TC

We will arrive at CDG Airport in November from the States at (hopefully) 11:15AM. There is a train to Brussels at 12:43. Do you think this is enough time to clear customs (we will only have carry-on luggage) and get to the CDG train station? How does one get from the air terminal to the train station at CDG?

Have you every taken a city tour of Brussels and/or Bruges? I'm not too excited about the Gray Line type tours where you just whiz by all the sights in a bus. Any suggestions for more in-depth tours?

Thanks.

BeeGee

That could be cutting it close, even though the station is in one of the terminals. Personally, I'd prefer to have an extra hour to kill than have to dash to make a connection.

http://www.adp.fr/webadp/a_cont01.nsf/$$Affich@ReadForm&cle=X500.html

The above website has a terminal map. The site is in French, but you should be able to find what you are looking for, even if you speak little or no French. Depending on your airline, you may need to take a shuttle to the appropriate terminal. The TGV station is between terminals 2F and 2C/D.

I can't help with part 2 of your question, as it has been a while (15+ years unfortunately) since I've visited Belgium.

http://www.brugge.be/

PalenqueBob

It could be enough time. Tips. Go right to the SNCF Rail Desk in the arrivals hall of terminal one, where most trans-Atlantic flights land and buy your ticket and mandatory reservation you need before boarding the Brussels train. This may be quicker than doing so at the TGV station, though if there is a long line at the rail desk, go right to Terminal 2 via the free navette (shuttle buses) that link the various CDG terminals and buy your ticket, reservation there. To get the free navette, follow signs for 'Paris by train', in January you had to take an elevator down one floor from the arrivals hall and then go outside to the bus stop. There are two navettes, going to different places. Ask the driver for the TGV station or maybe this is indicated on the front of the bus. Usually customs is a snap and flights are known to land early as airlines build in extra time so that they are on time more often. It all depends on when you luggage comes off. And there are trains every few hours to Brussels.

BTilke

In Brussels, most of the tours are bus tours--there is an open double decker bus I see whizzing about. The city is too spread out to do a walking, carriage tour, etc.
In Brugge, there are carriage tours and canal boat tours. Both are very "touristy" but so what! They are fun ways to see the heart of the city...I'd take the carriage tour first (the horses in Brugge are in GREAT shape, real athletes, they zip around at quite a clip--if you go on a Saturday, go to the Beguinage and take the carriage with the big yellow horse and the golden retriever riding "shotgun" with the driver), then do a canal boat tour. Remember, Brugge is a fairly compact city so you could also do a self-guided walking tour.

TC

Thanks, BeeGee, great web site. FYI: if you click on the word "Welcome" at the bottom left of the opening page the site is in English. I'm trying to print the map for reference.

PalenqueBob: We will only have carry-on luggage, so hopefully Customs will be a snap. If we don't make the 12:43 train, its an additional 3 hour wait. Can I buy and reserve my tickets via the web before I travel? I think I can and then just retrieve them from a machine much like an ATM. Have you done this? Questioning your reference to TGV in Terminal 2. From the map at BeeGee's web site, it looks like the TGV is in Terminal 3. ??????? Am I reading the map wrong?

Thank to all for your help.

Andrew

When I was in Paris in September, there were three trains an hour leaving for Brussels during the daytime. Probably about the same now. So if you miss your train from CDG, at worst you could get a taxi into the city and catch one the Thalys from the station there. Might get to Brussels only an hour late.

Andrew

allovereurope

Once in Brussels, the main center of the city (Grand PLace) is a very short walk from the train station (make sure to check it is the correct one--there are 3 Brussels train stations and I'd rather you checked yourself than tell you the wrong one).

In Brugge the best way to see the city is by canal boat tour, in my opinion.

BTilke

The train station closest to the Grand'Place is the Gare Central/Centraal Station. However, the Thalys goes into the Gare du Midi/Brussel Zuid station (arriving on tracks 4 to 6) and from there it's a very LONG walk to the Grand'Place.
I believe your Thalys ticket allows you to take any "regular" Brussels train from Midi to Centrale. But you have to be careful that the train you pick is going the right way--into the city and not out. The Central station, FYI, is not particularly attractive.
Are you staying overnight in Brussels or just want to do a quick daytour? You can check your luggage in Brussels Midi.

TC

We are staying in Brussels at the Hotel Astoria. Flying into Paris because that was the closest destination we could get to on upgrade seats. The slight train hassle is worth it to fly First Class for the price of Coach. Couldn't get seats on any of the flights through Amsterdam to Brussels - the usual route from our departure point. We'll only be in Brussels for four days - a business meeting for la husband - so I have to hustle to cover the high points.

Thanks for the assistance.

PalenqueBob

Yeh not sure about terminal 2 but just take the navette bus to 'Gare TGV'. You can buy tickets from www.sncf/voyages.com web site and retrieve them in France. I've read some comments of those who did this and had some problems with it, but have had no experience doing this. Anyway, the way planes can be late, leave enough time for late planes or you'll lose your reservation fee or ticket price if you bought one of the cheaper advance purchase fares that may not be refundable, so be sure ticket you buy can be used on any train.