Train advice please: Amsterdam to Paris (possible stop in Brussels)
 

A friend said that the trip by train was quite scenic and that my wife and I should take a slower train -do we have this choice?

Also, we might stop over in Brussels for 2 or 3 hours along the way Is this feasable?

The Brussels train station is very conveniently located just a few minutes walk to the main square. It would be very easy to stop on route, put any baggage in a locker, and walk around for a few hours before continuing to Paris. Get a good walking map beforehand or buy one at the train station.

Much of the train route south of Brussels is in a trench or a corridor of trees. The Tallys goes so fast that you will catch a blur at best. It departs from Zuid/Midi. Thalys requires a seat reservation and a supplement. You have no choice.

The station near the central square is Brussel Centraal. To get off there you must take the InterCity from Amsterdam.

The 'scenic' part is in the Netherlands. You could take the intercity from Amsterdam to Brussels Centraal (no reservation required), spend a few hours in Brussels (the highlights of the city are all close by Brussels Centraal), then catch the Thalys to Paris (reservation obligatory!). There's nothing scenic between Brussels and Paris IMO.

1. You can catch a high-speed Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris from 35 euros, boked at www.thalys.com. No stopovers.

2. If you want to stop off, leg 1 is Amsterdam to Brussels. There's a choice!

Option 1: Hourly InterCity train, journey 3 hours, fixed price around 39 euros, buy at the station on the day and hop on any train, no reservation necessary. Takes old route, nice scenery but not dramatic or anything.

Option 2: Thalys, from 35 euros in advance, more like 70 euros on the day, takes 1 hour 55 at high speed. Book at thalys.com, reservation essential.

In both cases, you'd take Thalys from Brussels to Paris, journey 1 hour 20 mins, fares from 35 euros if you pre-book, more like 80 euros on the day. Reservation essential, www.thgalys.com

No, at 186 mph the scenery is not a 'blur', you can easily sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the scenery of northern France, and no it's not all in cutting, or hidden by trees, far from it. It's just not the most dramatic scenery in Europe.

Whilst not the most dramatically scenic of European trains the ride thru the Lowlands of Holland and Belgium and then northern France with the signature French landscapes with tiny villages punctuated by soaring steeples of parish churches is pleasant, especially if you have not been in these countries. Do as Man in seat 61 advises if you want to stop in Brussels. Bruges to many is the absolute highlight of Belgium, not Brussels and if you have a spare overnight take regular non-Thalys trains there from Amsterdam in about 3.5 hours or so - stay overnight in this simply dreamy dreamy city that some say is the most medieval looking one north of the Alps and then go onto Paris via a regular non-Thalys train to Lille and then French TGV from there to Paris.

For loads of great info on trains in these countries check out these fantastic IMO sites - www.seat61.com (Man in Seat 61 who posted above his commercial site) and www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Actually, Thalys has the following stops before Brussels: Schiphol Airport, The Hague HS, Rotterdam, Antwerp. The old route is the same as the new route, in the netherlands, and not particularly scenic. It only changes after the Dutch border to Antwerp. There the new track parallels the old track, only it's faster. I love the stretch from Brussels to Paris. Some nice landscapes, to be enjoyed from the Thalys bar.