I will be visiting Paris via London, but plan on staying for a couple of days in Amsterdam. Looking for opinions on planes or trains. How long if by train?

The Paris-Amsterdam route is unserved by low cost carriers. You'll pay an arm and a leg to fly. The Thalys train runs several times a day and takes 4 hours. Do a search for Paris on this board and you'll probably find a recent thread about train fares.

you can get a standard train instead of the Thalys service also. It's cheaper, runs almost everzy hour but takes arond 30 minutes longer. They go via and stop at Brussels and Antwerpen same as the Thalys trains.

here is website fpor thalys

http://www.thalys.com/

What are the dates you are looking to make this trip. I have one way tickets for sale Paris to Amsterdam for March 29. I bought round trip tickets on Thalys at the advice of abc123 (THANK YOU!) and it worked out cheaper this way. I have no need for the return to Amsterdam because I am flying out of Paris.

Amazing!

I was just going to ask much the same thing myself. There is a chance that I may go to Algeria next and the logical changeover place for Algeria would be Paris. I've never been to The Netherlands during flower season and I would hate to miss that. Plus, of course, there are a couple of friendly ladies that are still fresh in my memory that I wouldn't mind seeing again.

Four hours by train doesn't sound all that bad.

Since the travel is all within the EU, are there any stops for customs at all?

the dogs

I've taken the Amsterdam-Paris train many times. Most of the time there are no customs problems. I have been on it when the train was met by French soldiers with dogs. On those occassions they pulled aside everyone who looked young, scruffy and/or had a back pack as their only luggage . I didn't want to stick around to see the extent of the search so I just kept walking. They did not appear to stop anyone who was well dressed or over 30. I'm not sure what this all means, but a word to the wise...

Thalys.

OK, but I don't see on the site where you can get the price without booking a ticket nor do I see a schedule so that you can find out how early/late the trains run. Am I missing something, or do you have to fake a booking to find out the info?

the dogs

Try www.sncf.fr

The schedule
http://www.thalys.com/nl/en/timetables

and prices (Amsterdam - Paris)
http://www.thalys.com/nl/en/fares?s=2&f ... tion=FRPNO

snf

You guys are great! Thanks!

Not a bad price at all. Looks as though I would need to book a room in Amsterdam overnight if I plan to visit any of the ladies.

Thanks again

the dogs