Train travel in Europe- looking for advice

Endaaaagh

Hi All
I’m doing a bit of travelling in a few weeks and will need to travel from Amsterdam to Bruges by train and I’m looking for a bit of advice.
- Would I need to book tickets beforehand online. We’ll be travelling mid-week. I’ve been looking a few sites (the trainline-europe.com) but I’m not sure if I should book through these or wait and buy the ticket on the day at the station
- Also, it seems I need to switch trains but the time between arrival/departure is only about 11 mins. Would this be a problem or do the trains in Europe run on time?

kindalen

check out

www.bahn.de

www.seat61.com

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Endaaaagh wrote: »

Hi All
I’m doing a bit of travelling in a few weeks and will need to travel from Amsterdam to Bruges by train and I’m looking for a bit of advice.
- Would I need to book tickets beforehand online. We’ll be travelling mid-week. I’ve been looking a few sites (the trainline-europe.com) but I’m not sure if I should book through these or wait and buy the ticket on the day at the station
- Also, it seems I need to switch trains but the time between arrival/departure is only about 11 mins. Would this be a problem or do the trains in Europe run on time?

Booking online will be cheaper, especially in advance. You can pick up tickets at stations in medium-large size cities though - but some rush hour or popuar trains may sell out. Check out the national rail services:
www.ns.nl - Netherlands
www.b-rail.be - Belgium


11 minutes is usually enough, but be aware of the possibilty of the first train being a few minutes late! Should you miss it, your ticket is uaully valid for a later connection (although not always)

Endaaaagh

Some sound advice there. I think travelling by rail in Ireland has made me quiet paranoid regarding arrival times Thanks kindalen & Princess CBH!

cdeb

Guess it has to be said, but just be aware of stricter conditions possibly coming in after the weekend's events on the Paris-Amsterdam train. Maybe be prepared to leave yourself extra time going for the first train in case of any security checks, etc.

otnomart

Amsterdam to Brussels on the normal (non-high speed)IC train has always the same price and can be bought on the day at the station.
Same for Brussels to Bruges.

LXFlyer

As above www.seat61.com is the absolute bible when it comes to booking trains in Europe.

FoxyVixen

Apologies if I'm being rude for jumping in here, but I didn't feel the need to start another thread.

Can anyone clarify for me that there is/isn't a direct train running from krakow to berlin? On one website I came across it said there was track maintenance being done but on the bahn website it was allowing me to attempt to book. However my computor us being a pain and keeps freezing on me so I can't ascertain whether it's a proper direct train or if it's changing over in warsaw or some other town.

Appreciate any help on this. Was planning two days in krakow and three in berlin in november. May need to re-address my destinations if the track work is an issue.

spurious

The best way by train Krakow to Berlin would be through Warsaw. Through Poznan would take you all over the place. Personally I would take the intercity bus for convenience.