Traveling Europe by Thalys Train

If you’re on a limited time and want to make the most of your European trip, Thalys Trains are the way to go.  It is more convenient to take a Thalys train then see a new city by booking an airplane ticket.   There’s no luggage to carry around, no long security lines, and you arrive at the city center.   Plus, you have large comfortable seats, with plenty of room.  In this blog I will list some tips on how to make your Thalys train ride an easy one.

In November, my family spent five days in Brussels, Belgium.  I knew I wanted to go on a few day trips, so after a lot of research, Thalys had the best prices and times.  We booked a day trip to Paris for 29 euro each way and a day trip to Cologne for 30 euro each way.

Tip- Book your train tickets 2-3 months in advance.  I booked my train tickets in September and found some good deals.  Thalys trains have reserved seating with two different class types.  The website is very easy to navigate.  You look up the city you want to go to, pick a time, then choose your seat.  I printed my receipt from the confirmation email I received.  If you don’t have a printer, no problem, you can save the confirmation to your phone and use that as your ticket.

Thalys trains are high speed trains that go 300 km/hr.  From Brussels Midi to Paris Nord, the trip was one hour and 20 minutes.  (To read more about Paris, check out my other blog posts)

Tip- Be sure to arrive at your departure station at least 20-30 minutes early.  There isn’t a security check, but sometimes the arrival platforms are changed last minute.  If you are traveling from Brussels Midi, you do not need to purchase another train ticket between two stations.  Our hotel was closest to Brussels Central Station. We got on the train going to Brussels Midi without purchasing a ticket.  If the conductor checks for tickets, just show them your Thalys train ticket like we did.  The Thalys ticket covers your ride between the Brussels train stations.

We found boarding the Thalys train very easy.  The carriage and seat number are printed on the tickets.

Tip- If you have luggage or shopping bags, there is a luggage rack above your seat.  For larger bags that don’t fit, there is more luggage storage at the end of each carriage by the exit doors.

The second day trip we went on was to Cologne, Germany.  Cologne is under two hours from Brussels.  One of the best parts about using Thalys is that we arrived right at the city center. As soon as we walked out of the Koln Station, we were right across from Cologne Cathedral.  All the sights in Cologne were within walking distance.  (Read my Cologne Germany blog)

Booking our travel through Thalys Trains saved us a lot of money and time.  We were able to enjoy three countries in one week.  The train rides were comfortable, convenient and fun.  Do you plan on booking a train ride with Thalys on your next European trip?  If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below.