question about scheduling train from Amsterdam to Paris

I've done AMS-Paris before by rail and the TGV was nowhere near full. I'd wait to buy tickets after you arrive in AMS. It looks like there are departures every hour, so if you miss one train the next will leave an hour later.

Departing for Paris after arriving at AMS is no big cost in terms of vacation time since that day is mostly shot due to jet lag. At some point in your itinerary you have to backtrack to return to AMS; better it be a groggy jet lag day than one where you're fully rested.

On the other hand, buying the train tickets in advance usually gets you a discount. On most trains, a ticket for travel on a given day is good for any departure on that day. So, a 10 AM departure ticket to Paris is still valid on a 2 PM departure. However, I'm not 100% sure if this applies to the AMS-Paris TGV.

The walk-up one-way fare seems to be €135 per person. That's pretty painful to me. I'm not sure what the lowest possible fare is, or how soon you plan to travel, but I see some Thalys departures in late April at €35. For that sort of fare difference, I'd allow some extra time and buy the tickets in advance, risking €35 (per person) in an effort to save €100.

That will be the Thalys line, not the TGV, Which for this answer does not matter, as a seat reservation is required and it is for a specific train. While you can get regular trains from AMS to as far as Antwerp, which will not be train specific, you will still, as far as I can tell, need the Thalys to get from there to Paris, which will be specific.

Personally, we prefer less transfers in lodging and would go to Paris directly. Also, personally, we have not had any problems with advance reservations, and would be willing to reserve a train on a 3 hour window of scheduled arrival. Your comfort level will of course vary.

The cost is so much lower if purchased several months out that I would do this leaving about 4 hours to catch the Thalys in Amsterdam or 3 at the Schiphol. (I seem to recall that the Thalys always stops at Schiphol so it makes sense to book from there). We have paid 35 Euro or so for Amsterdam Paris tickets when buying 3 or 4 months out. It is at least 3 times this last minute. Give yourself a comfortable gap and take the risk. You can misjudge and have to buy a new ticket, but if you give yourself 3 hours or more for a Schiphol train you probably make it.

That said we once had a plane come in to Amsterdam 5 hours late -- but that was an odd situation where we had to turn back to Gander to offload a passenger. I'd take the risk knowing it is not 100% guarantee rather than breaking the trip up.

Yes, you do need a reserved Thalys train to get to Paris, unless you want the trip to take 7+ hours and 3+ connections. And yes, full fares are expensive and cheaper fares are inflexible.

Thanks for the replies! I would plan to reserve the train in advance to get the lowest fare. We'll be there the last week in May. I just can't decide whether or not to risk missing our train if something goes wrong with our flight if we leave straight for Paris. I am overly nervous sometimes! But at the same time, I would rather not break up Amsterdam in two different stays, but maybe that wouldn't be a big deal.

So if you’re a nervous-nelly and overplanner, as I am, just reserve one night at a hotel next to the Amsterdam train station and get on an early train the next morning. That’s hardly breaking your trip up as you’ll be groggy the first day anyway, and will get to Paris early for early a full day there.

If you have not booked your flights, or can change them; why not fly into one city and out of the other?
That would save you money and time.

Yes, open jaw would have been ideal but we found a really low round trip fare to Amsterdam, and I was excited to grab it. Paris wasn't actually in our initial plans. We were going to do Amsterdam, Bruges, and the area around Geilenkirchen, Germany to see my cousin, but it turns out work has her away during the times we will be in Europe. She had initially suggested Paris as a possible side trip for us, so it got us thinking about turning our trip into an Amsterdam-Paris trip instead. There's so much to see in Europe, it is hard to choose where to go!

Book the Thalys well in advance for same day as flight arrival , allow 3-4 hours after arrival - if you miss it you will be out 35 or so Rios and buy a more expensive last minute ticket - chances are more likely you won’t miss it . It’s a small gamble .

Thanks for the help all! It sounds like most people think that it won't be a problem scheduling a train the same day that we arrive.

If you land in the morning, and it's a nonstop flight from home, book the Thalys from Schiphol to Paris about 4 hours after your landing time, to be on the safe side. If you had a flight connection, allow more time in case that's delayed. (You may nap on the train and miss some scenery, but you'll catch it on the way back.)

If you land late in the day, then get a hotel either near Amsterdam Centraal or near Schiphol, depending on how late in the day it is. Then Thalys to Paris the next morning.

Speaking as a Psychology professor, I'll just add that it's ALL in how you frame the issue. There are 2 ways to view it:

One way is to buy the cheaper advance fares for say, 2 hours after planned arrival, and then just worry and keep telling yourself, "What if the plane is late?! We'll lose those tickets! Oh no...."

Or, the other way is to say, "We're planning on buying the walk-up fare tickets at full price. That's how it is. However, we also saw that we could place a 35 Euro bet that the plane wouldn't be more than 2 hours late, and it pays off 3 to 1! Planes being that late are certainly less than 1 in 10, so that's a great bet!"

Ha ha, that is a great point, Shoe! I guess my problem is that since we are a family of four, I look at the costs of having to buy a new ticket the day of as multiplied by four, which feels like a lot to me! We might end up splitting our Amsterdam trip up after all...

I love Thalys and you will love the 35€ fare between AMS or Amsterdam Centraal and Paris Gare du Nord especially with 4 people traveling. I typically allow at least 4 hours for same day travel when taking the train from the airport.

If you would prefer to spend the first day in Amsterdam to give you peace of mind, why not. You'll still get that 35€ fare the following day as long as you buy the tickets when they go on sale which is 120 days in advance of the day of travel. 2nd class seats are VERY comfortable. It's only 3 hours from AMS and just under 3 1/2 hours from Amsterdam Centraal.

Speaking as an economist, I endorse Shoe's analogy.