emiller444

After leaving Paris we have seven nights to divide among Brussels, Bruges, and Amseterdam. We will be flying home from Amsterdam. I think we would like to spend 2 nights in Bruges, 2 nights in Brussels and 3 nights in Amsterdam.

The Thalys train seems to run from Paris to both Brussels and Bruges but does not run between Bruges and Brussels or Bruges and Amsterdam. Can anyone help me with train suggestions?

yk

Regional trains run between Brussels & Bruges. No need to reserve or buy tickets in advance, just do it when you arrive at the station. It's very cheap.

You can take the Intercity train between Brussels & Amsterdam. Have you tried looking at the Belgian railway website? http://www.b-rail.be/main/index.html

lennyba

Are you planning to do Paris - Brussels - Bruges - Amsterdam? We took Thalys from Paris to Bruges earlier this year and then the IC train from Bruges back to Brussels. I could swear the Thalys paused in Brussels, but maybe not. Totally easy to walk up and get on the IC, as they run every half hour.

yk

Yes, the Thalys from Paris to Bruges (which only runs once daily), STOPS at Brussels.

Palenque

I'd opt for taking the TGV Paris-Lille then a regular train to Bruges - takes about the same, 2.5 hours as the Thalys routes via Brussels and you need not deal with the Byzantine fare structure of Thalys and then take normal regular trains Bruges-Antwerp (change here) to Amsterdam. Buy those tickets as you go along. For Paris-Lille it is OK to buy in Paris - fairly flat fare structure with full fare not exorbitant as it would be on Thalys. Actually these trains are very simple - no advance planning needed.

that said at www.thalys.com and www.voyages-sncf.com you can try to get the elusive deep discounted Thalys tickets that could be cheaper than the Lille route and also scour www.voyages-sncf.com and www.tgv.com for discounted Paris-Lille TGV tickets (though again full fare will not kill your budget)

ira

Hi em,

Ditto Pal.

Booking P --> Bruges via Lille Flandres is usually cheaper.

emiller444

There seem to be 25 euro fares available on Thalys for the time I am going in October. In fact, I have booked a 25 euro fare from Cologne to Paris.

If I can get the 25 euro fare, am I best off going by Thalys from Paris to Bruges, where I will spend two nights

Then I have to figure out how to go from Bruge to Brussels, where I will spend 2 nights.

Then I would take the Thalys train from Brussels to Amsterdam.

I can reserve ahead on Thalys using their ticketless option.

lennyba

I'd jump on that fare. Bruges to Brussels is totally easy, as noted above: no need to reserve, trains run every half hour or so, cheap.

hetismij

Don't use the Thalys from Brussels to Amsterdam. It is expensive and no faster than the normal Inter-city train. You can buy the ticket for the IC at Brussels.
Use the local train from Brugge (or Bruges depending on what you want to call the place) to get to Brussels.

Palenque

If I can get the 25 euro fare, am I best off going by Thalys from Paris to Bruges, where I will spend two nights>

Especially if the ABS or All Belgian Stations fare applies where with some Thalys tickets (perhaps all?) you can continue on to any Belgian station within 24 or 48 hours i believe free or at a few euros. (free if booked in U S but not sure online in Europe)

yk

Ditto on buying the 25 euro fare on Thalys Paris -> Bruges ASAP before they're all gone!