Taking Thalys from Gare du Nord
Sep 10th, 2008, 11:46 AM
#1
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Taking Thalys from Gare du Nord
Just a simple question.
We will be traveling from Paris Gare du Nord to Bruges on Thalys. We already have purchased our tickets online and printed them out.
My understanding is that we don't need to "check-in" and we can just board the train with our printed tickets.
Will we need to go thru passport control prior to boarding the train? (I think not as both are EU countries.)
Is there a "cut-off time" we have to board the train by? (like the planes which require the pax to be at the gate 30 minutes beforehand?)
The only experience we've had was taking the Eurostar from Paris to London. At that time, we had to arrive 30mins (?) early and had to go thru passport control.
We will be traveling from Paris Gare du Nord to Bruges on Thalys. We already have purchased our tickets online and printed them out.
My understanding is that we don't need to "check-in" and we can just board the train with our printed tickets.
Will we need to go thru passport control prior to boarding the train? (I think not as both are EU countries.)
Is there a "cut-off time" we have to board the train by? (like the planes which require the pax to be at the gate 30 minutes beforehand?)
The only experience we've had was taking the Eurostar from Paris to London. At that time, we had to arrive 30mins (?) early and had to go thru passport control.
Sep 10th, 2008, 12:00 PM
#2
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I don't recall any checkin, etc., in June when we went from Paris to Amsterdam. I think it should be like a normal train -- i.e. arriving 1 sec before and hop on and you should be fine.
Both France and Holland are Schengen. There should be no border controls.
Both France and Holland are Schengen. There should be no border controls.
Sep 10th, 2008, 12:15 PM
#3
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Thanks. I checked Thalys website and there's no mention of check-in.
I think I got myself confused because of the Eurostar experience. I guess there must be separate entrances for the Eurostar (w/passport control) vs Thalys.
I don't plan on cutting that close (1 sec before train takes off
), but given the logistics of what I have planned for that day, I just want to know the absolute latest time I have to arrive at Gare du Nord.
I think I got myself confused because of the Eurostar experience. I guess there must be separate entrances for the Eurostar (w/passport control) vs Thalys.
I don't plan on cutting that close (1 sec before train takes off
), but given the logistics of what I have planned for that day, I just want to know the absolute latest time I have to arrive at Gare du Nord.
Sep 10th, 2008, 12:29 PM
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I think at Gare du Nord there's a separate Eurostar checkin area and that's on the second floor. And your luggage undergoes an X-ray check. I think the passport gets stamped by passort control right there.
The Thalys uses one of the regular tracks. It's no different from taking a train to Germany, for example, or taking an IC(E).
If you already have your tickets it should be straightforward.
I'd add for those who may be reading this -- if you don't have your Thalys tickets ahead of time, make sure you get them especially if you have an early morning train. I think the office was still closed when we left, and the machines would have failed.
The Thalys uses one of the regular tracks. It's no different from taking a train to Germany, for example, or taking an IC(E).
If you already have your tickets it should be straightforward.
I'd add for those who may be reading this -- if you don't have your Thalys tickets ahead of time, make sure you get them especially if you have an early morning train. I think the office was still closed when we left, and the machines would have failed.
Sep 10th, 2008, 12:59 PM
#5
From memory, catching the Thalys from Paris to Brussels there is no check in and no passport control. The Eurostar is different as it is travelling to the UK. I'm guessing you could arrive a few minutes before the train leaves and still jump on but make sure you leave enough time to find the right track, sometimes the stations are bigger and more confusing than you expect. On the weekend in Paris I noticed two Thalys trains almost side by side so you may need to check which one is yours.
Also, we travelled on the Thalys last year with reserved seats but there was someone else in our seats and they told us some other people also had tickets for those seats (3 couples all sold the same seats). The journey was not that long so we stood for most of it but the conductor eventually came along and told us where there were some spare seats. So if you can get to the station early, you may be better off.
Kay
Also, we travelled on the Thalys last year with reserved seats but there was someone else in our seats and they told us some other people also had tickets for those seats (3 couples all sold the same seats). The journey was not that long so we stood for most of it but the conductor eventually came along and told us where there were some spare seats. So if you can get to the station early, you may be better off.
Kay
Sep 10th, 2008, 01:09 PM
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No minimum time to check in but doors can close a minute early or so
no check-in but there is typically Thalys personnel checking your tickets when you enter the platform IME - briefly
no Customs ordinarily but on the train once in a while Customs police may do spot checks (mainly when trains coming from Amsterdam get to Gare du Nord - scrutinizing young French who may be carrying drugs it seems) But no passport control, etc. before the train.
no check-in but there is typically Thalys personnel checking your tickets when you enter the platform IME - briefly
no Customs ordinarily but on the train once in a while Customs police may do spot checks (mainly when trains coming from Amsterdam get to Gare du Nord - scrutinizing young French who may be carrying drugs it seems) But no passport control, etc. before the train.
Sep 10th, 2008, 01:17 PM
#7
I made a day trip to Amsterdam last month. There is no check-in for either direction. It is indicated at Gare du Nord (for all trains except the Eurostar) that you should board no later than two minutes before departure.
There are agents at the entrance to every car, to assist people who require help.
On my trip, there were no customs checks of any sort. But I do know that there are spot checks for arriving in Paris from time to time (using trained sniffing dogs).
The Thalys uses only two possible tracks at Gare du Nord, and they are very clearly indicated.
There are agents at the entrance to every car, to assist people who require help.
On my trip, there were no customs checks of any sort. But I do know that there are spot checks for arriving in Paris from time to time (using trained sniffing dogs).
The Thalys uses only two possible tracks at Gare du Nord, and they are very clearly indicated.
Sep 10th, 2008, 01:51 PM
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If you are traveling in first class, you will have to show your tickets to the car attendant before you board. But they won't check ID; there's no passport control. The only time I've seen Thalys personnel ask for ID is when people are traveling on special fares (specifically, the youth fare) and the ticket checker wants to make sure the passenger is entitled to that fare.
As to when you need to be on board--the doors shut about a minute before the train leaves. And if your car is near the head of the train, it can be a long walk (depending on which Thalys you board...some of them are much longer than others).
If I have a suitcase I need to stow in the rear of the car, I try to board as early as possible. But if I have no luggage to speak of, I usually just hop on about 5 minutes before the train leaves. I have cut it as close as 2 minutes, but I don't advocate that plan.
As to when you need to be on board--the doors shut about a minute before the train leaves. And if your car is near the head of the train, it can be a long walk (depending on which Thalys you board...some of them are much longer than others).
If I have a suitcase I need to stow in the rear of the car, I try to board as early as possible. But if I have no luggage to speak of, I usually just hop on about 5 minutes before the train leaves. I have cut it as close as 2 minutes, but I don't advocate that plan.
Sep 10th, 2008, 02:18 PM
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Thanks for all your input. My goal is to get there at least 30-45 minutes before the train departs, so that we'll have some time to grab some food (we're in 2nd class). However, we will be traveling from Gare Montparnasse on Metro Line 4 during rush hour, so I want to make sure that if we run a little late, we can still get on the train.
Sep 10th, 2008, 03:43 PM
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I've never been particularly impressed by the food selection in the GdN, so if there is a nice place to get something to eat on the train near your hotel, you might do better (and pay less) by grabbing a few food items there. Of course, if all you want is a croissant and a coffee, you can easily get that in GdN or on board the Thalys itself.
Sep 10th, 2008, 09:37 PM
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I traveled two weeks ago on Thalys using print-yourself ticket issued by SNCF.
The "condition d'utilisation" on the ticket said, "Une pièce d’identité officielle doit être présenter conjointement à ce billet."
Sure enough, a Thalys personel at the entrance to our car demanded to see our tickets AND both of our passports before we were allowed to get on the train.
Other than passport request, riding Thalys was just like riding a TGV -- much simpler than the Eurostar.
The "condition d'utilisation" on the ticket said, "Une pièce d’identité officielle doit être présenter conjointement à ce billet."
Sure enough, a Thalys personel at the entrance to our car demanded to see our tickets AND both of our passports before we were allowed to get on the train.
Other than passport request, riding Thalys was just like riding a TGV -- much simpler than the Eurostar.
Sep 11th, 2008, 04:36 AM
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Out of my 75+ Thalys journeys, I've traveled several times with self-printed tickets. Each time, I have offered to show ID, but the conductor/car attendant just waved my ID away. Not once has anyone actually looked at it.
Sep 22nd, 2008, 05:22 AM
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Hey all-
We're back from our trip. FWIW, when the conductor came by to check tickets, we were asked to show our ID. However, we were not asked for our tickets or ID when we boarded the train.
We ended up arriving at the station very early (> 1hr before departure), so we spent some time at one of the cafes inside the station. We then bought take-away food from one of the kiosk in the station to eat on the train.
We're back from our trip. FWIW, when the conductor came by to check tickets, we were asked to show our ID. However, we were not asked for our tickets or ID when we boarded the train.
We ended up arriving at the station very early (> 1hr before departure), so we spent some time at one of the cafes inside the station. We then bought take-away food from one of the kiosk in the station to eat on the train.
Jan 22nd, 2009, 01:40 PM
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Topping with a related question. We have two pre-purchased Thalys tickets for this itinerary - one printed at home, one is pick up at a machine at Gare du Nord. Do those machines require a chip and pin cc? Or will they read the card used to purchase the ticket regardless? If there is a problem with the machine, can you retrieve this type of ticket from a window?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Jan 23rd, 2009, 05:19 AM
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The SNCF seems to have more than one type of machine. If it relies on the bank card, it will ask for the PIN.
If you cannot get the the ticket from the machine, you can always get it from the ticket office using the dossier reference which is sent to you when you book. However, there may a wait at the ticket office, so pick up the ticket well before the train leaves.
Once you have the ticket, you should stamp it the yellow machine before boarding the train. There is no check-in time, but you need to be on the train about a minute before it leaves.
If you cannot get the the ticket from the machine, you can always get it from the ticket office using the dossier reference which is sent to you when you book. However, there may a wait at the ticket office, so pick up the ticket well before the train leaves.
Once you have the ticket, you should stamp it the yellow machine before boarding the train. There is no check-in time, but you need to be on the train about a minute before it leaves.
