Our train was delayed an hour coming from Copenhagen, and in Hamburg while trying to re-route myelf to make the next connection, I meet two other Americans who were on the same delayed train as me. They are heading to Paris for an International Gaming Conference.
We quickly pool our resources and head to the Travel Center to get new seat reservations. And here we learn that what we thought was the curse of missing a train connection, turns out to be a blessing.
The train personnel tell us that rather than trying to make a connection to a Thalys train that we will surely miss, that we should head to Frankfurt, where an ICE train will take us direct to Paris and arrive only a two hours after the Thalys would have. And best part yet, while a seat reservation on the Thalys to Paris costs 32 Euros, it is only 10 Euros on this ICE.
Train Tip: Yes, Paris is most quickly reached from Holland, Belgium and Köln by the fast Thalys trains. But unless you are in a huge crunch for time, you can find cheaper alternatives. There are ICE trains from Frankfurt to Paris everyday that travel nearly as fast, for example. Since the Thalys can quickly book out with business travelers, you would be well-suited to ask at a travel center for some alternatives.
Benjamin Thomas
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