Trying to get from Bruges to Paris (Marais District/carry on luggage only)on 12/30/07. 2 adults to children ages 17/12. A previous posting from Aug on this site re Brussels to Paris is helpful but I'm still confused. Chkng the RailEurope site I can travel via Thalys $382 or TGV $358 but I'm not clear if that is truly from Bruges or Brussels. Also how do I ck times/prices of RER trains (are those just regional trains) and do I need/recommend reservations. Thank everyone so much for help!!
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Just brief checking on www.bahn.de showed one train leaving Bruges (Brugge) for Paris at 5:28 pm. It's about a 2 1/2 hour trip to Paris' Gare Nord. Though it's a Sunday, there must be more trains to Brussels and from Brussels to Paris that day. Others may do better at estimating fares for you than I can.
Because any train from Belgium will arrive at Gare Nord you don't need the RER to get to the Marais. The Metro gets you there for a standard ticket. Buy packs of ten tickets (carnets) for convenience and savings.
The RER is the commuter train network to Paris' suburbs. There are no reservations and the fare depends on how many zones you travel through (you can research through www.ratp.fr).
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
Several years ago I traveled by train from Brugge to Paris. I took a short train ride from Brugge to Brussels, then caught another train to Paris. It's all easier if you have a railpass covering both countries. You may need a reservation for the Brussels-Paris leg, but probably not for the Brugge-Brussels leg.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
You can do MUCH BETTER avoiding Rail Europe and booking tickets yourself.
The cheapest route is Bruges-Kortrijk-Lille on regional trains and Lille-Paris on a TGV. Go to www.bahn.de to get timetables for the whole route, but enter a date in the first week in December because new timetables will be issued around 10 December. Click on "via" and enter Lille. Put any number in the age field. After you get summary timetables, click on "Details for all" to see the connecting points.
Then go to www.voyages-sncf.com to book tickets for Lille-Paris. Enter your actual date. Pick a departure time from Lille that coordinates with trains arriving from Kortrijk. If you hurry, you may still be able to get PREM'S (discount) fares. Leave France as the default country, do NOT choose cancellation insurance, and print your own tickets.
There is no need to book Bruges-Kortrijk-Lille in advance. Tickets are very cheap and no reservations are possible.
Posted by
OP
san francisco
4 posts
Thanks everyone for your help. The idea of visiting Lille on our way to Paris sounded appealing. I ended up booking the TGV from Lille as suggested and was able to get a prem fare. We'll leave Bruges in the morning on the train to Kortrijk/Lille which will allow us time in Lille to look around and have lunch before our TGV leaves in the afternoon. The web sites are great and we'll buy the pack of ten tickets in Paris. Believe it or not I do have both of Ricks newest books on Amsterdam/Bruges/Brussels and Paris but my brain started to go into overload.
Thanks again!