Paris to Bruges . . . best way? ?!?
 

hoping someone call help me figure out the best (i.e. cheapest) way to get from Paris to Bruges next month (Saturday October 12th). i have been reading a couple threads on here, but they seem to be older and the LOW fares might be outdated.

i have done my research and come up with the following RT fares for 2 adults for my date:

sncf.com ($200)
thalys.com ($220)
raileurope.uk ($200)

am i missing anything? is this as cheap as it gets? i was also reading some business about buying off european website vs. american might be cheaper . . or to call thalys directly. does this truly make a difference? i am planning to order the tickets now (i am reading that advance purchase will be the cheapest) and have tickets mailed to me in the U.S. (or print from computer, if available). i also looked at the euroline bus, which was significantly cheaper ($100) but this only goes into Brussels, and the national railroad B-Rail will cost another ($52) to get us into Bruges. . .at that point, getting us there much later in the day, which is not an option. any other suggestions or ideas? thanks in advance!!

You can also go via Lille, not sure how the cost would compar though cannot believe it would be any more than you have already quoted.

compare

I just looked on the sncf site and saw two fares of 57 Euros. In the box where it asks your country, check Great Britain, then n the pop-up asking if you want to pay in GBP, check continue on sncf site. Perhaps you were diverted to Rail Europe if you listed your country as US
There is a change in Brussels

Oh, and print your tickets when you purchase.

judy, thanks!! i will go on and try this :)

Sorry, should read more carefully. When I saw one date, I assumed one way, not RT.

SNCF (official French railway) site is showing fares as low as 43E each way for that date, with a change of trains in Lille.

I have a fare of 43.10€ per person on www.voyages-sncf.com for the train at 7h42, so yes, if you multiply that by 4 you will end up with $200.

However, a train to Brussels is just 29€ so you might be able to create a cheaper fare by going to Brussels and buying a local fare to Bruges.

yes, i've tried it 100 different ways today. everything came in at $200 for 2 RT tix. the absolute best i could find was $189 USD if i buy on Thalys via b-europe.com.

i think if i were to connect into brussels and then buy local fare to bruges, it would be cheapest. but if i'm going to go through that hassle anyway, i would probably do it with a bus from paris. that seems to cut the fare down to half. i'll look into a bus more--- i want to get an EARLY depart time, and i'm not sure how flexi the schedules are! anyone have experience with bussing paris to brussels? thx all :)

Go back and clear your cookies. Then do what Judy says.

Most travel booking sites put a cookie on your computer to remember what fare you were quoted. They will not then quote you a lower price.

Get rid of the cookie, and they don't know you are you :-)