strass

Hi, train questions again. I'm trying to book our tickets for Paris-Bruges, Bruges-Amsterdam, and Amsterdam-Paris. I can book the first two on the SNCF website, but it's telling me that nothing is available for the last leg of our trip ("PROPOSITION_END_2_NO_MORE_TRAIN&quot, which is on Sunday, Sept. 12. However, there are trains that run that day, and I can buy tickets for them on raileurope.com.

What are the pros/cons to using either site? The prices seem to be about the same.

thanks!

PalQ

Raileurope is a SNCF subsidiary so you're really buying from the same entity. If the price is the same, buy here, easier to complain if something goes wrong. Raileurope tacks a $7 surcharge onto their pt-pt tickets prices, but whether these are more expensive than not depends on several factors: the current exchange rate, whether you can get the discounted tickets only sold in Europe or thru European web sites (rail Europe on normal pt-pts has one global price for a ticket that can be used on any trainfor up to two months, you can get on and off over the route without formality - discounted tickets sold in Europe may have restrictions regarding refunds, changing reservations or on stop offs. For walk up tickets RailEurope can be cheaper - I think this is the case in Germany - check the www.bahn.de site and Raileurope; I did recently and it seemed for walk up tickets RailEurope currently cheaper, which is unusual because they traditionally are a tad more. My advice, it's easier to call RailEurope or one of their agents that to navigate web sites for most for a few dollar gain.

PalQ

sorry hit the wrong button - continuing, you're not dealing with a regular pt-pt ticket Amsterdam-Paris but Thalys train, with a Byzantine fare structure. I suggest you investigate the Smilys fare on the Thalys and go Paris-Brussels for $34 each way on this discounted restricted fare (no change, no refund, very few seats available at this price; sold only as a round trip. and then buy pt-pts Brussels-Brugge; returning to Brussels and buy a Smilys fare $20 each way Brussels-Amsterdam; or buy pt-pt Brugges-Amsterdam and Amsterdam-Brussels to use your return Smilys ticket. If you go Amsterdam-Paris one way via Thalys you're probably looking at about $114 one way in second class. Train fares in Europe used to be so easy - pay by the kilometer, but now these complicated airline-type fare structures are popping up. If you buy a Benelux Railpass ($122 each for a twin second-class pass, you can ride the Thalys Amsterdam-Paris for $57 second class; use the pass Brussels-Brugge- Brugge-Antwerp-Amsterdam and some days left over to day trip from Amsterdam to places like Delft or Alkmaar or from Brugges to Gent, etc. www.thalys.com for European prices and perhaps online Thalys bookings. RailEurope charges a $15 booking fee plus $15 mail fee it seems.

Christina

I don't know what that message would mean, but I think you'd have to check with Raileurope directly to make sure you really could buy tickets for that date and train. I think just because the online system lets you buy something may not mean it's available -- they may come back to you and say they couldn't get tickets for you. I don't think Raileurope's web site can possible be instantaneously linked to SNCF's to know exact availability. Anyway, that's just a thought. If the prices are the same, go ahead and get them, why not. That message sounds funny to me, anyway, it almost sounds like an internet error message.

ira

Hi Strass,

The SNCF and the THALYS websites both agree that there are no seats available from Amsterdam to Paris on either Saturday or Sunday.

However, you can buy a ticket from either SNCF or THALYS from Brussels to Paris for Sunday.

You might have to purchase a ticket from Amsterdam to Brussels upon arrival in Amsterdam.

This part of the trip is not a high-speed train anyway, so buying a THALYS ticket is just extra money.

OR you might want to purchase the Amsterdam/Brussels tickets through Raileurope.

I tried buying online from both the Dutch and Belgian railways, but it didn't work.

Hope this helps.

strass

Thanks, all, for your help and advice. Our flight out of Paris leaves Monday at 2pm, so we need to get back to Paris on Sunday... for a minute I was worried that every train from Amsterdam was booked that day! But it appears that's not the case; I think it's just an internet thing. I think we'll just plan to get the Amsterdam-Paris ticket once we're over there, or maybe get an Amsterdam-Brussels ticket ahead of time, at least. Thanks again!