We will be traveling from Amsterdam to Paris in September, and would like to stop in Brussels for a few hours on the way. I gotta have some mussels!!
I understand that the best way to get from AMS to Brussels is to take the InterCity train. But...
**Does the InterCity train stop at Brussels Centraal? (We would like to be able to walk from there to the Grand Place.)
To then proceed on to Paris, I have read that the Thalys train is the best option. However, it seems this train leaves from Brussels Midi, not Centraal.
**So, how would we get from Centraal to Midi to catch the Thalys?
**Also, are there lockers at the train station to stash our luggage while we walk around?
I have exhausted Google trying to figure this out...Help!
Thanks!
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You will need 2 tickets
1) InterCity from Amsterdam Centraal to Brussels (and return), which covers you to any of the 3 stations it stops at: Nord, Central and Midi in that order.
2) Thalys (not %26quot;the best option%26quot;, but the ONLY train possible!) from Bruxelles-Midi to Paris (and return).
So yes, on arrival from Amsterdam you can get off at Gare centrale, there are indeed lockers (in between platforms 2 and 3, I think, on the -1 level) as well as a manned %26quot;consigne%26quot; next door.
To continue your journey, just take a local train - there is one every 10 minutes or so, you will be able to identify the next one from the departures board - from Central one stop to Midi: you can consider that your Thalys ticket is from %26quot;Brussels zone%26quot; and therefore you can start using it at Central even if you can%26#39;t board the Thalys until you get to Midi (platforms 3-4 or thereabouts) - next to the Eurostar terminal. In the unlikely event of a ticket control between Central and Midi this explanation should suffice, alternatively you can use a €1.70 STIB (Brussels city transport e.g. bus, tram, metro) ticket for this journey or take the underground tram from Bourse - the other side of the Grand%26#39; Place from Gare centrale - to Midi, for this price.
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Thanks, Gaminari!
Here%26#39;s another question:
How much time would you allow to get from Gare Centrale to the Grand Place, have lunch, walk around for a few minutes, then get from Centrale to Gare Midi so we can catch the train to Paris?
From what I%26#39;ve read, you have to buy the tix to Paris in advance, so I%26#39;m trying to guess what time to leave Brussels...
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Thalys is reservation only (www.thalys.com), and if you don%26#39;t reserve at least 2 weeks in advance you will have to pay the full %26quot;Librys%26quot; fare, whereas if you book well in advance you may qualify for the cheap %26quot;Smileys%26quot; or intermediate %26quot;Mezzo%26quot; fares, although bear in mind that these are like APEX fares, with limitations on changes/refunds. You should have your Paris ticket before you leave Amsterdam, you could go to Amsterdam-Centraal and buy both a couple od days before, bearing in mind that for Thalys you will get numbered seats in specific trains at specific times whereas for IC you can%26#39;t reserve seats and are not tied to specific trains. If you don%26#39;t buy Thalys tickets in Amsterdam or online, then you must buy them at the latest when you arrive in Brussels: you can do this at any station with an international ticket desk which includes Gare centrale - but beware, there are often long lines and you must still buy at least a few hours in advance (and run the slight risk of the train being full if it%26#39;s a weekday and you want to travel at the same time as businessmen returning to Paris).
The Grand%26#39; Place is about 5 minutes%26#39; walk from Gare centrale: from the main exit, cross over to Citibank, go under the archway, turn right, going downhill, and aim for the belfry you can see above the buildings on your left, which is that of the Town Hall, in the GP.
Gare du Midi is less than 5 minutes from Gare centrale although I would not advise turning up there 10 minutes before you need to be at Midi and expecting to catch your connecting train! You would do better to pick a specific departure to be sure of finding it on time (especially if you don%26#39;t buy your Thalys ticket in Amsterdam but online from Thalys.com, when you would have to leave time for picking it up Gare du Midi, which I believe is done by putting a reservation code and your credit card into a machine).
For the rest you can spend as much or as little time as you like looking around the Grand%26#39; Place, eating etc., and I would advise you to leave some time for looking in the nearby Galeries St. Hubert - where there are also some nice restaurants, e.g. La Taverne du Passage; but don%26#39;t eat in the neighbouring rue des Bouchers/petite rue des Bouchers/rue Grétry (Chez Léon is an honourable exception, if you want moules and frites).
Rather than guess what time you would be leaving Brussels, you need to look at the train timetable and adjust what you do in Brussels accordingly. For example, you could catch the 07:56 IC arr. Bruxelles-Central at 10:41 or the 09:56 arr. 12:41, then as long as you have your Thalys tickets already, continue at 16:54 to Gare du Midi (this is its final destination), arr. 16:57, and catch the 17:13 Thalys arr. Paris-Nord at 18:35. But there are later Thalys services at 18:13, 19:13 and 20:43 (arr. 22:05), it also depends on when you want to arrive in Paris.
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