Question:
Hello allWe will travel from Cologne Airport to Amsterdam; and than to Paris;and we are looking for the cheapest alternative. Also, if that will bebetter; we will go to Paris first, than to Amsterdam, and back toCologne.

Finally; are there rail link from Cologne airport to the city?The trip will b 10 days or so; and in the group will be4 or 6 person –26

Answer: Reductions are difficult as you are traveling in a triangle and cannot usecheaper return tarifs, except posibly for the Thalys Brussel Paris. Routesare:- Airport (local) Kцln Arnhem Utrecht Amsterdam (ICE)- Amsterdam Rotterdam Antwerp Brussels Paris (Thalys)- Paris Brussels Liege Aachen Koln (Thalys) Airport (local)

To use a reduced tarif Thalys Paris Brussels return ticket, you need tochange in Brussels in both directions. There are direct Thalys trains fromboth Kцln and Amsterdam to Paris. The long distance Thalys tickets arecheaper for the distance than for short distances. (Degressive) So itsprobably not much cheaper and much less bother to use the direct trains,unless you plan to stop in Antwerp or Brussels. There is an hourly trainAmsterdam Brussels without reservations. Reservation is obligatory with theThalys.

It is posible to travel without using the Thalys between Brussels and Kцln.(one ICE and regional trains every 2 hours) But using regional trains takesmuch longer and is not much cheaper. (full price) You can also travel fromKoln to Amsterdam via Venlo but this also takes much longer and involvesseveral changes.

For groups there is a reduction in Germany of 50% for the second to fifthperson, but not on the Thalys. I think this is also valid on internationaltravel from Germany. (certainly for returns, but I am not certain forsingles) You can buy a group ticket for five persons for 28 ?. These tickets areonly valid on regional trains and not on ICE or long distance trains (IC, IRetc). Saterday an sunday it is called "Schone Wohnen Ende" and is valid forthe whole of Germany. On weekdays there is a ticket for the same pricevalid only from 9 am and the region of "Nord Rhein Westfalen" witch includeKцln Aachen and Venlo.