Train from Paris (Beauvais) (BVA) to Brussels?

No, you can't do either one directly from Beauvais. The airport is a long way from Paris. You will need to take the airport shuttle bus to Paris, and then either go to Gare du Nord to get a train to Brussels or to Gare St-Lazare to get a train to Caen or Bayeux.

If you go to Normandy, you will have to go back through Paris to get to Brussels.

Bummer. So if we were to go back through Paris to Normandy from the airport, where do people stay to visit the beaches/American cemetery? Or should we base ourselves in Paris? (if we decide to not just train it up from Paris)

You could prob take a look at the dozens of threads on here bout Normandy, where you and your bro can stay, how to do tours, etc.

Jeff,

One of the most convenient locations in Normandy to stay for visiting the beaches, the American cemetery and other sites is the town of Bayeux. It's also famous for the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts a battle which happened long before Normandy (1066 as I recall).

Bayeux is a beautiful and charming small town, and for those wishing to take a BattleBus Tour, it's the mandatory location to stay.

Happy travels!

Thanks for the tip on Bayeux. The only thing is is that it looks like there arent any hostels around and we were hoping for cheap accommodation. Any recommendations?

See this page for information on two hostels in Bayeux.

Thanks for that hostel info... And out of curiosity, how often do trains depart for brussels and when would the last one leave from Paris? (as it sounds like that is our best bet to get up north if we decide to not do Normandy)

You will need to take a Thalys train from Paris to Brussels. Weekday evening departures are at 18:25, 18:55, 19:25, 20:25, and 21:55. (The schedule may be slightly different on Saturdays and/or Sundays.)

The standard 2nd class fare is €86. However, if you book far enough in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.thalys.com, you can get a discount fare as low as €25. On the site choose France and English.

Thanks Tim! We would need to be booking it within a week or so so we would not be too far in advance. I cant find a fair for 25$. They have a Day trip (we could just not take the return)but the train leaves at 10:55 so not sure we could get back that soon.

http://www.thalys.com/fr/en/holiday-travel-and-special-offers/permanent-offers/thalys-day

I was so not expecting a 100+ ticket for a 1.5 hour ride...

I guess this type of travel is not too friendly to those just going with the flow eh? :(

Yes, I'm afraid that spontaneity can sometimes be costly.

What's your travel date? The €25 Smoove fares are long gone, but I plugged in an arbitrary date of 31 August and found Optiway fares of €43 and €52.

You could also take a Eurolines coach (highway bus). The standard fare is €21 and there are special fares that are even lower. Travel time is 3hr45min.

It will probably be the 1,2, or 3 of Sept is when we would be heading up. Depends on if we can get on a tour at Normandy or if we even decide to do it.

For people reading this thread in the future, my brother and I were able to book a bus out of Paris to Brussels the night before for about 23 euro.

http://www.eurolines.fr/

Thanks for all your guys' help, we had a great trip!