We are a family of four traveling to the above destinations. I started to investigate trains today as it is about 90 days til our trip. I am a bit confused, even after looking at Rick's books, as to the best way to travel between these 3 cities. Out trip is 2 weeks long. We will do some side trips, but these are our 3 overnight locations. Our kids are 12 and 14. Not sure if the rail passes are the best way or if there is even a need to pre-book. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Posted by
Austin
976 posts
Michelle, it's better to have only one posting. Please eliminate one.
Posted by
Denver
799 posts
I'm assuming that you will be flying into a city and out of a city - which cities? Into Amsterdam and out of Paris? When we visited those locations with our then-11yo daughter 1 1/2 years ago, we flew into Amsterdam, then took the train to Brussels. Then took the train to Bruges. And finished our trip by taking the train from Bruges (through Brussels) to Paris. We did not get rail passes, and didn't feel we needed rail passes (but we didn't make any side trips). The only tickets that we prebooked were the high-speed train (TGV) from Brussels to Paris. Enjoy - we loved our trip, and in fact, will be revisiting all of those sites in early June of this year, because we liked them so much.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
"...The only tickets that we prebooked were the high-speed train (TGV) from Brussels to Paris..." The Thalys train runs direct from Brussels-Paris; not the TGV. To get the cheapest fare it's essential to book ASAP via http://www.thalys.com. For all the other segments of your trip you can use regular inter-city trains which don't require advance tickets.
Posted by
Denver
799 posts
Sorry, I didn't check my notes - yes, it was the Thalys. You can also go from Bruges to Paris via Lille, but it worked better for us, and was more time-efficient, to go through Brussels and take the Thalys from there.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
You can book Thalys tickets up to 90 days in advance. If you can commit to specific departure dates and times, you can get discount fares. Book Amsterdam-Bruges via Antwerp at thalys.com. Amsterdam-Antwerp will be on a Thalys train. Antwerp-Bruges will be on an IC train. Book Bruges-Paris via Brussels on thalys.com. Bruges-Brussels will be on an IC train. Brussels-Paris will be on a Thalys train. The cheapest fare for each trip will be €25 plus a few more euro for each ABS (any Belgian station) add-on: Antwerp-Bruges and Bruges-Brussels. If you wait to buy your tickets at the station, you will pay a lot more. Standard fare Thalys tickets are pricey. Your tickets for the legs on IC trains will be good on any train. When you arrive in Antwerp you could see a bit of the city before jumping on any IC train to Bruges. You could take an early IC train from Bruges to Brussels, see a bit of the city, and then get on your reserved Thalys train to Paris.
Posted by
OP
woodinville, wa, usa
11 posts
Thanks for all of your responses regarding transportation. It sounds as if the only reservation I should make within 90 days of the trip should be our Brussels to Paris on Thalys. When I investigated further it looks like the IC trains in Belgium are pretty frequent and easy to buy. Is the best way to travel Amsterdam to Antwerp in route to Bruges, the Thalys also. Any need to book early?
Thanks again for your time.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you don't want to commit to a specific departure date and time for Amsterdam-Bruges, then just buy tickets for IC trains when you get to Amsterdam. However, there are two advantages to booking a Thalys train to Antwerp combined with the ABS ticket to Bruges: 1. Thalys trains are a lot faster than IC trains. 2. If you get the cheapest advance fare for the Thalys train, you'll actually pay less than you will for IC trains.