plafield

We are flying in and out of CDG in Paris because of getting FF rewards tickets but plan to spend some time in Belgium.

We arrive in Paris on a Sunday morning, scheduled to land at 7:30 AM. We have a marvelous apartment reserved in Brugges for Monday through Thursday nights and a fabulous apartment reserved in Paris when we return after our 4 nights in Brugges. The question is about what to do on Sunday/Sunday night when we arrive. Here are the options as I see them:

1. Spend Sunday in Paris, wandering in familiar territory (we've been to Paris twice before) stretching our legs (we're flying coach, 9 hour flight)adjusting to the time change, have a nice dinner, stay in a hotel near Gare d Nord and train to Brugges on Monday morning. (either Thalys to Brussels and then on to Brugges or TGV to Lille and then Brugges. There are no morning or mid day direct Thalys Paris to Brugges trains on Mondays)

2. Get off the plane, get to Gare Nord and take the direct Thalys to Brugges (leaves on Sundays at 11:55AM)and then stay in a hotel or B&B in Brugges, moving to the apartment on Monday (this apartment is only available M-Th nights)

3. Train to Brussels (is there a direct train from CDG or do we have to get to Gare d Nord first?)on Sunday and spend the afternoon checking out Brussels, which we've never seen, have dinner and stay in Brussels Sunday night and then train to Brugges on Monday.

Would you get all the travel over in one VERY long fell swoop (choice #2), take a break from the travel to chill in a familiar city for a day and then go directly to Brugge, skipping time in Brussels all together (we'll do a day trip to Ghent from Brugges and possibly Antwerp) (#1), or break up the travel to Brugges just a bit and have part of a day and an evening somewhere new even with jet lag (#3)

Any and all comments and opinions welcome. Just remember that the plane tickets are already in hand in and out of CDG and the apartments are already reserved so I think these really are the only choices.

PalenQ

Many Thalys tickets have an ABS or All-Belgian Stations fare where within 48 hours i think you can go by any train free to Bruges and similarly back to Brussels for your return Thalys trip

Of course Thalys tickets are much cheaper often if booked early and get one of those deep discounted but limited in number tickets. www.thalys.com or www.voyages-sncf.com usually have the best fares IME but always check www.raileurope.com if in the U.S. as sometimes they can be just as cheap - like this summer when they had a 50% off full fare sale (expired) - i always advise calling Byron at www.budgeteuropetravel.com for great personal and expert service IME - but do take a look at thalys.com and voyages-sncf.com and compare as more than like, but not always, they will be a bit cheaper.

TimS

If you choose #3, you can take a TGV directly from CDG to Brussels-Midi, departing at 10:09 and arriving at 11:44.

Nikki

I'd choose door number 1, spend Sunday in Paris. For all the reasons you mention. Familiar city that you like a lot, stretching your legs, relaxing. Take in a Sunday market maybe. Much more appealing to me than hopping right on another train after an overnight flight.

adrienne

I'd choose #3 because I always need an afternoon nap when I arrive from an overseas flight and I prefer to get the long journeys over in the beginning when I'm already dopey. That way you can nap on the train and arrive refreshed in Brussels, walk around, have dinner and then on to Brugge the next day.

chevre

I might go with number 1 unless!, instead of Brussels you train to Antwerp and easy train ride to Brugge the next day. Brussels is ok, not great. If I had to choose only between Brussels and another day in Paris I'd pick Paris. I recommend Antwerp because it is an interesting, and beautiful place that isn't too big.

kerouac

You could hop a train to Lille, less than an hour away, and discover a new place for one day. From there, it would be very quick to get to Bruges.

plafield

It's great to hear different people's styles of travel and why they'd choose which options. Please do keep the opinions coming!

How often does the train run to Lille? I assume it's a TGV and runs from the airport? What's Lille like, particularly for tired folks who speak very little French?

Vttraveler

I think the one night stop in Brussels might make sense. It would be easy to explore/enjoy the Grand Place and have an early dinner. But another night in Paris would certainly be a good option, too.

kerouac

I just looked on the SNCF site and I was surprised to see that the TGV from CDG to Lille runs almost as often as the RER to Paris. During parts of the morning, there is a train every 15-20 minutes, and off peak there is at least one train an hour. The trip lasts between 50 and 58 minutes for most of the trains.

Lille is a very "language friendly" city since it is in French Flanders and also gets lots of traffic from London. The old cobbled pedestrian center of the city is lovely, but if you want to move around, the metro goes all the way to the Belgian border.

yk

That's a difficult decision! My gut feeling is to get all the traveling done on your first day (so either to Brussels to Brugge). My experience has been that I am so tired on my arrival day that the day is kind of "wasted" as I would be wandering around in a daze. YMMV.

BTilke

Either way would work. I would be tempted to stay in Paris, have a leisurely stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens, take in one (and only one) museum, linger in a cafe, have a light dinner, and go to bed early that night.

OTOH, as yk says, there is merit into the idea of getting the bulk of your travel over with...hop up to Brussels on the Thalys, wander around the Grand'Place and Sablon, have dinner and go to bed early. Brussels is brimming with places to get a lovely, not expensive meal on Sundays. Also you can usually find very good rates at Brussels hotels over the week-end...my default 4-star hotel charges 70-80€ per night on week-ends.

FWIW, it's Bruges (French) or Brugge (Flemish). There is no "Brugges."

kerouac

And it is "Bruges" in English.

plafield

Thanks everyone. A hard decision. The pull to see something new says spend the night in Brussels or Lille but I think the most relaxing, easy thing to do is spend the night in Paris. Doing the whole trip to Bruges in one fell swoop feels like too much and waste of the whole first day.

I find that if I keep moving, especially if it's sunny, I have plenty of energy and alertness to enjoy my first day. But I'm afraid that too much waiting around followed by a train ride might result in feeling the lag too much to enjoy exploring some place new.

How long is the train ride to Lille from CDG? I assume it's TGV as opposed to Thalys from CDG? And is it easy to purchase a ticket then and there as opposed to in advance so we could plan to go on the next train available as soon as we got through baggage pickup and to the CDG station? Any price difference doing it last minute as opposed to planning way ahead? I know there are real price deals for Thalys tickets if purchased way in advance (and so you have to allow a good space of time in case your plane is delayed.)

So far, I've ruled out #2, but now still have 3 choices: 1.staying the night in Paris and then going to Brugges by the least expensive way on Monday (perhaps taking a few hours to see either Brussels or Lille but probably not)

2. going from CDG to Brussels for the afternoon/night and then onto Brugges on Monday

3. going from CDG to Lille for the afternoon/night and then onto Brugges on Monday.

More info and what you would and why if you were choosing is very helpful. Thanks!

kerouac

As I said in my post, CDG to Lille is 50 minutes by TGV with up to 4 trains an hour.

TimS

Depending upon the time of day (peak or off-peak hours), the standard 2nd class fare for TGVs from CDG to Lille is 39.10-53.70 euros.

Booked far enough in advance (up to three months allowed) at voyages-sncf.com, a Prem's fare can be as low as 17 euros.

rsdrake

I would not spend an extra night in Brugges. I spent 3 nights there a couple years ago and saw everything there was to see. Its a great little town, but you won't need more time than you already have planned.

Brussels is OK. One night would be enough to see it and cross it off your list.

But there is no other city better than Paris for relaxing. I would use your first day in Europe to walk around Paris and sit in the many parks and do a lot of relaxing. Since you have been there before and since you will be spending time there later, you won't feel obligated to sightsee. Paris is a great town to people watch, read a book in a park, and relax.

kerouac

Ha! Those of us who live in Paris don't think of it as "relaxing."

Interesting, fascinating, beautiful for sure. Relaxing? I don't think so.

avalon

If I didn't stay in Paris then I'd take the train to Lille. It's a beautiful city with lots of things to keep you awake after a flight. Then train to Brugges the next day.

plafield

So it sounds like we'd have to book the train to Lille ahead to get a cheap fare. I assume the cheaper fares booked ahead must be used on the specific train/time purchased for?

That's challenging when going direct from a flight because of possible delays combined with the desire to not have to wait around too much.

Is it one train ticket from Paris/Lille/Bruges or when going from Lille to Bruges, do we switch to the Belgian train line? If it's separate, do we purchase those tickets ahead as well for a better price? I was thinking that maybe we would stay Sunday night in Paris, head to Lille early Monday morning and spend the day/have lunch in Lille and then onto Bruges in the late afternoon. Thoughts?