nicolep91

Please bear with me as I try to plan my first trip to Europe.

First, are train reservations necessary? I found a fare from Paris to Bruges on RailEurope for $68 (2nd class). To make reservations (they are not required) it will be an additional $11 (plus the $15 service fee). We are hoping to catch an early train (around 8 – ish) but we will not be on a “schedule”. Will it be difficult to find a seat without at that time without a reservation? The date will be May 24th (a Tuesday).

Also, from Bruges we will be traveling to London. We will need to travel to Brussels first, right? Since we wanted to spend ½ a day in Brussels anyway, would it be possible to keep our luggage somewhere in the train station so we could see the city without making another trip there before we head to London? Keep in mind, we will have suitcases, not just backpacks. I did not think there would be lockers or anything that large but I thought I would ask.

PalQ

Reservations are required on this route, which has two routes: Paris-Brussels via Thalys train then to Brugge, or Paris-Lille then change for Brugge - either way TGVs and Thalys require reservations to my knowledge. Look up schedules on the www.bahn.de site and then get the train details from it and it will say in English if reservation is compulsory and i strongly believe it is. If you want to avoid the RailEurope $15 mailing fee go thru one of their agents who won't charge it, like my favorite BETS (800-441-2387); their staff is extremely knowledgeable in things like if reservations are required or not and can book them as they work thru RailEurope. Offhand the $68 fare would seem not to apply to Thalys trains, which should be around $90 in second class Paris-Brussels - with Thalys the ABS 'all Belgian stations' fare then gives you a free ticket anywhere in Belgium to be done the same day as your Thalys train. As for Eurostar Brussels-Paris, again i'd call BETS and their extreme expertise to find the lowest fare ($90 one way with day and time restrictions) - again the ABS fare lets you go free from Brugge to Brussels in conjunction with the Eurostar fare. You could go Brugge-Lille-London but in this case the Brugge-Lille train you'd have to pay for i believe as the ABS fare don't apply in this case - only to Brussels i believe. In any case cheaper Eurostar fares must be booked far in advance to get these limited space available fares - can book up to nine months in advance. There are also senior and youth fares on both Thalys and Eurostar. Brugge is an absolute fantasy land - get off the beaten track to see the neat canals lined by ancient Flemish-style facades. Fabulous! There are luggage lockers in the Brussels Midi (Zuid) station where Eurostar departs.

nicolep91

PalQ - Thank you for your reply. I rechecked the RailEurope website and it's very strange, but it says at the top "Paris Nord to Brugge direct; THALYS service" and then there are times to chose from and the option of selecting a reservation or not. For the fare I want ($68 2nd class), it says "On this route, you may buy tickets with or without reservations, or buy reservations only without any tickets.". The travel time is 2 1/2 hours. Does this not sound right to you?

Also, are the luggage lockers in the Brussels Midi station big enough for large suitcases? If so, that would be excellent!

PalQ

wELL I'VE NEVER HEARD of a Thalys without reservation but this Thalys service is only on Saturdays (7:55am dep Paris or 10:55 on Sun or 18:55 daily exc Sat - these rare Paris-Brugge-Oostende Thalys trains may have an exception to the reservation rule even though my Thomas Cook Timetable - a kind of Bible for rail travel says they do - These trains may also have special fares that are cheaper than Brussels even though they in fact go thru Brussels. Anyway i'd call BETS and ask - they know everything or will get it clarified from higher ups at RailEurope. Super fare that you should reserve to get as there is only one of these trains most days - my Cooks says the 7:55 am train only runs on Saturdays. Maybe the $68 routing is via TGVs via Lille and some of these TGVs are the only TGVs in France where reservations are not compulsory. BETS can reserve Thalys up to three months in advance. Again, they are the authority in my mind!

ira

Hi Nicole,

You can purchase your 2cl tickets from the French Railway system for 47.5E ($61) via Lille Flandres as early as 60 days in advance. The TGV portion to Lille-Flandres requires a reservation, included in the price.

After you buy your ticket, you get a confirmation number. Print out the confirmation and bring it with the same credit card to any train station or SNCF boutique in France to get your tickets.

You can also purchase your ticket from Bruges to Brussels at the same site; 13E.

See http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

There is a left luggage office at the Brussels Midi station.

BTilke

The left luggage department is near the round info kiosk in the Midi station. It's right after the entrance to the new wing of the train station, which houses the tracks for the high speed trains (Thalys, TGV, ICE, Eurostar). I believe the current rate is 3 euros per piece. I will be back in Brussels this week-end and will doublecheck it for you. Lockers tend to get taken quickly, especially the larger ones, so the left luggage (consigne) is a better option.

Intrepid1

The seat reservation charge from RailEurope is FAR more expensive than if you do reservations after arrival or through the SBNCF site. You'll also save the S+H fees.

I've used RailEurope many times but if you can book the whole thing using the SNCF site and then pick up the tickets in France (you pay on line and get a confirmation number) then by all means do it that way.

nicolep91

Thank you all for your help! This ticket purchase has been more confusing then I thought it would be.

RailEurope seems more user friendly to me than the SNCF site and I like the fact that I could buy my tickets for Brussels to London at the same time, but if they are more expensive, I will hold off for now.

BTilke - Thank you for the information on the left luggage. I really appreciate your offer to check the price for me!