We%26#39;re planning on spending Christmas in Paris and New Year%26#39;s in Amsterdam. Our dilemma is how to plan our planes, trains and, well, more planes. What sounds easiest to us is to fly into Paris, take the train and fly out of Amsterdam. However, that option will preculde us from using our credit card miles very well. So the next best option would be to fly to Paris, take the train both ways and fly back out of Paris. However, due to how we use our discounts/miles, that option will only save us money if the train is less than $200 pp/ roudtrip.
So my question is really... Does anyone know if the ticket prices or schedules vary because of the holidays? I wrote to Rail Europe to ask if they could tell me when tickets will go on sale for Christmas time and I just got a general %26quot;tickets are usually available 2-4 months out%26quot; kind of thing. Since I have to book my flights now for the miles, I%26#39;m totally stumped as what would be better. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Forget Raileurope - buy them yourself online at www.sncf.com
The cheapest fare is a r/t ticket called %26quot;Smilys%26quot;, no refunds no exchanges
It usually costs 38E each way.
The full-fare ticket with fewest restrictions is a one-way only ticket, so you%26#39;d buy two - they cost about 98E so that%26#39;s more than you hope to spend.
Tickets are available inside of 90-day window. Smilys go fast so don%26#39;t wait too long into the 90-day period to buy.
Search the forum box for %26quot;Morganb%26quot; to find her detailed tutorial on how to use the rail site to book tickets online.
Question: did an airline agent tell you that only r/t tickets can be issued using F.F. miles? or is that all you can find online?
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p.s. I%26#39;d fly r/t out of Amsterdam rather than Paris, if you have the choice. The Schiphol airport is far more user-friendly than is CDG/Paris, and the transport time and cost is much less as well.
You can still use www.sncf.com to book tickets even if the starting point is Amsterdam
- use %26quot;Netherlands%26quot; as your country (might be shown as Pays Bas)
- choose to print on your own printer if the option is offered
- otherwise, you can choose to pick up at a rail ticket window (there%26#39;s one in Schiphol or you could get it at Centraal in Amsterdam)
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Thanks, we were actually contemplating flying in and out of AMS and hearing that definitely sways us that way. Unfortunately, it%26#39;s our credit card that%26#39;s dictating what flights we use. Flat rate for R/T and variable rate for multi-city, with a big difference. So are the Smileys even avaible for times like the day after Christmas. I%26#39;ll be totally on top of booking early. I just wasn%26#39;t sure if the day after Christmas is as big of a travel problem on trains there as they are with planes in the US--at least price-wise? Thanks. Summer
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I am puzzled at your difficulty booking an open jawed ticket -- we do this all the time -- with frequent flyer miles and with credit cards -- what is the problem with that?
and let me add, I was once on a Thalys due in around 1pm to Paris with a trainload of people who missed their flights out of CDG when we were 4.5 hours late -- rare -- but don%26#39;t make the return trip the day of your flight
and take another swing at the open jaw ticket -- don%26#39;t nickel dime your precious time in Amsterday or Paris
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I don%26#39;t know about ticket prices over holidays, as I%26#39;ve never booked any then...
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About the open-jaw miles... I have a credit card that does %26quot;thank you points.%26quot; If you just use them normally, flights are kinda outrageous, making them twice as many points as the flat rates they offer on some flights, which can only be R/T. Makes no sense to me either, but what else could you expect from a reward program designed by a credit card company?
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if you have really pushed on this and open jaw is not an option then I would agree that you should fly in and out of Amsterdam if you can
and take the Thalys into Paris avoiding CDG
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Thalys is the best way to go between Paris %26amp; Amsterdam. We did this last year and the time spent on the train was about the same as a flight. The hassles you must endure at the airports with screening and arriving early doens%26#39;t compare to boarding a train in the city centre. Both CDG and Schippol airports are about 35 to 40 minutes from the city centre, so the train is the best option.
The Thalys coachs are comfortable and clean, unlike some North American trains.
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