What is Thalys?  Paris to Amsterdam from €35, Paris to Brussels from €29...

Thalys is a consortium of the French, Belgian & Dutch national railways formed to run the high-speed trains between Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schiphol, Amsterdam & Cologne.  DB (German Railways) was originally a minority partner, but has now pulled out.  Thalys is faster than flying - Paris to Brussels in 1h22, Paris to Amsterdam in 3h20, Paris to Cologne in 3h20, city centre to city centre.

COVID-19 update:  Thalys are running a reduced service, check times online.  See COVID-19 travel information.

  What are Thalys trains like?

  The 3 classes of travel explained

  Travel tips:  Luggage, WiFi, railpasses, food...

  How to check times & buy tickets

  Route map

  Thalys video guide

  Paris Gare du Nord station guide

  Brussels Midi station guide

  Cologne Hbf station guide

  Amsterdam Centraal station guide

What are Thalys trains like?  Virtual tour

A Thalys train from Paris at Brussels Midi...		Standard class seats, 2+2 across car width.  Larger photo...

Premium or Comfort seats, 2+1 across car width.  Larger photo.		Thalys cafe-bar.  Larger photo.

In Premium a tray meal with wine is included. Larger photo.		An older Thalys type at Brussels Midi...

Thalys 3 classes explained...

On 10 December 2017 Thalys switched from its previous two classes Confort 1 (1st class) & Confort 2 (2nd class) to three classes of service:  Standard, Comfort & Premium.  The trains will still physically have two types of seating which I'll call 2nd class & 1st class, but some 1st class cars will be designated Comfort and others Premium.  2nd class cars will be called Standard.  You will choose your class when buying your ticket.

• Standard.  2nd class seating, access to cafe-bar car, free WiFi, power socket at seat.  Standard fares = changes to your booking can be made for a fee, 50% refundable.  Standard Mini fares = no changes, no refunds.

• Comfort.  1st class seating, access to cafe-bar car, free WiFi, power socket at seat.  But no longer any at-seat food or drink included.  Changes to your booking can be made for a fee, 50% refundable.  Prices aimed at well-heeled leisure travellers.

• Premium:  1st class seating with meal & drink included in the fare & served at your seat, access to Thalys lounges in Paris & Brussels, cafe-bar car, free WiFi, power socket at seat.  Prices are aimed at business travellers, tickets are 100% refundable, changes to your booking can be made with no fee.  The photo of the food above shows the cold tray meal & wine served to Premium class passengers travelling between Amsterdam or Cologne & Brussels or Paris, you may get a snack rather than a meal on shorter hops such as Rotterdam-Antwerp.

The new 3 classes are correctly & clearly shown when you book at www.thalys.com, www.nsinternational.nl or www.b-europe.com but with other booking systems you may need to look closely at the fare details to see which 1st class you are booking!

Tips for travel with Thalys...

• Do you need to book in advance? 

  Yes.  Like Eurostar, reservation is compulsory on Thalys and all Thalys tickets automatically include a reserved seat on a specific train.  If you want to stop off it means buying two separate tickets. 

  Thalys fares work like air fares, rising as the cheaper tickets are sold.  So for example, Paris to Amsterdam starts at €35 booked several months in advance rising to a whopping €130 for a fully-flexible ticket bought on the day.  So book as far ahead as you can.  Booking usually opens 120 days before departure, although it can sometimes be less than this.  How to buy tickets.

• Which class should you choose?

  Thalys trains have 1st & 2nd class seating and a café-bar.  Thalys call 2nd class Standard and it's perfectly fine for most people, there's absolutely no need to pay for 1st class if you don't want to.  But if you don't mind the extra cost, Thalys has two types of 1st class, Comfort & Premium.  Both types use the same 1st class seating with seats arranged 2+1 across the car width instead of 2+2 as in 2nd class, so as well as tables for 4 and dual side-by-side seats, in Comfort & Premium you'll find tables for two and solo seats on one side of the aisle.  A face-to-face table for two is ideal for couples.  Comfort just gets you the extra comfort of 1st class seats, although you can use the NS first class lounge in Amsterdam, Rotterdam & Schiphol.  Premium is aimed a business travellers with expensive flexible fares, but a meal & drinks are included in the fare and you can use the Thalys lounges in Paris & Brussels as well as the NS first class lounge in Amsterdam, Rotterdam & Schiphol, see the paragraph about lounges below.

• Seats facing forwards...

  Thalys trains are double-ended, with a power car & driving cab at both ends.  The train could enter service either way round, so it's not possible to specify forward-facing seats on Thalys as the reservation system doesn't know which seats will face which way.  But this is not a big deal on a smooth-riding train.  Indeed, for a couple or a family, face-to-face seats around a table for 4 or a table for 2 are the best and most convivial option.

• Seat numbering plan:  Click here for Thalys seat numbering plan.  Each Thalys train has 8 cars sandwiched between power cars, but sometimes two Thalys units run coupled together so cars can be numbered 1-8 in the first unit and 11-18 in the second.

• Luggage...

  You take your bags with you onto the train and put them on the big racks near the entrance doors, or in the spaces between the seat backs, or on the overhead rack above your seat which will take anything up to backpack-size.  All luggage must be labelled with your name.

  Unusually, in 2013 Thalys introduced a theoretical baggage limit of two large suitcases up to 32Kg and one smaller bag, or one suitcase up to 32Kg plus one bulky item (bike bag or skis, for example) plus one smaller bag, with prams & child buggies allowed in addition, but as no-one will measure or weigh your bags and as there is free access to the train with no-one to stop you, it's largely unenforceable and you needn't worry unless you're trying to move house by train!  Politely remind staff this is a train, not a plane!  More information about luggage arrangements on European trains.  Left luggage lockers at stations.

• Boarding Thalys:  New security measures in place at Paris & Lille...

  As with most European trains, there's no check-in, you just walk into the station, look at the indicator boards to find your train and get on, any time before it leaves.  Doors may be closed a minute or two before departure.  Since December 2015 in Paris & Lille there is a simple baggage X-ray, metal detector & passport check at the entrance to the platform.  It should only take a couple of minutes, but when joining Thalys in Paris or Lille it's best to arrive at least 15-10 minutes before your train.  It's largely security theatre to reassure passengers, there are no similar checks at other stations, other than a possible ID check in Brussels which may take a few minutes.

• Food & drink in Premium class...

  Premium class fares include complimentary food & wine served at your seat.  If you're only travelling between between Brussels & Amsterdam or Brussels & Cologne you'll get a light dish with wine, if you're travelling to or from Paris you'll get a more extensive tray meal.

• WiFi & power sockets...

  There is WiFi on all Thalys trains, now free of charge in all classes.  There are power sockets for laptops & mobiles (2-pin, 220v) at all seats in all classes.  3G or 4G mobile data reception works fine for most of the route.

• Baby changing facilities are available in car 7, 17 or 27.  There are special family areas in cars 6 & 7.  Children under 12 are no longer allowed to travel alone on Thalys trains.

• Free transfer by local train between Brussels stations: Midi, Central, Nord, Luxembourg...

  If you have a Thalys ticket to or from Brussels Brussels Midi (= Brussel Zuid or Brussels South, they're all the same place), your Thalys ticket entitles you to connecting train travel to or from other Brussels stations including Brussels Central, Brussels Nord & Brussels Luxembourg on any normal Belgian domestic train.  Brussels Central is only 5 minutes walk from the historic Grande Place.  Brussels Luxembourg is the station closest to the EU Parliament.  Trains run every few minutes.

• Bikes...

  Folding bicycles and bikes in zip-up bike bags no bigger than 120cm x 90cm are carried, but not undismantled bikes.  There's more detailed information at www.thalys.com.  For information on taking bikes by train in Europe, see the bike by train page.

• Dogs & pets...

  Small dogs & pets in carriers no bigger than 55 x 30 x 30cm travel free, but larger dogs require a special ticket (not bookable online), see www.thalys.com for more details.  UK travellers should remember that Eurostar doesn't take dogs, see the Taking your dog by train page for alternatives.  Guide dogs go free on both Eurostar & Thalys.

• Wheelchair spaces are provided in car 1, 11 or 21, together with wheelchair-accessible toilets.  There's more information for travellers with disabilities at www.thalys.com.

• Interrail & Eurail passholders...

  If you have an Interrail or Eurail pass you must pay a special fare for Thalys.  Paris-Amsterdam €25 in 2nd class or €35 in 1st, Paris-Brussels €20 in 2nd or €30 in 1st, Brussels-Amsterdam or Brussels-Cologne is €15 in 2nd, €25 in 1st.  1st class meaning Comfort class on Thalys for passholders.  This assumes your pass covers all the countries you will pass through.

  You can't make passholder bookings at thalys.com, but you can make them at www.b-europe.com without a booking fee as follows:  Click Plan & book then Interrail train passes then scroll down to Book your Eurostar or Thalys pass fare now and click it.  You are emailed your Thalys or Eurostar e-ticket.  This method works whether your pass is an Interrail or Eurail pass, it doesn't matter.  Passholder places are controlled by quota so it's not guaranteed there'll be any passholder places left at short notice, even if there are seats left on the train.

• First class lounges in Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam & Cologne...

  Anyone with a 1st class international ticket can use the stylish first class lounges at Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol & Rotterdam Central, with complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks.  Beer & wine for sale.  Look for signs to the NS International (formerly NS Hispeed) lounge.  First class railpass holders can also use these Dutch lounges.

• Thalys first class lounges in Paris & Brussels...

  If you have a Premium class ticket you can use the Thalys first class lounges at Brussels Midi and Paris Gare du Nord.  In Brussels, the lounge is outside the station, walk out of the main exit on the platform 1 side of the station and turn left, it's on the other side of the road almost at the end of that street, the Place Victor Horta.  In Paris the Thalys lounge is in the rue de Dunquerque just outside Paris Gare du Nord, walk out of the station main exit and turn right along the station facade and beyond it across the road down the side of the station with the taxi rank in it.

• Meal, coffee or beer before boarding...

  In Paris, the Brasserie Terminus Nord (www.terminusnord.com) directly across the road from Paris Gare du Nord is a great place for a meal, coffee or beer before boarding a Thalys to Brussels, Cologne or Amsterdam.  Click here for two other great dining recommendations near the Gare du Nord.

  In Brussels, see Brussels Midi information here.

  In Amsterdam for a coffee, beer or meal before boarding the train to Brussels or Paris, try the beautifully retro Grand Cafe 1e Klas on platform 2B - give my regards to the cockatoo on the bar...

A Thalys to Paris at Amsterdam Centraal station...

1st class lounges:  Comfort & Premium passengers may use the lounges in Amsterdam & Rotterdam.  This Amsterdam Centraal, on platform 2b.		Luggage:  It's easy - just bring your bags on board and place your suitcase on the racks.  There's usually no problem finding space.

Premium class:  Another example of the premium food served to Premium class passengers between Amsterdam & Brussels...		Seating options:  In Comfort or Premium, the best seats for couples are the face-to-face tables-for-two, known as Club Duo.  Note the space for bags between the seat backs.

Boarding a Thalys to Paris at Amsterdam Centraal platform 15...

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How to buy tickets...

• I recommend www.thalys.com, en.oui.sncf, www.nsinternational.nl (all without booking fee) or www.thetrainline.com (small booking fee) to check Thalys times, prices & buy tickets.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your smartphone.

• Booking usually opens 120 days ahead, although this often shrinks to as few as 60 days ahead for dates after the major timetable change in mid-December, and sometimes for dates after the mid-June timetable change too.

• Anyone from any country can use www.thetrainline.com, in €, £ or $, this can sell tickets for any Thalys journey in plain English and for journeys involving connecting trains run by other European operators such as Paris to Bruges, Bruges to Amsterdam or Paris to Koblenz.

  You can also buy through tickets between London and Amsterdam or Cologne using Eurostar+Thalys at www.thetrainline.com.

• Anyone from any country can use the Thalys website www.thalys.com.  However, this only sells Thalys tickets and won't book journeys involving connecting trains, so for Paris-Bruges use www.thetrainline.com for example, for Paris or Brussels to a Dutch station such as Utrecht or Arnhem use www.nsinternational.nl.  It's in fact a portal, which delegates ticket sales to the French, Belgian or Dutch railways sales systems depending where your Thalys journey starts, and occasionally the French and Dutch systems have been known to reject overseas credit cards.  If you have any problems with Thalys.com, simply use www.thetrainline.com for any Thalys journey.

• If you have a Eurail or Interrail pass, you need to pay a special fare for Thalys, see the Railpass paragraph in the Travel tips above.

Route map...

Video guide: Thalys trains...

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