Is it best to book the train for this destination on the Belgium train system.
If I purchase on line how do I get the ticket?
Plus would this thicket also be a reserved seat or do I just take ticket to train station and find an unreserved seat?
Is that the Thalys train?
Thank you
It is indeed the Thalys service.
You can book the tickets with the Belgian railways NMBS (www.b-europe.com/Travel/Trains/Thalys) or with the French SNCF (https://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/). I didn't see a price difference for an at random date.
Ticket prices include mandatory reservation. And you get the ticket as an emailed pdf for home printing.
Thanks so much!
It has been awhile since I been to Europe.
I think the last time I was at the Paris train station and was able to print off all my tickets to all my destinations. I was not sure if that included my Belgium tickets.
As you say the pdf is my ticket and that is much better.
Then I just board with the on line ticket?
You board the train with that ticket. Those advance-bought discounted tickets are only valid for that specific day and time, so there is no need for validating.
Be at the platform some half hour before departure. For obvious reasons they have nowadays airport-like security checks.
Because online tickets are not changeable or refundable (unless that option is purchased), and are for a specific carriage number and seat number, there is no need to "validate" a bar-coded, prepaid online ticket.
It might be possible to do this itinerary with less-express trains, but because Thalys is such a bargain three-months or more in advance, it's not worth the trouble and changes. There are far fewer unreserved seats than your last trip to Europe. Pay attention to which station in Paris your train goes to. The Thalys ticket includes all three Brussels stations, but you must change from a very frequent local train if you don't start at Midi/Zuid Brussels. You can pay extra for "any Belgian Station" if you are starting from another city that day. (Local trains are unreserved in Belgium.)
Everyone has been a great help. I did this about 7 years ago but you things change and I forgot what I did back then:)
I will leave Midi that would work out fine from where I am staying.
I better book soon
