How far is Brussels from Paris? I was thinking about taking a ryan air flight from Rome to Brussels, then somehow getting to Paris?<BR><BR>Also, how in the heck does Ryanair offer such cheap flights? They have a flight from Brussels to London for 12 Euro. That sounds insane!

Brussels is not that far from Paris.... 2-3hrs by train perhaps. It's very easy to travel between the 2 cities. Yes, Ryanair can be cheap but make sure that the prices quoted include taxes and charges. These can end up pushing the fare up quite a bit.

I made the mistake of taking RyanAir to London from Brussels instead of the train. First, you have to get from Brussels to Charlois airport which is about an hour away, and then from the train station to the airport. Of course, you have to be there two hours early, and since I didn't know the timing of all the connections, I was there about three hours early. After a lifetime of sitting in dumpy airports in Texas, I know boring airports, and Charlois makes Midland-Odessa airport look like JFK or Heathrow. <BR><BR>Okay, I am now herded (finally) onto the RyanAir one-hour flight. Get to Stanstead. Wait for luggage. Another 45-minute train ride into London. And then a 30-minute, expensive taxi ride from train station to hotel. In all it took about a day to get from Brussels proper to London proper, and it was expensive. Next time, I am definitely taking the train.

First, I meant to say I took the plane from Brussels to London, not the other way around. And second, I reread the message. It may make sense to take RyanAir from Rome to Brussels and then the train. But also check the Alitalia and AirFrance flights, Rome to Paris; they often have specials; the airports are more convenient; and you bypass Brussels. Simplify whenever you can when it comes to travel.

From Brussels South to Paris is 75 min. by Thalys train (reservation required). During weekdays trains run about every half hour ; every hour during weekend.<BR>When you fly Ryanair to Brussels you will arrive at Charleroi Sud, which is 70 km from Brussels. Thalys train ride to Paris will take 1hr 45min.<BR>Why so cheap? They only use the smaller airfields where they don't have to pay landing rights, they don't issue tickets, everything is handled over the internet so very little personnel involved, no free food & drinks on board, etc.

Thanks, Myriam. I knew I wasn't spelling Charleroi correctly, but I was too lazy to look it up.<BR><BR>Also, Pam, Myriam is right about no free anything. I asked for a bottle of water, and had to pay 1.50 euro for it (I think that's the price). <BR><BR>

In addition, your Thalys ticket will give you a specific seat on a specific train. If your flight is late, you could very easily miss your train and if you've bought one of the cheaper Thalys tickets, you won't be covered for another train. <BR>There are plenty of people who use Ryanair, but I'm not one of them. Expat and Belgian friends have told me too many stories of problems and indifferent service.<BR>BTilke (Brussels)

I actually AM a fan of Ryanair - - but I have never been to Charleroi - - and I suspect that I never will. Instead look into flying on www.virgin-express.com to get in and out of Belgium - - from England or Italy.<BR><BR>And there are now flights to/from Brussels connecting to 33 other destinations in Europe via SN-Brussels - - according to www.europebyair.com at fares of 499 USD. I haven't tried to find out if htere are even lower fares by seeking out a website for the airline itself.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Thanks for everyone's replies. I think I'll put that option at the bottom of my list.