We are travelling from Frankfurt Airport to Brussels/Brugge, November 30 and 4 days later we want to take the Eurostar from Brussels to Paris. What is the best pass to get or ticket in first class for 2? EuroRail select pass??? We arrive 8:00 am and want a fast direct train to Brussels. Can we buy it at the airport? I read that if you travel on a Friday you need a reservation in advance. Any advice would be much appreciated.

You'll take an ICE to Cologne and then transfer to a Thalys to Brussels. For the ICE part, you don't need reservations, though if it's full, you stand (1 hour ride). Regular fare 1st class is 88EUR.

The Thalys part require seats reservations. And I only see full fare tickets for 64EUR. If you use a railpass, you'll need to pay extra for this route.

Even after you add the fare for Brussels to Paris, it'll most likely be still cheaper than a railpass.

Eurostar goes from Paris or Brussels to London (and vice versa). Between Brussels and Paris you take the Thalys, departing from Brussels Gare du Midi (Brussel Zuid).

If, for some reason, you want to catch a train from Frankfurt airport to Brussels with no changes, you'll have to wait until nearly 2 pm to catch the 13:44 ICE that runs directly to Brussels, stopping at both Midi and Nord (IMO, Midi is the station you want, we find Nord a little grubby and skeevy). Otherwise, plan on changing at Cologne.

By the way, if the route you pick gives you some time to kill at Cologne and you don't want to check your luggage and take a quick peek at the cathedral right by the station, there is a lounge in the station for first class passengers. Take the elevator up to track 1, you'll see the "back" entrance to the lounge (you'll have to be buzzed in). Nothing too fancy, but they have free beverages, rest rooms, comfortable chairs, etc.

By the way, most of the time you can travel the ICE portion without having a reserved seat. However, if there's a major convention going on around those dates (or an airline strike), then all bets are off. I have been on the direct FR airport to Brussels ICE several times and it can be surprisingly full. Or surprisingly empty.
One other caveat...if your itinerary includes catching a Thalys in Cologne and your train from Frankfurt airport is late and causes you to miss your connection, you do NOT have to buy another Thalys ticket. This happened to us last year and the ticket agent in Cologne tried to insist that we buy another ticket. We went over to the information desk that's under the big departure board and spoke to the supervisor on duty. She was apologetic and quickly agreed that missing the Thalys was the fault of DB, not us, and made sure that we got seats on the next Thalys at no charge. I don't think the fact that we had first class tickets made a difference, but who knows. Anyway, just something to keep in mind if a delayed train causes a missed connection.

But getting late into Cologne because the plane is late into FRA and they have to take a later FRA-Cologne train may not be an excuse enough.

No, you're right, I'm referring to trains that are running late. As I've said before, for some reason, I've been on several ICE trains that ran late (sometimes VERY late) whereas most of the ordinary S-bahns that I've taken were right on time. As a general rule, I now avoid tight connections in Germany (10 minutes or less between trains). I prefer to book tickets by segment rather than on the schedule www.bahn.de suggests. Have just been "burned" too many times and I don't like rushing esp. when I have luggage...Cologne station has plenty of shops and cafes to while away the time (plus the first class lounge) and the cathedral is right there, so I just prefer to play it safe and have at least 30 minutes between trains.

If that's the sum of your rail travels on Continent - FRA-BRU don't even think about a railpass - not even close - doesn't cover Eurostar train either

Thank you all so much, very kind and helpful of you all. I will take the ICE to Cologne and then Thalys to Brussels Midi. Can I get the train to Brugges from Brussels Midi or do I have to go to Brussels Nord?

One last question: 2 years ago I took a beautiful train, 1st class, from Brussels to Paris...I thought it was Eurostar..has that route or train changed?

When you buy the Colonge - Brussels Thalys ticket, opt for the "ABS" ticket, which means "All Belgian Station". I believe it's only 1.5€ more, but that'll include your onward connection to any Belgian station, including Brugge. Cheaper than buying a separate ticket.

You can take the train from Midi to Brugge. No need to switch station.

"Eurostar" by definition is the train that goes through the Channel Tunnel. It can be London-Paris, or London-Brussels. It CANNOT be Brussels-Paris.

But the Eurostar and the Thalys are both based on France's TGV technology. Therefore all three are very similar, except for the exterior colors.

Thanks again...that ABS ticket was a really good tip! I am all set, have a good night.

No you definitely took a Thalys from Brussels to Paris.

One difference that applies to first class: on both the Thalys* and Eurostar, first class passengers are served a meal and drinks at their seats. No such luck on SNCF's TGV trains--one of the reasons I prefer taking the Belgian train plus Thalys from Bruges to Paris over the local train to Lille and TGV to Paris.

And of course, Eurostar has a mandatory check-in time plus security screening. With Thalys and TGVs, you just hop on the train. Because you can jump on the Thalys just moments before it departs, I could get from the door of our Brussels apartment to the Eiffel Tower in less than 2 hours if I timed it just right.

Thalys trivia: in the first Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise, they're supposed to be on Eurostar. But one of the overhead shots is not of Eurostar, but of the big red Thalys.

If you take the Paris-Lille TGV you may actually ride in a Eurostar train set with Eurostar logo on it as surplus sets, once meant to serve Paris-Manchester, etc., have been put into use on this TGV line.

Yes TGVs and Eurostars are about the same - Eurostars i believe a bit narrower bogies because of bridge widths in U.K> - no longer a factor with the inaugural of the new CTRL next week.

South Korea's high-speed rail also uses TGV technology.