Gare du Nord Train Station

[KirkNC]

We will be taking the early (6:25 am :() train from Paris to Rotterdam in June. My questions are:

 

1. How early do we need to arrive?

2. Will the train just be sitting there since this is the first

one of the day, I ask because maybe getting there early will help get

better seats and storage for our luggage.

3. Is there anyway to figure out the number of stops and where they

might be? I ask in case I need to guard my luggage while others get

off.

 

Thanks,

 

Kirk

[TLCOhio]

We will be taking the early (6:25 am :() train from Paris to Rotterdam in June. My questions are:

1. How early do we need to arrive?

2. Will the train just be sitting there since this is the first

one of the day, I ask because maybe getting there early will help get

better seats and storage for our luggage.

3. Is there anyway to figure out the number of stops and where they

might be? I ask in case I need to guard my luggage while others get

off.

Thanks, Kirk

 

Hi, Kirk! Good questions. We took an early train from Nord in April 2007 going to Brussels and then to Bruges. We had booked our tickets earlier (getting a better price). We did second class, which was fine for this short of a trip and in the nicer cars that this train has. We had a reserved seat as that's how they do it on these trains. On this higher-speed lines, you don't just walk on and grab a seat. We were there about a half hour early as we needed to pick up our physical tickets that had been ordered on-line from the French railway website.

 

STOPS? That depends on which train you pick. There are some slower, local trains. You want to make sure you book a faster train with less or few stops. Since it is a Thalys train, the stops should be minimal to few, if any. Below is a visual on how "cool" these high speed Thalys rail trains look.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 29,900 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

At Paris' Nord station, here is the Thalys train waiting to take us to Brussels.:

 

[KirkNC]

Thanks Terry,

 

I had assumed that 2nd class did not have assigned seats but so much the better if they do. Any comments on luggage storage? We will each have a medium suitcase and a bookbag size backpack. In looking at the train diagram on the Thalys site all the luggage storage is by the door (which makes sense). I think there is also some overhead storage, can you get a medium suitcase in those I wonder. It might be that we are going so early the train won't be all that crowded anyway.

 

Kirk

[moyaroo]

The overhead is good for small things, otherwise the end of the car is much better for real suitcases. As Terry says 2nd class on the Thalys trains is fine for almost everyone. The trick to advance purchase on the webiste is to put France for country and pick up at the station for the delivery option. Otherwise they will refer you to RailEurope and that is not always a good thing :-(

[KirkNC]

Thanks, they actually have a paperless ticket option that appears to work in the US. I have taken it all the way up to the point of purchase confirmation without any problem plus it let me register with a US address. I will let everyone know in March when we actually buy the tickets.

 

Kirk

[cberge]

Thanks, they actually have a paperless ticket option that appears to work in the US. I have taken it all the way up to the point of purchase confirmation without any problem plus it let me register with a US address. I will let everyone know in March when we actually buy the tickets.

 

Kirk

Re your luggage big pieces if put at end of car by door where luggage usually goes...loop them all together with loop around the pole or whatever there using a wire loop with combination lock that you can get through Magellan's or a travel store.I have used it on all out train travels with nary a problem.Kept small bags overhead and important stuff beside me.

[KirkNC]

Thanks Karen, we are thinking about just that idea. I would rather take one and find I don't need it than the other way.

 

Kirk

[BNguy]

My wife and I will be taking the train from Rotterdam to Paris in June and have a slightly different question regarding Gare du Nord, what is the status of getting to/from the train at Gare du Nord and the RER stop there? Are there escalators and/or elevators to help you get between the various levels? We each will have a suitcase and either or purse or computer case and want to make sure we can manage through the station.

 

Also, does anyone know if most of the RER stops in Paris have a way to get to street level without having to climb stairs? When we don't have luggage to tow stairs are no problem but with luggage that becomes questionable.

 

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide!

[TLCOhio]

My wife and I will be taking the train from Rotterdam to Paris in June and have a slightly different question regarding Gare du Nord, what is the status of getting to/from the train at Gare du Nord and the RER stop there? Are there escalators and/or elevators to help you get between the various levels? We each will have a suitcase and either or purse or computer case and want to make sure we can manage through the station. Also, does anyone know if most of the RER stops in Paris have a way to get to street level without having to climb stairs? When we don't have luggage to tow stairs are no problem but with luggage that becomes questionable. Thanks for any help you might be able to provide!

 

From the Nord station, most of the tracks are on the same level, but, as I recall, you go down to get to the Metro and RER lines. In general for Paris, assume that most of the stations are just going to be steps. You could get lucky and your odds are better at some RER stations. Paris and Europe are not as focused on the ADA requirements and their older/historic building situations do not adapt as well for elevators and escalators. On this website:

http://parisbytrain.com/map-paris-wheelchair-reduced-mobility-accessibility-metro-rer-bus-tram/

they note that about 50 metro/RER stations have such facilities. They say that for the RER B train, popular for its CDG Airport to Paris route, has complete accessibility only at Gare du Nord.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 30,100 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[BNguy]

The map helps and points out the two main stations I needed to travel through with luggage have access, so hopefully things will work out.

[KirkNC]

So I am still trying to determine how far in advance I need to arrive at the station. Given our early departure I don't want to get there and stand around for an hour. Is 5:45 early enough to check-in and get on the train?

 

Also, how early do the metro lines start running?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Kirk

[Nigella]

So I am still trying to determine how far in advance I need to arrive at the station. Given our early departure I don't want to get there and stand around for an hour. Is 5:45 early enough to check-in and get on the train?

 

Also, how early do the metro lines start running?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Kirk

 

If you are at Gare Du Nord for 5.45 that is ample time for your train.

The Métro usually starts to run around 5.30am. Which line are you travelling on, or if you dont know, which station are you travelling from to the railway station? This site is the official local transport site for Paris/Ile de France.

http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/tourists/

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the response. We are near the Ecole Militaire station. Given the timing of the metro start I may be better off taking a cab. What do you think about a 5:15 pick up?

 

Kirk

[Nigella]

Thanks for the response. We are near the Ecole Militaire station. Given the timing of the metro start I may be better off taking a cab. What do you think about a 5:15 pick up?

 

Kirk

 

You're welcome!

The first métro from Ecole Militaire would be just before 5.30am. You would need to change lines (connect to another train) and I would guess that you would arrive at Gare du Nord just after 6am. Personally that would make me nervous, it's a bit tight to find your train and load bags etc.

I'd go with the taxi for sure...a 5.15 pick up will be fine, traffic will be quiet at that time - they will probably be cleaning the streets but otherwise it should be not much traffic. The distance is a little less than 4 miles, and it will probably take between 20-30 minutes drive. Paris is a fairly compact city.

I prefer to arrive early rather than late, so this would be my choice. If you like excitement and living on the edge, by all means choose the métro and have a few extra minutes sleeping!

 

 

ETA- I don't see this question answered - where will the train stop. I believe it stops briefly in Antwerp and Brussels, before arriving in Rotterdam. My infos may be out of date though!

[floridafolks]

Thanks, they actually have a paperless ticket option that appears to work in the US. I have taken it all the way up to the point of purchase confirmation without any problem plus it let me register with a US address. I will let everyone know in March when we actually buy the tickets.

 

Kirk

We took Thalys post cruise last year from Amsterdam to Paris(Gare du Nord). Thayls was very nice- and we just took 2nd class but had reserved seats. We did opt to buy the tickets online via Thalys in advance(which gave a nice discount) and chose the ticketless option and it was great. We did not have to collect tickets at station, but just showed our email that had a barcode on it to the conductor. Very easy.

 

As for getting to station from Ecole Militaire area, I think you would be best off using a taxi instead of the metro since the metro would involve a correspondance and with luggage that is not ideal. If you are not familiar with Gare du Nord, you might like more time to find the track etc than the metro would provide considering the correspondance. Of course you can judge better for yourself after using the metro during your stay in Paris before taking the train to Rotterdam. You will be able to tell whether luggage would be an issue and how your time plays into it.

[KirkNC]

Thanks again. I am also one that likes to error on being early (my 15 year daughter is the opposite but I can deal with that ;)). So we will get the hotel to get us a taxi for a 5:15 pickup. I have seen pictures of the inside of the train station and I don't think it will be too hard to find our way. I think we are leaving from either track 7 or 8.

 

Right now I am planning on using Rail Europe for the tickets as there price is $156 for three tickets (which they ship), Thalys is 104 euros which is about $145.

 

Floridafolk, I am curious about reserved seats as my understand was 2nd class did not have those. I have signed up for Thalys so maybe I should do the ticketless. I think they even have an iphone app where you can show the conductor your barcode via the iphone.

 

Kirk

[floridafolks]

Thanks again. I am also one that likes to error on being early (my 15 year daughter is the opposite but I can deal with that ;)). So we will get the hotel to get us a taxi for a 5:15 pickup. I have seen pictures of the inside of the train station and I don't think it will be too hard to find our way. I think we are leaving from either track 7 or 8.

 

Right now I am planning on using Rail Europe for the tickets as there price is $156 for three tickets (which they ship), Thalys is 104 euros which is about $145.

 

Floridafolk, I am curious about reserved seats as my understand was 2nd class did not have those. I have signed up for Thalys so maybe I should do the ticketless. I think they even have an iphone app where you can show the conductor your barcode via the iphone.

 

Kirk

Kirk ,

We were definitely in 2nd class and had seat reservations. I even just went back to my email confirmation to make sure I was remembering correctly from last year. The email confirmation had a carraige number and seat number. There was quite a big discount when I booked directly online with Thalys. Make sure that when you are comparing Thalys website cost and RailEurope that you figure in the shipping cost with Raileurope and any processing fee(often $18). With Thalys there is no fee for shipping as it is ticketless, and with raileurope there is a fee unless the cost is at least $349.

 

Keep in mind that we were on Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris, but that should not change the procedure.

 

FYI- We are taking a 10 day train trip through northern Italy and Switzerland this year and on the Swiss Tourist trains like the Glacier Express, Golden Pass, and Bernina Express seat reservations are required. When I started to do them on Raileurope, they would not allow me to choose the seats and only said they would try and give us seats near one another and we would only find out the exact seat assignment when they mailed the tickets. I said no thanks and made the seat reservations directly online and choose my own seats, guaranteeing that we had window seats for the view across from each other.

 

Sorry Kirk, I can not tell you about the Thalys Iphone app-- going ticketless online was about my limit on using technology. But I would not be surprised if that were the case, Thalys was a first rate modern operation.

 

I hope this is of some help.

[KirkNC]

Thanks, I will double check Thalys.

 

Kirk

[Bowie MeMe]

We bought our tickets on Thalys from the web site for this Easter Sunday going from Antwerp to Gare du Nord. We are 2nd class and we do get senior rate but the price was a very surprising 29 Euros each! (we had been quoted about $150 but I don't know where I got that figure). The tickets were on email. They have our name and seat number on them. My only problem was I did not know how to get all 4 on same car. Found had to do it on one credit card -- and want four square meaning 2 people facing 2 people. Anyway will let you know how it goes but buying was easy. PS my credit card called because this was a foreign transaction that they had not heard about (good for them watching my back) and did get a charge for currency exchange.

[srpilo]

We just bought Thalys tickets from Paris to Brussels for May on the Rail Europe website, and were offered paperless tickets. I don't think it matters whether you buy from Thalys or RE, you get a electronic ticket/bar code on both/either

 

Srpilo

[KirkNC]

I think the issue is Rail Europe may not have seat numbers and many time RE is more expensive, sometimes a lot more expensive. On our particular run it does not seem to be more but I have seen other times where they are much more.

 

Kirk

[KirkNC]

OK an additional question for those who have used Thalys ticketless tickets. I booked our tickets, paid and received an e-mail confirmation. My information includes booking code, assigned seats, coach numbers etc. Here is my question. On the confirmation it says "present on board your printed confirmation e-mail (including 2D barcode)" Well I don't think my confirmation has has a 2D barcode, I assume that is like the code used by grocery stores? I have no such code like that. Should I expect a second e-mail or what?

 

Thanks

 

Kirk

[floridafolks]

OK an additional question for those who have used Thalys ticketless tickets. I booked our tickets, paid and received an e-mail confirmation. My information includes booking code, assigned seats, coach numbers etc. Here is my question. On the confirmation it says "present on board your printed confirmation e-mail (including 2D barcode)" Well I don't think my confirmation has has a 2D barcode, I assume that is like the code used by grocery stores? I have no such code like that. Should I expect a second e-mail or what?

 

Thanks

 

Kirk

 

We got an email as you described at 9 am , but another email with the barcode that you need came at 11 pm. I too was worried that I had no barcode as I did not know there was another email to arrive. It will be very evident when you see the barcode-not really exactly like the UPC code at grocery stores. There will be no doubt in your mind when you see it. Let us know when you get it so we will know all is ok.

[KirkNC]

OK, that's a relief, I have not received the second e-mail but obviously based on yours it can take a little while. i wonder if they are waiting on something with the the credit card transaction? I actually called my CC company so they would not reject it.

 

Thanks for the response!!

 

Kirk

[floridafolks]

OK, that's a relief, I have not received the second e-mail but obviously based on yours it can take a little while. i wonder if they are waiting on something with the the credit card transaction? I actually called my CC company so they would not reject it.

 

Thanks for the response!!

 

Kirk

 

Thanks for posting. I was hoping you would see the message regarding 2nd email. Let us know when you get your "barcode." I am not sure there is anything on my second email that could help you, but if you need it I can email you a copy. But- let's just hope all will go through without a hitch. I will check back on this thread tomorrow to make sure you are saying "Eureka!" At least you have allowed yourself plenty of time in case you need to contact customer service.

 

We actually got 2 additional emails- 7 minutes apart- one for me and one for DH. Each passenger should get an individual email with the barcode to show the conductor.