Lexma90

I'm sure this information is somewhere, but I just can't figure out where. We made a last-minute decision to travel to those cities, and I'm trying to price train travel. I've been on the German railway website and the Dutch website, and while I can get all sort of information on schedules, I can't get them to give me prices (the German website keeps asking me for a date of return, even when I indicate it's a one-way trip).

I'd be so happy with some technology help, or simply general info on the average fares for travel between those cities (it will be 2 adults and one 11yo). We haven't quite decided, but would probably go to Brugge from Amsterdam, and Brussels after Brugge. After time in Brussels, on to Paris (on the Thalys).

And, as an add-on question, I assume that we should buy all these tickets (except maybe Brussels-Paris) once we're in Amsterdam, or later in the trip as applicable?

Thanks.

yk

First of all, the German Rail website will only provide ticket price for trains operated by DB, and/or originating from Germany. It will provide train schedules for many other European routes, but they will not price it for you since they don't operate those routes.

Have you gone to Belgian Railway website? They do list prices for tickets originating from Belgium.
http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/

For Brussels -> Paris, you can go to Thalys website for prices. http://www.thalys.com/

I haven't used the Dutch rail website lately, but I do remember being able to pull up prices. http://www.ns.nl/cs/Satellite/travellers

yk

P.S. I'd wait until you're in Belgium before buying the local train rides (Brugge -> Brussels, plus any other inter-Belgium trips you may take).

You may find some discounted fares (eg, Smoove fare) on Thalys if you buy early. I think they are available 90 days out.

PalenQ

making for later comment

DalaiLlama

For international trains from Holland use www.nshispeed.nl/ and know that Enkele Reis means one-way, Van is From, Naar is To, Brussels is spelled Brussel, Zuid is South (Midi in French), Tijdstip is time of day, Vertrek is departure, Ochtend is morning, etc. You'll get it.

I picked a random date of Sep. 17, and I see trains from Amsterdam Centraal to Brussel Centraal (assuming that you want to be near the historic center, so you'll change trains in Brussel-Zuid = South for some of these connections) starting at 05:53AM and leaving once or twice every hour throughout the day, with faresalternating between 37.80 and 64.- Euros (more of them cost 37.80).

For the Belgian trains use www.b-rail.be/main/E/.
Bruxelles Central to Bruges one-way 2nd class comes up as 12.90 Euros - and that is the Standard Ticket - there are lots options like Weekend Fare etc. you can try that might be cheaper.

For Bruges-Paris see www.voyages-sncf.com/ - it brings up trains Bruges-Paris ranging from 34.30 Euros to 55 Euros and prices in between.

You can purchase online on all three of these sites if you wish.

Before you try, call the company that issued your credit card and tell them about this so that your transaction attempt won't be blocked (since you probably don't make frequent purchase in those places).

GeoffHamer

For a journey from Brugge to Paris, don't book through the SNCF because you won't be able to collect an SNCF ticket from a Belgian station. The only exception might be the daily Thalys train from Brugge to Paris. Other connections, via Lille or Brussels, run at least every hour. Local trains from Brugge to Lille or Brussels, like the hourly Intercity trains from Amsterdam to Antwerpen and Brussels, do not have reserved seats and there is no advantage to buying tickets in advance.

hetismij

http://www.nshispeed.nl/en is the English booking site for international trains from Holland.

PalenQ

Imperative to book as early as possible for Thalys tickets, which have varying fares and conditions and limits on numbers of tickets at various levels to be sold - so to save literally $100 or more than by just showing up and buying tickets try to snag the deep discount fares that may be exhausted soon after they come on the system in some cases - so use DalaiLlama's voyages-sncf.com site and also www.thalys.com

an alternate to Thalys would be possible if you went by non-Thalys IC trains to Brussels from Amsterdam, then IC trains to Bruges, then regional train to Lille-Flandres, from where French TGVs whisk you to Paris - and most of these trains except the TGV have a flat fare structure where basically the price is the same, i believe at least IME, at the station as online.

Even the Lille to Paris TGV's normal walk up fare is not that great but you can try for discounts on the www.voyages-sncf.com site DalaiLlama pointed out.

Anyway IMO not having to deal with the byzantine Thalys fare strcuture is priceless to me - i value flexibility and do not like to lock myself into some non-changeble non-refundable fare months in advance.

nukesafe

Bookmarking

PalenQ

Travel time Bruges to Paris via Lille is just about the same as going Bruges - Brussels - Paris - about 2.5 hours all told if i recall correctly

Lexma90

Thank you all so much for this information. We've been debating on whether to take this trip, and finally (at the last minute, it feels) decided to just go ahead and do it. Luckily, I've been collecting information on sights, hotels and some restaurants for months - but hadn't collected any info on the trains. And I had just run out of patience, I guess, to keep looking into it without help from the Fodor's experts.

PalenQ, I'm not sure I'm happy about your information - I INSISTED to my husband that the only way to get from Bruges to Paris was back through Brussels (he remembered taking a different route in his student, pre-Thalys days). So now I have to eat my words (and we do, on the whole, prefer more flexibility)...

And to hijack my own thread, any advice on our itinerary for the Belgium portion would be great. We're thinking 1 night Brussels, 2 nights Brugge, or vice versa. Or maybe 3 nights Brussels with a day trip to Brugge. For all 3 of us, our interests are: (1) museums, especially paintings; (2) food; and (3) just enjoying the city scenery. I think we'd prefer more French-like food than Flemish, which is why DH is pushing for more time in Brussels.

PalenQ

I think Bruges is one of the most very romantic cities in all of Europe when the tourist hoardes and tour buses have all departed - especially after dark when the plethora of bridges and canals are sublimely illuminated.

I would stay at least one night in Bruges - it can be a base yes to see Brussels or nearby Gent or Antgwerp - two cities that many may enjoy as much as Brussels (a huge city with lots of stellar sights but with a central core that IMO is one of the most blah in all of Europe.)

yk

I vote for 1 night Brussels + 2 nights Brugge. Don't miss the various museums in Brussels & Brugge if you like Flemish Primitives!

We especially enjoyed a day of biking in & around Brugge - along the canal to Damme and then further out into the countryside. Bike paths are clearly marked and with relatively few traffic on the short stretches one has to share with cars.

PalenQ

biking is great but beware the legendary cobblestones of Belgium you may well encounter - even the cement block paths can be jarring - get one of the big fat-tired Belgian bikes.

barbaraanncox

Can anyone tell me the best way via train or bus to get from Bruge to Trier, Germany?

PalenQ

Train for sure - hop hourly trains from Bruges to Brussels then change for trains for Luxembourg - some of them could go onto Trier but probably a change of trains - simple change in Luxembourg as well.

To find exact schedules go to www.bahn.de - the German Rail web site that i use for schedules for all European trains - just put in From: Bruges To: Trier - the date and you will get all the train conncections with where to change, etc. A good way to access the Wunderbar www.bahn.de English schedule page IME is to go to the home page www.budgeteuropetravel.com and on it click on the link "Best Online European Timetable" or some such wording and up pops the English schedule page. I reference that home page link because it also gives you several useful tips on using www.bahn.de to access features that may not be apparent at first glance - like routings, where to change - how much time between changes, etc.

kerouac

I always wonder why so many people here write Bruges in Dutch rather than English while they write Brussels in English rather than French, if the point is to respect the local language. Just nitpicking.

PalenQ

I always wonder why so many people here write Bruges in Dutch rather than English while they write Brussels in English rather than French, if the point is to respect the local language. Just nitpicking.>

Well it is very simple - in English it is Bruges, not Brugge

and in English it is Brussels and not Bruxelles or Brussel

This is an English-language forum

thus we say Cologne rather than Koln

Munich rather than Munchen

Vienna rather than Wein

Or do you want all of us to use the local spelling - in that case many would not be able to even spell say Antwerpen

PalenQ

kerouac-
I always wonder why so many people here write Bruges in Dutch rather than English while they write Brussels in English rather than French>

Why Brussels in French - why not Brussels in Flemish - BTW it is Flemish spoken in Brugge and not Dutch

PalenQ

If you were to use the local term for Brussels you have to say "Bruxelles-Brussel" but then which do you put first - the French Bruxelles or Flemish Brussel. Brussels solves that problem.