Hello Guys, we'll be spending 8 days in Paris France in September, in between my husband is planning to have a day trip to Amsterdam, is it possible? i mean how long is the trip and what is the train to take? What is the earliest trip and is it possible to come back at night time? Thanks!

I think the quickest train is 4 hours each way.
It would be too much for me.

What about flying?

Oh, that might be too far for a day trip...

You could do a daytrip to Brussels...it's about 2 hours from Paris.

Amsterdam would be much further.


Check http://www.thalys.com/be/en/

I went to Belgium for the day from Amsterdam and that trip was 3 hours. Paris is 4 hours from Amsterdam. I took the Thalys train which is comfortable and I believe it's faster too.
I think it's definetely possible. I would go to the train station in advance to purchase tickets and get the schedule (check the website too). I imagine the train would leave from Gar du Nord? And you can get off at Centraal Station in Amsterdam and call walk from there.

wow! i didn't realize its gonna be that long, nancicita have you done Paris to Brussels daytrip? whats in Brussels? tell me more..

I've done the Paris-Brussels daytrip. I woke up very early to take the 7am train and left early evening, around 6-7pm. Brussels was just okay for me. I had a good breakfast and lunch, walked around a bit but something was missing for me. (maybe I just didn't do my homework on Brussels

People on this board may suggest that instead of taking the daytrip in Brussels, continue on to Bruges, which is a quaint little Belgian town not too far away. If I had to do it over, I'd probably do that.

I second that Amsterdam is too far for a daytrip. I always think of daytrips as this: I have to experience the city/town longer (even by a matter of 30min) than my travel time. Amsterdam back and forth is 8 hours - for me, that is too much.

Lastly, 8 days in Paris is not a whole lot to experience the city alone. If you just want a change, there are more daytrips from Paris that have been discussed in this forum many times. It's almost as popular as "hotels in Paris"

Hello! I've done Paris-Brussels a few times...

What's in Brussels?

http://www.brusselsinternational.be/...rism-visit.act

Fantastic food/beer, great shopping (don't forget tax-free shopping for non-EU), sightseeing, very efficient public transit (as in most of Europe!), friendly multi-lingual locals, and AMAZING CHOCOLATE.


http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be/en/t...eloisirs.shtml


Brussels has two faces: that of a contemporary and historical metropolis on the one hand, and that of a personal, friendly city on the other.

culture,
folklore,
going out,
museums,
shopping,
walks.


Brussels is a greener city than you may suppose. Did you know that it has far more green areas than the other major European cities? Parks, woods, the Forêt de Soignes, private gardens, cemeteries, sports fields, etc. cover a total of over 8,000 hectares of green areas, that is half the Region’s surface!

However, these green areas are scattered about irregularly, in terms of quantity and quality. While the outer zones of the Region include green areas ranging from 30 to 71%, with woods, wet zones and the remains of agricultural areas, in the city centre this figure is just 10% (mainly public parks).

However, its green areas, together with its architectural and cultural heritage, make Brussels a pleasant city in which to walk.
This chapter focuses in particular on:

*
the ‘strip cartoon' route in the city
*
guided tours
*
‘works of art’ route in the metro
*
theme-based walks in Brussels
*
monuments and sites
*
cycle routes and paths.


...and did I mention, AMAZING CHOCOLATE? ;-)

I also highly recommend Antwerp and Brugge.

Both cities are accessible by train and walkable.

google it and you'll find lots of info...

If you do a daytrip be sure you leave early in the morning.

Do research before you go and look at the maps and mark all the places you "must see", "might see", and "possibly check out for future trips".

I have to agree with everyone else that Amsterdam is too far to travel for a day trip. Would you consider spending a night or two in Amsterdam? There is so much to see and take in that a day trip, if you could do it, would just whet your appetite.

Maybe you can check out of your hotel in Paris after night 5 (or 6), and leave the bulk of your luggage at the hotel (if they agree), and train to Amsterdam with just an overnight bag for 2 (or 1) nights. Then, assuming you are flying out of Paris, you train back to Paris for the last night at the same hotel, where your luggage will be waiting for you.

We did this on a recent trip to Germany. We stayed in Munich for 3 nights, then spent 2 nights in southern Bavaria travelling with a small back pack, before returning to Munich for 1 night, then we flew home. It was kind of neat returning to the same hotel, although we did have a different room. Our host, Peter, made sure our luggage was in our room when we arrived, and he was excited to hear the details about our 2 night adventure. It was like "coming home" after a weekend getaway.

Robyn

Oh.. I forgot. To help with your planning, here's the link to finding the rail schedules:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Robyn