I need two train tickets. One from Amsterdam to Cologne, and the other from Cologne to Paris. I have seen so many conflicting pieces of information that I am confused. I have hotels booked and paid for in both places, so I have actual dates I need to travel on (although times are flexible). Do I go to RailEurope and buy the tickets and reservations there, or do I go to the Thalys site? Part of the reason I am confused is that the Thalys site will not let me book Amsterdam to Cologne, so if I am looking at it correctly, I will have to buy Amsterdam-Brussels and then Brussels-Cologne separately. I just want to make sure I am doing this correctly, and in a way that gets me the best rates. Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17245 posts
Don't use RailEurope. They mark up the prices, and don't make all the trains avaiable. You can book Amsterdam to Koln on the German website, bahn.de. I saw discounted tickets for 19 euros for the direct train between Amsterdam Centraal and Koln. From Koln to Paris not all trains are bookable on bahn.de, but some are. The connection I was only available as a printed ticket that they mail to you, so not as convenient as a printable e-ticket. Others here may know if that is the only option for Koln to Paris, or maybe you should get that one from Thalys.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19240 posts
Why are you going Amsterdam to Köln and Köln to Paris? Are you making an overnight stopover in Köln? If you want a ticket that you can print out online, use Saarbrücken as the "via" between Köln and Paris. You want a route that doesn't use Thalys and goes from somewhere in Germany (Saarbrücken) directly to Paris with no changes. That will give you a Europa-Spezial Frankreich ticket for as low as €39.
Posted by
OP
Houaton, Texas, USA
19 posts
Sorry... I wasn't clear on the itinerary. I am not going to Paris via Cologne. I have specific plans and hotel ressies in Amsterdam, then Cologne, and then Paris. We had to work Paris in last because of a family member's schedule. So 4 days in Amsterdam, 3 in Cologne, and 3 in Paris.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you book well in advance (up to 90 days) on either the German Rail site or the Thalys site, you can get a Smoove fare as low as €29 for a direct Thalys train from Koeln to Paris.
Posted by
Mill Valley, CA, USA
1 posts
I'm also looking at Cologne-Paris (actually Essen or Duesseldorf-Paris). I see the "Smoove" tickets available 92 days out on the DB site, but will they mail tickets to the USA or only in Germany or Europe? Thanks.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19240 posts
Not sure about a Smoove fare, but on the German Rail website for March (we haven't talked about dates, have we?), I see ICEs from Amsterdam to Köln in 2hr40min for €29 pP.
Posted by
Columbia, SC
989 posts
I purchased rail tickets from Budapest to Munich at the DB website and had them mailed to me. Had the ticket in my hand in 3-4 days. German efficiency.
Posted by
OP
Houaton, Texas, USA
19 posts
Thanks for all the help! I bought both itineraries from bahn.de when the window opened (these are for early April). Amsterdam to Cologne via ICE for the 2.5 hour trip was 38 Euros, and those tickets were sent to me via PDF. Cologne to Paris was via Thalys for 60 Euros, including the reservation fee, and those tickets willbe mailed to me (must be a Thalys thing). In any case, I got great pricing, the bahn.de website was easy to navigate, and the only potential issue is that I have to take the actual trains I booked for, so if we have a schedule bobble, it will take a little cash to change them, but as cheap as the fares were, it was a great bargain.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
"In any case, I got great pricing, the bahn.de website was easy to navigate, and the only potential issue is that I have to take the actual trains I booked for, so if we have a schedule bobble, it will take a little cash to change them, but as cheap as the fares were, it was a great bargain." Not necessarily. The only thing you lose is your reservation, if you made one. You can always take the next available train, with certain restrictions. Thalys is a different story.