Also known as the red train, Thalys links Paris to the gems of ...

Thalys 

Also known as the red train, Thalys links Paris to the gems of Northern Europe: Brussels, 

Amsterdam, Cologne... 

I. Routes and Travel Time 

Thalys: the High Speed Train between Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam 

Thalys the pleasure of travel... 

Since its launch, Thalys has been a synonym of excellence: a priority for comfort for travellers in areas, « Comfort 1» 

(for first class) and « Comfort 2» (for second class), a high frequency and prices for everybody. Thalys is well known 

for its exceptional on board service: breakfast, light meals or lunch for «Comfort 1» passengers, magazine selection, 

especially adapted areas for families... WI-FI connection is available on board all Thalys trains From December 2009 

Thalys goes quicker as it is fully high-speed! It takes only 3h14 to go from Paris to Cologne and 3h18 from Paris to 

Amsterdam! 

Copyright © Rail Europe - Extranet Page 1/7

II. On board services 


Origin Destination Travel Time Roundtrips 

Paris Brussels 1h22 23 

Paris Cologne 3h14 6 

Paris Amsterdam 3h18 7 

Paris Rotterdam 2h36 7 

Brussels Midi Amsterdam 1h53 7 

Brussels Midi Cologne 1h47 6 

Paris Rotterdam 1h11 6 

The "New Thalys" 

Thalys trains are being refurbished. Lucky passengers will enjoy the new inside design : 

- Seats are more comfortable and spacious for the legs in both 2nd class and 1st class with no modification of the 

number of seat on board. 

- The Thalys staff wear new uniform: the suits will be more fashion and modern with the Red Thalys colours. 

- In 1st Class, in harmony with the new design, the meal dishes will complete the embrace travel experience on the 

new Thalys trains. 

- The Thalys trains carry eight cars offering 377 seats (754 when two trains coupled). 

- All trains are non smoking. 

- Refurbished interior and spacious seating:broader and comfortable seat cushions 

- Every ergonomic seat is reclining with comfortable headrest and footrest 

- Individual reading lights 

- Spacious luggage storage, at eye-sight 

- Ambient lighting, softer and natural 

- And WIFI in all Thalys trains! 

1st class: COMFORT 1 



- 120 comfortable reclinable seats electronically 

Width 650 cm 

Legroom 859 cm 

Space between seats 955 cm 

Space between face to face seats 1168 cm 

- Wi-Fi connection free of charge 

- Sockets for laptop or mobile phone available on carriages 2/12/22 and 3/13/23 

- For passengers who want to relax, carriages 1/11/21 are not equipped with sockets 

- Free newspapers available from Monday to Saturday on all the routes (except on Antwerp - Brussels, Oostende - 

Brussels and Liege - Brussels in the trains from Antwerp, Ostende and Liege). 

- Comfort 1 tickets give also access to the VIP lounge in Cologne and the NS Hispeed Lounge in Amsterdam, Schiphol 

and Rotterdam 

- Taxi reservation on board, on trains arriving in Paris or Brussels: available weekdays with the catering staff. 

Bookings must be done at least 30 minutes prior to arrival. Upon arrival, a chauffeur will meet the passenger at the 

Thalys meeting point. Taxi fare is at client's own expense. An additional surcharge up to 12Euros will be applied to the 

taxi's invoice. 

Drinks and meal included and served at your seat everyday: 

- Breakfast: in the morning from the 1st Thalys until 9 Lunch/Dinner 

- Lunch time: from 12 am to 1 pm 

- Dinner time: from 6 pm to 8.15 pm Meal includes a choice of drinks, cold starter and main course, bread and dessert 

Menu Tonus (morning), apéro (salty) or Gourmand (sweet) out of lunch and dinner time. Organic and fair trade products. Regional and seasonal products from the 4 Thalys countries. 

- Thalys Meeting Square "Le Salon" (NEW IN 2011): allows 4 people to seat together, in a privatised compartment. 

This new space is available in Comfort 1 only (1st Class) and must be booked as a whole - the 4 seats are 

automatically booked together. And with free wifi onboard and complimentary meal and drinks served at seat, the 

"Meeting Square" is a genuine office on wheels, for business men travelling on Thalys routes! 

2nd class: COMFORT 2 



- Wi-Fi connection available with special prices: 6.50 EUR one Hour / 13 EUR for the whole trip. 

- Comfortable seats 

Width 550.5 cm 

Legroom 734 cm 

Space between seats 914 cm 

Space between face to face seats 1018 cm 

- Access to the bar-buffet car 

- Thalys Bar service is available in coaches 4/14/24 

- A bar and food counter, open for the duration of the journey, with a variety of food and refreshments to enjoy in the 

bar car: breakfast formula, meals, warm and cold dishes, sandwiches, dessert, warm and cold beverages as well as 

organic and fair trade products. 

- Mastercard and American Express are accepted for a minimum purchase of 10Euros. 

- Travellers can also purchase prepaid Wi-Fi cards: 6,5Euros/1h, 13Euros during the whole trip. 

- As well as tickets for public transportation networks in the Netherlands, Brussels and Paris III. Individual fares 

- Prices are global prices (ticket includes a reservation) 

- Client is able to book Thalys 90 days in advance. 

Normal (Hi-LIFE) 

- Hi-LIFE is the full fare in the Thalys fare range. Available everyday on every route. It principally 

targets travellers who rank flexibility, not price, at the top of their list of priorities. Comprehensive 

flexibility, here, encompasses: 

- 100% refunds and unlimited exchanges until train departure time and one hour later in train 

departure station 

- 50% refunds thereafter. 

Leisure 1 to 4 (Optiway) 

- OptiWay is the fare for Leisure customers, and strikes the best balance between price and 

flexibility. Available everyday on every route. 

- It mainly targets private/leisure travellers. There are 2 discount levels in CF1 (20% and 45%) 

and 4 discount levels in CF2 (15%, 25%, 40% and 50%). Purchase date and availability dictate 

discount levels. Discounts also entail commensurate sales and after-sales terms and conditions 

(on departure date, mainly). 

Full Fare Child 1&2 (Kid) 

- Travellers from 4 up to 11 years old included (less than 12) on train's departure date. Free for 

children up to 3 years old included if no seat is required. ID age check onboard. 

- Kid 1 is the highest fare & Kid 2 the lowest fare. 

- K1 is offered to get more flexibility for families than K1 (Kid 2 fare is available as long as the 

Kid & Co fare is available) 

Kid & Co 

- 50% discount for an adult travelling at all time with a child up to 11 included on train's 

departure date. 

- Maximum 2 adults per child. The child has to travel with the adults onboard ( Checked by Train 

Manager) 


Book Early1 & 2 (Smoove) 

- One way rate available everyday on every route. 

- These are the lowest fares, this is the best rate (constraints weighted up against price), 

provides some flexibility. Passengers have to plan ahead and agree to the after-sales terms and 

conditions (no exchanges, no refunds) to get the discounts. If you Select TOD or P@H option, 

you must print the ticket within an hour otherwise the booking will be automatically 

cancelled 

Wheelchair passenger/Blind passenger/Companion 

- Fares applicable for wheelchair or blind passenger and the companion. 

Passholder 1: Pass covering the whole Thalys route. 

- Eurail or InterRail Global Pass; Eurail or InterRail Select Pass (including France, Benelux or 

Germany, depending on the route); Eurail or InterRail Benelux-France (not valid for Thalys 

destinations in Germany). 

- For Eurail or InterRail Benelux Pass fares valid only on the sectors between Belgium and the 

Netherlands: Eurail or InterRail Germany-Benelux (Bruxelles-Amsterdam/Cologne only). 


Youth 

- Traveller from 12 up to 25 years old included on train's departure date 

Senior 

- Traveller over 60 years old included on train's departure date. 

Passholder 2: Pass covering partially the Thalys sector 

- France Rail Pass; Eurail or InterRail Passes including: Benelux-France / France-Germany / 

France-Italy / France-Spain / France-Switzerland / Benelux. German Rail Pass is not valid on 

Thalys routes to Germany. 

- In addition to traditional Euronet paper, Thalys individual fares are also TOD and P@H eligible. 

IV. Exchange/Refund Exchange and Refund Policies vary depending on the type of fare purchased. When 

exchange/refund is possible, penalty fees may apply for some fares. Exchanges and refunds, when possible, can only 

be performed: 

- by the issuing office, upon presentation of the original tickets 

- up to 2 months after the TDD (Train Departure Date) 

- the particular exchange / refund policy for each fare V. Check-in Procedures 

- There are no check-in or customs procedures before boarding Thalys trains. 

- Ticket control and passport checks will occur onboard the train. VI. Groups 

Group Adult: minimum 10 paying adults travelling together 

Group Youth: parties of 10 or more - from 12 up to 25 inclusive on train's departure date 

Group Child: parties of 10 or more - Up to 11 inclusive (less than 12) on train's departure date 

- If 10 people up to 24 are travelling together, they are considered as a group. 

- Group fares can't be issued as TOD or P@H, you must issue the tickets on Euronet paper. 

- For parties of more than 24 passengers, you must fill in the group booking request form on myRailEurope. VII. 

Specific to this train 


Children 


- Children less than 12 years old travelling alone are not accepted on board Thalys trains. 

Any Belgian Station 

- The "Any Belgian Station" fare enables the traveller to benefit from a special price for his journey in Belgium, in 

continuation (or just before) his Thalys journey. The "Any Belgian Station" fare includes both the Thalys and the 

Belgian segment, for a minimal cost. 

- Travel on internal Belgian services is valid two days after the departure or arrival of the Thalys service. You may 

travel on internal Belgian rail network as from the day before your outward Thalys journey, or until the day after your 

return trip. 

- With the ABS fares, your international Thalys ticket is valid for 1 journey between any of the stations on the national 

Belgian network and one of the following stations: Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid, Antwerpen Berchem/Antwerpen 

Centraal or Liège-Guillemins. 

- No need to book a reservation for the local Belgian train ride. 

- ABS fares are not offered for passholders. 

- ABS fares are NOT VALID for trips on ICE or Eurostar. 

Benefit from free transfers 

- A Thalys ticket departing from or arriving at Brussels-Midi is also valid for any regular (non-Thalys) train to Brussels 

North, Central, Luxembourg and Schuman stations. 

- A Thalys ticket departing from or arriving at Antwerpen Centraal (Anvers) station is also valid for any regular 

(non-Thalys) train to Antwerpen-Berchem station. 

VIII. Seat map 

- Seat map available: click here 

IX. Cover to be used 


Post-scriptum : 


All Thalys train tickets, fares & schedules: for a 300 km/h train ride between Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Antwerp and beyond. Tickets at 

an attractive price and delivered at home

Also known as the red train, Thalys links Paris to the gems of ...

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