It’s a common understanding that sharp objects, especially those that can be seen or used as a weapon, are prohibited on flights. So, it’s only natural to assume that the same policy exists in other transportation methods, like trains, for example. However, air transport and land transport are two different things, which begs the question, Can I take knitting needles on Eurostar?
Yes, you can bring your needles on Eurostar. In fact, compared to airplane flights, the rules surrounding baggage in Eurostar, or any train, for that matter, are much more relaxed.
Be that as it may, there are a couple of things to keep in mind if you intend to travel with Eurostar with your knitting needles. Let’s start with a brief overview of this subject matter.
Can You Bring Knitting Needles to Eurostar?
As previously mentioned, you can bring knitting needles on Eurostar. That’s because Eurostar and many other high-speed railway services in Europe allow this particular privilege to passengers.
However, you must keep in mind that it’s not entirely impossible for the crew to refuse to allow your knitting needles on board. That’s particularly true if the crew isn’t aware or knowledgeable about their own baggage policies surrounding knitting needles. And you must admit, people rarely bring knitting needles to trains anyway, so their lack of knowledge is understandable.
Needless to say, if you want to ensure you can bring knitting needles to Eurostar, it would be in your best interest to contact them beforehand to discuss their policies on knitting equipment.
FAQs on Can I Take Knitting Needles on Eurostar?
Apart from the main question, there are a couple more things people, particularly knitters, often ask about this subject. Let’s take a look at these questions and their corresponding answers.
Can I fly internationally with knitting needles?
As stated earlier, the policies of airlines in Europe, like Ryanair, surrounding knitting needles are much stricter than the policies of railway services like Eurostar. That applies to most countries.
While that might be the case, airlines are not so strict that they would prohibit knitting needles. Most airlines would usually only prohibit large needles but not knitting needles entirely. But of course, it wouldn’t be strange if there’s an airline company out there that would prohibit knitting needles. After all, they have the right to refuse service, so that’s worth keeping in mind.
In short, yes, you can fly internationally with knitting needles, but there’s no guarantee you can do so on all airlines. Some airlines may refuse service if their policies are particularly strict.
For that reason, it would be best practice to contact the customer support staff of the airlines beforehand to discuss their policies. Such a discussion should save you and them a lot of time.
Do I need to declare my knitting needles at security?
Another thing that passengers often practice to save them time is declaring items at security. What that basically entails is that you inform or notify the security personnel of the train of any items that you’re currently carrying with you that you think are potentially prohibited.
It’s a handy process since it saves the crew time checking each of your baggage, and it saves you time since you’re now less likely to be scrutinized had you not informed them in advance.
In most airlines, declaring your needles at security is a must. However, when it comes to Eurostar, you’re not obliged to do so. They don’t even consider needles a potentially prohibited item.
Of course, you can still declare your knitting needles just to be safe, but you wouldn’t get in trouble if you didn’t, even if the crew ends up deciding to refuse to allow the items afterward.
Can I take a needle in my hand luggage?
Before we answer that question, it’s important to understand that in Eurostar trains, or any train for that matter, there are two main types of baggage: carry-on baggage and checked baggage.
- Carry-on baggage refers to items that are stored in the overhead rack, meaning you have access to them at all items. You can bring them out and use them during the trip.
- Checked baggage refers to items stored in a baggage car, a part of the train inaccessible to passengers. That means you cannot take items out of them until the end of the trip.
As one might imagine, hand luggage is usually carry-on baggage, meaning you have access to the items inside it since it’s stored at the overhead rack on top of your seat. So, yes, you can take a needle from your hand luggage if you please. And that’s not even the only thing you can do.
Can I knit on a Eurostar train during the trip?
On top of taking out the knitting needles from your hand luggage during the trip, you can also knit on a Eurostar train. But of course, that’s assuming you intend to refrain from disturbing other passengers while doing so. If you disturb passengers, such as by blocking the aisles, for example, they may call the personnel, and they may end up confiscating the knitting needles just because.
It’s also common courtesy to bring small knitting needles since large ones may intimidate other passengers. However, keep in mind that bringing large needles isn’t prohibited by Eurostar.
Are there restrictions on what knitting needles I can bring?
Airlines only allow knitting needles up to a certain size. In general, they allow needles shorter than six inches. Needles any longer than that may end up being confiscated and stored as part of your checked baggage. However, in Eurostar, you can bring knitting needles of any size or length.
That’s one way Eurostar policies are more relaxed than airline policies. Perhaps the only restriction imposed specifically on knitting needles is that you must store them accordingly.
For your reference, airlines would have restrictions on the knitting needle’s material. In particular, they would prefer plastic or wooden needles over metal needles since they’re less of a security risk. Other than the material and size, airlines don’t have any other restrictions for needles.
What can’t I bring to a Eurostar train?
Sharp and pointy knitting needles might be allowed in Eurostar trains, but that doesn’t mean you can bring just about any sharp and pointy object on a train. There are items you cannot bring, hence why this question came about in the first place. To be precise, you can’t bring cutting tools like scissors and blades on Eurostar trains. That’s because they’re more hazardous than needles.
The only reason knitting needles were allowed in the first place is that despite what they may seem, knitting needles are not as pointy as you might think. Their tips tend to be more rounded.
Even if you had recently sharpened the needles, it’s unlikely that the staff’d scrutinize you, and they’d confiscate your needles. Again, they don’t have many restrictions imposed on needles, be it in sharpness, size, or material.
Hopefully, that should answer most of your questions regarding this matter. But there’s one more thing to keep in mind before you go ahead and book your trip with Eurostar.
Does Eurostar Have Luggage Restrictions?
Although Eurostar should have more relaxed restrictions when it comes to knitting needles, there are a couple of things that might prevent you from bringing your knitting needles on your trip.
For starters, you can only bring a certain number of items in carry-on baggage. Eurostar, in particular, only allows passengers to bring one item of hand luggage and two items of luggage. In other words, you must choose wisely what items you want to bring and use during the trip.
Apart from quantity, there’s also a weight and size limit to these items. The maximum weight for each item is typically around 85 pounds, and each item must be 85 centimeters long or high at most since the item should be able to fit under your seat or in the overhead luggage racks.
If your baggage exceeds these specifications, it may incur additional fees, though admittedly, those fees aren’t that much. The fees can range from $15 to $30 per piece of excess baggage.
For more accurate details surrounding their luggage restrictions, it’s still best to check in with their customer support staff to avoid any potential issues regarding luggage during your Eurostar trip.
Wrapping Up
Can I take knitting needles on Eurostar? Though it’s a rather obscure question, there’s no harm in asking this just so you can expedite your Eurostar trip. After all, it makes sense to be cautious, considering how airlines typically prohibit knitting needles. With this, you should now have a deeper understanding of how baggage policies surrounding knitting needles work in Eurostar.
