My wife and I will be in Paris in early June and want to buy our train tickets from Paris to Brussels, then on to Amsterdam. How difficult is it to buy train tickets in Europe for these destinations; as opposed to going through Rail Europe here in the US?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19100 posts
It's a very well kept secret. When Europeans want to go somewhere, they go to the RailEurope website to buy their tickets. (And if you believe that, I've got a deal for you on a bridge.)
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
Very easy to buy once there. the only reason to buy ahead would be if you want a railpass for multiple journeys, I would bet that on just the journey you propose alot cheaper than any railpass could be.
you can get an idea of the fare w/o a pass on www.raileurope.com
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
If you are able to navigate the different country train websites, (i.e. French, German and Swiss), you can get some really good fares by purchasing online up to 90 days before travel. It's possibly the only good reason for buying early from the U.S.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9101 posts
It's not difficult, but the high-speed train operators use airline style pricing, so to get the lowest fare it's essential to purchase tickets in advance via the web to save money. Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam, route is served by the Thalys high speed train. You can schedules and book tickets at: http://www.thalys.com
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
We took the train from Brussels to Paris on 2003, buying the ticket the day of travel. It was surprisingly fast from city to city.. and surprisingly expensive. It's worth looking into whether advance purchase would save you money. You might consider going to a travel agent for long haul tickets, and compare the cost to purchasing online.
Posted by
Kansas
1175 posts
Go to www.seat61.com. All of your questions and lots of tips on purchasing rail tickets from the US are there. We always purchase rail tickets using England as our home country to avoid the automatic transfer to Rail Europe and their incomplete schedules and higher prices. Purchase your tickets 90 in advance of travel to avoid the much higher prices close to the travel date. You may be able to print out your tickets on your home computer, depending on which tickets you purchase. Call or email your credit card company prior to purchasing rail tickets from a foreign site or they will likely not allow the transaction. Don't wait until you get to Paris to purchase your rail tickets. Early June means your rail tickets are on sale right now. June is busy all across Europe so you'd better get moving with all of your reservations if you haven't done so already.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4407 posts
Buy them ASAP; buy them from Thalys.com. It's very easy! You'll save a bunch of €/$. (You CAN buy them there, though...for lots more money) Do you want to spend €90 p/p, Paris to Brussels? Or would you rather spend €25 p/p?!? I thought so ;-) Buy them ASAP; you'll have your ticket in your hand before you leave home! DO carefully read the restrictions, though...!!! **And FWIW, yes, I've actually purchased tickets this way from them, and it's extremely easy! Just watch the restrictions...As with most other tickets, the cheaper you go, the more restrictive the rules.