What is the best way to Paris from Mons? I'm looking for a combination of easy, fast and cheap. I'll trade some time for cheap and/or easy.
One suggestion is to go into Brussels and catch a Eurostar. Is that the best option? The friend I'm visiting can give me a ride into Brussels.
Since you are getting a ride to Brussels you can either take the train
https://www.sncf-connect.com/app/en-en/home/shop/results/outward
Or the bus
https://www.flixbus.com/
Search each option and select the one that is the most reasonable to you. The train would be more comfortable.
When are you going?
During the Olympic games SNCB (Belgian Railways) are running 2 trains a day from Brussels to Paris with 12 car loco hauled trains.
They run via the Classic lines, so take about one hour longer than Eurostar but are also cheaper. Certainly easy as it is a through train.
Tickets are only available on www.b-europe.com. not through 3rd parties like the trainline, rail Europe etc
You do not need to make any a priori assumptions about the route.
Just go to www.b-europe.com, type in "Jurbise" as origin, and "Paris" as destination. Pick date and time, and presto, you will get times and prices.
The most obvious route is via Brussels. But you can also go via Lille, which is probably going to be a lot cheaper, as Eurostar is price gauging.
You will see both routes on B-Europe. But you can also split the trip to get more options. Book Jurbise - Lille Flandres on www.b-europe.com, and Lille Flanders - Paris on www.sncf-connect.com
This will be 28 September. The Olympics will be over.
On b-Europe I see for example departures in Jurbise at 7:33, 8:33, 9:33, and 11:33 all for 42.8 in second class. This is via Mons and Lille. There are other departures as well. Goinv via Brussels is more expensive and not that much faster.
Friends don't ask friends to drive them to Brussels...
Thanks,
I ended up booking from Maubeuge to Paris Gare du Nord. It's convenient to Mons. The regional, 2nd class, was ten euro each - a little under two hours.
That is a good option. That is actually the route that trains to Paris took before the High Speed Line was build.
Good that you went from Mons to Maubeuge to Paris Nord.
One of the advantages of being in Maubeuge is the direct connection. Maubeuge is a very interesting town as is Mons if you're interested in the beginnings of WW1. Maubeuge was a fortress town, the ramparts there reveal that.
I didn't get to Maubeuge this time (unfortunately ! ) but last summer I took a day trip to from Paris Nord to Maubeuge, very interesting, have to return.
Fred,
Thanks for the information. I'll have to plan some time to look around.
Brad
@ Travel Boss....You're welcome.
As you walk from the train station in Maubeuge, you'll come across a river, the Sambre, (the sign there indicates that) famous in French military music, an instrumental, most likely played on the massive parade on 14 July : "La Meuse et Sambre." Maubeuge was a fortress town ever since the early 1700s , the ramparts were built as defense against the Dutch and English.
It was the Sambre at Charleroi where Napoleon crossed into Belgium and ended up at Waterloo.
