aewatbu

I could really use some help from some more seasoned travelers. My mother and I are going to Paris for a week and wanted to take a short trip to Amsterdam. The train website is saying that the days we want are sold out. Do we need to try to get train tickets in advance or can we buy them when we are there?

Also, any hotel suggestions would be appreciated. We are looking for something in a good part of town that is clean and safe, but moderately priced.

Your help is greatly appreciated!

elaine

When are you traveling, and which days do you want to go to Ams?
Do you have to return to Paris to fly home?

isabel

Unless you are going at some very strange or popular time I would be surprised if they were really sold out. I've bought tickets for Paris to Amsterdam within a few days of when I wanted to go. I bought them once I got to Paris. My daughter has done the same thing. I've also had trouble trying to buy train tickets on line from the states. I know plenty of people do it, but I always seem to run into problems like you suggest, and I don't ever seem to have problems getting tickets once I'm over there.

Hotel suggestion for Amsterdam - Hotel Brouwer (www.hotelbrouwer.nl/). Great small hotel in historic building on a canal ten minute walk from the train station.

Travelnut

If the trip is in the middle of September, the city is booked up for the IBC Conference. This might affect the trains as well..?

aewatbu

We are going to be in Paris from October 7-14, and yes we do have to return to Paris for our flight home. I was hoping to leave for Amsterdam the morning of Oct 10, which is a Monday and then come back either Weds evening or Thursday morning.

Thank you SO much for your help and for hotel suggestions.

suze

For Amsterdam hotels... I strongly favor locations like museum district, Leidseplein, Vondelpark or the Jordaan (not in Central around the train station, the Dam, RLD). It is much more beautiful, peaceful, clean and still conveniently located for walking and touring.

maryanne1

A hotel we are staying in for our Amsterdam trip in April is
www.fita.nl
A hotel we stayed in Paris several years ago was Relais Bosquet in the 7th arrondisement near the Eiffel Tower-Rue Cler neighborhood. Very nice small hotel with a good staff.
The owners in Amsterdam at Hotel Fita have been very good to responding quickly to all my emails.
This is in the area near Vondel park which I understand is a good area as suggested above.
I am traveling with my daughter.
Have a great trip.

greyhaze

The Hotel Acro is a nice, clean hotel in the museum district where you get good value for the price. A dbl room would be around $100(full bath, tv, phone). 1 block from Rijksmuseum, 2 blocks from Van Gogh, close to Vondelpark and leidseplein. This is in south Amsterdam. I've stayed there 4 times, no complaints. Another option is to rent a house boat for the true Ams. experience. It is actually less than many 3 star hotels. I have rented the same fully equiped houseboat from Frederic rent-a-bike 4 times for 135 euros per night and would highly recommend it. They also have several guest rooms located in canal houses all around Brouwersgracht. www.fredereic.nl has pictures and current prices.
I wouldn't think you would have any problems getting train tickets from Paris to Ams when you are in Paris.

Travelnut

I don't know what website you were using.
I just went on www.sncf.com and plugged in Oct 10, and return Oct 12, and again Oct 13...
There are seats both ways, and some of them are low fares (24€ each way).

Here were the available times:
OCT 10:
6:55 am or 9:55 am

OCT 12:
16:56 (4:56pm) or 18:56 (6:56pm)

OCT 13:
8:56 am or 12:56 pm

If you buy the discounted fares, you'll have the option to print on your own printer. If you end up with full fares, then you can pick up the tickets at any Paris station or SNCF Boutique. You'll need to show them your confirmation email AND the credit card you paid with.

Ida101

For a hotel in Amsterdam check this link of the Tourist Board, it gives a lot of hotels, tips etc.
http://www.vvvamsterdam.nl/

BTilke

If the Thalys trains you want are truly sold out (the Thalys is the only direct train from Paris to Amsterdam), consider catching the Thalys to Brussels and then taking a regular train up to Amsterdam. The regular train is only slightly slower than the Thalys (although you will lose some time changing trains but not that much) and reservations aren't needed (or available). And since Brussels is the starting point for that route, you'd be guaranteed to get seats.
As for hotel recs, I can't help, but if the trains are booked, then you will DEFINITELY need room reservations!

Travelnut

The trains ARE AVAILABLE, at least as of my post yesterday. But you need to buy NOW.

MaureenB

Amsterdam is a wonderful city and a great compliment to your Paris visit. I suggest you contact budgeteuropetravel.com for help with train fares and purchasing tickets. They charge face value plus $15 S&H to get paper tickets in hand before you leave home. They are very helpful, and you can call their 800 number to speak with a live body.

If you click on my screen name above, you can find my trip report of London-Paris-Amsterdam, with recommendations for our hotels and restaurants we enjoyed in both cities.

Enjoy your trip!

BTilke

No need to SHOUT, Travelnut!! I only offered an alternative if the trains you mentioned were not the ones they wanted.

Travelnut

Sorry, trying to <b>emphasize</b> rather than SHOUT.

BabsB

Hi aewatbu, I agree that the Hotel Brouwer is very worthwhile. We stayed there four nights just a few weeks ago. In case you are interesed in a great restaurant try Long Pura at Rozengracht 46-48. We had a delicious rice table, one of the highlight meals of our entire trip. It is close to the hotel and near the Anne Frank house. Also fun, was the Yellow Bike Tour, took us all over the city at a relaxing pace. Boom Chicago was an improv comedy show at the Leidseplein. It was a very fun evening. We had nachos, (I know, I know) but after over three weeks on the road, they were great. If you have the time and the interest, the Dutch Resistance Museum was the very best museum we visited in five countries. It was extremely well done, highly entertaining and very thought provoking. Both my 17 year old and I read and looked at every single exhibit. It is located at Plantage Kerklaan 61, take the #9 tram. Hope you have a great time.

aewatbu

Okay, I am a little confused. You have all been helpful so forgive me if I'm just being ignorant. Are the SNCF trains the same as the Thalys trains? Also, many people have told me that I should have no problem just booking when we get there to keep things flexible? Is this not true? Finally, if I book a reservation, is there a fee for changing the reservation?

Thanks so much!!

Patrick

What's going on here? BTilke, you &quot;shouted&quot; the word DEFINITELY for emphasis, but when Travelnut did the same thing you say &quot;no need to shout&quot;.

The other day on a thread where it was suggeted by someone else that the entire post not be done in caps as it could be called shouting, I supported him in his advice. But when I capitalized a couple of words in a paragraph for empahasis, I've been told that was the same thing. Are people really not able to tell the difference between a word here or there being in ALL CAPS for emphasis and an entire post being done in all caps?

Are some of us becoming more than a bit sensitive here, or do some of us just look for ways to be disagreeable with certain posters?

aewatbu

Went ahead and booked on sncf. And I'm going to confirm reservation at Hotel Hestia tonight. Thanks for all of your help!

BTilke

Patrick, enough with the phony delicacy about &quot;some of us&quot; this and &quot;some of us&quot; that. Travelnut's post struck me as shouting because right after I suggested an alternative in case the *specific* trains the OP wanted were unavailabe, Travelnut roared back that trains WERE AVAILABLE. As if I were too dense to notice that she had listed a couple of train times when seats were still available. That's all. Period. As for the DEFINITELY reserving a hotel room, sure, that can be interpreted as shouting if you like--because if the trains are all sold out, hotel rooms will very likely be too.
As for the question if posters are deliberately looking for ways to be disagreeable, then yeah, in this instance you are.