus hire King's Cross groups book is mostly arrivals from the Eurostar, office team events and student trips, with plenty of airport runs.
From our base in SE1, King's Cross is about twenty to twenty-five minutes outside the rush hour.
Minibus hire King's Cross for Eurostar arrivals
St Pancras International is the London terminal for the Eurostar. Groups arriving from the continent, school parties, corporate delegations and families, often need onward transport with their luggage to a hotel, a conference or an airport.
For a Eurostar arrival, give us the train time, the number of passengers and how much luggage they're bringing.
School trips from France, Belgium and the Netherlands arrive this way all the time, and the teachers usually want one vehicle that takes the whole group and its bags straight to the hotel, rather than a tube ride with forty suitcases. The station's own pickup areas are busy and tightly controlled, so we'll agree a meeting point nearby and the driver will message with the exact spot. If the train is late, the driver knows before setting off.
Thameslink trains from St Pancras also run straight to Gatwick and Luton, which suits light travellers. Departing Eurostar groups are the same in reverse. Eurostar asks passengers to arrive well before departure for security and passport checks, so we'll plan the pickup with time to spare.
Granary Square and the offices
The streets north of the stations have been rebuilt with offices, shops and restaurants. Technology companies, publishers and creative businesses have moved in, and they book us for away days, client events and team nights out.
Coal Drops Yard and Granary Square are mostly for pedestrians, so pickups are usually on the surrounding roads. We'll agree a point near the building.
Students and the British Library
Central Saint Martins, part of the University of the Arts London, is in the old granary building on Granary Square, and students and staff book us for field trips, shows and events. The British Library, between King's Cross and Euston, hosts exhibitions and events, and its forecourt is an easy landmark for meeting points. Camley Street Natural Park, by the canal, is a small nature reserve that local schools use for outdoor learning.
UCL and the University of London are a short walk south in Bloomsbury.
Airports from King's Cross
London City Airport is about thirty minutes from King's Cross, via the City and the Limehouse Link. Luton is around fifty minutes by road, via the A1 and the M1, though Thameslink trains from St Pancras run direct to Luton Airport Parkway. Heathrow is about fifty minutes to an hour, along the Marylebone Road and the A40 or the A4.
For a group with luggage, a minibus from the hotel or the office to the terminal is the easy option. Stansted is about an hour, via the A10 or the A12 and the M11, and Gatwick around an hour and a quarter.
Hotels and events around the stations
Hotels fill the streets around both stations, from the grand Victorian building above St Pancras to budget hotels along the Euston Road and Gray's Inn Road. Eurostar travellers often stay a night before or after a trip, and the hotel is the natural pickup point.
Kings Place, on York Way, has concert halls and event spaces that draw audiences and conference groups. Euston, a short way west, is in the middle of years of rebuilding work, and the roads around it change from time to time.
The Regent's Canal runs through King's Cross, past Granary Square, towards Camden and Islington. Its towpath is popular for walks, and canal boat trips run from nearby. For groups combining a walk with a day out, the driver can drop at one end and collect at the other.
The Euston Road
Somers Town, the residential area between the two big stations and Euston, has narrow streets that are quieter for a pickup. The Euston Road runs along the front of both stations, and it's one of the busiest roads in London, with bus lanes, red routes and traffic at most hours of the day. Pancras Road and York Way, at the sides of the stations, are busy too.
The thing to know about minibus hire King's Cross groups book from the stations is that stopping right outside isn't an option. Eurostar groups in particular should expect a short walk with their luggage to the agreed meeting point. The driver will tell you exactly where to go, and will be there when you arrive.
For minibus hire in King's Cross, call 020 7183 0567.