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Trains and Money Amsterdam->Antwerp->Paris

Posted by (Boise) on

Hi, I first want to say a big thank you to the all posters on this site. We are so excited about our Benelux-France honeymoon upcoming in June. We are both completely new to international travel and the tips on this site have been so valuable.

I have read and read and I'm still a little confused about our train travel between the cities. The Benelux-France Saver Pass seems like a good deal and it would meet our needs of going from Amsterdam to Antwerp, Antwerp to Paris and then from Paris back to Amsterdam. I think we would be able to do the four day pass and have this travel all covered, is that correct? How do I find out more about the schedules - do I need to wait until we are within 90 days? Will I need any other tickets besides ones for in-city metros? Should I make some type of reservations for the seats between cities? Is the pass for one specific train company or multiple? Are there many trains available each day?

I also would appreciate any strategic tips on planning to use money and currency (I know, I know, I'll buy a money belt) And I will bring a credit card. But should I get lots of Euros in the States and bring them? Is planning to use ATM's frequently a good idea? I guess I have an idea of the options, I'm just not sure what the best ones are. Thanks!

Posted by
12040 posts

I wouldn't know anything about the Saver Pass... But to answer some of your other questions:

Unless you're traveling on the Thalys line over a holiday, you do not need to make any advanced reservations for rail travel. Just show up at the station and buy a ticket. Between the cities you mentioned, trains run all day, although you will probably have to make some transfers. You probably won't have to wait more than an hour at any given point.

Second, unless you know for a fact that your ATM card won't work in Europe (which is rare), get all of your euros from an ATM when you arrive. ATMs in Europe will give you the best exchange rate, and you can find them everywhere.

Posted by
32318 posts

Jules,

I'm not sure I'd bother with a Rail Pass for only three trips? It's extremely easy to buy P-P tickets between each of those cities. Also, keep in mind that even with a Rail Pass, you would still need to buy reservations if you happened to choose a train where these were compulsory.

If you're using P-P tickets these will usually be for a specific train (the Train No. will be specified - check the Info board to see which track this departs from). If you have reserved seats, the Car No. and Seat No. will also be specified. If you're using a Rail Pass, you can board any train (provided no reservations are required). YES, there are usually a number of trains available between cities each day. You might find it useful to read Rick's PDF Rail Guide, which is available on this website. Check the bahn.de website for train departure times, whether reservations are needed and other details.

Regarding the money questions, I normally take 50-100€ just for expenses along the way. ATM access is so easy in Europe, so not hard to get more. Be sure your funds are in a Chequing account with a 4-digit PIN. I normally take at least two ATM cards on different accounts, and at least one credit card. It would be a good idea to notify your Bank that you'll be travelling in Europe, so they don't "flag" your Cards and de-activate them! Also, check with them regarding ATM or other charges so that you have a clear idea on the costs. Many travellers prefer to withdraw larger amounts of cash, rather than make frequent withdrawals (in order to minimize the service charges).

Money Belts are definitely recommend for both of you! These are available on the site here, or check the Eagle Creek website for dealers in your area. You could also check Magellans. It would be a good idea to read the section on "Scams" in Europe Through The Back Door also.

Congratulations and Happy travels!

Posted by
1568 posts

Jules, we arrived at Schiphol and took our maximum per day from the ATM there. The customs agent or any police man will tell you were the ATM is located.

A'Dam to Antwerp will be 1 travel pass day if you are spending the night in Antwerp.

Antwerp to Paris will be your 2nd travel pass day

Paris back to A'Dam will be your 3rd travel pass day.

IMO, other than the Thayls you will not need reservations.

We made our reservation for the Thayls the day before our trip to Paris. BTW, it was June and the car was almost empty. I believe there were 2 other people in the car.

When we used our ATM's, we always took out our daily maximum.

Be sure to notify your bank your departure and return dates and the countries you plan to visit.

The German Rail Site will give you timetables for each day, however, it will not give you the price. There timetables are very accurate and I use it for most western european countries.

http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

Practice and it will become easy to use. And for practice use a date several days ahead and enter the time as 06:00 and keep clicking "Later" and it will show you all the trains for that date.

Posted by
2 posts

Hi - thanks for all of the replies. I knew about Thalyes, but somehow thought that it would be more expensive. Does anyone know how the Thayles facilities compare to the other trains - like with the pass, there's first and second class (and I read about these on this site). Is the Comfort 1 and Comfort 2 on Thayles pretty equivalent? I think the Thayles also had variations within the class, but I wasn't sure, and it was easy to get to directed to non-English sites when I was trying to get an idea of ticket prices.

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