Friday, July 18, 2025

It’s now easier than ever to hop between Brussels and Paris thanks to OUIGO’s new low-cost train offering people a pocket-friendly and green way of getting to and from two of Europe’s most famous cities. Since its introduction on 19 December 2024, the OUIGO Train Classique service has quickly become a favourite with customers, with the service having seen tens of thousands of passengers and many taking the opportunity to travel in a more sustainable way.

With more than half a million customers taking the low-cost option within its first six months, the service has been particularly popular among families and budget travellers. So a 1-way OUIGO ticket offers between 10 and 59 euros, so it makes sure real French remain inside the service. Better still kids’ fares are capped at EUR 8, and those under the age of four travel fare-free, so it’s a hit with families looking to travel from Belgium to France.

But low prices with OUIGO don’t mean giving up on comfort or a responsible approach to the environment. It’s the speedy, environmentally-friendly alternative to long-distance road travel, while offering the same level of comfort. They will also be allocated a seat, one piece of hand luggage and one cabin bag each, for each ticket they purchase. And guests are invited to travel with a disassembled, bagged bike at no additional charge through the summer months of July and August.

OUIGO is not only affordable but also eco-friendly. Train travel is thought to be one of the more environmentally friendly modes of transport, producing far fewer carbon emissions than car travel and short haul flights. For passengers seeking sustainable travel, the start of the new decade is also set to usher in a new greener era for travel between of these two European capitals.

As climate change and the impact of travel on the environment rise up the public agenda, it’s not a bad thing to be shouting loud and proud about being green while offering an affordable alternative to traditional rail travel in Europe. In offering a sustainable choice to less sustainable ways of traveling, OUIGO is in line with the world-wide efforts to consider more sustainable travel and greener cities.

Family travel oriented One of the main aspects of the OUIGO offer is family-oriented. To make the train more attractive to families, OUIGO has devised a “boutique enfant” (children’s store) offering a special fixed-price year-round (including in the high season of school holidays) for children under 12. This program has been successful to an extent with over 25,000 kids taking advantage of the lowered cost since the service was made available.

With family-friendly prices, OUIGO is a great solution for parents seeking low-cost travel with kids. For a weekend away, or a longer holiday, traveling as a family by train is convenient and cost-effective. Furthermore, with the increasing cost of petrol and congestion on European roads, the time saved travelling by train rather than by car or plane is an added benefit for many.

Family travel is an age-old travel pain point in terms of cost and inconvenience so this is exactly where the OUIGO concept fits in. For parents, gone are the days of the expense of flying with kids or the headache of a long road trip. With transparent prices, simply accessibility and huge discounts for kids, OUIGO is transforming cross-border family travel.

Fans in Belgium can purchase their tickets quickly and easily on the SNCB International website or mobile app. The service sells through various worldwide ticketing channels including both domestic as well as international tourists can take advantage of this inexpensive train services. Whether you are set to visit Paris for a day or stay longer in the French capital, it is simpler than ever before to travel between Brussels and Paris with the OUIGO offering.

With travel becoming more digital, booking and managing tickets has never been easier – done through the official websites such as SNCB’s website, passengers can book and confirm their seats with ease and convenience in a few taps. It’s all part of our smooth, simple, and easy end-to-end experience that makes it easier than ever for people to embrace the simplicity of European rail travel. The digital first strategy also aligns with the continuing move to contactless travel, enabling passengers to travel with minimum contact and environmental cencent.

Travelers in Belgium can be assured that by booking through official channels like SNCB they are in fact purchasing legitimate, verified tickets that will make the travel experience that much more convenient. The easy-to-use interface of the booking system similarly mirrors OUIGO’s dedication to making their offering available to all travelers, regardless of demographic profiles or technological literacy.

The Brussels-Paris service is just one of a number of cost-effective, long-distance rail services from OUIGO that runs to destinations across Europe. But the Brussels-Paris link also stands out for its vigorous initial adoption, not least with summer’s arrival. With rising demand for the train service, availability for July and August is likely fill up fast, with over half the tickets for these peak summer months still below EUR 39. For budget travel, it’s a great deal to lock in low prices for a summer vacation.

Such high demand for this budget route is reflective of a larger trend in the European travel industry, one that has seen the public preferring increasingly low-cost and sustainable methods of travel. The fact that more and more people are now choosing to travel by train (instead of flying or driving) means the demand for budget options like OUIGO is likely to increase further. Considering increasing air fares and the environmental footprint of flying, OUIGO is bound to become more significant in European travel.

The success of OUIGO also reflects a broader change in how people think about traveling by rail. Where trains were once first and foremost for those who found air travel too expensive or inconvenient, or who had made conscientious choices to mitigate their carbon footprints, trains appear to be increasingly competitive with flying, especially for low-cost travel, mostly thanks to services like OUIGO. Pricedifferently and more sustainably,ouigo is redefining train travel for a new generation of travelers.

As for the future, budget train travel through Europe also looks bright. Thanks to continuous modernisation of the rail network and sustained demand for cheap travel solutions, OUIGO’s achievements are likely to become a source of inspiration for further innovations in the European rail industry. As the offering grows and new destinations are included, a larger number of passengers will be able to travel affordably and in an environmentally conscious way between major cities in Europe.

Price is not the euRail.one deliverable in the future of European rail travel, it is innovation. Developments like faster trains or a smarter ticketing system would continue to make the train a faster and more accessible option for an increasing number of people. With such strong early performance, OUIGO is set to break the mold for how people travel Europe.

When you’re looking for the best way to get between Brussels and Paris, nothing is better than the OUIGO Train Classique service in terms of comfort, speed and eco-responsibility. With its dedication to family-friendly fares, reasonable pricing and simple booking process, OUIGO is leading the charge in budget travel by train across Europe.

( Source: Belgium Tourism Department and France Tourism.)