intercity train amsterdam-brussels
Replies: 13 - Last Post: Nov 27, 2012 4:00 AM Last Post By: arizona
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intercity train amsterdam-brussels
I cannot seem to find the price or schedule for intercity trains from amsterdam to brussels | I have tried several websites and all I get is the thalys schedule/fares. some posts say the fare is 30euros one way and tickets can be purchased on same day. I want to go on Dec. 28 and will be in Amsterdam 3 days in advance. Given it's holiday season, is it safe to leave it to last minute? or just go for Eurolines pre-booking? Finally, what is the journey time on intercity?Thanks!
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be aware the (direct) IC will cease running on Dec 8th (the annual timetable change, read more on this thread ), the more expensive and less flexible Fyra trains will take their place from then on. technically you could still do IC-regional train-IC, but that would extend your travel time to 3.5 (compared to currently 3hrs or 2hrs with Fyra) and two connections (Roosendaal and Antwerp).the new schedule can already be found at http://www.bahn.com - yet why it's neither displayed nor bookable at nshispeed.nl is beyond me. probably best to keep checking that site regularly, as tickets bought in advance will likely come with a discount. given that Fyra/Thalys combined run hourly, even though it's holiday season I wouldn't worry too much about availability. in case you opt for IC/regional, note these cannot sell out and you may buy your ticket minutes before departure...
happy travels!
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The schedule is also displayed on www.ns.nl;NShispeed ,basically the same company, has never been known for its stellar IT skills. (which is odd for a company that sells tickets mainly trough the internet). They have a phone number: 0900-9296 from within NL or +31 302 331 676 from abroad.
Anyway, the new Fyra service has a early book fare of €25 one way; takes 2:01 hrs.
Eurolines sucks.
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#3 The Fyra train should be cheaper compared to the Thalys but more expensive than the IC train.Eurolines can be cheap but it's a long trip.
I don't find Fyra tickets (yet) on the Belgian http://www.b-europe.com/Travel eather.
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This gets confusing. To make this absolutely clear:until dec 8th there is the option of the regular IC and the high speed Thalys.
from dec 8th onwards there your options are Thalys, Fyra (also high speed train) and the IC-regional-IC connection #1 suggests.
For IC-regional-IC no reservation required
For Thalys and Fyra: reservation required; you can get this a few minutes prior to departure, or book it in advance through NShispeed.nl (which has early book fares)
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Thanks all for your responses. Went to the bahn website and it seems the journey is 6 hours due to the 2 connections. Just checked the high speed site and for 3 one way tickets on Thalys iit is now 237 euros, yesterday it was 147 euros. That is quite expensive (do non business travellers really pay that much?). I don't see the 25 euro tickets mentioned by the post above, as the Fyra fares aren't up for the 28th of december yet. I agree, the sites are not too user friendly! Any other tips are appreciated.9
#6 Arizona, have you actually ridden the MegaBus? I checked out the site, 3 hours doesn't seem too bad at all. thx.10
6hrs? please check again: go to bahn.com > enter departure/destination etc. > select 'further search options' > select 'means of transport: all without ICE' (ICE substitutes for any highspeed train here, IC trains will be still included) > search > 3.35hrs. :-)'do non business travellers really pay that much?' - budget flights have prooved that individual travellers will gladly commit themselves to a selected date months before a trip actually takes place just to get a good price, so rail companies see no gain offering any other speial deals. besides, many (frequent) local travellers take part in reduction schemes that cut standard fares (at least that's the case in Germany, Switzerland etc.).
p.s. as regards the bus, please note that though it arrives in the centre of Brussels, it departs from a P&R on the outskirts of Amsterdam, i.e. includes an additional tram ride, connection with required transfer time etc.
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From #9: #6 Arizona, have you actually ridden the MegaBus? I checked out the site, 3 hours doesn't seem too bad at all. thxNo, I have NOT.
