Greetings,
I will be taking the Eurostar from Amsterdam to Brussels and before I book my tickets is it better to sit on the right or left side of the train for that route? I have never been to either Amsterdam or Brussels and I want to soak in as much as I can.
Thank you for any, and all advice!
Sit on the right side window.
The Dutch rail company NS also runs trains on that route (IC Brussels) that don't require a seat reservation and are fixed price, more flexible (the ticket is good for any train on that route at any time the day you choose) and less expensive than Eurostar.
They also terminate at Brussel Central next to the Grand Place if you happen to be staying around there.
https://www.nsinternational.com/en
Thank you so much, Jazz+Travels. I appreciate the tip, I am staying near there. Much appreciated!
I’m curious to know as to why Jazz+Travels recommends to sit on the right side. I travel frequently on that route and to me the scenery seems as boring on the left side as on the right. A lot of the route is thru tunnels or along the highway.
Also, I’m not sure you can even select seats on the Eurostar. I recently booked tickets for the Eurostar to Paris and seats were allocated without me being able to select them myself.
Taking the International IC train is indeed a better option. See the website of the Dutch national railway company mentioned by Jazz+Travel for schedules and fares.
Eurostar is faster, that is certainly a reason to choose Eurostar. If the saved time is worth the extra cost or not is a different question.
They also terminate at Brussel Central next to the Grand Place
Language police here. The ICD does not terminate at Brussels Central, it terminates at Brussels Midi (Zuid). It stops at Brussels Central on the way to Brussels Midi. The Eurostar does not stop at Brussels Central, so if that is where you wanted go, you would have to turn around and take a local IC train back the short distance to Brussels Central. Not a big deal, but it is an extra train change.
Although the local train to Centraal is included in your Eurostar ticket, there are other factors to consider. The train transfer isn't hard, but since the fastest of the IC alone trips (to Centraal) is like 2:22, a 1:55 Eurostar that leaves you at Midi when you want to be at Centraal doesn't seem like such a good deal. There are MANY local trains per hour, but besides the latency (waiting for the next one), you have to consider waiting for the one elevator if you don't want to carry your bags down the stairs to do the change. And the local trains tend not to have luggage racks, but you can just stand in the large vestibule for the very, very short ride, if the train happens to be crowded.
It's also significant that many low-priced Eurostar tickets can't be changed for free, if you miss the one you booked. The conventional (i.e. "slow") trains tend to be completely flexible on the date of travel.
I’m curious to know as to why Jazz+Travels recommends to sit on the right side
I agree from seasoned traveler point of view it is not scenic at all; I sat on the left side from Brussels to Amsterdam the first time I had ever been in that area in 2002 and just found the views of the old church towers interesting (for example the one at Mechelen).
