trains in belgium and the netherlands

The website for the Belgian rail system is www.b-rail.be/main/E. For the Dutch system it is www.ns.nl or www.ns.nl/servlet/Satellite?cid=1075985690180&pagename=www.ns.nl%2FPage%2FSuperHomepageEnglish. The Dutch site gives prices on the same page as the schedule. On the Belgian site, once you have your schedules listed, select one and click on "Details for selection". Then click "Buy On Line" or "Euro" for pricing info. You can always just not use the return portion of your ticket. If you want to use the return portion on another day, check with the ticket agent. Going from Brussels to Brugge, I asked for and received a round-trip ticket, wanting to use the return portion a different day. While on the train, I discovered that the return was for that day only. At Brugge, I was able to get a refund for the return ticket, less a penaly of about 30-40%. Lesson learned. I'm now more specific about my ticket requests.

Thanks, Rick.

I will try again, but on the Dutch system somehow
when I asked about the pricing, it was in Dutch
and not english.

I don't know how good the Rail Europe site is for up-to-the minute fares, etc., but I used it to determine my point to point pricing so I could determine whether I wanted to buy a rail pass or not. www.raileurope.com

Hi Roxanne, I looked on the website and they give
the schedules but the fares aren't available for
september. I will keep trying. Thanks

the b-rail site listed above is great - the prices are in English and are all there. If they don't have prices all the way out to September, just pick the same train for an earlier date and the price will be the same. For me personally, the b-rail site was the one I found the easiest and best when I was trying to plan my train travel.

O.K. I went to the b-rail site and put in all
the information and I got all the schedules
from Antwerpen to Amsterdam and return. However
I still don't see anywhere to get the fares.
What am I missing?????

Hi Juli....the Belgian railway network is just starting to sell tickets over the internet, and their system is still a little convoluted. So get "international" fares (like Antwerp-Amsterdam), click on "Traveling in Europe" at the top of their English home page, then look down the left side and click on the section that says "Book On Line....More." That'll open up a new window where you can check prices and buy tickets. They've just recently grafted this system onto their current site which, until this addition, had only offered timetables, and it's not all quite integrated efficiently yet. Remember....for Belgian-Netherlands regular routes like this, you can only purchase 30 days ahead...but a quick check shows Antwerp-Amsterdam at 28.80 Euro.

Thanks Norm. I will try again. I think it is
easier to rent a car.

I think I have this train thing figured out,
I have a single fare from brugge to Amsterdam for
40.80. I hope that is for 2 people.
I got another one from Amsterdam to Antwerpen
for 39.80 and that is for 2 people. It doesn't
seem right that it costs the same when the distance is farther from Brugge.
And I don't know how long it takes to change trains
in Antwerpen or any other station.
And the fare from Ansterday is only to Roosendaal.
Do we have to buy another ticket onward?
That is about $218 round trip.
Right now with the other side trips It is about
$310. Is it better to go into antwerpen-bercham
or antwerpen-centraal.
How long should we allow to change trains in
Anwerpen???? I think I asked this above.
Thanks

The prices (about $40) sounds right. Just in February, I paid approx. $11 from Amsterdam to Rotterdam for one adult. I'm a Dutch native and in my experience the shorter trips are more expensive. It seems that it's like a basic starter fare to get in the train and then it does not increase that much. on www.ns.nl, you should be able to get a trip schedule which includes the entire trip, one price, and it includes lay-overs, and it includes which 'line' you take if you have lay-over (I can't think of the word right now, but if you move from one train to another at the same station something you will highly likely have to do in Roosendaal. Feel free to email me if you have any additional questions. Good luck.

Hi, The fare isn't $40 it is 40.80 euros. I think
that is probably per person.

The fare is 40.80 Euro per person....about $55 U-S...not bad for a 3 1/2 hour train journey. Look for the trains labelled "IC" only (to avoid paying more for a Thalys segment), and those with only one change....that's at Antwerp-Berchem, which is a stop on the industrial outskirts of Antwerp....no need to go into Antwerp itself. The station there has about half a dozen tracks, and it's easy to get from one platform to another for your connecting train. You have about 10 minutes to wait....if you're unsure, just ask someone.

Norm, you are right. I didn't think about the
3 1/2 hrs. Thanks