We are renting a car from Paris, cdg and driving through Britany, Normandy, and Giverny. We would then like to return the car to CDG and catch a train to Bruges. Do you have recommendations? Can we catch a train at the airport? If not, what is the best way to get to a different station in Paris? (or is it better to return the car to an alternate site). From Bruges, we are traveling to Amsterdam. Is it better to purchase a ticket in advance from Brussels to Amsterdam and just get a ticket from Bruges to Brussels that day to make sure we have enough time in Brussels to change trains? (it seems the time allowed for changing trains is very short when we look to book direct. What is the best site to purchase tickets in advance? thanks
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
You have a few options. I'll explain the ones with which I am familiar. First of all, if you don't know of it already, Thalys is the premium high speed service that operates from Paris to Amsterdam with stops in between. You pay more to ride and your tickets buys you a specific seat on a specific train. But if purchased in advanced, you can save a lot on your ticket. The slower, cheaper options are on trains operated by the various national rail companies in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Although I'm not certain about France, in the other two, tickets are relatively cheap, there are no advanced discounts, and a ticket can be used on any train between your destinations (except the premium trains like Thalys). Thalys leaves from Gare du Nord. They offer infrequent service directly to Brugge, so more likely you would change in Brussels. One ticket covers the whole trip. You can also take a slower train from Paris and change at Lilles, and from there to Brugge. From Brugge to Amsterdam, you go through Antwerp. The Brugge to Antwerp portion is via Belgian rail, so if you're worried a tight connection, just take an earlier train- remember, your ticket is not limited to a specific train and the trains run about every 30 minutes. From Antwerp, you can take either Thalys or the slower international ICE to Amsterdam. For the ICE, same thing, your ticket is valid on
any train that day. If you miss one connection (unlikely), just jump on the next one an hour later. There also is no advantage to buying the ICE ticket in advanced.