Brussels Travel Forum

last year when I visited Belgium I went via schipol to Brussels, this year if I decide to go again I was wondering if going to Paris then taking the train would be a good option?? anyone have experience of this? I see train ticket is included with airfare? where do you exchange the ticket? is train at airport? or far from where you arrive? I have heard paris often have strikes? and you can be stuck there for days.. is this true?? I will be flying from Johannesburg to brussels

Etihad Airways might be cheaper and only one stop
Johannesburg to brussels takes 18h:20m viceversa 1 hour less

with KLM it take 22h:05m and 15 minutes going back

and and 15 minutes LESS going back

It takes about 1h15 minutes from CDG (Paris airport) to Brussels by TGV train and the station is directly linked to the airport. Very easy and convenient.

I am not too sure about strikes and whether it affects international TGVs. I've been to Paris many times and never had the problem of being stuck somewhere.

thank you all very much!!

I don't think you need to be concerned about strikes in Paris, and I really don't think people have been stuck there 'for days'.

You can find information about almost all european train times and routes in English here:

http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

Transport options from Schipol airport here:

http://www.schiphol.nl/Transport/AccessibilityTransport/PublicTransport.htm

You will be able to get a train directly from the airport, but you may have to change trains at some point.

Sorry, misread your post.

Transport from Brussels Charleroi airport here:

http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/parking_transport/to-and-from/

Same thing applies:you can get a train from the airport, but will almost certainly have to change at Brussels Centraal station.

I think you misread it again, leics: I don't see any reference to Charleroi airport (CRL)!
I presume the flight from J'burg is with Air France if train ticket from Paris-CDG to Brussels is included - AF has trains instead of planes (except one early morning flight) between these 2 cities, for them this is a "flight" and Bruxelles-Midi has an airport code (ZYR)! The only problem I see, apart from possible strikes, is that there aren't all that many TGVs to Brussels from CDG, which means that depending on your time of arrival, the most convenient connection from CDG might well be via RER to Gare du Nord and then Thalys from there, and this probably isn't included. So check the train timetable to see if it's convenient, otherwise you could have a long wait at Paris-CDG-TGV station.
As far as I know, you don't exchange the ticket, you use the one issued by the airline on the train: as I said, it's a flight as far as Air France is concerned. They used to have their own coaches on it, don't know whether that is still the case.

P.S. and http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/parking_transport/to-and-from/ is BRUSSELS AIRPORT (BRU), not Charleroi (CRL). There is no train from CRL to Brussels.

Yes, stress has caught me up I'm afraid.

Brussels BRU is not Charleroi.

And I know that.

I am slapping myself as I write.

thanx to all of you... well got best price to brussels via zurich, so booked there, johannesburg to brussels via zurich was cheapest

it's Ryanair's fault. They keep using to call Charleroi (CRL) as Brussels. :-)

Everything is Ryanair's fault.