itinerary help - please
 

We are arriving in Paris 8:30AM Sunday and out of Paris the next Saturday at 10:00AM. Have seen much of Paris so this trip we want to use the time to go to Amsterdam, Brussels and Brugge. Have to go in and out of Paris, it's a layover on our way to Tuscany. Any suggestion on route? I was thinking go all the way to Amsterdam first and work our way back to Paris. Any ideas are most welcome.

Sorry, but I don't understand your itinerary at all. Are you planning to visit Amsterdam, Brugge, and Brussels upon arrival in Paris and then go on to Tuscany? Please clue us in!

Sorry I wasn't clear :-) I am trying to decide if it's best to hop on a train in Paris and go straight to Amsterdam, and then work our way back to Paris for departure. We really only have 5 days of play so didn't know quite how to spread it out. Also, don't want to lose more time than necessry on the train just because I didn't know the logistics. We are looking to see the flavor of these places and the highlights knowing time is short. thx

Hi sammie,

You can by tickets, up to 60 days in advance, from Paris to Amsterdam at www.sncf.com.

The THALYS is not high speed from Brussels to Amsterdam, so you can save a few dollars buying Paris/Brussels and then Brussels/Amsterdam on arrival in Brussels.

You can also buy Paris/Brugge (via Brussels or via Lille-Flanders).

((I))

thanks - so, does it make sense to shoot up to Amsterdam and then wind down? Is it a lot cheaper to change in Brussels or better to go high speed all the way to Amsterdam? And are the high speed trains designed so you can still do some sightseeing out the windows or is that not the point?