How to take a train journey from Paris to Bruxelles / Brussels by train

Final Destination: Amsterdam or Bruxelles or Dortmund or Essen or Koln

The Thalys trains are non-stop between Paris and Bruxelles.
The only station in Bruxelles/Brussels that the Thalys trains arrive at is Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid.

During the day (06:00 - 22:00) there are usually 1 or 2 x departures per hour, but there are typically no departures between 12:25/12:55 and 14:25.

For a stress-free journey it's a good idea to be at the Gare Du Nord at least 20 minutes before departure as all passengers taking the Thalys trains have to pass through security checks.
So being at the back of the queue wondering if you'll be able to board in time is a scenario best avoided.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date

This booking period tends to be shorter when looking up journeys between mid August and mid October.

Though take care if you will be looking up a journey more than six months ahead of the travel date.
For a few weeks after the six month period the discounted ticket prices can also be available, but the non-discounted tickets can be on sale for dates further ahead.
So if you be will looking up a journey more than six months ahead and only see prices of more than €100, refrain from purchasing and return to the booking service a few weeks later.

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.

Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.

Exchanges

Book to travel in Standard and Eurostar Plus class:
The booked date and time can be exchanged to a different departure to the same destination up to one hour before departure time.

• If the cost of your new ticket is more than the cost of your original ticket, you will be required to pay the difference;
• If the cost of your new ticket is less than the cost of your original ticket, you will not receive a refund of the difference.

Book to travel in Eurostar Premier class:
The booked date and time can be exchanged to a different departure to the same destination up to 48hrs after departure time (from November 4th 2024).

• If the cost of your new ticket is more than the cost of your original ticket, you will be required to pay the difference;
• If the cost of your new ticket is less than the cost of your original ticket, you will not receive a refund of the difference.

The Eurostar ticket terms summary is here

Refunds

Book to travel in Standard and Eurostar Plus class:

• Up to seven days or more before the date of departure you will need to pay a fee of £25 per person for a one-way / single ticket and £50 per person for a two-way / return ticket - So you will only receive any sum you paid in excess of these sums.
• Less than seven days before the date of departure, tickets are non-refundable - Also applies if you exchanged a ticket to an alternative departure, under seven days ahead.

Book to travel in Premier class:
Up until 48hrs after departure time (from November 4th 2024), tickets can be refunded at no additional cost,

The Eurostar ticket terms summary is here

Child tickets
Children under the age of 12 travel at a flat rate price of €15 in Standard, €20 in Comfort and €30 in Premium Class.
Source = Eurostar

Bike Tickets

Tickets are not-required as non-folding bikes can only be taken on board as hand luggage - as both wheels must be removed and everything must be covered by a non-rigid cover with maximum dimensions of 135 x 85 x 30 cm.

Dog Tickets

Charged at a flat fee rate of €30, but the payment will be taken by the train conductor, as these tickets cannot be booked online.

Rail Pass Users:

If you will be travelling with an InterRail or Eurail pass, you will have to pay a comparatively expensive reservation fee prior to the boarding these Thalys trains.

You can save money by following this routing - if you can book the €10 fee the TGV from Paris to Lille

• Paris to Lille on TGV trains
• Lille to Kortrijk on IC trains
• Kortrijk to Bruxelles on IC trains

If you want to avoid paying any reservations at all, you will need to take this routing:

• Paris to Amiens on TER trains
• Amiens to Lille on TER trains
• Lille to Kortrijk on IC trains
• Kortrijk to Bruxelles on IC trains

Final Destination: Bruxelles

These trains also call at : **Mons - connect for Namur and Liege.

These trains are typically scheduled to depart Paris at around 08:15; 12;20 and 19:15.

These trains, on which rail passes are not valid, take an entirely different, non-high speed route to the Eurostar services from Paris to Brussels
However, in addition to the speed and journey time, other key differences to taking the Eurostar service is the terms of the ticketing - in particular, fees are usually charged for taking larger items of luggage, such as suitcases on to these 'Ouigo Classique' trains.

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 weeks ahead of the travel date

The journey by these trains are priced from €10.

if you will be buying tickets on the day of travel, these trains tend to be half the price of the faster trains.

What is particularly worth being aware of when booking tickets for journeys by Ouigo train services, is that:

• Premiere/1st class tickets are not available.
• Reservations are included when booking, as they are on the TGV InOui trains, but you can opt to pay an additional €3 to select a specific seat
• You cannot book or collect tickets for Ouigo trains at stations.

The two key T&Cs trains are:

1. The tickets are not refundable.
2. Exchanges to alternative departures are possible until 1 hour before the beginning of the boarding procedure, but they incur a fee of €10 per passenger, with any price difference between the old and new ticket(s) also added to this fee.