Paris to Leiden Thalys Questions

Posted by Jane (Sapulpa, OK, USA) on 06/22/23 03:08 PM

I'm booking tickets to get us from Paris to Leiden next October. I have a few quick questions:

The Thalys only goes as far as Rotterdam on the route; can I book Paris-Rotterdam and Rotterdam-Leiden on the same ticket? I can't see how to do that. We did this same route in 2018, and it looks like I had to book separately.

If I book the Rotterdam-Leiden separately, do I need to reserve seats? Even if I don't reserve seats, should I buy the tickets in advance?

Are "Comfort" seats on the Thalys worth the 50% surcharge? I know that's a very individual choice, but what is your experience?

Thank you.

Posted by Badger

Uppsala, Sweden

06/22/23 03:17 PM

7051 posts

Where are you trying to book the tickets? You should be able to buy the trip on one ticket from NS international. Otherwise, just buy the Rotterdam-Leiden part from a ticket machine in Rotterdam. There is no advantage to buying train tickets in advance in the Netherlands and seat reservations are not possible on domestic trains.

The comfort seats are nice on the Thalys, but so are the standard seats. In my opinion I would not pay 50% more for a comfort ticket if travelling in a group.

Posted by Jane OP

Sapulpa, OK, USA

06/22/23 04:14 PM

6552 posts

Thanks, Badger. I looked at RometoRio, and on the Thalys site. I'll check NS International.

I think when we did this in 2018 we did just as you suggested, and bought Rotterdam-Leiden tickets at Rotterdam. I do like having them in hand ahead of time, though.

Posted by Dutch_traveler

The Netherlands

06/23/23 06:05 AM

1613 posts

Please forget you ever learned about Rome2Rio, they are nothing but a 3rd party ticket reseller that is known to give some very incorrect advice at times.

The place to buy train tickets from, is the company that actually operates the train(s) you plan to take. In this case, you can buy your tickets from Thalys or from NS International. NS is the name of the Dutch national railway company and https://www.nsinternational.com/ is their website to buy tickets from that involve an international train ride.
Another option is to buy your ticket for Paris-Rotterdam on Thalys and your Rotterdam- Leiden ticket from NS. You can buy NS tickets in their app, via their website or from a machine at the train station.
Since earlier this year, you can also pay for your public transport journey throughout the entire country by tapping in and out with your credit or debit card. See here for more info https://www.ovpay.nl/en

Posted by Jane OP

Sapulpa, OK, USA

08/01/23 08:06 PM

6552 posts

Hi, Dutch_traveler: once again your answer is to the point, useful, and helpful. It looks like the ovpay, using contactless credit or debit cards, is just what we will need while we are in the Netherlands later this year.

The link you provided was helpful; here's a YouTube video that goes into more detail, and answers some other questions I was going to ask. Thanks for you help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxWdrKTlu3A