I have read numerous posts here from the past regarding train travel between Paris & Bruges.

99% of people here recommend the following:
Paris - Lille on TGV
Lille - Bruges on local train

0.9% recommend the following:
Paris - Brussels Midi on Thalys
Brussels Midi - Bruges on local train

0.1% recommend the following:
Paris - Bruges on direct Thalys

For the most part, the first option is usually the cheapest and the connection was simple enough. However, in a recent trip report, a Fodorite wrote that the transfer time allowed at Lille was not long enough.

I checked numerous rail websites and compared the times and prices. Since we want to leave Paris in the evening, it turns out that the third option (direct Thalys Paris - Bruges) works out the best for us timewise and cost-wise.

I am able to book a SMOOVE discount ticket for €25 per person one-way. The trip takes 2.5 hours and again, it's a direct train which doesn't require a change.

If we were to go the first option, just the TGV leg alone Paris-Lille is €20 per person PREMs fare; and the whole trip would have taken an additional 1 hour.

So my advice is, check all the possibilities and compare the schedules and prices. What works well for others may not work well for you.

FWIW, I bought my tickets on voyages-sncf.com and printed them at home. I can also buy the same tickets (same price, same at-home printing) on tgv-europe.com.

Hope this helps someone down the road.

Thanks, that has helped a lot. I've been meaning to go up to Brugges, from Paris, for some years now. A few years ago, I took the Thalys from Paris to Brussels and then on to the Central African Museum outside of Brussels. I didn't have time to try to figure out how to go on to Brugges and be back in Paris on the same day.
I used to go to Brugges often, in the 80s, as I had Flemish friends who lived in Brugges and I would stay with them. Happy Travels!

Well, live and learn.

Thanks for the tip, yk.

I found the follwoing by googling " Thalys Paris Bruges direct"

Paris Nord ---> Brugge (DIRECT TRAIN)

07:55 10:36 9413-THA BRUGE 2 *SATURDAY ONLY

11:55 14:36 9329-THA BRUGE 2 *SUNDAY ONLY

18:25 21:00 9355-THA BRUGE 2 *MON-FRI & SUN ONLY

So it looks like the direct Thalys train only runs once a day. It just so happens that the departure time (~6:30p) works out the best for us.

yk, not sure I agree with your stats. I think you find a small number of people repeatedly pushing for the TGV with great vehemence. That's not the same as 99% of everyone who's traveled between the two cities advocating the TGV combo.

It also depends on your priorities: if cost is your absolute priority, then yes, the TGV combo is usually (not always) cheaper.

BUT...if traveling by first class, then Thalys is a better choice, esp. for cost-saving advance purchases...superior service (meal and beverages at seat included in pricem which is NOT the case with the TGV--I like having breakfast served at my seat on early morning trips rather than looking for a cafe after arriving at my destination), more connections that involve just one train change (i.e. from the Thalys to the B-rail train to Bruges leaving from the same station in Brussels v. changes at Kortrijk).
The more train changes, the more possibilities of delay...track work outside Kortrijk, for example, caused numerous delays at one point last year. There are at least two direct trains (no changes) per hour between Brussels and Bruges from early in the morning until late at night.

I have been to Bruges dozens of times and traveled between Brussels and Paris over 100 times. And have traveled between Paris and Bruges a fair number of times as well. I prefer the Thalys because I purchase tickets in advance and travel first class, so it's cost effective and provides superior service. For me, the TGV combo has never been the better option.

BTilke - Yes, perhaps I did exaggerate my "percentage" somewhat. Maybe it's 60% for TGV vs 40% for Thalys. Either way, I agree with your assessment.

One major reason that tipped me towards TGV was basingstoke's recent trip report where his TGV to Lille was delayed and missed his Lille-Bruges train. The whole journey from Paris to Bruges took him 6 hours!

Hence, that's the reason I posted this thread. To tell others that one should always investigate both TGV & Thalys options, compare the timetables and the prices.

bookmarking - thanks!

You're right, of course, yk, it's always best to investigate as many options as possible!

And if it's a last-minute trip, it never hurts to check the "news" section of www.xpats.com, which is a site for expats in Belgium. The news section is a good place to find out about impending strikes, track work, or anything else that might have an impact on Thalys/TGV travel. (on one occasion we had to rent a car to go to Paris from Bruges, the trains were running fine, but the ticket agents [!!] were on strike and we weren't able to buy tickets online)

<a Fodorite wrote that the transfer time allowed at Lille was not long enough.>

That would have been me. Please do not generalize from that statement. Changing trains at Lille could be fine. I referred only to the connection for my own trip. That is, the 7:58 train on a Monday from Paris. In that case, the connection time was an insufficient 6 minutes. Other Paris departures may be different. Had it not been a Monday, there would have been another more conveniently scheduled direct train to Brugge - however, that train does not run on Mondays.

Hi basingstoke - yes it was you who I was referring to. But I think your experience is a good cautionary tale. Presumably, the transfer at Lille works well 99% of the time, but since your incoming train was delayed, you missed your connection.

To me, it seems like a transfer at the Brussels-Midi is easier as it involves much less walking. So even if the incoming train is running a little late, one has a better chance of catching the connecting train there than at Lille.

bookmarking

In either case, missing a connection is not a great problem. Trains from Brussels to Brugge are every half hour.
From Lille to Brugge, connections are generally every hour (though most involve another change from one side of a platform to the other at Kortrijk).
In both cases, the trains to Brugge are local trains and tickets can be used on any train (there are no reserved seats).
The Brussels station is Midi in a very uninviting area of the city.
In Lille, you usually change at Lille Flandres which is an old station with an array of cafés and restaurants outside.
Personally, I'd much prefer waiting for a connection in Lille, rather than Brussels. Opposite Lille Flandres station is Les Trois Brasseurs, one of a chain of restaurants which brew beer on the premises.

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