Thalys Train Question

I am on the Thalys site looking at buying tickets from Paris to Amsterdam and I am confused about the %26quot;Collecting or Issuing tickets%26quot; box and my choices are France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany. Is there a way for me, in the US, to buy a ticket on this site? Or does it just mean that I can only collect my ticket in France, that it cannot be mailed to me? And in that case, would I just collect my tickets at Gare Nord?

Thanks for your help.

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%26gt;Is there a way for me, in the US, to buy a ticket on this site? Or does it just mean that I can only collect my ticket in France, that it cannot be mailed to me?

Exactly this is meant. Nobody cares (or is allowed to care - EU business regulations) about your nationality. But if the tickets are only issued in a certain country you only have a %26quot;physical%26quot; access to the paper tickets in this country.

%26gt;And in that case, would I just collect my tickets at Gare Nord?

For example there - or in any of the %26quot;SNCF boutiques%26quot; which are quite frequent in Paris. Or in any other French station you pass during your trip.

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Hi Hylasgirl

I bought tickets Paris to Amsterdam on the Thalys site and put in France as the country even though I live in Australia. I just printed the receipt after I paid and had a copy of the tickets emailed to me within minutes, just printed them out. As I%26#39;ll be leaving from Paris if I%26#39;d needed to I could pick them up at a station in France. BTW we paid only Euro25 each, real bargain I thought.

Hope this helps Stephanie

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The problem is that RAIL EUROPE is supposed to have the exclusive US sales agency franchise for the EURAIL system. THALYS is a member of the EURAIL network. So if you select United States, you will be re-directed to RailEurope. BUT...the loophole in the system is that if you select FRANCE, your on-line purchase transaction technically takes place within the THALYS reservatons computers (operated and managed through the SNCF system) which is NOT located in the US...nor subject to the RailEurope/Eurail agreement.

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Thanks for your help everyone. I hope I can get a good deal when my dates are released. Can anyone tell why sometimes I have bought tickets far more than 3 months ahead of time, and other times I have to wait?? Someone said to make sure I buy the tickets right when the option is available... is that 3 months, or 90 days?? Like if I need to on the 15th of July, would I buy my tickets on the 15th of April? Or count back 90 days? I wish there wasn%26#39;t such a big price difference from Comfort 2 and First... Jeeze!

Thanks again... so much!

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Hylas girl

There is nothing wrong with comfort 2. It is what most people use - the exception being fashionistas and Tourists worried about miixing with locals.

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Thanks Wizard... yes, we love mixing with the locals :) My husband had a hard time in the seat going to London. He has some back issues, but not enough to spend another $200 each. I thought the Eurostar was a great train, just no recline, but it didn%26#39;t both me. 4 hours to Amsterdam, we will have to try to walk to the cafe car and stand up a bit.

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