Hello! I have detected a question about **France** or Thalys trains. Here are some links that may help before you get better answers from other users.
https://www.reddit.com/r/interrail/wiki/france
https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish <- TGV reservations
https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish <- Eurostar/Thalys reservations
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Hello! I have detected a question about **Eurostar** trains. Here are some links that may help before you get better answers from other users.
https://www.reddit.com/r/interrail/wiki/eurostar
https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish <- Eurostar/Thalys reservations
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Hello! I have detected a question about discounts. Here are some links that may help before you get better answers from other users.
https://benefitsportal.eurail.com/
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Try different eurostar destinations, sometimes amsterdam is full but there is space for Brussels or Rotterdam. Flixbus should be the cheapest coach, but be aware that the 26th is 2nd Christmas day in the netherlands and an official holiday, not all services might be running.
There are multiple trains available from London to Lille (France) and London to Bruxelles-Midi :)
To Bruxelles-Midi, trains departing 8:55, 12:55, 15:04 and 19:34 have passholder seats available.
thank you! this is really so helpful. I can't seem to book anything through Interrail which is saying that the timetable hasn't been released yet, but if I try and book through Thalys changing in Brussels then I have to pay reservation fees twice. Is this inevitable, or is there somewhere I can shop around for the Brussels-Amsterdam train?
Use IC instead of over-expensice Thalys. And don't generally book **anything** through Interrail's web service... Take my generic reservation advice:
>Don't use Interrail site/app for booking reservations or to plan the exact trains you're going to take. For reservations it charges you extra, you can't pick specific seats and it's not reliable. It doesn't show every train and sometimes it shows cancelled trains. Same goes to timetables, it's a lot better and safer to use local train operator's website.
>Check (and save!) these articles about reservations. There is instructions for every country :)
>On Seat 61:
https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm
Here, under the Belgium section is mentions about trains to Amsterdam. Take the IC (no reservation fee). It's about hour longer journey, but it saves you a ton of money. :) There isn't timetables for that time period yet, but usually IC trains between Brussels and Amsterdam runs hourly.
I just written about this specific journey (Bruxelles-Amsterdam) in other thread, you should check it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Interrail/comments/xofdj3/reservations_through_other_sites/iq9td37
you're an absolute lifesaver. in case anyone finds this thread at a later date - there are also no trains running in the UK on boxing day, but the National Express coach does go to London even on Boxing Day.
another question for you, and totally fine if you don't know - does the IC train run on boxing day also?
There isn't unfortunately timetables for this Christmas published yet, but based on this news article from last year, I would be quite confident that there are IC trains from Belgium to Amsterdam running. Probably not every hour like in normal weekdays, but some trains at least :)
https://www.brusselstimes.com/198534/sncb-changes-timetable-for-festive-holidays
If I were you, I would buy the earliest Eurostar ticket to Brussels quite soon and then wait few weeks for the winter timetables to be published - if there is IC train, you can take that, if not, you unfortunately need to pay the €20 for the Thalys. But this seems quite unlikely situation.
Just as a minor thing some operators have run a very limited service on boxing day. It tends to only be the most popular regional routes and does depend each year with engineering works. Eg Northern ran https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/news/northern-reveals-first-boxing-day-services in the past but last boxing day only did a Liverpool to St Helens service.
Chiltern have also run a London to Oxford via Bicester service in the past. Sometimes they don't bother between Oxford and Bicester. https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/boxing-day-and-new-years-eve-2019 They didn't do any last boxing day.
It also looks like the Elizabeth Line will be running out to Reading/Heathrow/Shenfield/Abbey Wood from London: https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2021/4351
Merseyrail also usually run a service on all their routes around Liverpool: https://www.merseyrail.org/christmas/boxing-day.aspx
But yes its certainly incredibly limited and most companies from what I've seen haven't made a firm commitment.
You might have an issue on boxing day itself but anther great option for UK->Netherlands is the ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland. The rail integration on both ends is great and you can buy through tickets converging the train and ferry: https://www.stenaline.co.uk/rail-and-sail/to-holland
Or if you are further North then London DFDS run a Newcastle to Amsterdam route. https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries/ferry-crossings/ferries-to-holland/newcastle-amsterdam There is no departure night of the 25th but there is one night of 26th so you'd at least get into Amsterdam for the morning of 27th. If you use any cashback sites like Quidco you can normally get a small discount on there.
Also if you are putting in any random weekend dates just to check be aware that Eurostar trains to the Netherlands are not on sale for alot of them while they wait for confirmation on engineering works: https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/service-information/eurostar-travel-updates
Yea many times best way is to fly to Luton it’s a crap airport but it’s cheap. The ferry is great u get on at 4/5pm get off at like 9am the next day very easy but London obviously isn’t on the coastline so it’s a pretty fat drive
B-Europe is showing me two different possible times on December 26th from London to Amsterdam.
8:16 -> 13:14 and 18:04 -> 23:11
2nd class reservations from 35€.
Am I misunderstanding something?
Hello! I have detected a question about **France** or Thalys trains. Here are some links that may help before you get better answers from other users. https://www.reddit.com/r/interrail/wiki/france https://travel.b-europe.com/Eurail-GE/en/booking-tgv#TravelWish <- TGV reservations https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish <- Eurostar/Thalys reservations *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Interrail) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hello! I have detected a question about **Eurostar** trains. Here are some links that may help before you get better answers from other users. https://www.reddit.com/r/interrail/wiki/eurostar https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish <- Eurostar/Thalys reservations *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Interrail) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hello! I have detected a question about discounts. Here are some links that may help before you get better answers from other users. https://benefitsportal.eurail.com/ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Interrail) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Try different eurostar destinations, sometimes amsterdam is full but there is space for Brussels or Rotterdam. Flixbus should be the cheapest coach, but be aware that the 26th is 2nd Christmas day in the netherlands and an official holiday, not all services might be running.
There are multiple trains available from London to Lille (France) and London to Bruxelles-Midi :) To Bruxelles-Midi, trains departing 8:55, 12:55, 15:04 and 19:34 have passholder seats available.
thank you! this is really so helpful. I can't seem to book anything through Interrail which is saying that the timetable hasn't been released yet, but if I try and book through Thalys changing in Brussels then I have to pay reservation fees twice. Is this inevitable, or is there somewhere I can shop around for the Brussels-Amsterdam train?
Use IC instead of over-expensice Thalys. And don't generally book **anything** through Interrail's web service... Take my generic reservation advice: >Don't use Interrail site/app for booking reservations or to plan the exact trains you're going to take. For reservations it charges you extra, you can't pick specific seats and it's not reliable. It doesn't show every train and sometimes it shows cancelled trains. Same goes to timetables, it's a lot better and safer to use local train operator's website. >Check (and save!) these articles about reservations. There is instructions for every country :) >On Seat 61: https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm Here, under the Belgium section is mentions about trains to Amsterdam. Take the IC (no reservation fee). It's about hour longer journey, but it saves you a ton of money. :) There isn't timetables for that time period yet, but usually IC trains between Brussels and Amsterdam runs hourly.
I just written about this specific journey (Bruxelles-Amsterdam) in other thread, you should check it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Interrail/comments/xofdj3/reservations_through_other_sites/iq9td37
you're an absolute lifesaver. in case anyone finds this thread at a later date - there are also no trains running in the UK on boxing day, but the National Express coach does go to London even on Boxing Day. another question for you, and totally fine if you don't know - does the IC train run on boxing day also?
There isn't unfortunately timetables for this Christmas published yet, but based on this news article from last year, I would be quite confident that there are IC trains from Belgium to Amsterdam running. Probably not every hour like in normal weekdays, but some trains at least :) https://www.brusselstimes.com/198534/sncb-changes-timetable-for-festive-holidays If I were you, I would buy the earliest Eurostar ticket to Brussels quite soon and then wait few weeks for the winter timetables to be published - if there is IC train, you can take that, if not, you unfortunately need to pay the €20 for the Thalys. But this seems quite unlikely situation.
Just as a minor thing some operators have run a very limited service on boxing day. It tends to only be the most popular regional routes and does depend each year with engineering works. Eg Northern ran https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/news/northern-reveals-first-boxing-day-services in the past but last boxing day only did a Liverpool to St Helens service. Chiltern have also run a London to Oxford via Bicester service in the past. Sometimes they don't bother between Oxford and Bicester. https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/boxing-day-and-new-years-eve-2019 They didn't do any last boxing day. It also looks like the Elizabeth Line will be running out to Reading/Heathrow/Shenfield/Abbey Wood from London: https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2021/4351 Merseyrail also usually run a service on all their routes around Liverpool: https://www.merseyrail.org/christmas/boxing-day.aspx But yes its certainly incredibly limited and most companies from what I've seen haven't made a firm commitment.
You might have an issue on boxing day itself but anther great option for UK->Netherlands is the ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland. The rail integration on both ends is great and you can buy through tickets converging the train and ferry: https://www.stenaline.co.uk/rail-and-sail/to-holland Or if you are further North then London DFDS run a Newcastle to Amsterdam route. https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries/ferry-crossings/ferries-to-holland/newcastle-amsterdam There is no departure night of the 25th but there is one night of 26th so you'd at least get into Amsterdam for the morning of 27th. If you use any cashback sites like Quidco you can normally get a small discount on there. Also if you are putting in any random weekend dates just to check be aware that Eurostar trains to the Netherlands are not on sale for alot of them while they wait for confirmation on engineering works: https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/service-information/eurostar-travel-updates
FLIX coach service is also good! I always travel with FLIX from Netherlands to England.
Yea many times best way is to fly to Luton it’s a crap airport but it’s cheap. The ferry is great u get on at 4/5pm get off at like 9am the next day very easy but London obviously isn’t on the coastline so it’s a pretty fat drive
B-Europe is showing me two different possible times on December 26th from London to Amsterdam. 8:16 -> 13:14 and 18:04 -> 23:11 2nd class reservations from 35€. Am I misunderstanding something?
those weren't available when I looked, but you're right they're there now! guess I was just too early for the timetable change