swandav2000

Hi All,

I've been wrestling with this (delightful!) problem for a few days, and I think I may be stuck in a rut. I can't think my way out of it.

The (delightful) problem: I have a trip planned in Paris in November, and I live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. I want to arrive in Paris no later than noon; since there are no longer any overnight trains from Munich to Paris, and since I've wanted to see Brugge for a few years, I thought I'd go there for a few nights before Paris. Then, it's just a 3h trip from Brugge to Paris.

I'll be returning from Paris to Garmisch by train, with a friend.

The train trip from Garmisch to Brugge takes 10h30, arriving around 19.30. Would cost around 100€, first class. I really would like to arrive earlier in the day since I've only given myself 2 nights there.

Flying one-way from Munich to Brussels will cost around 600€, or take several changes of planes and get me into Brugge around 20.00.

Night train from Munich to Amsterdam (about 270€ for a private sleeper, then 4h train to Brugge, about 80€). Love night trains, and it would get me into Brugge by noon. But it seems an extravagant and convoluted solution.

I'm thinking the two best solutions are 1) the night train to Amsterdam + onward train (total cost around 300€) or 2) the 10h30 day train + another night in Brugge (total cost would then be 200€).

Any thoughts? Anything I'm overlooking?

Thanks for any insights.

s

Travelforbeer

Hi swandav-
I suspect you have looked at all of the options, but it looks like there is a GaP-Brugge connection thru the Munich -Pasing train station that leaves GAP @ 6:07 and arrives in Brugge at 15:52 (if I'm reading the schedule right)that might be of interest to you. I don't know how the daylight saving time change will affect this schedule. However, I'm sure you realize that it may be dark when you arrive at Brugge even this early in the day. And another train is listed as leaving GaP @ 5:00 and arrive in Brugge at 14:52 for 99€ in 1st class. The other off the wall suggestion involves spending a night in a city such as Munich or Frankfurt or Paris or Brussels and getting an early start to Brugge. But that would probably cause you to add another night to your trip so it would be similar to the second option that you have outlined above.

Good luck and have a great trip-

Cowboy1968

That's quite some trip!

While one-way tickets MUC-BRU are always extremely expensive, you could check how much the fare was if you picked a fictitious return flight a week later or much later after your flight date to Brussels.
The total should be somewhere in the vicinity of €200.

But cautionomewhere in Lufthansa's fine print they say that they reserve the right to recalculate fares if you don't fly all legs of a trip. But so far I have not heard of this actually happening. But you may want to check this with the experts and "experts" on Flyertalk if this option interests you.

But all things considered, I think the day train option for €100 is a pretty good one.

Cowboy1968

hmm.. not sure how the emoticon got into the second para.. instead of the smiley there should have been an "S"

Ingo

Really a delightful problem, swandav!

I don't see the 6:07 am train connection on bahn.de, but there is one at 9.07 am, which takes 9:38 hrs with the same changes in München-Pasing, Frankfurt and Bruxelles. Given the difference in fares for 1st vs. 2nd class (99 Euro vs. 59 Euro, Europa-Spezial) I'd opt for 2nd class. The difference is really small, as you know. And you could splurge on accommodation for that money ;-)

Another option: Break up the trip in Aachen, stay there one night. You could be in Aachen early afternoon (around 2 pm), continue next day to Brügge. There's a connection from Aachen to Brügge at 8.21 am, arriving 10.52 am, that qualifies for Sparpreis: 19 Euro.

Fussgaenger

"Another option: Break up the trip in Aachen, stay there one night."

Lv. Ga-Pa 14:07
Ar. Aachen 21:07
Lv. Aachen 8:21
Ar. Brugge 10:52

This 2-day trip priced out at €39 total at DB; of course you'll have the cost for a room too. I used the sample date of June 20 and scheduled an 11-hour stopover in Aachen. You can adjust your time in Aachen if you like - using the 9:07 departure from Ga-Pa with a 16-hour stopover in Aachen yields the same price.

Maybe this strategy works well for other cities enroute (Cologne, or??) as well. Play around with the variables until you find what suits you.

janisj

>>hmm.. not sure how the emoticon got into the second para.. instead of the smiley there should have been an "S"<<

Because you typed <B><red>: S</B></red> <u>without a space in between</u>. Careful using : and ; or you can get some weird/funny results.

Michael

A quick look at Skyscanner gives a Munich to Brussels price as low as $116.

Aramis

there are all kinds of one way flights from Munich to Brussels available in November for 108 -128 Euros (virtually every day except weekends). Interestingly, they connect through Copenhagen (SAS flights) but still take only about 4 hours and have you in BRU by 12:55


Munich (MUC) to Brussels (BRU) — Wed, Nov 25

Munich (MUC) to Copenhagen (CPH) — Wed, Nov 25 SAS 662
Dep: 9:10 am Arr: 10:45 am 1h 35m Airbus A320

Layover in CPH 0h 40m

Copenhagen (CPH) to Brussels (BRU) — Wed, Nov 25 SAS 1591
Dep: 11:25 am Arr: 12:55 pm 1h 30m


If you could get away 5:00 pm the night before, you can get to BRU by 9:35 pm for about the same fare and have 2 full days in Brugge.

swandav2000

These are all very interesting options, and I thank you all for your help getting my thinking out of the rut!

Travelforbeer -- unfortunately, I don't really want to get up at 04.00 in order to catch the train at 06.00. Those days are long behind me, lol!

Cowboy1968 -- well, I'm not really eager to play that game, especially with an airline I'm likely to fly again. I just would feel dishonest (even if they didn't later charge me).

Ingo -- that is a really tempting thought, especially because Aachen is another city on my list of must-sees. But, I'd really like to have two or three nights there (to see some of Charlemagne's places); coupled with 2 weeks in Paris and 2 nights in Brugge, that's just too long to be gone.

Oh, btw, I had to take a last-minute trip to Frankfurt in February, and I rode 2nd class. Every single, solitary seat was taken! It was NOT a comfortable ride!! No, for my vacation, for long train rides, I'll splurge with 1st class.

Fussgaenger -- thanks for the more options for the overnight.

Michael -- yes, those are the flights with a layover that have me arriving in Brusseles at 20.00, getting to Brugge even later than with the train.

Aramis -- a flight departure from MUC at 09.10 means that I'd have to leave Garmisch at around 05.00, something that is, again, long behind me.

It seems that the best options involve an extra night somewhere -- Aachen, Köln, etc. Since, to me, having an extra stopover entails too much hassle (drag suitcase to the hotel, unpack, then pack up the next morning and drag back to the station), I think the best thing would be to add a night to Brugge. I would have a simple 10-hour trip, get into Brugge around 19.00, then spend 3 nights there.

Thanks again for your help!! I wouldn't have felt good about my plans without seeing all of these options!

s

Aramis

Given correct information on the options, pretty much everyone will comfortably decide what works best for their circumstances.

I think you might really enjoy the extra night in Brugge; somewhere. a Belgian lighting engineer should be sitting with some awards on his shelf. Brugge is also amazing in the calm of the morning before the town wakes, with mist often rising from the still canals as the sun begins to rise and change the lighting dramatically. I don't know if you will get to enjoy that in November; weather and the fact that the city, at that time of year, will probably be "moving" in the morning while it is still dark. If circumstances permit, though, consider a very early morning stroll along the canals,

swandav2000

Thanks for that confirmation, Aramis! I do think I'll be pretty happy with an extra night in Brugge -- I had some thoughts of getting out of the city for a walk or a bike ride. I'll make a good effort to have a very early morning along the canals!

s

Ingo

I checked the night train option again. Did you see the CNL from München to Köln dep. 22.50? Arrives 5.43, saver fare for one person in a deluxe sleeper is 125 Euro incl. breakfast. You can get a Sparpreis from Köln to Brügge, too, for 19 Euro e.g. - ICE dep. Köln 7.44 change in Bruxelles-Midi and arr. Brügge at 10:52.

On the other hand, an extra night in Brügge is always a good idea!

swandav2000

That's another good option, Ingo (I've known for years how well you know the destinations I love(!!); now you're demonstrating your keen insight to my travel mind!!).

Ordinarily, I would say that 05.43 is too early for me -- but I'm normally awake at 05.00, and this would only be a matter of rolling out of the cot and onto another train. It's worth serious thought.

Maybe still have 3 nights in Brugge!

s