After a few days in Paris, I took the subway to Paris Gare du Nord from where I should travel back to Amsterdam on a Thalys train in Premium Class. I had great expectations since I traveled in Business Premier on the Eurostar train from London to Paris a few days earlier. Thalys offers three classes of travel: Standard, Comfort and Premium. The latter offers besides a comfortable and specious seat also a complimentary meal service on board. Therefore, this is one of the most luxurious ways to travel between Paris and Amsterdam.
Train: Thalys 9327
Route: Paris Gare du Nord – Amsterdam Centraal
Date: Friday May 13, 2022
Depart: 10:25AM
Arrive: 1:44PM
Duration: 3h 19m
Train Type: TGV-PBA
Class of service: Premium Class
Paris Gare du Nord
Paris Gare du Nord is one of the biggest train stations within Europe. This is actually one of the 7 main train stations of Paris. Gare du Nord serves high speed trains to and from London, Lille, Belgium, The Netherlands and a great part of Germany. Before going to the lounge I decided to make a quick walk and to take some pictures of the beautiful building from outside.
After that quick walk I made my way to the Thalys Lounge which is located at the westside of the station. I was a bit shocked about this location since I expected the lounge to be in the building itself.
Thalys Lounge Paris Gare du Nord
Only passengers with a Premium ticket and Thalys The Card Club+ members can access the lounge. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to buy lounge access.
After entering the lounge, I saw a desk with customer service agent. After being warmly welcomed I was asked to show my ticket which I did. Then I could move my way into the lounge. Besides the desk there is also a ticket machine in entry of the lounge.
In the lounge, you can find a few seating areas where premium passengers can wait before boarding the train. I liked the colors of these seats. When it comes to the food and beverages, there is not really much here. I grabbed a cappuccino and some cookies and decided to test the wifi which appeared to work quite good.
Besides the more comfortable seats there are also places to work on. These places offer a possibility to connect a laptop or phone with USB. I also loved the decoration on the wall with even Dutch trains.
Overall, it’s a nice area to relax a bit before boarding the train. However, I was a bit disappointed from what I saw in the lounge in London a few days earlier. Therefore, I decided to go to the train quite quickly.
Thalys Boarding
My train was already waiting for boarding at the platform. A total of 16 carriages would bring is all the way to Brussels from where only 8 carriages would continue to Amsterdam. Since my seat was located in the from of the train, I had to walk all the way to the end which took me a couple of minutes. Thalys 4537 would bring me to Amsterdam.
Walking into the Premium carriage, I was struck by how calm and well-appointed everything was. The seating layout is generous: wide, plush armchairs upholstered in deep red fabric, with adjustable headrests and a slight recline for extra comfort. The architecture of the seats, gently curved and thoughtfully placed, makes each traveler feel like they have their own corner of the world, even when the train is full. Like with most lay outs on trains in first class, the seats are equipped in a 2-1 configuration.
Service in Premium Class
Shortly after departure, the Premium dining service began, which was one of my favorite parts of the journey. The menu (which changes seasonally) offers courses made with local ingredients.
According to Thalys, depending on the time of day, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a light aperitif. Since it was almost afternoon, lunch would be served. The meal started with a cup of coffee and a delicious cake.
Then I was asked what else I wanted to drink. I decided to go for an orange jus which was served with a smile. The lunch itself consisted of some bread with butter and salad which was very tasty in my opinion. Also another kind of cake was served which I really liked as well.
I really enjoyed the food. I travelled in Premium Class before and I must say that the service has been improved quite a lot. The meal service ended with a cup of coffee or tea.
After the meal service it was time to almost arrive in Brussels Midi which meant we were almost halfway on our way to Amsterdam. I decided to spot some of the facilities on board.
Facilities on board
In the middle of the train, between Standard and Comfort Class, you can find the Thalys Bar. Since I was served food and beverages at my seat, there actually was no need to go here. I remembered the times I ordered a meal here when I was traveling in Standard Class. I’ve always been a fan of dining on the train while watching the landscape pass by.
A part from the bar, there are also lavatories on board the train. Unlike the newer lavatories on board the Eurostar E320 trains, the ones on the Thalys turned out to be very small.
After having returned to my seat, I decided to take some more drinks and slept a bit before arriving in Amsterdam. I must I had a really enjoyable trip and loved the comfortable seats.
Arrival at Amsterdam Central
The train arrived on time in Amsterdam Centraal. What I love about traveling by train is leaving and arriving in the center of the city. There is no need to catch another mode of transport like to and from the airport.
Since Paris and Amsterdam, unlike London, are both within the Schengen zone there also is no passport control in both Paris and Amsterdam.
Thalys Premium Class Bottom Line
I really loved my experience in Premium Class with Thalys. I paid € 149 for this this ticket which is double to triple the price for Standard. Comfort tickets costs about € 30 to € 40 less. The only difference actually is the lounge access and the complimentary food and beverages on board.
Like with the Eurostar Business Premier ticket, a Thalys Premium ticket is always refundable and exchangeable, even on the day of departure. This gives passengers a lot of flexibility. Good for the ones who are traveling for business and want that flexibility.
What do you think of Thalys Premium Class? Have you traveled in this class already or have you a trip coming up? Let me know in the comments below.
