Eurostar - checking in and general help needed

[Techniquest]

Hi there,

Some of you will have noticed that I'm off to Brussels in January. 2 months and a day pretty much to go, feels like decades away!

Anyway, as I've never done Eurostar on my own and the only time so far was over 6 years ago, I'm after a bit of help. The first problem I've got is that I've never had to worry about printing my own tickets at home, and I've booked tickets through from Newport. The Eurostar tickets I'll be able to print easily enough, although I'm printing at least three copies just in case! However, with the having booked travel through from Newport, I therefore have three queries:

1) Can I pick up the tickets for travel from/to Newport from anywhere else apart from Newport? I'd have booked from my nearest station, but annoyingly Hereford and Worcester aren't options for such a thing. Seriously, when places like Worplesden is an option?! I'm planning to get to Newport considerably earlier than necessary, just in case, but I'd rather get my tickets in advance so I've got it all with me. Logic tells me I can indeed pick up my tickets at the local shack, but I have a hunch I'm wrong.

2) The travel is booked through from Newport partly to try and give me some sort of back up in case of late running into London or from the continent. What happens if I do get into London late? Eurostar's only given me an hour and a bit to cross London, which seemed quite good but then you've got the minimum 30 minute check-in time to factor in, so with allowing for random delays on the Tube and late running into London, things seem stupidly tight.

3) I think I'm booked on the 1109 from Newport to London Paddington, but it wouldn't offer me seat reservations at the time of booking through Eurostar.com, so my final query is what if I get to Newport in time for, say, the 1039 to London instead? Would I be permitted to travel on it? I know I have to get the specific Eurostar service, unless circumstances outside my control change that, but the FGW bit seems flexible.

Gotta admit, aside from that, I'm looking forward to seeing how St Pancras goes compared to Waterloo when I did Eurostar out of there

Turning thoughts to the continent side of things, aside from the language barriers (judging by the posts on the thread I started about Belgian travel advice, I'm going to be very lost and vunlerable! Good thing I'm a big chap, I might just be imitating enough for people to leave me alone! ) that are going to prove to be more blocking than originally thought, I do have a query for travel back to the UK at least:

1) At Brussels Midi, is it at all obvious where the check-in is at? I recall this wasn't the case at Marne-la-Vallee Chessy back in summer 2006.

2) Also, is there even any English, spoken or written, at stations? I would hope so, as without Google Translate I'm going to struggle to say "Sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for the Eurostar check-in" in either French or Dutch. Or much else for that matter! That reminds me, I need a French and Dutch phrasebook ASAP...

3) Finally, would it be recommended to allow more than the minimum 30 minutes for check-in? I always allow the minimum of 2 hours before gate closing time (bar my visit to Cork Airport last month, but that was an exception and I still had near 2 hours anyway) for flights, domestic or not. After a busier-than-expected security queue on a Sunday morning at Birmingham Airport once, 2 hours is an absolute minimum with flying for me, even at a small airport like Ronaldsway (Isle of Man)!

Finally, I'm curious with the enthusiasm side of things on Eurostar. Two questions really:

1) Is photography permitted at all? In security sensitive areas I have no doubt of the answer, but I'd love to get a few snaps of the Eurostars without having the worry of MI6 carting me off!

2) I'm sure I won't have too much difficulty in identifying the front or rear half of the Eurostar I'll be getting, as I'm sure I'm in coach 17. Same for coming back, I'm in coach 4. However, I'll want the front/rear 373 number as well, but I doubt I'll get many happy looks from security or whatever doing so. I could, for argument's sake, get 3201 on the front half. Reasonable to assume that it would be 3202 on the rear half, but I know 3999 comes out to play on occasions, I've seen it happen when arriving into t'Pan on an EMT run. So if it should on either of the trips I'm on, I'd need to know!

You may get the impression I'm a bit of a nervous basher with this upcoming trip. You would be correct, bearing in mind I've never been on a solo trip to mainland Europe. I would happen to choose a country that speaks what feels like a million different languages depending on where you go to...

All help appreciated greatly, as I'm starting to wish I'd chosen to fly to some exotic climate instead. If it wasn't for the HS1 bits I still need, I probably would have! At least with flying I know what I'm doing...

 

[button_boxer]

The UK bit of a through Eurostar booking is a normal ticket on departure thing, you should be able to collect it from any ToD enabled station. Whether you can use the ticket on the earlier service depends on the type - if it's an advance then no, but if it's a "saver" then yes.

On the Brussels side you'll have no trouble finding E* check in, it's obvious and well signposted but if in doubt head for the lowest numbered platforms - iirc Eurostar use 1 and 2 at Brussels.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks for that, that helps significantly. Shall have to try and pick up my tickets for the travel to/from Newport soon and have a look. If I have to stick with the specified train on FGW, then it's all good.

Just hope I don't encounter delays coming back, and I do wonder if the tickets include the Tube transfers or if I'll need to use my Oyster card...

EDIT: Woooooooop, my National Rail tickets are supposed to cover the Tube transfers. I think I'll still take my Oyster card in case.

Turns out, when I went to review the booking confirmation e-mail, that I have 90 minutes in London on the outward and 72 minutes in London on the return. Should be OK then...

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Yes if you have a ticket to St Pancras you can use the tube, something I generally forget about, but when I did HS1 earlier this year I did remember to get an AP to St Pancras just so I could get the tube transfer in!

I don't know about photography to be honest. I don't know if they still do it but the Eurostar platforms were locked in by security gates from the mainline, and were then opened a couple of minutes before departure by staff (who even get stop searched) and then closed once the train is out.

 

[Oscar]

Your tickets to London will be from Newport S.Wales to Lndon Estar (CIV). These are special fares which only Eurostar can sell and which can only be used in combination with a Eurostar ticket. These tickets offer additional protection - if your FGW train is late and you get something in writing stating this from rail staff, you can catch the next Eurostar and v.v. If you want to choose the train you book an Advance on yourself, you can phone up Eurostar Domestic Sales on 01233 617913. This allows you to spend longer in London, apply Railcard discounts to these tickets, book to/from destinations not in the Eurostar online booking system and choose later trains from London / earlier trains to London with cheaper Advances and you can also have these tickets posted to you, usually for free. You can see London Eurostar fares at www.brfares.com - link to tickets from Newport (ignore the Travelcards at the top); link to tickets from Hereford - these is only a Euro Standard Single and Euro First Single.

 

[starrymarkb]

Thanks for that, that helps significantly. Shall have to try and pick up my tickets for the travel to/from Newport soon and have a look. If I have to stick with the specified train on FGW, then it's all good.

Just hope I don't encounter delays coming back, and I do wonder if the tickets include the Tube transfers or if I'll need to use my Oyster card...

EDIT: Woooooooop, my National Rail tickets are supposed to cover the Tube transfers. I think I'll still take my Oyster card in case.

Turns out, when I went to review the booking confirmation e-mail, that I have 90 minutes in London on the outward and 72 minutes in London on the return. Should be OK then...

Your tickets will be issued to London ESTR CIV which covers both the tube, and if there is a railway caused delay and you miss the E* then you'll be put on the next E*

Minimum check ins are a guide though, my inbound FGW service was running a few mins late (following a diversion via Yeovil and delays picked up there) and then got stopped for HEX... Then I found the Tube up the spout and arrived at St Pancras about 5 mins prior to departure. The staff looked at the ticket and just said 'run'! Made it with about a minute to spare! I wouldn't recommend it though - was v. stressfull!

 

[Welshman]

Your tickets to London will be from Newport S.Wales to Lndon Estar (CIV). These are special fares which only Eurostar can sell and which can only be used in combination with a Eurostar ticket. These tickets offer additional protection - if your FGW train is late and you get something in writing stating this from rail staff, you can catch the next Eurostar and v.v. If you want to choose the train you book an Advance on yourself, you can phone up Eurostar Domestic Sales on 01233 617913. This allows you to spend longer in London, apply Railcard discounts to these tickets, book to/from destinations not in the Eurostar online booking system and choose later trains from London / earlier trains to London with cheaper Advances and you can also have these tickets posted to you, usually for free.

When we went from North Wales to Luxembourg recently, the tickets to Lndon Estar [CIV] had to be posted to us - there was no option to collect them from a TVM - as they were "Elgar" tickets of the "airline" size. They also included credit-card sized "gate" tickets to cover one cross-London tube journey, which we didn't use, as it's an easy stroll from Euston to St Pancras.

Like the OP, I was a bit concerned at the advised 30 minutes check-in - cf with previous airline journeys, this seemed to be cutting it very fine. So we allowed more time, but needn't have worried. We were through check-in, security, passport control, the lot, and sitting in the departure lounge 15 minutes after arriving at St Pancras! Far less stressful than flying.

 

[eastwestdivide]

...
1) At Brussels Midi, is it at all obvious where the check-in is at? I recall this wasn't the case at Marne-la-Vallee Chessy back in summer 2006.

2) Also, is there even any English, spoken or written, at stations? I would hope so, as without Google Translate I'm going to struggle to say "Sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for the Eurostar check-in" in either French or Dutch. Or much else for that matter! That reminds me, I need a French and Dutch phrasebook ASAP...

Easy to find at Brussels Midi (low-numbered platforms and plenty of signs). Just in case, the translation of your phrase is
"Eurostar?" (with raised eyebrows)
in both French and Dutch and German and pretty much anything else! And a big smile when they point you in the right direction.
In my experience in the Dutch/Flemish area of Belgium, there's a pretty good level of English, especially among station staff. If you're speaking to them, speak slowly and if they don't understand, try different words rather than just GETTING LOUDER!

Tip for linguistically-challenged situations: take a scrap notebook so you can draw stuff, or to get people to write down numbers (which can be surprisingly hard to understand in other languages, as people say them so quickly).

Oh, and make a handy list of alternatives for place names. There's one in the Thomas Cook international timetable, but I can't find a list online

 

[starrymarkb]

A good French phrase

Excusé Moi - Parlez Vous Anglais?

Most will speak English and asking in the native tongue is appreciated

 

[telstarbox]

This page may come in handy (click the "at the station" video)

 

[Capybara]

All good advice so far. I've never experienced it myself as I've always been on time, but I've seen it happen and they do tend to do what they can to get late comers through. As regards language, as suggested, it is polite to at least have a go in French so I would have a few phrases ready. By and large though in Brussels they will realise you are British and speak to you in English. I'm not bad at French and trying to get better by using it as much as possible yet still some people come back at me in English even though I don't want them to! I wouldn't worry about Dutch to be honest. As said, the Eurostar check-in at Brussels is easy to find anyway.

As regards your haulage, coach 17 is towards the front so you may want to check which engines are on the back before you go through if you have time. That's easily done at St Pancras. Your exit at Brussels is at the front of the train so you will be able to see what you have there, and possibly get a photo there as well.

Importantly, you are getting well-prepared in advance which many people don't and they usually manage so I think you'll be fine.

 

[northwichcat]

When we went from North Wales to Luxembourg recently, the tickets to Lndon Estar [CIV] had to be posted to us - there was no option to collect them from a TVM - as they were "Elgar" tickets of the "airline" size. They also included credit-card sized "gate" tickets to cover one cross-London tube journey, which we didn't use, as it's an easy stroll from Euston to St Pancras.

It looks like Eurostar.com now offers more UK domestic stations than it used to. It only used to be the ones with a regular direct mainline service to London, which didn't even include Chester and Wilmslow when they had some services to London but not an hourly service.

When I did a Stockport-Paris a few years ago it would only offer me TOD and not posting out the tickets and they were booked a few weeks in advance.

 

[starrymarkb]

I can sympathise a bit with the nerves, my trip to Lille last year was my first Solo trip (I'd previously gone with friends/parents) but with what little French I could remember from school I did OK. Something I did do if I did have to ask in English was to ask what it was in French (which was very much appreciated - and I'd know for future!)

 

[eastwestdivide]

Spare 5 mins, so I've typed up a list of place names:

From the French-speaking area or France itself (French version first):
Arlon - Aarlen
Ath - Aat
Braine le Comte - 's Gravenbrakel
Dunkerque - Duinkerke
Huy - Hoei
Liège - Luik
Lille - Rijsel
Mons - Bergen
Mouscron - Moeskroen
Namur - Namen
Nivelles - Nijvel
Tournai - Doornik
Visé - Wezel

And from the Dutch/Flemish speaking area (French version second):
Antwerpen - Anvers
Brugge - Bruges
De Panne - La Panne
Dendermonde - Termonde
Diksmuide - Dixmude
Gent - Gand (Ghent in English)
Halle - Hal
Ieper - Ypres
Kortrijk - Courtrai
Leuven - Louvain
Lier - Lierre
Mechelen - Malines
Menen - Menin
Oostende - Ostende
Oudenaarde - Audenarde
Roeselare - Roulers
Ronse - Renaix
Sint Niklaas - Saint Nicolas
Sint Truiden - Saint Trond
Tienen - Tirlemont
Tongeren - Tongres
Verne - Furnes

And not forgetting (Ger/Fr/Du)
Köln/Cologne/Keulen
Aachen/Aix la Chapelle/Aken

 

[johnnychips]

Been said before, but well worth repeating: If your train from Newport on the way out, or from Belgium on the way back is delayed, get your ticket endorsed by the guard and you can travel on a later train than you're booked on. This happened to me when we were sat in a field near Lille for 90 minutes, but I just got the last train back from London, and the guard accepted my ticket even though it wasn't the right train.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks all for the helpful advice and settling of nerves, as it turned out after a bit of doss (didn't come until gone 0430 mind!) I calmed down a bit. Not that the day ended calmly, but that's not up for discussion here. It should be obvious that it wasn't good by the fact I'm on can 7 of 12 out of my Bulmers multipack...

I shall indeed speak to the guard on the train if we do get delayed, however I am randomly optimistic that won't be necessary. I'm also glad my being nervous isn't just me, although it could be worse, I could be going somewhere without a rail service back home if needs be. Like America for instance, crikey that would be a long way from home!

Cheers for the help regarding identifying 373 numbers, hopefully it won't prove too difficult. I also like the idea of a scrap notebook, that sounds quite sensible.

At least after this trip HS1 will be sorted for the Baker, which leaves just a few bits of PSUL moves on SET and Northern to finish off the UK rail passenger network. That means Spain and Germany are reasonable options for February and March, of course I'm flying next time! Mind you, my Spanish is pretty much non-existant. I studied German for at least 5 years at school but remember little of it right now though. Even so, I'm more confident in going there than I am to Belgium!

 

[snail]

On the Brussels side you'll have no trouble finding E* check in, it's obvious and well signposted but if in doubt head for the lowest numbered platforms - iirc Eurostar use 1 and 2 at Brussels.

One other thing about Brussels is that there are not that many departures, so the chances are your train will be the only one during your time there. If check in isn't open when you arrive don't bother queueing with the sheep, just relax - everyone will have a ticket and the train isn't going anywhere until the departure time!

 

[30907]

That means Spain and Germany are reasonable options for February and March, of course I'm flying next time!

But why FLY to Germany when you can get pretty much anywhere in the country for EUR49 advance single from London (and almost certainly a "London International" fare from your local station to connect)? Book on the DB site not Eurostar.

 

[starrymarkb]

But why FLY to Germany when you can get pretty much anywhere in the country for EUR49 advance single from London (and almost certainly a "London International" fare from your local station to connect)? Book on the DB site not Eurostar.

He does like Aircraft too, so why not fly

I'm flying for my next German trip, because it is a hell of a lot easier for our group to fly to Berlin from Bristol and get the train to Leipzig the following day (with a sightseeing day in Berlin as a bonus!)

Here is the best rail itinerary for our trip

Exeter St. Davids We, 14.11.12 dep 06:52 --- Schnellzug
Reservation optional, seated coach, SnackPoint/Snacks on board the train
London Paddington We, 14.11.12 arr 09:00
transfer 70 min.
Continue by public transport
Adjust the transfer time
London St. Pancras International We, 14.11.12 dep 10:57 EST 9126 EUROSTAR
Subject to compulsory reservation, Special ticket or supplement required, Please observe check-in times, Non-smoker train, Bistro Cafe
Bruxelles-Midi Eurostar We, 14.11.12 arr 14:05
transfer 17 min.
Adjust the transfer time
Bruxelles-Midi We, 14.11.12 dep 14:25 ICE 17 Intercity-Express
Bordbistro
Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf We, 14.11.12 arr 17:26 Fern 5
Transfer time 45 min.
Adjust the transfer time
Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf We, 14.11.12 dep 18:11 Fern 7 IC 2255 Intercity
Bicycles conveyed - subject to reservation, Number of bicycles conveyed limited, Bordbistro
Naumburg(Saale)Hbf We, 14.11.12 arr 21:23 3
Transfer time 6 min.
Adjust the transfer time
Naumburg(Saale)Hbf We, 14.11.12 dep 21:29 2 ICE 1502 Intercity-Express
Bordrestaurant
Leipzig Hbf We, 14.11.12 arr 22:03 11

Leipzig Hbf Tu, 20.11.12 dep 11:11 10 ICE 1650 Intercity-Express
Bordrestaurant
Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf Tu, 20.11.12 arr 14:55 Fern 7
Transfer time 14 min.
Adjust the transfer time
Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf Tu, 20.11.12 dep 15:09 Fern 6 ICE 518 Intercity-Express
Bordbistro, Wifi on routes München-Stuttgart-Mannheim-Frankfurt-Köln-Dortmund
Köln Hbf Tu, 20.11.12 arr 16:05 5
Transfer time 37 min.
Adjust the transfer time
Köln Hbf Tu, 20.11.12 dep 16:42 8 THA 9472 Thalys
Subject to compulsory reservation, Global price
Bruxelles-Midi Tu, 20.11.12 arr 18:32
transfer 45 min.
Please observe check-in times
Adjust the transfer time
Bruxelles-Midi Eurostar Tu, 20.11.12 dep 19:52 EST 9161 EUROSTAR
Subject to compulsory reservation, Special ticket or supplement required, Please observe check-in times, Non-smoker train, Bistro Cafe
London St. Pancras International Tu, 20.11.12 arr 21:03
transfer 50 min.
Continue by public transport
Adjust the transfer time
London Paddington Tu, 20.11.12 dep 23:45 --- Schnellzug
2nd class only, Please reserve, Sleeping-car, Buffet
Exeter St. Davids We, 21.11.12 arr 03:06

Don't really fancy getting home at 3am (rather then about 8pm with the plane with a later departure from Leipzig) - also I think my friends would kill me if I booked them on that!

It was about 10 years since I last did German when I went, surpising what you can remember!

 

[WestCoast]

That means Spain and Germany are reasonable options for February and March, of course I'm flying next time! Mind you, my Spanish is pretty much non-existant. I studied German for at least 5 years at school but remember little of it right now though. Even so, I'm more confident in going there than I am to Belgium!

I wouldn't worry about that, plenty of basic English speakers in all those countries. Half a dozen basic phrases (including asking for help e.t.c) in the local language (and maybe a phrasebook) will go a long way. Spain is easily my favourite Southern European country, done some fantastic trips by bus, train and plane there. I am always surprised how little attention it seems to get from the rail crowd on forums e.t.c, especially considering it has the second longest HSR network in the world after China!

 

[toerist]

If you are still scared of getting lost in Brussels South, here's the map:

 

[Techniquest]

But why FLY to Germany when you can get pretty much anywhere in the country for EUR49 advance single from London (and almost certainly a "London International" fare from your local station to connect)? Book on the DB site not Eurostar.

No, I can't. My nearest station is not an option for through tickets to Europe, despite it being one of the biggest cities in the area. Yet you get places like Worcester Park or Worplesden in the list... :roll:

To get a €49 single from London would be quite difficult without travelling at ridiculous times. Bear in mind it would be €98 for a return from London, then there's the £62.50 for a Super Off Peak Return from Hereford to London and of course bus travel to/from the station (£7.20 all in, two singles). Factor in the fairly long journey across to London in the first place, at least 90 minutes to cross London and check-in onto Eurostar and you've got one helluva annoying trip. That's around £180 to go from here to Germany, and the end-to-end journey time would be quite significant. Getting up at 0600 for the first bus at 0645 to take me to Hereford would be annoying, especially if I don't get to Germany until the evening...

Now if I fly it's still going to be a bit of an early start, but here's the reasons why it's so much better:

1) Hereford to Birmingham International Off Peak Return is about £18.70, about £6 less than the same ticket I've got to get to Newport to connect with my trip on the Eurostar, yet Newport's closer...:roll:

2) It's flying, when you can cruise at speeds far higher than you could achieve on land (excluding Maglev, one of my most primary reasons for wanting to visit China) and you can see what it all looks like from above. Surprisingly fun that!

3) My favourite bit about flying, the building up of speed to take-off. Just love the pushing back into your seat you get, properly fast in little time. There's also the noise the engines make, proper beasty noise

4) The journey time is rather short. Like when I did Cork to Stansted just a month ago, 1 hour and 12 minutes it took from terminal to terminal. You try doing that by rail and it would take ages! 44 minutes Stansted to London on its own, on a fast working too...

5) I'm fairly sure I could fly from Birmingham to most places in Germany for way less than £150 return!

As starrymarkb says, I like flying too. I read the itinery he posted for his German trip, jeepers that is rubbish! A mere 17 minutes between trains in Brussels? Pretty lousy that, with bugger all allowance for delays or anything. Crikey I wouldn't want to try and do that, nor the 6 minute interchange elsewhere! I've made tight +1s in the UK, but mostly on familiar territory so I'd be stuffed with that option he was given. Plus look how long it takes anyway, 0652 off Exeter and 2203 at his destination. Over 17 hours of travelling, when you could probably do Exeter to Leipzig in less than half that with flying and connecting trains! The return trip was no better, arriving into Exeter at 0306 after over 15 and a half hours? Get stuffed!

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Sounds like my kinda trip, but as you say starrymarkb, something I doubt anyone else appreciated if you booked it for them too!!

Personally I'd like to do Germany if/when Eurostar get these new whatsits (E320 or something?) and go with their plan to add new destinations. Then again if Germany isn't on the list I would mind scratching an ICE from St Pan to Germany for some kick start miles on ICE's!

 

[33056]

Spain is easily my favourite Southern European country, done some fantastic trips by bus, train and plane there. I am always surprised how little attention it seems to get from the rail crowd on forums e.t.c, especially considering it has the second longest HSR network in the world after China!

Trouble with Spain is the fact that anything other than local trains is compulsory reservation and could quite possibly get fully booked in advance. Speaking as a Euro-basher it goes against the grain having to plan and book a whole trip in advance, I have been caught out by not being able to get seats for a journey the day before and the alternative (a rather long journey on a local unit) was not exactly a highlight of my travels.

 

[starrymarkb]

As starrymarkb says, I like flying too. I read the itinery he posted for his German trip, jeepers that is rubbish! A mere 17 minutes between trains in Brussels? Pretty lousy that, with bugger all allowance for delays or anything. Crikey I wouldn't want to try and do that, nor the 6 minute interchange elsewhere! I've made tight +1s in the UK, but mostly on familiar territory so I'd be stuffed with that option he was given. Plus look how long it takes anyway, 0652 off Exeter and 2203 at his destination. Over 17 hours of travelling, when you could probably do Exeter to Leipzig in less than half that with flying and connecting trains! The return trip was no better, arriving into Exeter at 0306 after over 15 and a half hours? Get stuffed!

Last year we did the air route and it worked out as...

Wednesday
10:00 (BST) leave Exeter for Bristol Airport (in my car)
11:15 Arrive at Parking
11:30 Arrive at Terminal (Lunch in the Airport)
12:45 Called to Gate and Boarding
13:25 Bristol to Berlin (1hr 40 - EZY A319 - £80pp return)
16:25ish (CET) Collect bags and walk to Schönefeld Station (5 mins from Terminal)
17:15 Airport Express to Berlin Hbf (we had just missed one so had a 40 min wait - BR143 and Dopplestok)
17:45 Arrive at Hbf
17:55 Arrive at Berlin Hotel (Motel One next to Hbf €45pp)
18:30 Drink in bar and off for a meal and sightseeing (The Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie in the dark are far more intimidating)
23:00 Bed

Thursday
08:30 Breakfast in Hotel
11:00 Check out
11:52 Train to Leipzig (ICE-T - €34pp return - upgraded to 1st due to faulty air con)
13:10 Arrive in Leipzig
13.20 Check in to Hotel (A&O by the Hauptbahnhof - very expensive as are all hotels in Leipzig on the Pentecost Weekend)

Rest of Day - Pre festival events (Americans in Leipzig Meet & Mortizbastai clubbing)

Friday - Monday
Wave Gotik Treffen

Tuesday
10:00 Check out of Hotel
11:00 reclaim Pfand on our water bottles in Aldi at the Hbf
12:00 Train to Berlin Hbf
13:00 Arrive at Hbf
14:00 Panic that the Airport Express hasn't turned up
14:10 Find out from DB that the Express isn't running and there are no signs anywhere saying that is the case
14:15 Get Taxi to Schönefeld while cursing DB
15:00 Arrive at Airport (have late lunch)
17:00 Fly back to Bristol
18:00 (BST) Land and wait 40 mins to get through passport control because there are only 2 officers on duty and 3 Airbii and a Boeing have just arrived!
19:00 Get back to Car
20:30 Arrive back in Exeter

For Both outbound and return I built in long waits between connections where possible in case of delays, and was very glad I did on the return!

In theory we could fly out on the Thursday but if the flight was late in it didn't give much margin for error for the connections to Leipzig. So the extra night in Berlin is worth it both for piece of mind and because Berlin is awesome... Train would also need an extra night in the Leipzig hotel to recover from the journey before the festival!

 

[GNER 91128]

Haven't read through the whole thread, but if your Eurostar home is late in the day I'd recommend going to Zuid in the morning and dropping your bags off in one of the many lockers that are available, they are cheap too and range if different sizes.

 

[Wolfie]

A good French phrase



Most will speak English and asking in the native tongue is appreciated

One big caveat in Belgium (discovered the hard way!) is that approx 50% of the population are NOT native French speakers! Flemish people (Dutch native speakers) will likely completely blank you if you speak to them in French. Talk in English and they will happily cooperate.......

 

[30907]

He does like Aircraft too, so why not fly

I'm flying for my next German trip, because it is a hell of a lot easier for our group to fly to Berlin from Bristol and get the train to Leipzig the following day (with a sightseeing day in Berlin as a bonus!)

Don't really fancy getting home at 3am (rather then about 8pm with the plane with a later departure from Leipzig) - also I think my friends would kill me if I booked them on that!

I agree - Exeter-Leipzig by rail at 14 hours is a bit over my limit for a single day's travel nowadays too! But rail is worth checking out for most places in Germany, which was the point of my original post.

 

[toerist]

One big caveat in Belgium (discovered the hard way!) is that approx 50% of the population are NOT native French speakers! Flemish people (Dutch native speakers) will likely completely blank you if you speak to them in French. Talk in English and they will happily cooperate.......

Actually 60% of the population is native Dutch speaking (the Northern part of the country = Flanders), than we have a part in the East that speaks German while only in the south we have some french speaking people (but they are only a minority really)

 

[radamfi]

One big caveat in Belgium (discovered the hard way!) is that approx 50% of the population are NOT native French speakers! Flemish people (Dutch native speakers) will likely completely blank you if you speak to them in French. Talk in English and they will happily cooperate.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium#Languages

says that 59% of the population speak Dutch and 40% speak French. However the vast majority of people in Flanders natively speak Dutch and similarly the vast majority of people in Wallonia natively speak French, apart from the small German speaking area in the far east around Eupen. So if you are absolutely sure you are in a Dutch or French speaking area then the native language could be useful, but certainly not essential for a tourist. In most of the country, signs will only be in the one native language.

Brussels is the major exception as it is officially bilingual with French and Dutch having equal status, although French speakers are in the majority. Signs in Brussels are in both languages. Given that random people you meet could speak either language, speaking in English is actually preferable to avoid speaking French to a Dutch speaker or vice versa.

There are also a few places near the language border where 'language facilities' exist for either minority Dutch/French speakers, and signs may be bilingual in these areas.