Hello,
I really appreciate your experience & help with this. I'm getting very confused looking at the train schedules...and some aren't published this far in advance. We will not have a car at any point (unless you advise we should)
Here is what we are going to need if you can advise on types of train tickets we need. I also need to figure out how best to get from train stations to hotels in AMS, Ghent, & Paris. We are a family of 2 adults and 4 kids (18, 16, 14, 11) Traveling late May - Early June
1. AMS airport to hotel in AMS 4 nights
2. AMS to Ghent, one night
3. Ghent to Paris, in Paris 5 nights
4. Paris to Versailles for the day
5. Paris to Interlaken/Bernese Oberland
6. BO area, staying in Lauterbrunnen, Murren, or Grendelwald (Swiss rail ticket needed), 5 nights
7. BO to Zurich for flight home
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Shannon, May/June 2019 is a long way off. Timetables change on the 2nd Sunday in December. Some companies have already published times for 2019, the rest will over the next few weeks. But expect only time changes, no major route changes.
Airport into a city is usually local trains with a frequent service. just go to the station, buy a ticket and get on. Even if you are going long distance from the airport, it is usually not a good idea to buy in advance, as you cannot predict when you will emerge from the airport. Flights can be late, especially intercontinental flights, and you may get stuck in immigration.
Details for your trips:
- 1. AMS airport to hotel in AMS 4 nights - Just head for the station (underneath the terminal), buy a ticket and get on the next train.
- 2. AMS to Ghent, one night -Buy in advance for discounts on the high speed train from Amsterdam.
- 3. Ghent to Paris, in Paris 5 nights - ditto, buy in advance
- 4. Paris to Versailles for the day - local commuter train. Buy a ticket on the day from your nearest métro station to Versailles.
- 5. Paris to Interlaken/Bernese Oberland - buy in advance. You will need to specify which location in the Berner Oberland you want to travel to.
- 6. BO area, staying in Lauterbrunnen, Murren, or Grendelwald (Swiss rail ticket needed), 5 nights -Also consider a Berner Oberland Pass: https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/
- 7. BO to Zurich for flight home -You want Zürich airport (station name "Zürich Flughafen"), not Zürich city. Buy a ticket on the day from wherever you are in the Berner Oberland.
"get from train stations to hotels in AMS, Ghent, & Paris." - Amsterdam: Tram. Ghent: tram or walk, Paris: métro
You will be using the métro a lot to get round Paris.
P.S. I hope you are looking for train times on the websites of the companies running the trains, and NOT on a reseller in a different continent. Resellers (with some exceptions) don't list all trains and charge higher prices.
if you want to know where to look, read this website:https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Both international trains (Thalys and TGV) require reservations and are cheapest if booked about 4 months ahead. A Swiss Travel Pass can kick in from Basel, if you only buy your reserved TGV ticket that far. For traveling over 6 days in Switzerland, the closest-fitting version of that pass is actually for 8 consecutive days. STP coverage of Muerren-Schilthorn may be reverting to a discount in 2019, so check back later on that.