Thalys

Nice place to sit back and relax while you are waiting for your Thalys train. It is located right next to Gare du Nord and had free decent WiFi, clean toilets, and free coffee/​water. There are loungy chairs, tables and chairs, and couches. While it’s not the most comfortable place ever, it is better that standing around in the station.

i took the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris. the service on the train is good and you have a restaurant on board, but they don t have lots of choices. also, they have wifi on board it does not work very well. it cuts a lots. it s a good change if don t want to fly and see the scenery.

Since a couple of years I have been using the Thalys regularly (more than 10 trips) so it’s finally time to make a review.
Comfort 2 is their second class. Seats are two by two with some arranged in four around a table. Last minute tickets can be ca. 120 euros, but if one books well in advance, tickets can be 47, 35 and even, once upon a time, 25 euros. This is for the no-​flex option (no exchange, no refund). There are also semi-​flex and full flex (increasingly more expensive). Food can be found at the Thalys Bar, which is, as all train bars, horribly expensive and often runs out of food around Brussels or Liege (when hungry hoards empty all the shelves). Working toilets can sometimes be found after a long treck. Good point: recently they have introduced free slow wifi for all ticket ranges.
If you have Thalys the Card (a free membership program) and you buy a semi-​flex ticket when you are supposedly allowed to take the train before or the train after without paying the difference. This, however, can be a nerve wracking operation. I missed my first train by one minute (shame on me) and the thalys employee confirmed that with my booking (I had it on my smartphone) I was allowed to take the one afterwards. So I came back and boarded on the later train. Here the train conductor almost yelled at me asking to show him the physical card (which I did not receive since it takes around one month to get one by mail), otherwise I would have had to pay the difference (around 130 euros). Slightly confused I jump off the train right when the doors are closing. On the platform another Thalys employee tells me that I should have been allowed on the train. My confusion grows. He calls the Thalys service at the Gare du Nord (which is not far from the station). Here a very nice employee issues a permission to board on a latter train (the last one of the day).
Now, the confirmation e-​mail states «you can show your Thalys Card OR this e-​mail». Given that «or» is different from an «and», the information is contradictory. According to the nice salomonic Thalys employee, me and the conductor were «both right», because somewhere else they say that only the physical card is accepted. I don’t know, I kind of prefer to be the only one to be right.
Anyway, all ended well, but keep in mind to have your physical card or to sharpen your argumentative skills if you don’t.
Now for the best part: Comfort 1, Thalys’ first class. Big and spatious seats (including solo ones), free international press, food brought to the table with two vegetarian options, including a healthy one, tea from Palais du The, chocolat from Gallet, obviously less crowded. If I only I could take it anytime.
Despite the adventure above, I still give Thalys four stars. They managed to bring me where I needed to go, for sometimes a very cheap price.
Beware in Paris there are now security checks 20 minutes in advance, so no last minute arrivals.

First time on the train and find it rather enjoyable. Didn’t really feel the «train» ride and was able to get a nap in between Amsterdam and Paris. Easy to find at Amsterdam Centraal; not so much at Gare du Nord but as long as you pay attention to platform numbers you’ll be able to find it easily. They screen your luggage in Paris but not Amsterdam. Food choices was eh and had they have options to pre-​pay for wifi when I purchase the tickets I would. I purchased comfort 2 tickets and trying to pay for wifi without wifi (data from US) is expensive. So I napped for about two hours. Can’t say I was terribly disappointed with the service; just wished options was available so I can pre-​plan the trip accordingly.

I’ve traveled from Amsterdam to Brussels three times for work this year. Each time with Thalys, and each time increasingly bad customer service.
This previous time, I was two hours early to the station, and wanted to take an earlier train back to Amsterdam. Because I am a card member, and had purchased a semi-​flex ticket, I was allowed to take the train directly before, or directly after my scheduled train– all I needed to do (per the print on my ticket) was to present my train ticket email that had my QR code ticket (Thalys ticketless), and my card number. When i presented this to the train manager, he said he needed to see the physical card. Then the train doors slammed in my face.
From there I went back to the desks inside, at which they said they didn’t know and couldn’t help. So I tweeted them. They replied and I dm’ed them and explained the issue.
In a nutshell, they were argumentative and told me I was wrong for multiple reasons (even goes so far as to say ‘i must have gotten to the platform too late, if i saw the doors slam in my face’– which is totally not the case as I was there when the train pulled in). I screen-​shotted copy from their OWN website and sent it to them, stating that i did not need to present my physical card.
They finally admitted it was all contradictory, and then told me to contact customer service via email. This is only the tip of the iceberg with them for me, but even when they «try» customer service, they fail horribly. Such a joke.

Rode the 10:17 am train from Amstedam to Paris yesterday, Jan 16^th. My daughter and I ordered the tickets online a couple of weeks ago & spent the extra surcharge for the ‘comfort 1′ option as opposed to ‘comfort 2′, which includes the benefits of free wifi and a full meal. Wifi worked fine starting out, but stopped working shortly thereafter and never came back fully, the server said that outages and spotty service are commonplace.
As for the food, despite it being a near empty train, another server informed us that they’d ‘run out’ of food and showed us a handful (4 – 5) of small unidentified microwavable packets from the bar as alternatives, which we declined.
The ride itself was smooth and comfortable, but the upcharge for the ‘comfort 1′ package was a total waste.

Je prends le thalys entre deux et quatre fois par mois pour me rendre principalement à Cologne en Allemagne. Thalys dessère Bruxelles, Liège, Aix-​La-​Chapelle, Cologne et certains vont jusqu’à Essen en passant par Dusseldorf et Duisbourg. D’ailleurs vous noterez que tout le personnel de bord parle français, anglais, allemand et néerlandais. C’est toujours impressionnant :)
Je voyage essentiellement en tarif jeune (- de 26 ans) ce qui donne un avantage non négligeable au niveau des prix. Le train reste cher en général si la réservation n’est pas faite au moins un mois et demi à l’avance.
De plus, avec mon tarif jeune, je né peux bénéficier du wifi à bord (gratuit en 1ère et avec certains tarifs en deuxième). «Pas grave» me dis-​je, un soir où je dois absolument bosser dans le train, «je vais m’acheter une connexion pour une fois». Euh, 13 euros pour le voyage? Cela se passé de commentaire je pense.
Toujours au sujet des prix, le point positif est les offres qu’ils font de temps à autre. Cela permet de voyager à des prix compétitifs (35 euros, 41… 45 en première classe). J’ai fait l’erreur de voyager un an sans ThalysTheCard qui est leur programme de fidélité. Mais depuis que je l’utilise, je reçois des offres avec des tarifs préférentiels et toutes sortes de bonus qui font toujours plaisir.
Je né suis pas une grande voyageuse en train (SNCF) mais en comparaison Thalys, c’est la folie ! Le Thalys est spacieux, confortable, chacun a une prise qui fonctionne, les couleurs sont chaudes etc etc.
Une étoile en mois pour trois raisons :
— les billets nominatifs c’est RELOU ! Impossible de changer le nom dessus. Cela signifie aussi qu’il est difficile de revendre un billet ni échangeable, ni remboursable (mais ça c’est une autre histoire).
— Il fait beaucoup beaucoup trop froid dans le train. J’ai toujours pas compris pourquoi…
— Les horaires. Même il y a de nombreuses liaisons Paris-​Allemagne dans la journée, je regrette que le dernier train soit à 18h. Impossible donc d’attraper le dernier train du vendredi soir quand on bosse…
Bön à savoir: petit-​dej, déjeuner, dîner, boissons et presse française offerts en 1ère classe. Possibilité également de commander un taxi depuis le train, l’équipe s’occupe de tout.

Excellent first class train service between Brussels and Paris. Rode first class and the food and the comfort was superb. You don’t really feel the train.

Compared to Eurostar which my family took from London to Paris and back (back in 2011), Thalys fees are a lot cheaper. It’s still a fast service that works well.
Some of the not-​so-​great parts of it is that (1) Wi-​Fi isn’t free train wide. Obviously it is an amenity and as such, there is a first-​class compartment on train who gets it complimentary while others don’t. It’s a little frustrating if you can’t use electronic devices for a 3 hour journey from Amsterdam. And (2) though the lack of security makes traveling here real prompt, it’s scary to know that all you need is money to pay for ticket initially and no other security check/​bag screening is there. It’s very vulnerable and though it’s nice to see trust working well, there was apparent scare a few weeks before. Something countries to need to address when running this train.
Still where matters are concerned with comfort and service, it’s very nice. Also, their food service (on cart 14 often) is pricey considering they’re your only go-​to option for the journey. Pack some food in advance or eat before you get on so you won’t have to pay 10 Euro for a Ham and Cheese Sandwich and drink like I did.

The companies website was malfunctioning when I was trying to buy my tickets and after I had entered my payment said «Booking unavailable right now». So I accidentally bought a second set. When I contacted them to let them know about the mistake they simply said «sorry nothing we can do about it.»
Besides that, even though I had spent enough money for four tickets, the friend I was with and I both had no where to sit because the train was overbooked. The train ride was an absolutely terrible experience and the customer service was even worse.
I wish I would have just taken a bus instead. I would have saved about $ 400 and the headache.

Fast trains but poorly designed. Poor storage in certain cars and seats overlap doors. On both trains I took there was no water in bath sink even though train had just been cleaned. A person told me there is never water. Disappointed after riding the Spanish trains.

Don’t EVER order tickets in advance from these heartless folks. I missed a train at Gard Nord by 4 minutes because mine from Gard du Lyon was late and it is a long way between the two stations. They wouldn’t let me use my first class ticket on the next train, gave me wrong information about where to go to resolve the problem. Then I had to pay for a new second class ticket. Only buy your tickets right before you go. And the place you wait at Gard Nord is filthy with no amenities no where to sit. I thought hey were no better than Amtrak.

To be avoided at all costs.
I had a business class seat with KLM from Vancouver to Brussels using AMEX travel. Of course, my first mistake was booking a flight using AMEX or using KLM, both of which are pretty much incompetent to start with.
When I boarded the train from Schiphol to Brussels, it turned out that my reservation didn’t actually exist. I’d paid for it, mind you. Only I had to pay for it again.
The WiFi on board is a joke. It doesn’t work well enough for anything else than email. The meals are pretty bad.
This is a pretty good example of everything that’s wrong with a government run customer service.

Visit Date: March 18, 2015
When we were in Paris Hubby and I decided to take a day trip to Amsterdam to visit his mother’s friend who lives in Holland. The train fare was really expensive but I heard it’s cheaper if you order it way in advance. The reason I’m giving it four stars is that the website was very confusing. My husband thought he bought two tickets but really he only bought one. So right as our train was taking off we had to run to the train manager and work out buying an extra train ticket on board.
The ride from Paris to Amsterdam was comfortable and as quick as it could be. It was also very comfortable. It was a cross between Amtrak trains and the ACE Amtrak train if you’ve taken any of those trains before and want to reference the feel.
I would go with thalys although it’s expensive to jump between countries if you’re visiting Europe.

Train is a fine alternative for the plane. Just as fast from Amsterdam to Paris and vice versa

Choosing to ride with thalys was possibly one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made.
I purchased a ticket a month in advance & the email specifically stated I could only print my ticket at a kiosk at the station. So, I followed the directions in the email & attempted to print at the station. All the machines were down or giving me an error message. I tried speaking with attendants, but nobody really understood or could speak English and directed me to the train manager.
With just 9 minutes left to board my train from Paris Nord to Brussels midi & Bruges, I was in full on panic mode. I showed the train manager my confirmation email, my credit card statement indicating I indeed paid for the ticket & he denied my ticket entirely. He «called» someone on his cell phone and said my ticket was canceled and that I’d have to purchase a new one for a steep € 125 charge IN CASH, 2x the price i originally paid. He told me «his credit card machine was down» which I found highly unlikely. At this point, I burst into tears and he lowered the price to € 99. I had absolutely no cash on me & my friend ending up paying for me. I also had to repurchase a connection ticket from Brussels to Bruges for € 6.4. Along the way, I attempted to settle this with each thalys office I could find at connecting stations. NOBODY COULD HELP ME. I signed forms, sent emails, spoke to countless people and nobody could help me.
Seriously, take Eurostar instead as choosing Thalys ended up being disastrous. The seats themselves were dirty, and there’s nobody to help you with your luggage either. (Maybe someone would have if we were blonde or white).

Hi speed train travel can be pricey but discounted if tickets are purchased far in advance. It’s a comfortable and relatively quick ride from Paris to Amsterdam taking about three and a half hours. The seats are comfortable. There is wifi available for a price and it’s a nice quiet unremarkable ride. There are travel clubs and discounts you can sign up for if you travel often or even less than often making travel by train more attractive. You can purchase tickets online to make things even easier. The high speed trains embark and arrive at the Paris Gare du Nord.

The Thalys train is quite a exquisite & remarkable train. Known for its speed, comfort, and smoothness, it delivers passengers from Paris to all points in Europe. I took the Thalys train from Paris — Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal Station on one October 2014 trip. I arrived in Paris Gare du Nord train station about 2 hours before departure, but realized that I would’ve needed just 30 minutes prior to be successful. Little did I know this fact about trains versus airplane travel. To be sure, it was better to be early and on time than late and miss the train entirely. The Thalys train I was assigned to departed out of platform 9. The Thalys train is painted bright red and its name on its body, just for identification when it’s readily available already.
Only problem with the Thalys was that I couldn’t find cabin 16 since there were so many cars on Thalys. That was when I asked for directions. The Thalys runs routes to and from Amsterdam and London from Paris via Gare du Nord train station. It’s one of the more popular train routes that makes people want to keep going. This trip to Amsterdam on the Thalys took about 3 ½ hours. It would have been much less if flying out of Charles du Galle aeroport, but I would digress. It was nice to see the towns, farms, and homes along the route in between Paris and Amsterdam. It was especially gratifying to see those holland style windmills you see in photos, but in real life. That excited me so much that it just was uncanny. You never know what you’ll see when you’re on the train — or the Thalys for that matter! The interior of the train was clean and organized. I was grateful for the outlets for my charger, so I could use my mobile device on the train. I do believe that there was wifi on board, so that was great as well. The signal strength was decent, but not complaining too much.
I bought a 2^nd class ticket for about $ 79 for a one way trek. I thought that it was a fairly decent price for it. I bought it online, so I didn’t have to fiddle around with the train ticket machines at Gare du Nord train station. At 15 minutes prior to departure, a mass of people descended on the platform 9 and we searched for our respective cabin & seats. The train official looked over my e-​ticket and pointed me out to the right direction. The overall experience on the Thalys was good. The seats were comfortable and managed to meet another marathoner to was set to run the Amsterdam marathon that weekend with me, so we traded race stories and marathons we want to run, etc. it was a pleasant ride and it was a smooth online departure. I didn’t need to go to the restroom on board the Thalys, but it was good to know where they are — just in case. There was a dining car as well, but not used either, as I had eaten before departure. Still, it was nice to ride the rails, even if it was 3x longer than flying. No complaints though, as it was cheaper and I got to see more than flying will do for me.
Trains are awesome! Thalys is great!
Support local!
B

If only trains in the US were this easy and convenient!
We purchased 2 regular class one-​way tickets from Paris to Amsterdam 3 months before departure. They cost around $ 35 each. Not that much more than the Long Island Railroad and were going to ANOTHER COUNTRY.
We showed our tickets upon entertaining the train and then again for official scanning on the train.
The seats were comfortable and I liked that they had trays to eat on. They have a designated food cart but we didn’t bother as we brought food.
Nice scenic route.
I just wish WiFi was complimentary with all ticket levels.

train confortable en 1ère pour aller a Bruxelles très rapide. personnel sympa rien a dire.

Meilleur service que le TGV avec un acces Internet qui fonctionne Presque!
En business, service repas pendant les heures adequates.

Thalys est un produit attrayant (services en 1ère classe, nombreuses liaisons, rapidité, arrivée au coeur de la ville,…) quand on le prend de temps en temps… Mais c’est une autre histoire quand on le prend plusieurs fois par semaine.
Thalys n’est pas un modèle de régularité. Depuis le passage à haute vitesse au-​delà de Bruxelles en décembre 2009, les retards de 30′ à plusieurs heures sont monnaie courante. Je pense que 40% environ des trains que j’ai pris en 2010 sont arrivés à l’heure seulement. Les raisons sont multiples et parfois né manquant pas de sel («Nous aurons un retard indéterminé que nous vous préciserons lorsque nous aurons trouvé un conducteur»). Pire, des trains sont annulés au dernier moment, sans même que le service client (dont l’accès est tarifé) en soit informé.
Thalys est cher et toutes les raisons sont bonnes pour augmenter la facture: vous avez un bébé de 6 mois sur les genoux et il n’occupe pas une place supplémentaire. Pas grave, ça fera 15 EUR. Vous avez changé de train au dernier moment parce que le précédent était annulé. Pas grave, donnez-​nous quand même 10 EUR. Vous êtes en 2nde et voulez accéder au Wifi (gratuit en 1ère): pas de problème, ça fera 5 EUR. Vous avez pris une réservation à tarif promotionnel sur un train en retard, vous vous êtes trompé et êtes monté dans le train qui devait partir 5′ après sur le quai voisin. Pas grave, ça fera une place plein tarif plus 10 EUR de surtaxe parce que vous prenez la place dans le train. Quant au billet promotionnel, vous pouvez toujours vous adresser au service client pour obtenir un remboursement. Il y en qui ont essayé…
Thalys n’a aucune considération pour ses clients victimes de retard, d’annulation de train, ou de prestations pas fournies. D’abord, tous les prétextes sont bons pour invoquer les circonstances exceptionnelles. J’ai vu une fois un train partir en retard de Bruxelles à cause de problèmes techniques et arriver en retard à Paris à cause de problèmes météo (il né neigeait pas, la température était positive, vérifiez, c’était le 6 décembre 2010 matin). Eh oui, les problèmes météo, ce n’est pas la faute de l’exploitant, il est victime comme vous, il né rembourse pas. Et les rares fois où Thalys reconnaît ses torts sur un retard important et vous accorde un bon voyage, il vous faudra vous rendre au guichet pour l’utiliser (donc pas de ticketless et pas d’internet). Quant à l’unique remboursement monétaire que Thalys m’a accordé, je l’attends toujours. Pourtant, ça fait 3 fois que je faxe mon RIB (accusé de réception à l’appui). Vous voyagez debout? Inutile d’espérer quoi que ce soit. Vous n’avez pas eu le repas promis en 1ère? Idem…
Aujourd’hui, compte tenu des retards accumulés, des tarifs prohibitifs, des nouvelles formules d’abonnement mises en place fin 2010 qui s’avèrent plus chères que la carte Lys, il y a tout lieu de se demander si, entre PAris et Bruxelles, le covoiturage né serait pas une meilleure solution?

Schöner schon etwas älterer Bahnhof aber wirklich schön!!!

Mise a jour: j’enlève une étoile voir les commentaires en gras
Thalys, le PUR SANG de Fer en Europe
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
Créé en 1995, Thalys est le résultat de la collaboration de 4 sociétés de chemin de fer dont le point commun est la couleur rouge sur leur drapeau.
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Thalys est dès l’origine un projet d’envergure; la première entreprise ferroviaire à proposer une desserte européenne sur 4 pays, à grande vitesse. D’après certaines écoles shintoîstes, le rouge désigne l’harmonie et l’expansion, c’est ce que veut donner comme image la Compagnie Thalys en Europe.
Aujourd’hui, plus de 70 millions de voyageurs ont été transportés entre Paris, Bruxelles, Amsterdam et Cologne.
En 1996, la capitale belge est à 2h03 de Paris puis à 1h25 en 1997 (Air France abdique sous ce dernier coup fatal, toutes les dessertes aériennes entre les deux villes sont supprimées en 2000).
Thalys a le FEU AUX FESSES. En effet il a enclenché son compte-​à-​rebours pour circuler sur les nouvelles lignes à grande vitesse vers Amsterdam et Cologne et ces deux destinations sont désormais à 3h18 et 3h14 respectivement de Paris (1h53 et 1h47 de Bruxelles) depuis le 13 décembre 2009.
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
Après son galop TOUT FEU TOUT FLAMME pour la grande vitesse ferroviaire en Europe, des études annoncent que les passagers auront la possibilité de voyager plus vite en train qu’en avion sur la moitié des liaisons européennes d’ici 2020.
La régularité et la ponctualité sont parfois dans le ROUGE.
*Mais pour nos 2 voyages (Amsterdam et Luxembourg), nous avons eu entre 15 et 20 minutes de retard pour les 4 trajets.
Vous avez la possibilité de voyager sans billet papier (programme Ticketless accessible à tous les voyageurs par simple inscription sur
, et en cours d’extension via des projets d’interopérabilité avec d’autres cartes sans contact comme par exemple le Pass Navigo) permet aux voyageurs de rester zen et l’empêche d’être rouge de colère dans le cas ou il perdrait son billet car il en a plus besoin (de billet).
Nous avons fait notre réservation dans une boutique SNCF et nous avons été agréablement surpris d.‘apprendre que les animaux compagnie né payer pas le transport à la différence des TGV et pour l’Eurostar ils sont complètement interdit
Depuis 2008, l’accès WiFi Internet à haut débit est opérationnel sur l’ensemble du réseau Thalys, soit en Belgique, en France, en Allemagne et aux Pays-​Bas (gratuit en 1ère classe et payant en 2^nd).
Pour le 1er voyage, il a fonctionné correctement mais pour le 2^nd pas de wifi à cause d’un problème technique).
L’année 2009 est marquée par la métamorphose de Thalys: dans les nouvelles rames rénovées, le personnel de bord dans ses nouveaux uniformes (dessinés par Eva Gronbach) propose une carte entièrement renouvelée, tant au Thalys Bar que pour le service à la place en Comfort 1.
Sur 4 trajets nous avons eu 3 fois un personnel très accueillant et souriant.
A noter: ces Thalys redessinés desservent un réseau de gares elles-​mêmes en cours de modernisation. Aix-​la-​Chapelle puis Anvers-​Central. A suivre: Liège, Rotterdam et Amsterdam (pour cette dernière, elle est toujours en travaux mais qu’est-ce qu’elle est belle !
Thalys joue la carte PLAISIR ARDENT ET SANGSATIONNEL
Un design contemporain, chaleureux et exceptionnellement confortable
Thalys a entamé un processus de rénovation intérieure de ses rames. En quelques mots, le nouveau design fait la part belle au bien-​être, à l’émotion, à la sensation de liberté et de chaleur. Le voyageur n’aura pas d’effet dû à la force centrifuge.
Les voitures bénéficient d’une plus grande luminosité, de sièges ferme et moelleux avec de l’espace aux genoux qui offre un bon confort, des prises de courant pour chaque siège à la différence des TGV où il y en a 1 pour 2 (celui de la fenêtre).
Une restauration renouvelée
La restauration à bord du Thalys s’articule autour de deux espaces et de deux cartes: celle du Thalys Bar, ouvert à tous les voyageurs, et celle du service à la place en Comfort 1 (compris dans le prix du billet). Elle fait l’objet en 2009 d’un programme de refonte complète en plusieurs étapes pour répondre aux mots d’ordre simple, sain, bon, beau et chaud.
Enfin, parce que le plaisir de la table, c’est un ensemble de petits détails, la vaisselle a été entièrement redessinée pour s’assortir au design des nouvelles rames.
Les plateau repas n’est pas appétissant à part le pain chaud et croustillant, il y a encore des efforts à faire. C’était simple et chaud. :-(
(Voir photo ci-​dessous)
A la pointe de l’Innovation
Thalys et Internet :
s’articule avec le site
(infos sur terminaux mobiles: promotions en cours,

on est rarement loin d’une prise de courant ce qui permet d’utiliser ses appareils éléctriques a bord sans user sa batterie

Le Thalys, j’adore parce que ça veut dire qu’on part en Belgique direction l’hôtel Le Manos que j’adore aussi.
On est bien. On se cale dans son fauteil avec son ordinateur, son ipod, sa bouteille d’eauLa nourriture que l’on y sert est abondante en plus d’être succulente contrairement à celle des TGV