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Train Help PLEASE!!

Posted by (Carrollton, TX, USA) on

Hi Train Experts:

I am looking at booking a train from Paris to Bruges on Thalys.com for the morning of June 16, 2008.

I have 2 questions. 1) The suggested itinerary has us on a TGV train 7411 from Paris to Lille Flandres, then on TER 19805 to Bruges. The connection time is 6 mins. We are a family of 5 - three children ages 18, 14, 10,- each with a rolling duffel. Is that enough time to make the connection? It will be our first train trip. Or should I take the trains through Bruxelles-Mini with a 15-min lay-over? The Lille Flandres connection is a bit cheaper.

2) I know that this has been discussed, but I can't seem to find it. Can I use the Mastercard I used to purchase these tickets to retrieve my tickets in Paris for this trip if I purchase it now?

Thanks, guys, for any help you can give me. I am a bit nervous about this upcoming 25 day, 8 country trip with lots of train travel. I thought I pretty much had it figured out, but now that it is time to start buying the tickets.....

Thanks again,
Cindy
Carrollton, TX

Posted by
23278 posts

Looks like Jeff is continuing to promote RailEurope. I think he is the CA marketing rep. Just remember if you use RailEurope it is a travel agency and they charge fees, some think the fees are high, for their services.

Posted by
8700 posts

Cindy, I assume you meant to refer to the SNCF site rather than the Thalys site when you talked about booking a TGV to Lille. Trains to Bruges, whether regional or IC and whether direct or with a change in Kortrijk, run about once an hour. No reservations are possible. If you miss your connection in Lille--and I don't think you will so long as you are the first people to get out of your car--you can take the next train.

Go to the ticket window in Paris, hand over the MasterCard you used to book the tickets along with the booking confirmation number, pick up your tickets, and be on your way.

Discount fares are still available for your particular Paris-Lille TGV if you book ASAP at www.voyages-sncf.com. That can be a little complicated if you can't handle basic French. If you want help, just ask.

Posted by
8 posts

Tim,

Thanks so much. I was hoping I would hear from you or Norm, because after reading hours and hours of information from this helpline, the two of you really seem to know your trains.

Also, after spending hours checking prices p2p over 8 countries, www.raileurope.com NEVER comes out on top.

Thanks, again, Tim.

Cindy

Posted by
8 posts

Tim,

I did actually mean Thalys.com. Is there some reason not to book on Thalys.com?

I have your instructions for getting the SNCF page in English, but that doesn't seem to be working right now, so is it ok to book on Thalys.com? If so, can I still pick up my tickets using my mastercard in Paris?

I would like to get these tickets purchased and move on to the next leg of the trip.

Thanks,
Cindy

Posted by
8700 posts

Cindy, If you book at thalys.com, you'll be limited to taking an expensive Thalys train to Brussels, then connecting to Bruges. To book your Paris-Lille TGV, etc., you'll need to use either raileurope.com or voyages-sncf.com.

If you decide to use Rail Europe, you're in luck today! I just did a fare check and as of a moment ago the prices at RE and SNCF were identical (even including RE's $18 shipping fee) for the Paris-Lille TGV + the connecting train to Bruges. The reason for this is that the cheapest discount fares on the SNCF site are gone for your date and time.

For the SNCF site in English, try this link: http://tinyurl.com/5gfayy.

If you book at either thalys.com or voyages-sncf.com, follow the same credit card procedure as I outlined in my previous note. Be aware that on the SNCF site you'll need to choose the option of retrieving your tickets from a machine--which won't work with a US credit card because those machines only accept cards with embedded chips. Don't worry. Go to the ticket window. The person there can swipe your card.

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