Thalys services

Thalys offer the fastest services between Cologne, Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam.

Save time

The Thalys high-quality rapid train service connects Cologne with Brussels, and Paris with Brussels and Amsterdam. Tickets for travel on Thalys services from Cologne can also be purchased at Slovenian railway stations. Tickets may also be purchased in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Thalys train services from Cologne operate approximately every two hours during the day, and offer the fastest available option for travelling by train. Journeys from Cologne to Brussels take 2 hours and 20 minutes; journeys to Paris take 4 hours. The purchase of tickets with reservations is obligatory. Tickets are valid only on trains operated by the Thalys service.

Timetable

More information on the times of Thalys services can be found at the following website: www.thalys.com

Onboard offers

Passengers travelling 1st class are served breakfast , snacks or light meals –depending on the time of travel. Also available are newspapers and weekend magazines. Taxis can be ordered whilst on the train which will pick you up outside the station at Paris-Nord, or at Brussels-Midi.

Special offer for Belgium

When you travel to Belgium, you may purchase a ticket marked TGB which is valid for travel to any railway station within Belgium. Therefore, part of your journey is made with the Thalys train service, and then you may continue your journey onwards on the Belgium Railways network (SNCB) still using the same ticket.

Validity and conditions of carriage

The ticket is valid only on the particular train, route, day and hour of departure for which it has been reserved. If you wish to travel on a different train operated by the Thalys service, you may exchange your ticket up to one hour prior to the departure of the train for which you have purchased the ticket. Tickets for the Thalys service are not valid on other train services (for example on ICE, night trains).

Unused tickets

Prior to departure of the train, you may return any unused ticket for a full refund. If you return the ticket following the departure of the train, then a 10 percent penalty fee is deducted from the refund. Holders of Inter Rail passes will be refunded with a 25 percent reduction, whether prior or after departure of the train. Partial refunds for unused tickets are not permitted.