Emjiar

Hi! I and 3 friends will be flying to Amsterdam and have a week to do anything. We were thinking of staying in Amsterdam for 2 days, Brussels for 1 day, 3 days in Paris, then back to Amsterdam again for 1 night then catch our plane. Is THALYS the only train that will take us to these places? Any recommendations for us (attractions, hotels)? We are budget travelers (no hostels though) and want to stay together in one room if possible. We don't know what we're doing , we have started researching but I would like to get some input from those who have done this.
Thank you in advance!

TopMan

No, you can get between these places on non-Thalys trains (Amsterdam-Brussels) but from Brussels-Paris Thalys may be the only viable option.

For hotels in A-Dam you might consider looking at the www.channels.nl site for recommendations.

Assume you have already made plane reservations but if not, have you considered an open jaws itinerary, i.e., into A-Dam and out of Paris?

ira

Hi Em,

I think that this is a very choppy trip.

Your first day is 1/2 gone with just getting there. 1 day will be lost traveling between AMS, Bruss and Paris, and another day will be lost getting back to the AMS airport. Thus, you have only 4 1/2 days.

If you really want to see Amsterdam and Paris, I suggest that you skip Brussels,
fly into Amsterdam and out of Paris.

Better yet, spend a week in Paris.

rkkwan

What time is your flight out? You may have better use of your time if you spend the last night in Brussels. So, 2 days in Amsterdam, 4 in Paris, 1 in Brussels.

The earliest IC train from Brussels to Schipol Airport leaves at 6:41am, and arrives 9:22am.

hansikday

Skip Brussels.

TopMan

Somewhat disagree with the coments above. IF you take a Thalys train the time between A-Dam and Paris is about 4 hours..hardly a "whole day" and the time between Brussels and Paris is about 1 1/2 hours.

I do think of the three you could easily skip Brussels if you wished but this is hardly a "choppy" itinerary in that Brussels is right on the way to Paris. As an alternative you could take the train to Brussels and spend a few hours there only and then go on to Paris.

Kristinelaine

I would also recommend skipping Brussels and doing just the two cities, Amsterdam and Paris, with more time in Paris, since there is so much to see there. The open-jaw is also a good idea, but my guess is that you already have plane tickets in and out of Amsterdam. You could keep two days in Amsterdam and spend the rest (easily) in Paris.

I have never tried to find quad rooms so I can't help you with that.

I did use the THALYS last summer and was able to cut the costs appreciably by buying ahead of time online with the Thalys website. Take a look at that. Of course, you have to be sure which day and which train you want to be on in order to take advantage of the advance prices, but they are really worth it!

Emjiar

Hi! Thanks for the responses.

We've already purchased our tix in and out of Amsterdam from California. We arrive on a Sat. morning at 9am and we leave on Sat. morning at 11:30am the week after.

After reading your input, we've decided to spend just a day (not overnight) at Brussels. Our plan now is:
- 2 nights in Amsterdam then take the Thalys to Paris
- 4 nights in Paris then take the Thalys to Brussels and spend the day there
- take the Thalys to Amsterdam and spend our last night there.

I checked the fares for the intercity/mainline trains and they're more expensive than the Smilys fare with Thalys (but we have to buy the tix soon to get the cheaper fare). We will be purchasing our train tickets at raileurope.com.
Now we need to work on the accommodations...There's a sale on hotel rooms for 4 ppl max at Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza near the Schipol Airport.
In Paris, I'm thinking of staying in the Latin Quarter area (Best Western Oleans - I think they let 4 ppl max in their rooms also, I have to check).

I'm in Taiwan right now for business, staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel downtown. The service is wonderful, I recommend it . The hotel restaurants are pricey though, thank goodness work is paying for it, haha.

Thanks again!

ira

Hi EM,

> We will be purchasing our train tickets at raileurope.com.<

Not recommended.

RailEurope is a ticket agency. They add hefty fees.

Go to the French national rail site
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/
for better fares.

ira

PS,

You needn't use THALYS between Brussels and Amsterdam as the tracks can't handle the high speed and the train goes at normal speed.

Buy your tickets Brussels/Amsterdam when you arrive in Amsterdam or when you arrive in Brussels.

Much better itinerary.

TopMan

If you choose NOT to use Thalys services between Brussels and Amsterdam then you will be cutting down on the possibilites for trains CONSIDERABLY since the very large majority of trains between these two cities are Thalys services.

RailEurope is an agency wholly owned by the European rail consortium (specifically SNCF..Ira's favorite little railroad and Swiss Federal Railways)...they charge shipping and handling fees and sometimes mark up point to point prices.

I would WAIT until I got to Amsterdam unless you are certain you will save a lot of money buying ahead..but if you can avoid an agency such as RailEurope then do so.

AisleSeat

We did the same thing last Spring. Bought roundtrip tickets to Amsterdam then planned our trip around that. We initially planned to rent a car and go to the Rhine and Haarlem and other places within driving distance. Then we found the cheap intra-Europe airlines. We spent our "extra" days in Rome. With 4 of you sharing the cost and considering four times the train fare a rent car might be within your budget too.

rkkwan

There's IC trains between Brussels and Amsterdam <b>every hour</b>. Stops at both Brussels Centraal and Brussels Midi.

Thalys between Brussels (Midi only) and Amsterdam is <b>every THREE hours</b>.

Therefore, there's really no reason to use Thalys for travel between Brussels and Amsterdam.

Emjiar

Is raileurope really bad?

I just checked raileurope.com and these are the rates I saw (using Smilys rates which has to be purchased 14 business days in advance):
$44 Amsterdam - Paris
$31 Paris - Brussels
$20 Brussels - Amsterdam
It doesn't look bad that's why I'm a bit puzzled by your comments about raileurope and buying in advance. I also have to schedule a time already when I purchase it which is not a hassle for us. It says that these rates are good if you buy round trip. So am I not travelling round trip since I'm going to end up where I began?
They also charge $15 to mail the tickets and a 1-time $7 premium train (Thalys) fee. Those are the only fees I saw right before I need to enter my credit card # at their website. I tried to call them but no one answered (recording) because I have another question for them...they say the cheap rates need to be purchased 14 business days in advance, do you count M-F only or M-Su (since business days for trains are everyday)? It sounds like a silly question but it's better to ask.

zola

Those who indicate that your train travel will take time are correct. Those who say skip Brussels may also have a point. Conclusion:
Try to spend as much time as you can in Paris. Consider flying into Amsterdam and out of Paris, with one train ride to Paris from Amsterdam OR try a budget airline to connect those two cities. The fares can be quite affordable, especially compared with those for rail travel. A consideration, however, is that the budget airlines have strict limits on baggage weight (usually 20kgs per passenger, + 10 kgs carry-on, after which, they charge pretty hefty fees per kg.)

jenviolin

Trust me - don't get a hotel near Schiphol airport if you want to enjoy Amsterdam, even for 1 or two nights. Schiphol is only 15 minutes from Amsterdam by train, and you will give up some of the charm and ambiance of Amsterdam if you have to take a train back to the airport in the evening. The only good reason to do that would be price or an early flight out. Try to find a canal hotel in the center of town (the Jordaan, Herengracht, etc.)!!!

indytravel

Here's a link to a thread that discusses opinions of budget hotels in central Amsterdam.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34502142

Vincent

Emjiar, I think the itinerary you came up with does make sense. I am not among the people who think that Brussels is not worth a stop: it is an interesting city, a bilingual one, and it's our Washington DC! Thus, taking a late train from Brussels is not stupid, even if you can easily avoid spending the last night in Schiphol, quite a downer for a last night in Europe! If you are traveling on a budget, be aware that Amsterdam is expensive, and that most cheap hotels will demand a minimum of 2 or 3 nights if your stay includes part of a week-end. As for RailEurope, don't bother with their extra costs, just book on thalys.com, your American card won't be recognised by the automatic machines to directly retrieve your ticket, but with your reservation number, the human being at the teller will give you the tickets.

sbp17

Don't skip Brussels. I love Brussels. Grand Place is so nice. Am I the only one who likes Brussels. I enjoyed it far more than Amsterdam.

ira

Hi em,

&gt;$44 Amsterdam - Paris
$31 Paris - Brussels
$20 Brussels - Amsterdam
It doesn't look bad that's why I'm a bit puzzled by your comments about raileurope and buying in advance.&lt;

The SMILEY fare is the same as if you had bought the ticket in Amsterdam or on the SNCF online site. The difference is that you wouldn't have to pay the $15 for shipping or the $7 THALYS fee.

&gt;...It says that these rates are good if you buy round trip. So am I not travelling round trip since I'm going to end up where I began?&lt;

No. You can purchase a RT Amsterdam/Paris for $44 each way, but you can't break your trip in Brussels. Your ticket is good only on the THALYS train for which it was purchased.

What you ought to do is buy a RT Amsterdam/Brussels and a RT Brussels/Paris.

The Paris/Brussels RT is $31 ea way 2 cl from http://www.voyages-sncf.com/