Eurostar Tickets from London to a Paris
 

I am a senior traveling with my daughter and will be flying to London spending time there and then taking the eurostar to Paris.

From Paris I will visit Bruges, Belgium and then train to Amsterdam and my flight home.

I plan on buying a 4-day France/Benulux saver railpass for $312.00. Also one for my daughter.

Now when I take the train from London to Paris, what additional cost will I incur on the Eurostar. One day of my pass plus an additional what?

Also my pass to Bruges on the Thalys will that require an additional cost? Seat reservation yes, but is there an additional charge beyond using one of my days.

Does this make sense? Help me!

Are you sure the pass will be cheaper than buying the tickets separately?

What you need is:
London -> Paris
can be booked via eurostar.com
Paris -> Bruges
can be booked via sncf.com or thalys.com
Bruges -> Amsterdam
can be booked via belgian railways I believe.

You didn't say when you're going. But if you book these tickets in advance you can usually get substantial savings. I really think booking the tickets individually will be cheaper than the RailPass.

I will be going to Dijon for a day which will require using one-day of my pass.

Won't the Eurostar be very expensive without the railpass?

Depends how far in advance you book. If its 3 months out its quite affordable.

My understanding is the rail pass (France/Benelux) will only give you 50% discount on Eurostar.

go to
railsaver.com
and click on "only if railpasses save me $"
then type in your itin.

Again, if you book at least 60-90 days in advance, you can have substantial savings by bookin individual tickets.

Paris-Dijon is served by TGV. go to sncf.com and you may luck out with the PREM tickets which is more than 50% off regular tickets.

There's also a Thalys sale right now
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35130358

the Eurostar's senior rate and passholder rate are about the same - senior is 60 yrs and over

there are youth fare for those under 26 that are even cheaper than the pass fare potentially

whether the pass is good for you depends perhaps on the paris-dijon fares - full fare - walkup can be very expensive but if you go to www.voyages-sncf.com you can get greatly discounted fares

but you are buying a first class pass and for first class travel paris-dijon and back and Paris-Bruges and Bruges-Amsterdam may well add up to $312 or more

you can at least check the rates for Paris-Dijon and Paris-Bruges at www.voyages-sncf.com - but be sure you compare first class rates as the rates first given are for second class. That said the site has frustrated many Fodorites so good luck

I still think the pass even compared to full fare is probably overpriced for your trip plans

But i'd say for first class the pass is probably OK - especially since it does increase your options for getting cheap Eurostar tickets as you have the passholder fare (in theory the lowest possible fare except youth fare usually) as well as senior or youth options to consider.

www.eurostar.com for fares in pounds from London-Paris and pick up ticket in London or have it mailed i think. I always suggest checking rates in U.S. dollars for purchases thru RailEurope in U.S. as sometimes they can be lower as well so always check both sources. In the U.S. i always advise calling BETS 800-441-2387; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; IME the best source because you can actually talk to an expert and have them do a manual check as on raileurope.com the lower fares do not always seem to be displayed for some reason. You can book up to nine months in advance in U.S. and should book ASAP to get the lowest fares as they are very limited in numbers often. You could ask BETS about the railpass to if you have any question - the rare place i know where you can talk to someone knowledgeable. As for the Paris-Bruges train you do not need to take the Thalys train via Brussels but go just as quick - take a train Paris-Lille then Lille-Bruges - taking Thalys means a hefty supplement with a pass and often much more expensive regular tickets as well.

that said the site has frustrated many Fodorites so good luck

I still think the pass even compared to full fare is probably overpriced for your trip plans

Thanks to all for your help. I will begin my research.

I was going to edit out the last sentence about the pass being overpriced for your plans

as i wrote that before i noticed you were doing first class, which to me has great benefits, so indeed i do think for first class travel at full fares the pass may well add up.

Indeed scouring voyages-sncf.com and thalys.com for online discounted fares and going thru the many frustrations folks here complain about, esp with the sncf site and going 2nd class would be cheaper than the pass but for 1st class travel with fully flexible aspects to take any train any time the pass would be a great deal, esp in first class as the first class pass costs little more really than the 2nd class version - making a first class pass a much better deal vis-a-vis regular flexible prices than 2nd class pass vs 2nd class tickets.

and having a pass valid in France would make you eligible for the passholder fare on the Eurostar - often the easiest IME to book of the cheapest fares and it can also be changed once up until the time of the train - unlike Leisure fares, etc. That is a plus for the pass IMO - Eurostar passholder fare does not require the use of a day on a flexipass but only that the 2-month validity period of this pass be in effect - you would activate your railpass at St Pancras station in London at the Eurostar check-in - also a plus IMO rather than waiting in often absurdly long lines in places like at paris train station ticket windows.