citrouille

She thinks I'm sweating it way too much. Her plan is to take InterCity train from BRU to Lille-Flandres, then TGV to Paris without reserving a single tix (there are 3 of them in her party.

DD and I are flying into Paris then go back to the US through Brussels by taking the train. So I'm doing the opposite of her route. I managed to reserve seats on Thalys through the French site to collect tix in Paris cause for some reason printing the tickets is not an option when I was making the reservation. I'm still not sure if by the time I pay for the tix the French website would take my cc.

When I made the reservation in the Belgium site, it won't take my cc. Reason being is that it only takes Belgium-issued cc's.

Anyway, my sister thinks rather than go on RailEurope which charges an arm and a leg, and then some, I should just take the TGV and do the "walk-up" purchase as someone here suggested.

But our flt to US from BRU is at 12:45 PM. Isn't the journey to BRU via TGV takes a lot longer than taking Thalys? And tix for either routes have to be reserved ahead of time?

In you collective opinion, what would you do if you're in my situation?

Just to explain the reason for all these train riding to and from Paris to Brussels: There are more space available seats in and out of Brussels than Paris.

citrouille

I meant to say I'm planning to take the train from Paris to BRU on our way back to the US. Not take the train to the US from BRU as my original post seems to suggest.

femmefrancaise

She's not wrong - it is very possible to arrive at the train station with bags packed and buy a ticket (there are even lines specifically for immediate travel, or if your credit card is a chip-and-pin type, then there are automated machines you can also use). You can even just hop on a train - literally - but you will pay onboard for your journey, and it is EUR 10 more than buying at a the counter or machine. That all said, it can often be MUCH cheaper to book in advance. The voyages-sncf website (though painful to navigate if you don't speak french) is great for finding such deals - we got tickets from Arles (in Provence) to Paris for EUR 22 each - one heck of a bargain for a 4 hour train ride. Just know that often, the cheap fares mean you give up any exchange or cancellation priviges.

The bottom line - it is very possible (for TGV and TER lines at least), but you'll likely pay more. I understand your worry though - I'm big on planning and researching everything to death

femmefrancaise

oh - and I booked our TGV tix on the SCNF site from Canada, and it accepted my cc just fine (SNCF is the company that runs all train travel in France, even the ones that leave the country) You just stop at the ticket window or any SCNF office in Paris and they will print out your tickets. One tip: MAKE SURE you stamp your ticket in the little yellow "composteur" machine at the train station - big penalties if you get onboard without validating your ticket - and yes, they check.

citrouille

My reservation came up to 81Eu for me (adult tix), then 82Eu for my dd and my niece. I searched and compared prices with RailEurope purchase. My thalys reservation is still cheaper than booking it thrugh RailEurope.

I just hope that arriving in Bruxelles-Midi at 10:35 will give us enough time to catch our flt that leaves for PHL at 12:45 pm. I know, another topic. My worrying never ends, does it?

Thanks for the validation at the "composteur" machine tip, femme. No one else would have told me about this.

Mimar

I don't think you're leaving enough time to catch your flight in Brussels. You should be at the airport 2 hours early, not arriving at the train station in town. Security for flights to the US can be time-consuming. Can you check in online?

janisj

arriving at the station at 10:35 for a 12:45 US-bound flight -- oh, my goodness, no . . . . .

I'd want to be at the airport by 10:30-ish at the latest.

hanl

"I just hope that arriving in Bruxelles-Midi at 10:35 will give us enough time to catch our flt that leaves for PHL at 12:45 pm"

I think that you would be cutting it very fine indeed. There are regular trains to the airport from Midi station, but even if everything ran like clockwork, your train from Paris arrived on time and you got straight onto a train to the airport, I think you'd still be taking a big risk.

Checking in to US flights at Brussels airport can be very time consuming, as can going through passport control and security and getting to the gate.

Last time we flew to the US from Brussels, we arrived 3 hours before the flight departed, had checked in online and still had to wait about 45 minutes in line to drop our bags and go through additional security screening at the checkin counter. And then we had to wait in line to go through security, and walk to the gate, which was quite a distance.

So I'd recommend getting a much earlier train from Paris to give you plenty of time to get to the airport, and a bit of leeway in case of problems (train delays do happen!!). And I'd certainly recommend buying the tickets in advance - cheaper and certainly worth it for the peace of mind.