European Rail Travel - Paris to Bochum (Germany) Via Brussels on the train

Hello, I am planning to Train it from Paris to Brussels and then up to Bochum in Germany. Bochum is situated between Essen and Dortmund. If anyone has done this trip or similar I would love to find out about this trip or if it possible. I will be travelling in mid June 2011. In advance thanks

What sort of things do you want to know? How to get a good fare? Whether or not there is anything worth looking out of the window for?

And what information do you have already - do you know where to book, do you know where to check train times?

Also - are you planning to stop off in Brussels, or are you just mentionining Brussels because most (but not all) trains go that way?

Hello, I am planning to Train it from Paris to Brussels and then up to Bochum in Germany. Bochum is situated between Essen and Dortmund. If anyone has done this trip or similar I would love to find out about this trip or if it possible. I will be travelling in mid June 2011. In advance thanks

If you're only doing Paris to Bochum, then all you really need is a point to point ticket. You may buy this from Deutsch Bahn's english website.

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/overseas/en/index.shtml

But if you are going to more places and stopping in Brussels along the way, and then to more places in Germany and France, may I suggest the the Eurailpass tri country flexipass... France/Germany/Benelux. This pass may be obtained thru major travel agencies in your country before you travel.

Similarly obtain information about 'similar' experiences on the train by Googling really... I've not personally done your trip but have travelled extensively by train in Europe. And as mentioned by Aviatrix... what is it do you want to know?

What I would like to know is : is this trip possible and should I book it before I arrive in Europe? I will be in Brussels for 3 days and staying in the center of town. Is there a website to book on or ask the hotel to book it for me or should I book it when I arrive in Brussels on the train from Paris or do I book the whole thing in Paris?

If you are willing to commit to specific trains in advance, you can do it all on-line.

Book Paris - Brussels on Thalys (http://www.thalys.com/fr/en/?time=1306740296).

Book Brussels - Bochum on Deutsche Bahn (http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?newrequest=yes&protocol=http:&).

If you are willing to commit to specific trains in advance, you can do it all on-line.

You don't necessarily have to commit to specific trains for the Brussels to Bochum part of your trip. There are inflexible fares (starting at EUR 34 for the day I looked at) which are only valid on specific trains, and there are flexible ones that are valid on any train.

It looks like about a third of the itineraries listed on bahn.de can be booked online while the remainder can't (seems you can book online if you are crossing direct from Belgium to Germany but not for services via the Netherlands).

For itineraries that can't be booked online you just walk to the station and buy a ticket there - and you can do this right up to a few minutes before departure (not that I would recommend leaving it this late!)

No, you don't have to book in advance, but it's generally easier and cheaper to.

The standard fare on the ICE (plus connection in Cologne) is €62, whereas there are plenty of €39 advance fares.

As a matter of interest, where does that €34 walk-up fare come from?

No, you don't have to book in advance, but it's generally easier and cheaper to.

If you can - and for two thirds of the trains between Brussels and Bochum you can't (as these are journeys on semi-fast and/or local trains)

The standard fare on the ICE (plus connection in Cologne) is €62, whereas there are plenty of €39 advance fares.

You can bring this down to €51 if you use a slightly different routeing

As a matter of interest, where does that €34 walk-up fare come from?

Did I say it was a walk-up fare? There was a €34 fare listed for the day I looked at (some random date in July), alongside several €39 ones. And, as I said, most itineraries were not prebookable at all

There are four ICEs from Brussels to Cologne each day. If these times suit, it is easiest (and usually quickest - from about 3 hours to Bochum) to book on these (changing in Cologne). These can be booked easily on-line on the DB website.

If I were the OP, I would consider doing it this way - less hassle if you're not familiar with the European train system and you don't want to be changing trains two or more times.

Aviatrix - you're right, the €34 wasn't walk-up. But the €51.60 walk-up fare involves more changes and a significantly longer journey time on less comfortable trains, than taking the ICE.

There are four ICEs from Brussels to Cologne each day. If these times suit, it is easiest (and usually quickest - from about 3 hours to Bochum) to book on these (changing in Cologne). These can be booked easily on-line on the DB website.

If I were the OP, I would consider doing it this way - less hassle if you're not familiar with the European train system and you don't want to be changing trains two or more times.

Very good point. For a newbie European rail traveller it's best to go for the simplest option.

Aviatrix - you're right, the €34 wasn't walk-up. But the €51.60 walk-up fare involves more changes and a significantly longer journey time on less comfortable trains, than taking the ICE.

I think it was three hours vs four hours - so the difference isn't that great. But as you said, easier to go for the direct train to Cologne.

You should also always take a look at http://www.b-europe.com. While the walk-up fare on reiseauskunft.bahn.de is cheaper, you get there sometimes specials which are already sold out at bahn.de. Are you going to stay in Bochum? Otherwise you should consider buy the ticket up to your final destination, since the price/km gets cheaper the further you travel.

757DUD

PS: For the leg from paris to brussel the same applies. You should check http://www.sncf.com/en_EN/flash/, the french railway as well for specials (They call it promo)

Many thanks to your replys, what I am going to do is Paris to Brussels with a 3 night stopover then onto Cologne with an overnight stop at the Hilton and then catch the early train from Cologne to Bochum. But where should I buy the tickets from ? Should I buy them in Paris with the with the 3 nighter in Brussels and an overnighter in Cologne or buy each leg seperately ?

The leg Brussel-Bochum should be bought as one leg. It is much cheaper, just to add the cologne-Bocum than to buy to legs. The overnight-stop is not a problem. German railway tickets are at least 48h valid. International tickets much longer (1 month), but I'm not sure whether this ticket is considered as an international ticket, since the whole journey is on DB-Trains.
757DUD

The leg Brussel-Bochum should be bought as one leg.

Can you do this with a saver ticket? If so - how? (I know you can break your journey on a full fare ticket, and that full-fare tickets are valid on any train... but how do you force an overnight stay when booking a saver ticket online?)

Can you do this with a saver ticket? If so - how? (I know you can break your journey on a full fare ticket, and that full-fare tickets are valid on any train... but how do you force an overnight stay when booking a saver ticket online?)

Yes you can - enter Cologne as the stopover, and tweak the stopover time until you get the trains you want.

For itineraries that can't be booked online you just walk to the station and buy a ticket there - and you can do this right up to a few minutes before departure (not that I would recommend leaving it this late!)

Though a lot of people do - probably the majority!

Neil

Many thanks for your advice. I caught the train from Paris to Brussels, then from Brussels to Cologne, then Cologne to Bochum , the Bochum to Munich, Then Munich to Frankfurt then tomorrow I am catching the train from Frankfurt to St Pancras via Brussels. Apart from the first trip which was on Thalys , the rest were done on DB Bahn. all in all a really good experience.