Dispatches is on like a thousand email lists, and most of what we get is deleted in seconds. But not this. There’s a new train service between Brussels and Paris that claims to be the best deal on rails. From 19 December 2024, new OUIGO service will provide daily runs between Brussels, Mons and Paris.
That’s a crucial connection for tourists and businesspeople alike.
OUIGO trains take travelers from Belgium (Brussels and Mons) via conventional railway lines to the station Paris-Nord (and vice versa) in less than three hours at very competitive fares, at a frequency of three trains a day in each direction, according to the media release we got. Tickets prices start at 10 euros for adults, with a maximum price of 59 euros per ticket. Prices vary according to the occupancy of the train. So SNCB is using “dynamic pricing,” just like the airlines these days.
So you can travel from city centre to city centre faster and more comfortably than traveling Brussels to Paris by highway, not to mention the lower carbon footprint. And you have a better chance of getting there in a reasonable amount of time, considering Brussels has some of the worst traffic north of Lagos.
Here at the details:
• Adult tickets start at 10 euros, again depending on when you’re booking.
• Children under 12 years old pay 8 euros while children under 4 years of age travel for free on an adult’s lap.
• One piece of hand luggage (handbag or backpack) and one piece of cabin luggage included in your ticket.
• Seat reservation on board OUIGO is compulsory. All OUIGO tickets automatically include a numbered seat on the chosen train.
• Booking tip: the earlier you book, the higher the odds of enjoying the lowest fares, according to the release.
Trains from Paris will depart at:
- 08:18, arriving in Brussels at 11:21
- 12:28, arriving at 15:21
- 19:15, arriving at 22:21.
Trains from Brussels will depart at:
- 07:38, arriving in Paris at 10:36
- 13:38, arriving at 16:44
- 18:38, arriving at 21:35.
You can get your tickets here.
OUIGO (get it? “We go“) is not new, and this new service looks like a joint venture between SNCB, the Belgian railway, and SNCF, the French national rail service. OUIGO was created by the SNCF in 2013 as a budget alternative to the high-speed TGV and transports millions of travelers to about 60 destinations in France and Spain. Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Nantes … as well as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Tarragona, Zaragoza, Cuenca, Segovia, Valladolid, Alicante and Albacete, according to the SNCF website.
And though OUIGO operates mostly high-speed trains, the Brussels to Paris route is via conventional trains on conventional tracks, so it’s not as fast (though much cheaper) than Eurostar.
OUIGO is also offering low fares in Spain, Malaga to Madrid. So, do what we do whenever possible … take the train, sit back and enjoy the ride.
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See more about trains here in Dispatches’ archives.
Co-CEO of Dispatches Europe. A former military reporter, I'm a serial expat who has lived in France, Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands.
