I will be in Paris for the first time during Easter. Does anyone have any info on taking the train from Paris to Brussels? Can you do this as a day trip? What is the cost and do you have to book ahead of time, if so where do I book?
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try www.thalys.com for train schedules and prices.
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Yes, it can be done in a day, and IMO, that%26#39;s all the time in the world you%26#39;ll need for Brussels. It may in fact be too much time. Consider Bruges (Brugge) instead--it%26#39;s not much further, and yes, it is touristy, but Bruges is much more fun than Brussels. http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.htm
Thalys.com is good for scheduling ideas, but you will pay more to book online. Buy tickets at the station, perhaps a day or two in advance. On occasion, I%26#39;ve found that tickets from Brussels to Paris sell out--possibly because people are desperate to get out of Brussels. :)
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%26quot;Thalys.com is good for scheduling ideas, but you will pay more to book online%26quot;
- actually, the discounted tickets sell in advance and go quickly. I prefer to use www.sncf.com
- you hope to book a %26quot;Smilys%26quot; fare (the cheapest) - note that it is non-refundable/non-exchangeable
- decline the %26#39;insurance%26#39; so you can print the ticket page on your own printer
- otherwise, choose to pick up tickets at any SNCF boutique (agency) or ticket office in Paris
- if you aren%26#39;t sure and just might go only on a whim, then you can wait and buy tickets at above boutique/offices; I doubt you%26#39;ll find any discounts but the full-fare tickets have less restrictions.
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You can easily do a day trip to Brussels as Thalys takes only 1h22 from Paris-Nord. If you want to follow the recommendation above to go to Brugge this will take you at least another hour on the fastest IC trains, which are those that go to coastal destinations like Oostende, Knokke and Blankenberge.
Thalys arrives at Gare du Midi, but the main things to see in Brussels - Grand%26#39; Place, Galeries St. Hubert - are 5 minutes%26#39; walk from Gare centrale, so take a local train one stop to that station: this should be included in the price of your Thalys ticket as it is to BRUSSELS, which covers any station in the city. The same applies for your return to Gare du Midi, there are dozens of trains from Gare centrale that will stop there for you to change to the Thalys.
If you are only staying in the centre of Brussels, you will not need to take public transport at all, or you could consider taking one of the hop-on, hop-off tourist buses that all congregate outside Gare centrale (I can%26#39;t recommend any of them, supposedly the red and blue ones are now the same company anyway). If, however, you want to take the metro to Heysel for the atomium or buses/trams to museums, you can get a day ticket from the machines in metro stations for €4; otherwise, individual tickets cost €1.50 if you buy them from machines in advance, €2 if you buy them on a bus or tram, in all cases for 60 minutes travel.
If it is a nice day I would strongly recommend a visit to the Musical Instrument Museum, even if you don%26#39;t think you have any interest in musical instruments (as I didn%26#39;t). Not only is it a beautiful (reconstructed) art nouveau building but it has a roof-top café with a grand view; and your ticket includes headphones which, as you pass the display cases, tune into music played by each instrument, which really brings them alive. Bear in mind that most Brussels museums are closed on Mondays (and shops are closed on Sundays, except in the Sablon/Marolles area between the antiques market in the Sablon and the flea market in Place du Jeu de Balles).
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I love Brussels. It as the youngest population of Capitol cities in Europe and is full of great designers, which gives the city a dynamic, creative buzz.
Booking a train ahead is not necessary, but does cut down considerably on cost.
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The info you received to book at the last minute is incorrect. Nor was booking through Thalys any more expensive.
The cheapest Thalys Fare - %26#39;Smilys%26#39; (and they are really cheap) - stop selling 14 days before departure. So waiting until the last minute to book means you miss out on the cheapest fares.
I learned this the %26#39;hard way%26#39;. I could have got a %26#39;Smilys%26#39; fare of 64EU round trip to Amsterdam - I did not then know the %26#39;Smilys%26#39; rate could only be bought 14 days or more in advance. So, I dithered - when I went to book (2 days later), I was within the 2 week period and the cheapest fare I could get was 168EU rt. I won%26#39;t make that mistake again - and hopefully you won%26#39;t!
Also, Easter is a %26#39;real%26#39; holiday in much of Europe, so I suggest booking any train tix for that period ASAP. You can book here:
www.thalys.com/fr/en/fares…
Here is the info from the Thalys website - the earlier you book, the more chance you have of getting %26#39;Smilys%26#39; fares:
%26gt;%26gt;Different rate categories are available on all Thalys trains. However, the number of seats available in each rate category varies. So only a limited number of seats may be available at the most attractive rates.
In most Thalys trains, the best value seats are made available the day that tickets go on sale. Their availability will decrease as the train seats are filled. Tickets can be bought three months prior to departure. Temporarily, this will be restricted to two months prior to departure for customers situated in France or Germany who make their reservations by Internet.
To benefit from a reduced fare, you are advised to purchase your ticket as early as possible or to travel at off-peak times.%26lt;%26lt;
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Thanks a lot everyone for your help. You have provided me with much needed information. Cheers!!
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