I am visiting Belguim for a week and want to take day trips to Paris and Amsterdam. Since I am not sure how much time we want to spend in each city I was considering the France-Benelux rail pass so we can catch a train whenever we are ready to leave. However after reading posts it seems like there are surcharges if we pre book the tickets and there are issues getting seats on the high speed trains. Is it better to do the France-Benelux rail pass or book set tickets?
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
DO NOT buy a 3rd party rail pass for Belgium and the Netherlands, it is a complete waste of money. For domestic trains in these countries, it is not even possible to make reservations (nor would it be necessary). If your party plans to make two or more trips within Belgium, buy a 10 trip rail pass from the national rail company, NMBS. It costs about 60 euro, and it covers everyone in your party. Example- two people traveling round trip from Brussels to Antwerp would count for 4 of the 10 trips. You can buy this pass at any Belgian rail station. I wouldn't particularly recommend day trips to Paris or Amsterdam. Even taking the high speed Thalys line, the distances are too far for a satisfying day trip. But if you really want to do this... buy tickets through Thalys in advanced to get the best price. You can order the tickets through the company's website.