Hi we are flying into Brussels and plan to take a train from the airport to Amsterdam or Paris. Does anyone know if we need to buy tickets ahead of time for either of these cities or if we can buy them that day when we land? Thank you.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
KT, you can buy the tickets at the airport train station to go to either Paris or Amsterdam. At the airport, you will board a Belgian Railways IR or regional train to Brussels-Midi. At Brussels-Midi, you will transfer to a Thalys train to either Paris or Amsterdam. If you want to purchase tickets in advance, you can buy them on www.thalys.com. Just select Bruxelles-Aeroport/Brussel-Luchthaven as the origination point and Paris for the destination. I can see 50% discounted non-refund/non-exchange tickets as low as 29Euro 90 days out.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
From Brussels-Midi station to both Paris and Amsterdam the Thalys high-speed train provides direct service. It uses airline style pricing so the sooner you book the cheaper it will be (90 days allowed), but you will be locked into a specific departure. If you wait to purchase tickets at the train station after you land you will be paying the highest fare. The savings for booking ahead are significant. http://www.thalys.com
Posted by
Arlington, TX, USA
281 posts
If you are a senior be sure to ask for a special rate. Some trains have
different age requirements so ask what the age requirements are.
Posted by
OP
new york, NY, United States
61 posts
Thank you, all. I will reserve tickets before we get there. We generally go to Switzerland every summer and never had to buy tickets ahead of time, so was hoping this would be the same but it sounds like its not.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7884 posts
I presume you have a good reason for this routing. Paris has lots of discount flights from NYC. But even if you're coming home after visiting Belgium later, you could probably get a open-jaw plane ticket for the same as RT to BRU. I haven't been late arriving in BRU much, but if you get the cheapest train ticket, it will be a fixed time, like an air ticket. And it will cost you extra to change it if the plane is late. At peak tourist season, seat reservations can be sold out on major routes like the two trains you asked about. I've been on a full train from Brussels to Paris.