Ams-Brugge-Paris

Hi-

I know this topic is played out and I%26#39;m sorry for bringing it up yet again.

I%26#39;ve been reading all the back posts and now have no clue what I%26#39;m doing wrong! I%26#39;m going from AMS-Brugge and understand I have to go thru Antwerp to get to Brugge. But, I would like to take the IC from Brugge to Paris via Lille. What I can%26#39;t figure out is how to actually buy the tickets. I%26#39;ve been all over the different sites....EuroRail, Thalys, EuRail, some other ones I found links to within old posts...and I%26#39;m just stuck. I can%26#39;t get any of these sites to get me where I%26#39;m trying to go! They%26#39;ve got me into Midi, into Brussels etc.. Is there any website that you use that I can just go buy 1-2-3 done? Or am I just better off buying the tickets when I get there?

Thanks so much!

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I found connections through Lille on both the TGV website and on the Belgian railways site. It looked like on the TGV one it didn%26#39;t give the option of printing out the ticket but only of delivery. Didn%26#39;t get far enough on the Belgian railways site to see. Seat61.com is a good resource for figuring out buying rail travel tickets without going through Raileurope. It looked like the train to Lille is a Ter and the train from Lille to Paris is a TGV.

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Is there a reason why you want to go via Lille? To do this you need to take the train Brugge to Kortijk then Kortijk to Lille Flanders then the TGV to Paris. Kind of makes no sense which is why the booking sites route you through Brussels and on to the Thalys.

With the Thalys you can buy a ABS (any Belgian Station) option which includes your IC train to Brussels. There is also a direct train (Thalys) from Brugge to Paris Gare du Nord at 06.25 every day.

If you really want to go through Lille then just book the TGV from there to Paris (which requires reservations) and buy the ticket for the Brugge to Lille IC train when you get to the station.

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Thanks so much for your replies. I almost have it worked out. I did go to the RailEurope site and it gives all the options while being easy(ier) to navigate. I like the direct from Brugge to Paris, but 6:25am for me, on vacation, probably ain%26#39;t gonna cut it! I don%26#39;t have to go to Lille, it just looked like a straight shot on the map so we thought it was a better choice than going thru Brussels. Now I see.

Again, thanks so much for your help!

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Just know you will pay a premium for the raileurope site and it may not list every option. I booked my ticket through the Thalys website this summer but I did pickup in France, so if you can book through them with the print-your-own option or if there is an option for pickup in Belgium that would be best for you. I did the Brugge-Brussels-Paris trip last month and you will have no trouble with the transfer, it was very easy. My one recommendation would be that if you can get a Thalys that starts in Brussels as opposed to in Amsterdam it will be easier to store your luggage on the racks at the end of the car as opposed to above you, if that is an issue, as there won%26#39;t already be people on the train.

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As Warroirjan says book through the www.thalys.com site. You have the option to print the tickets out at home or pick them up at the station. Smoove fares (the cheapest) are available from 12 weeks before departure but go fast so if your plans are set then book as early as possible. Aslo sign up for Thalys special offers on the site. Sometimes you can get one way fares for as little as €19 + the ABS (any Belgian Station).

One correction though. No Brussels to Paris train start in Brussels, they either start in Amsterdam or Cologne.

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I need to head back to reading-train-schedules school.

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Let me know which school you get in b/c I%26#39;m applying at the same one.

We ended up booking on Thalys and it was cheaper...thank you! We did AMS to ANTWERP and will get connection tickets to Brugge at the station once we arrive. Then, did the BRUGGE-BRU-NORD. Comfort 1 was cheaper than Comfort 2. Surprise!

Now, I%26#39;m off to figure out a rental car for Iceland....should be about as much fun as booking these tickets!

Thanks so much for all your help. God send really.