Best Train transport from Paris to Dusseldorf

What day are you traveling?
There is a direct TGV train service from Paris Gare du Nord.
That is the one I would buy using the website
https://www.trainline.eu

Erma,

I do not understand the question. Trains are available across a range of price and duration of trip, and departure and arrival times. Pick the one that suits you best.

I understand that in some regions like Switzerland some people might select a train based on the scenic quality of a particular route. No such consideration applies in any meaningful way between Paris and Dusseldorf.

No one here is a better judge of which departure for which price will be better for you and your family than you and your family.

By lots of trains, I suspect you mean lots of places to buy tickets. You might want to have a look at Seat61 to get a basic idea of European trains--very useful site:
https://www.seat61.com

I will be coming from the 9th District. Is Gare du Nord still the best departure location? I purchase that in advance from thalys.com, correct? thank you!

Thank you everyone for your quick replies. I am looking for a scenic comfortable route from Paris to Dusseldorf. Cost is not an issue.
So is the Thalys.com route the way to go ? I'm coming from the 9th district?

All direct trains leave from Gare du Nord operated by Thalys

Thank you Jazz Travels, Adam and everyone! I appreciate it.

Hi,

I've done this route in the old days when a night train connected the two cities. The 9th district borders the 10th where you have to go to catch the train at Paris Nord, ie, Gare du Nord.

The route is fine,especially if you're interested in and aware of the historical connection of this route since the train will go through Aachen and Liege. I prefer now when going from Paris to Germany taking the central route, Paris Est to Frankfurt going through Lorraine and Saarbrücken...depends if it's the TGV or ICE.

Thanks Fred. One last question. If I buy the Eurail Global Pass, can i use this pass on a Thalys train? Sorry for all the clueless questions!

1. Look up connections at www.bahn.com (type in just PARIS, not Paris North as point of dep.). Select your date and under options select direct trains only. That brings up all four daily direct train connections from Paris to D. Write down the price and repeat your search by deselecting direct trains. There may come up cheaper connections with a transfer in Frankfurt or Köln or somewhere else.

2. Repeat your search at trainline.eu and thalys.com and compare prices. ideally, there should be no or not a huge difference, but soetimes it happens.

Very informative! Now I understand how it works now, Thank you so much, sla019! :-)

The starting point in your city doesn't matter. In a city with more than one station, the train to another specifc city will only leave from one specific station, and arrive at one specific station. You don't get a choice.

Before you even consider buying a rail pass, read this and make sure you understand ALL his points: https://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#railpass-or-point-to-point-tickets

Thank you Liz and Harold!

Yes, passes are of doubtful use. As Seat 61 will remind you, long train rides can require seat reservations which are included in point-to-point tickets but must be purchased separately from the pass, at extra cost.

@ Erma...To answer your question, yes, the Global Pass is valid on the Thalys train. I am a Pass user but with your itinerary I would strongly advise against getting a Pass, much less a Global Pass. That is not necessary, ie, overkill, since you aren't doing much zig zag traveling, long distances, night trains, etc.

Personally, I avoid taking Thalys trains, lot of reasons. I travel solo, so it is basically different from you with family members.

If I were going from Paris to Düsseldorf, solo, I would take the morning TGV Paris Est to Frankfurt Hbf on a 92 day adv ticket, having printed it out at home, or even earlier, 1st class for 49 Euro, which is the rock bottom price, knowing that I've sacrificed here any flexibility for savings as this ticket is train specific and obviously, dep time specific with a mandatory seat reservation. .

That TGV arrives ca 11am in Frankfurt Hbf, then have a leisurely hot lunch in the station, after which, use my rail Pass to board the ICE direct to Düsseldorf. I stay in a small hotel 2-3 mins from the station, within a 5 min radius is the Post Office, a grocery store, an internet cafe/call shop., (who says these don't exist anymore? You just have to know where they are ), plus the hotel offers a free transit pass for taking the bus or U-Bahn.

Thank you Fred for providing great options! Very informative! I appreciate it.

Thank you Southam! Things are making sense now. Thanks again!

@ Erma....You're welcome!

What you could do to avoid going through Belgium on the Thalys is this: Depending on when your trip is, June, July August? Further out, you book on Deutsche Bahn two tickets (adult) from Paris Est to Frankfurt Hbf, 1st class (this is one of the occasions I spurge the extra 10 Euro, not because of the seats in 2nd class, necessarily on the TGV or ICE trains, but for the luggage space.

No problem getting a seat as long as you have a seat reservation, finding appropriate luggage space close by may be more taxing. People hog luggage space, that's evident in 2nd class. In 1st class it's better, which is one reason I spend the extra 10 Euro when doing the routes between Germany and Paris.

Those 92 days adv discount tickets get you to Frankfurt, but that still leaves the problem of reaching Düsseldorf. For that leg you do likewise, book the adv discount tickets, Frankfurt to Düsseldorf, the cheapest for ICE trains start at 29 Euro , 2nd class, but that price also depends on the time of departure.

If you arrive ca 11 am in Frankfurt Hbf, relax, have lunch, you should book a departure between 13:30 and 14:00 hrs, unless you are in a real hurry to get to Düsseldorf as early as you can. Admittedly, going this route to Frankfurt and changing to Düsseldorf will take a more time, but I think it's a more pleasant ride.

Once the TGV clears the greater Paris area, it'll go without stopping until Forbach, (Lorraine), just before the border, afterwards it bypasses Metz heading for its first stop Saarbrücken Hbf.

If you're interested in the history, you'll see as the train speeds east out the station , "Drancy" That site was the grim site of the deportation in WW2. I've two of these sites in France...this one Drancy from a distance on the train, the other in Compiegne, which I bumped into after looking at the WW1 connected history. That was my main reason for going to see Compiegne

You can go to Compiegne from Gare du Nord.

Thank you Fred! I’m learning so much already. Thank you for all the tips and the relevant route info. This site is great!