A few days ago, I bought tickets through the internet to travel from Bruges to Paris. It was easy and I just received them by UPS but I%26#39;m a little disoriented.
I received the ticket reservation from Bruxelles Midi with seat numbers, the name of the passenger and everything looks fine.
On the other hand, the tickets from Brugge to Bruxelles Midi, not only don%26#39;t have the passenger names but also only say valid from (date I%26#39;ll be using them) to a date two months later. It doesn%26#39;t say date and time I will be traveling nor the train number just the 1 Adult and Class.
Is this what I should have received? If it is, how do I proceed? Do I have to make arrangements at the train station in order to see if I can travel on the date, time and train that I reserved when I placed the order?
Help!
Thanks,
Yvonne
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It will have the train number, date, and time. Look closely at the top info. I bought my Thalys ticket on sale through Rail Europe also. That%26#39;s how I know.
You must also be on time. You can only use it for the train appointed and time appointed. You can get a partial refund if you trade it in, in 2 months
Don%26#39;t forget that the time is military time so you may only see 1345, for example. It will have the departure time on the left and the arrival on the right. If I remember correctly the train number is also on the left side.
If you still need help...let me know and I will see if I can find my stub. Or if you have a scanner, I can give you my personal email and guide you.
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Dear Ybobfill,
for the leg Brugges to Brussels Midi you can take every local train between the two stations. no limits ...if you like and time allows, take one a couple of hours earlier for visiting Brussels. Go to the train station Brugges in advance or look in the www.sncb.be website for the train options.
This is the reason why none of your mentioned information is written on the ticket. No reservation needed at all.
Enjoy and relax. L.
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What you have received is perfectly normal, because while you can purchase tickets in advance for any train, you can only RESERVE a seat for international trains. Therefore, your Brussels-Paris ticket is for a specific seat in a specific carriage on a specific train (and since there is a reservation, it has to be in a specific name), while your Brugge-Brussels ticket is simply for any train from Brugge to Brussels at the relevant rate (adult) and in the relevant class. You just catch whichever train is convenient from Brugge, and find a seat where you can, like a bus.
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Thank you all for helping me understand the situation. I purchased first class tickets on both trains. There is no problem with the train to Paris because it has assigned seats (reserved). But, how do I know if the train I scheduled to take from Bruges (the local train), has seats available when we arrive? If there are no seats available, we might not get in time to take the Paris train. On the other hand, what if there are no first class seats available, will we get reimbursement for the difference?
I%26#39;m thinking of taking the train that leaves one (1) hour earlier from Bruges so that we will be in time for the Paris train. If we decide to do this, is there somethings we could do at the train station in Bruxelles Midi, besides waiting? Shopping maybe?
Are the platforms from the train we arrive from Bruges, near the Thalys train we will take to Paris?
Well, thanks again, Yvonne
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There are at least two trains from bruges to bruxelles per hour and when I have used them they have been very nice and reliable and I did notice first class carriages. I found the city centre in bruxelles quite far from bruxelles midi station even by taxi so not really do-able in just one hour.
In my opinion, others may disagree, I have found that belguim is an absolutely wonderful place with one exception bruxelles midi station. Most of the time inside it is ok but there are many beggars around the entrances to the station. It is quite a dark and gloomy station but there are some cafés and a few little shops including a mini supermarket.
The train from Bruges often comes in around platform 15 or nearby and the thalys/eurostar is clearly signposted. There is a small lounge for thalys/eurostar passengers for use before check-in - and usually check-in starts between 30minutes and one hour before departure.
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I saw on Trip Advisor that you just received your Thalys Train tickets via UPS. I will also be traveling to Belgium and onto Paris in Oct. and was trying to order tickets through the Thalys website. When registering to where to send the tickets only European coutries are listed. Where did you order your tickets from - what website? Did you get a mulitple country Eurorail pass? I am so confused on the trains???? Please Help!!
Thanks ~ Katie
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Katie, I think the OP used RailEurope. They are more expensive and UPS you the tickets. If you buy your tix from the US directly, you may need to pick them up at the station--bring the same credit card you used to pay for them online.
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Thanks to Ria for your information. I decided to travel from Bruges an hour earlier because the train I was going to take arrives in Bruxelles Midi with just 12 or 15 minutes before the train I have to take to Paris and due to the fact that it has reserved seats, I don%26#39;t want to be late or in a rush. So Ria%26#39;s post gave me an idea that I can wait near the platform and relax a bit before boarding the train to Paris.
I also, answered Katies post about the site: raileurope.com/us ...
Thanks again, any other suggestions will be welcomed.
Yvonne
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the best place and safest to wait between trains is the cafe - exki - which is just round the corner from the eurostar entrance or just opposite the lifts that come down from eurostar arrivals. it is comfortable has seats and serves veggie style food and drink. sitting at the cafe in the main concourse, with bags and an american accent is equivalent to having a sign on you saying pickpocket me
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Marmotte: Thanks for the hint. Yvonne
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