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Trains: Amsterdam-Brussels-London-Paris

Posted by (austin, tx, usa) on

My wife & I will travel to Amsterdam in mid-Sept. After visiting Amsterdam, we plan to take the train (which one?) to Brussels for a few nights, then continue on by train to London for several nights, before taking the train to Paris for our last leg, from where we will fly home.

Is it better to book all these three legs of train travel separately, or can they all be booked as one long journey? For example, I know that on a train trip from Amsterdam to London, one must change trains in Brussels. Do I buy a Amsterdam-London ticket and am I then allowed to stay over in Brussels for 2 nights, or must I buy Amsterdam-Brussels and then a separate Brussels-London ticket?

Any advice/info/tips will be much appreciated, and I thank you in advance. This forum is a fantastic resource and I appreciate everyone who is gracious enough to share their knowledge with the rest of us!

Posted by
7175 posts

Can you start in London to avoid backtracking to Paris ??

Fly London to Amsterdam.
Then Thalys train ....
Amsterdam to Brussels,
Brussels to Paris.

Amsterdam to Brussels to Paris is by Thalys train - each leg must be booked separately at ...
https://www.thalys.com

London to Paris is by Eurostar train. Book directly at ...
http://www.eurostar.com/uk-en

Posted by
35 posts

flying into amsterdam; flying out of paris.

Posted by
21274 posts

You have to reserve and buy tickets for each leg. If you want one-stop shopping, use www.trainline.eu. They sell tickets for different train operators at the same price as going direct, in your case Thalys for Amsterdam to Brussels, and Eurostar for Brussels to London and London to Paris. They use airline style ticketing, buy early and get discount nonrefundable tickets that include seat reservations, or pay through the nose for tickets at the station. On-line tickets can be printed at home, or loaded on a smart phone.

Posted by
7175 posts

I surprised myself with the time comparison. I thought the difference would be more.

1hr 51min Amsterdam-Brussels
1hr 28min Brussels-Paris
3hr 16min Paris-London

1hr 51min Amsterdam-Brussels
2hr 37min Brussels-London
3hr 16min London-Paris

Posted by
35 posts

Many thanks for the info, much appreciated.

Posted by
15798 posts

Two things to keep in mind. There are a limited number of reduced price tickets, which sell out. Some departure times sell out faster than others. The price will only go up, so the sooner you buy, the more you'll save. Be sure to check the dates and times carefully before you buy since tickets are no-change-no-refund. Also remember when planning that you gain/lose an hour going to/from London, so if you take, say, a 7 pm train from London to Paris, it's 3.25 hours, but you arrive in Paris at 11.15, not 10.15.

BTW, if you want to visit Bruges/Ghent, you may be better off going via Antwerp than Brussels.

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