A Thalys Question
 

Plan to travel from Amsterdam to Paris on 12/30. We would like to take the Thalys train but confused over our ticketing options. I read that it's cheaper to buy it in Europe. (It will be Amsterdam in that case and it seems to cost 94 euro one way pp) But I also saw a post saying that due to the favorable euro/dollar rate it's cheaper to buy in US (I found a site www.travellerspoint.com that seems to be selling ia point to point pass for this route for $89 USD pp)

So which one is a better option? Is there a way to get cheaper tickets on this route in advance? I tried SNCF and NS site but I couldn't figure out how to get a non-refundable discount ticket.

Thanks in advance,

Hi there

I'm not sure I understand your question on "which one is a better option"... obviously the cheapest one for you - if we're talking about the same product.

On a different note, the cheapest way to travel between AMS and PAR is not to take Thalys, but the regular international train. It might take a bit (but not much) longer and you may have to change in Brussels (though not always) and it's much cheaper. I am not sure you can book it online but you can certainly see the connections etc on www.ns.nl or www.bahn.de

The "cheapest" fare on Thalys is not euro 94, it is euro 65 roundtrip. As to whether it will be better to buy in dollars or euros, if you know what the dollar/euro exchange rate will be on 30 Dec., please tell me so I can make some quick investments! thanks.

If you go to www.thalys.com on Tuesdays there is a last minute 50% discount offer on tickets for selected journeys for the week ahead (Wed-Tue), if you're flexible with train times. Tuesday is the best day to purchase these tickets as availabilty for these tickets is highest. Less seats available on Fridays and Sundays. Amsterdam-Paris is only €47 one way. You can pay with an international credit card and even print your own ticket.

Thanks for the information. I am interested in one way trip. My travel date (12/30) is not flexiable. The only one way fare I saw for that day is 94 euro on thalys.com or 89 USD on travellerspoint.com. So I thought purchase in US might be a good option at this time.

I did check the last minute special section of thalys.com. It looks like in order to take advantage of that deal I will have to wait till 12/27. Is there a risk that there will be no tickets available by then?

That's correct. If you want to take advantage of the 50% discount then you will have to wait until the 27/12 in order to book. As the name suggests, it is a last minute offer, and there is some risk in that it may not be available for the date you want. Past experience has also shown more availabilty on the AMS-BRU route than AMS-PAR.

Is it only your date that isn't flexible, or the time as well?

With it being Friday before New Year's Eve I suspect that trains will be quite busy in the afternoon/evening with people travelling for the week-end... but on the other hand it may not be as busy as normal Fridays because many people will have been off work for the whole week. As long as your times are flexible you should probably find something.

The one and only time I travelled on the Thalys I bought my ticket 20 minutes before departure, and there were plenty of seats.

www.raileurope.com is a US-based company that books European rail travel mainly for Americans travelling to Europe. Check there. Remember, there are different classes of service on Thalys.

Thalys
 

I did this exact trip this summer. I just went right to the train station in Schipol and got a ticket. The train left in 4 minutes. It is cheaper if you buy in advance, but as I recall RailEurope required the tickets be mailed to you ahead of time in the US. Also, check for added fees. I don't think it's worth it to save a few bucks and have to change trains. The Thalys direct is so convenient. Takes you right to Gare du Nord.

Thalys is considered a premium train. If it's late, you may be entitled to compensation. My return train was delayed well over an hour, and there was some brief mention of compensation in the announcements, but I didn't understand. Later on at my hotel in Amsterdam, the clerk told me that if I went to the Thalys office at Centraal Station I could get a check. It was too late for me, though.

Forget Thalays and take the regular international trains. Cheaper, more flexable (ie no reservations) and more trains. It will be slightly longer though.

MisterNice

This would be correct for a trip from Amsterdam to Brussels. Especially since the "high-speed" Thalys runs at normal speed between those 2 cities.

But for Brussels - Paris don't hesitate, go for Thalys. I'm not even sure that there still are normal trains; as far as I know the only choice between BRU en PAR is Thalys. And in that case it's easier to start on Thalys from AMS (without changing trains in Brussels) ...