Best ticket to buy for Paris?

[Citybreak1]

I am going to Brussels this summer what’s the best and cheapest open return I could take to Paris for a few hours? I believe it’s during Olympics so prices may be too much. I am also due out the week of the Euros to Brussels how busy could it be at start of week?

 

[30907]

I am going to Brussels this summer what’s the best and cheapest open return I could take to Paris for a few hours? I believe it’s during Olympics so prices may be too much. I am also due out the week of the Euros to Brussels how busy could it be at start of week?

No such thing as open returns in France (unless you use regional trains) - you have to book both ways even on the non-HS trains - details here:
https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Brussels.htm#Brussels-Paris

 

[jfollows]

I’d read about a loco-hauled service with relatively few stops, but I suspect it’s currently a proposal rather than reality.
Back in the day, well before high speed lines, before 1989 I think, I made a day trip on a Saturday, then it was the fast service of course but I enjoyed it. I had two weeks in Belgium and didn’t want to stay in Brussels, and had a nice day in Paris instead.

EDIT See https://why.brussels/fast-track-to-paris-exciting-new-rail-link-from-brussels/ from 20/7/23:

The Belgian rail operator SNCB and its French counterpart SNCF are currently discussing a new train connection between Brussels and Paris. The launch is scheduled for 2024.

According to the proposal submitted by the French Transport Regulatory Authority, there will be approximately 5 round trips per day between Brussels and Paris, with a travel time of around 3 hours. The train line will make stops in Mons, Brussels-North, Brussels-Central, Brussels-South in Belgium, and Creil and Aulnoye-Aimeries in Northern France, ending at Gare du Nord in Paris.

Currently, a feasibility study is underway to confirm the viability of this project. The schedule and any potential intermediate stops are yet to be confirmed. SNCB aims to encourage as many passengers as possible to take part in this international journey at an affordable price. The new train connection provides an excellent alternative to road transportation, given the travel time compared to high-speed trains. Today, the capitals of France and Belgium are connected by the high-speed Thalys train, which takes less than an hour and a half.

From https://www.brusselstimes.com/97184...-new-paris-brussels-offer-for-the-summer-tbtb on 19/3/24

SNCB confirmed on Tuesday that two direct trains (one early morning and one early afternoon) will run daily between Brussels-Midi and Paris-Nord from 24 July to 11 August, when the Olympic Games will take place. The return services will arrive in Brussels in the early afternoon or early evening. For the Paralympics, one train (early morning) will run between the two capitals from 28 August to 8 September.

However, the plan is for the line to continue even after the Games. "We announced in July last year that we are exploring a connection to Paris via classic railway lines, as this is already our most popular destination," SNCB spokesperson Dimitri Timmermans told The Brussels Times.
"We are looking to launch this from the end of 2024. But this summer, we expect passenger numbers to be even higher than usual, which is why we are already temporarily launching the service." The more affordable connection complements the offer of high-speed trains.

Cost and timetable​

Tickets for the new Eurocity are now on sale on the SNCB International website. Prices range from €34 for second-class tickets to €49 for first-class. SNCB stressed that a reservation is required to travel with this service.

I would personally use this service in preference to the faster more modern ones.

From 24 July to 11 August, the train will depart early in the morning (07:02 on weekdays and 07:06 on weekends) and early in the afternoon (13:38 on weekdays and 12:26 on weekends). The return journey departs from Paris-Nord just after midday (12:30 on weekdays and 13:56 on weekends) or in the early evening (18:48 on weekdays, 18:21 on Saturdays and 17:58 on Sundays).

From 28 August to 8 September, the service will leave Brussels-Midi at 07:02 on weekdays and 07:06 on weekends, with a return journey in the early evening (18:48 on weekdays and 19:02 on weekends).

 

[peteb]

I've just checked the SNCF ticket app, for several random dates during the Olympic Games. They are not offering the conventional train (yet), only high speed options from Paris to Brussels. Mind you some of these are very cheap if you book from Paris Roissy CDG to Brussels (as cheap as €17 one way, but NB: that's with my carte advantage senior 30% discount). Cheapest from Gare du Nord was €49. Not bad for the distance. Not sure how to get the conventional train tickets, maybe someone on here knows?

 

[jfollows]

SNCB web site, 24 July, 7am, include slower trains: €34/€69

 

[Nunners]

I've just checked the SNCF ticket app, for several random dates during the Olympic Games. They are not offering the conventional train (yet), only high speed options from Paris to Brussels. Mind you some of these are very cheap if you book from Paris Roissy CDG to Brussels (as cheap as €17 one way, but NB: that's with my carte advantage senior 30% discount). Cheapest from Gare du Nord was €49. Not bad for the distance. Not sure how to get the conventional train tickets, maybe someone on here knows?

CDG to Paris centre can be expensive but there are a couple of cheap "normal" buses (i.e. not airport express) that take about an hour

 

[jfollows]

SNCF no longer (from next week) sells international tickets other than for its services: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/sncf-ends-all-international-ticket-sales.267577/#post-6767391

I'm not sure how many people here use SNCF as their vendor of choice of international travel, but for info, starting from next week(22/05) SNCF will cease selling any through tickets to destinations outside France, either online or in ticket offices; with the exception of journeys exclusively involving trains operated by SNCF itself or Eurostar.

Whether or not this means SNCF could be used before 22/5 to buy the ticket for 24/7 with some manipulation, I don’t know. It was almost trivially easy on the SNCB site.