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       Amsterdam Centraal station guide

      Recommended hotels in Amsterdam

Where to wait for your train at Amsterdam Centraal:   With a 1st class international ticket including an Interrail or Eurail pass, you can use the NS Lounge at Amsterdam Centraal .  With any class of ticket, I recommend the beautifully retro Grand Cafe 1e Klas on platform 2B for a beer, coffee or meal before your train.  Give my regards to the cockatoo on the bar!

Before you buy your tickets

Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets .  They answer the usual questions, "Do I need to book in advance or can I just buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just buy a €39 point-to-point ticket online?".   How far ahead can you buy train tickets?

European train travel FAQ

Starting from other dutch cities.

On this page I explain journeys assuming you are starting from Amsterdam, but you can start from anywhere in the Netherlands.

You can join the train at other stations

(1)  Eurostar (formerly Thalys) trains from Amsterdam to Brussels & Paris also pick up at Rotterdam Centraal .

(2)  Intercity trains from Amsterdam to Osnabrück & Berlin also pick up at Hilversum, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Deventer, Almelo, Hengelo.

(3)  ICE trains from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf, Cologne & Frankfurt also pick up at Utrecht & Arnhem.

(4)  Nightjet sleepers from Amsterdam to Zurich, Munich, Innsbruck & Vienna also pick up at Utrecht & Arnhem.

(5)  The European Sleeper to Berlin & Prague also picks up at Roosendaal, Rotterdam Centraal , Den Haag HS, Schiphol, Amersfoort, Deventer.

You can book from almost any station in the Netherlands

On this page I explain how to book from Amsterdam.  Here's how to book if you are starting at another Dutch city:

(1)  Journeys heading to or through Germany, where I say book at int.bahn.de :

The German Railways website int.bahn.de can book from almost any Dutch station at an inclusive price.  So if I say 'Book from Amsterdam to Munich' and you were travelling from Groningen, book from Groningen to Munich and it'll work out connecting trains & issue a Groningen to Munich through ticket for one inclusive price.

Tickets are normally good for any train on the Dutch domestic section, I'd take an earlier train than the one the system suggests in case of delay.  Better a 35-minute connection & a coffee than a missed 5-minute connection.

(2)  Journeys to or via Brussels or Paris:

www.raileurope.com , www.thetrainline.com , www.nsinternational.nl can book you from anywhere in the Netherlands just as easily as Amsterdam.  In this case they add a separate ticket for the Dutch domestic train.

www.sncf-connect.com can book the Eurostar trains from Amsterdam & Rotterdam to Brussels, Paris & beyond, but can't book from other Dutch stations.

(3)  Journeys using Nightjet sleeper trains:

www.thetrainline.com , www.raileurope.com & www.oebb.at at can book Nightjet sleeper journeys to Switzerland, Munich & Austria from any Dutch station, not just from Amsterdam.  They add a separate ticket for the Dutch domestic connection.

However, when catching a sleeper I'd want at least 45 minutes between trains rather than the bare minimum the system allows, so take an earlier connecting train than the one the system shows.  The Dutch ticket will be good for any train that day.

Amsterdam to anywhere in the Netherlands

Intercity Direct supplement:  If you're travelling between Amsterdam (or Schiphol) and Rotterdam or Breda using a fast Intercity Direct (ICD) train, these use the high-speed line and you need to pay a small Intercity Direct supplement.  You can pay this at a ticket machine or by touching your contactless bank card against one of the special Intercity Direct supplement validator posts on the platform.

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Amsterdam to London & UK

Option 1, Amsterdam to London by Eurostar from £40 - just 4 hours centre to centre at up to 300 km/h

www.nsinternational.nl can book from any Dutch station, not just Amsterdam.  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead for Eurostar, up to 4 months ahead for an journey involving Thalys.  You print out your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.  You can also book at www.thetrainline.com .

Buy onward tickets from London to other British towns & cities at www.thetrainline.com .

You collect tickets from the self-service ticket machines or in many cases you can print them out or show it on your phone.

If you're booking a train-specific Advance fare and your onward train leaves from St Pancras, Kings Cross or Euston, I'd allow at least 1 hour between Eurostar arrival and any onward train to allow for delay, even though it only takes 3 minutes to walk across the road to Kings Cross or 10 minutes to walk to Euston.  I'd allow 90 minutes if booking a train-specific Advance fare and your onward train goes from Paddington, Waterloo or Liverpool Street as then you'll need to change stations by Underground or taxi.

Option 2, Amsterdam to London & Cambridge by train+ferry - the ferry alternative, with overnight 'sleeper' option

The ferry is a floating hotel with private cabins, restaurant, bar, lounges, shop & kennels.

Above left, a standard outside cabin.  Larger photo .   360º photo .  Above right, the Stena Plus lounge with complimentary red & white wine, tea, coffee & snacks.

Above left, the bar on 9 deck. Above right, a Captain's Class cabin with complimentary minibar, toilet & shower.

Amsterdam to Hull or Newcastle

Amsterdam to dublin & ireland.

Option 1, Amsterdam to Dublin via London & Holyhead - daily departures

Fares from Amsterdam to London start at £51 one-way or £98 return.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book from Amsterdam to London at www.eurostar.com .

Option 2, Amsterdam to Dublin via Paris & Cherbourg - several departures a week

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Paris by Eurostar (formerly Thalys) , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 06:15 Mondays-Fridays arriving Paris Gare du Nord  09:35.

Eurostar trains have 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see more about Eurostar (formerly Thalys) .  You need to allow at least 1 hour between trains in Paris, ideally a bit more.  There's no train early enough at weekends, so travel to Paris the previous evening and stay overnight.  Indeed, you may choose to do this anyway, to make absolutely sure of catching the train to Cherbourg that connects with the ferry.

Step 2, travel from Paris to Dublin, taking a late morning train from Paris St Lazare to Cherbourg and the overnight ferry to Dublin.

Irish Ferries ( www.irishferries.com ) from Cherbourg to Dublin several times each week, usually leaving Cherbourg in late afternoon and arriving Dublin late morning next day (Day 2).

Amsterdam to Paris in 3h20 from €35, www.eurostar.com

Eurostars run at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) on the high-speed line.  They're carpeted & air-conditioned, with power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  They have 3 classes: Standard (2nd class), Comfort (1st class) & Premium (1st class with at-seat food & wine included in the fare and access to lounges in Paris & Brussels).  More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys) .

You can also buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .  There's a small booking fee, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, and as they sell tickets for multiple operators including trains in France, Spain & Italy you can keep all (or most) of your European train bookings together in one place.  About Raileurope .  About Thetrainline .

Amsterdam to Strasbourg

Eurostar trains have 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys) .

Tip:   Use www.raileurope.com , and click More options and enter Paris (any station) as a via station.  This ensures you are routed via Paris.  If you'd like a stopover in Paris, enter a suitable stopover duration.

Amsterdam to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Biarritz, Lourdes, Nantes, Brittany

Option 1, via Paris - involves changing trains & stations in Paris, but the fastest, most frequent & usually cheapest option

Amsterdam to Paris starts at €35 in 2nd class (standard) or €79 in 1st class (comfort).

Paris to French cities starts at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class.

Option 2, avoiding Paris - less frequent, takes longer, usually costs more, but avoids crossing Paris if that's important to you

Step 2, take one of the direct TGVs from Brussels Midi to Marne la Vallée-Chessy in around 2 hours.

Amsterdam to Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, Cannes, Nice & other French cities

Option 1, via Paris - involves changing trains & stations in Paris, but fastest, most frequent & usually cheapest

Paris to French cities starts at around €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class.

You can buy tickets from Amsterdam to Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier & most other French destinations at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com , both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee.

Booking opens up to 4 months ahead .  You print your own tickets or can select a mobile ticket to show on your phone.

Tip:   Before running the enquiry on www.raileurope.com , click More options and enter Paris (any station) as a via station to create a longer stopover in Paris.  You should allow at least 60 minutes between trains across Paris, ideally more.  If heading to Avignon, Marseille, Montpellier, Cannes or Nice, I recommend building in time for lunch at the amazing Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon .

Other ways to buy tickets

Alternatively, you can book from Amsterdam to major French cities as one transaction at the Dutch Railways international site www.nsinternational.nl .  You print your own tickets or can usually show it on your phone.

Option 2, avoiding Paris - avoids crossing Paris, but less frequent and usually costs more

Option 3, Amsterdam to Toulon, Cannes, Antibes, Nice using the Paris-Nice overnight train

The Intercité de Nuit overnight train has 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.  You can book a 1st class 4-berth compartment for sole occupancy by 1, 2 or 3 people if you like.  See more about Intercités de Nuit overnight trains .

Tip:   Book an earlier Eurostar and have dinner at the celebrated Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon before strolling across the bridge over the Seine to the Gare d'Austerlitz in good time for your sleeper south.  Or see restaurant suggestions at the Gare d'Austerlitz .

How much does it cost?

Paris to the South of France starts at €19 in a reclining seat, €29 in a 2nd class couchette or €59 in a 1st class couchette.

How to buy tickets

Book at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com , both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee.

Booking opens up to 4 months ahead , but often less than this for French overnight trains.  You print your own ticket or can show a mobile ticket on your phone.

Tip:   To make sure you have at least 90 minutes between trains in Paris, I'd book Brussels to Paris, add to basket, then Paris to Nice, add to basket & check out.  Otherwise by default the system allows as little as 40 minutes between trains in Paris which I consider too tight, especially when catching a sleeper you don't want to miss.

Tip:   To book a whole 4-berth couchette compartment for 1, 2 or 3 people, see the instructions on the Intercités de Nuit page .

Amsterdam to Brussels from €25, see the Amsterdam to Brussels page

You can easily travel from Amsterdam Centraal to Brussels by train in as little as 1 hours 53 minutes with departures every hour or two and fares from €30.  Train is the safe & comfortable way to go!  You'll find full details on the Amsterdam to Brussels page .

Amsterdam to Bruges from €29, see the Amsterdam to Bruges page

You can travel from Amsterdam Centraal to Ghent or Bruges by train in as little as 2h43 with departures every hour or so and fares from €30.  Train is the safe & comfortable way to go!  You'll find details on the Amsterdam to Bruges page .

Amsterdam to Antwerp

Option 1, Amsterdam to Antwerp by Eurostar (formerly Thalys) high-speed train - fastest, but less flexible

The fastest & most comfortable option is to take a Eurostar (formerly Thalys) from Amsterdam Centraal to Antwerp Centraal in 1h15, leaving every hour or two.

Eurostars run at up to 300 km/h with 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see more about Eurostar (formerly Thalys) .

You can also buy tickets at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .  There's a small booking fee, you can book in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, and as they sell tickets for multiple operators you can keep all (or most) of your European train bookings together in one place.  About Raileurope .  About Thetrainline .

Option 2, Amsterdam to Antwerp by Intercity train - a bit slower, more flexible

Amsterdam to Luxembourg from €35.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Luxembourg by Eurostar (formerly Thalys) to Brussels & InterCity to Luxembourg - fastest, most comfortable, expensive at short notice.

Eurostars run at up to 300 km/h with 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see more about Eurostar (formerly Thalys) .  There's no catering on the IC train from Brussels to Luxembourg so bring your own food & drink, but it's a nice run with some pretty scenery.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Luxembourg by Intercity (IC) trains - cheaper, more flexible

1.  Amsterdam Centraal to Brussels Midi by IC train then Brussels Midi to Luxembourg by IC train.  Takes 6h25 with just 1 change.

2.  Amsterdam Centraal to Maastricht by IC train, another IC train to Liege then local train to Luxembourg.  Takes 6h36 with 2 changes.

Amsterdam to Basel, Zurich, Geneva & Switzerland from €37.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Switzerland by Nightjet sleeper train - the time-effective option

This comfortable Nightjet train has two air-conditioned AB33 sleeping-cars , one running Amsterdam-Basel-Zurich and one Amsterdam-Basel.  Each sleeping-car has 11 compartments, each compartment can be sold as 1, 2 or 3 berth (single, double or triple) with washbasin.  The sleeping-car attendant can serve drinks, snacks & light meals from a room service menu.  The train has an Amsterdam-Basel-Zurich couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments and one or two Amsterdam-Basel couchette cars , plus ordinary seats.  A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.  Watch the Amsterdam-Switzerland sleeper video .

Fares start at €49.90 in 6-berth couchettes, €59.90 in 4-berth couchettes, €89.90 in a 3-bed sleeper, €109.90 in a 2-bed sleeper or €159.90 in a single-bed sleeper, all per person per berth.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this train at www.oebb.at .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead , sometimes less.  Child under 6?  See here .

Tip:   This train may be listed in the search results twice, once as an IC with seats, once as an NJ with couchettes/sleepers.  Choose the latter!

Option 2, Amsterdam to Switzerland by high-speed train from €37.90 upwards - the fast daytime option

Option 3, Amsterdam to Switzerland by classic train via the scenic Rhine Valley - the slower, scenic daytime option

Step 2, travel from Dusseldorf to Switzerland by Swiss EuroCity train, leaving Düsseldorf at 10:27 arriving Basel SBB 15:36 & Zurich HB 17:00.

This  EuroCity train (EC9) has spacious & comfortable Swiss Federal Railways cars and an elegant Swiss restaurant car, and a superb Swiss 1st class panorama car, see the photos below.

Tip:   By default, the ticketing system suggests the 08:08 from Amsterdam as connecting with EuroCity train EC9 which gives a tight 7-minute connection.  That connection works most of the time, but a 10-minute delay and you're toast.  If you're serious about using this route, and especially if you're booked into the lovely 1st class panorama car, I'd play safe and take the earlier train.  Have a nice breakfast in Düsseldorf!

Option 4, Amsterdam to Switzerland with overnight stop in Cologne - comfortable & time-effective

Amsterdam to Switzerland starts at €37.90 in 2nd class or €59.90 in 1st class.

Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Option 5, Amsterdam to Switzerland by high-speed trains via Paris - a useful option, especially to Geneva or Lausanne, involves crossing Paris.

Option 6, Amsterdam to Switzerland by Eurostar to Brussels, direct TGV to Lyon, and local train to Geneva.  Saves crossing Paris, good for Geneva.

Amsterdam to Venice, Florence, Rome, Milan & Italy from €69

Option 1, Amsterdam to Italy using the daily Amsterdam-Zurich sleeper train - a time-effective sleeper then a scenic daytime ride

Book this train at www.oebb.at .  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead , sometimes less.  Child under 6?  See here .

Step 2, travel from Zurich to Milan by EuroCity train , leaving Zurich HB at 09:33 arriving Milan Centrale at 12:50.

The EuroCity train has a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & fee WiFi.  It's a lovely ride across Switzerland through the Alps past various lakes.  The magnificent Milan Centrale is a landmark in its own right.

Update: A freight train derailed in the Gotthard Base Tunnel in August 2023, in 2024 trains are still being diverted over the original (very scenic) Gotthard line taking an extra hour and with fewer departures.  Whilst this continues, you'll need to leave Zurich HB at 10:33 arriving Milan Centrale at 14:50.  Check times online.  Do not risk a connection with the 08:33 in case the sleeper is late.

Milan to Venice or Florence starts at €19.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class.  Milan to Rome or Naples starts at €19.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class.  Book from Zurich to anywhere in Italy as shown above.

Step 1, Amsterdam to Zurich by Nightjet sleeper train .  This is the sleeping-car boarding at Amsterdam Centraal.  More about Nightjets .  Watch the video .

Step 2, Zurich to Milan by EuroCity train, through the Alps.  Operated by a modern Giruno train, seen here boarding at Zurich HB.  The train passes through the Gotthard Base Tunnel , the world's longest rail tunnel, the transit takes just 20 minutes.

Step 3, Milan to Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples by high-speed Frecciarossa .  This is a Frecciarossa 1000 at Rome Termini .  More about Frecciarossas & explanation of the 4 classes .

Option 2, Amsterdam to Milan in a single day.  Overnight stop, then Milan to Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples next morning

Stay overnight in Milan :  Affordable hotels with good or great reviews just outside Milan Centrale include the Hotel Bristol , Hotel Bernina , 43 Station Hotel , B&B Hotel Milano Central Station , Guesthouse Teodora .  Pricier more upmarket hotels include HD8 Hotel , Glam Hotel , Made to Measure Business , Starhotel Echo or Starhotel Anderson .

Amsterdam to Basel starts at €37.90 in 2nd class or €69.90 in 1st class.

Step 2, book from Basel SBB to Milan looking for the early evening Basel-Milan EuroCity (EC) train, and add to basket.

For the Amsterdam-Basel train you simply print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.  Basel to Milan is ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.  Quicker journeys with more or tighter connections are possible, but this is the option I'd recommend.  It'll let you book Amsterdam to Milan in one go, but it may then suggest some tighter-than-desirable connections in Basel.

Step 3, if going beyond Milan, now book from Milan to your final destination for the following day.  Add to basket and check out.

Option 3, Amsterdam to Italy using the Stuttgart-Venice sleeper train - Time-effective, with dinner in Stuttgart

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Stuttgart by comfortable ICE train .

Until 15 July 2024, leave Amsterdam Centraal at 12:38, change at Düsseldorf, arriving Stuttgart Hbf 19:22.

From 16 July 2024, leave Amsterdam Centraal at 12:38, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf , arriving Stuttgart Hbf 18:38.

The ICE trains have a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  I recommend the Erdinger Weissbier!  By all means book the earlier 10:38 departure to have more time in Stuttgart.

Fares start at €37.90 in 2nd class or €69.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, will allow you to buy all your tickets in one place, small booking fee) or the German Railways int.bahn.de .  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket or show it on your laptop or phone. 

This comfortable Austrian Nightjet train has an air-conditioned Comfortline sleeping-car with nine 1, 2 & 3-berth standard compartments with washbasin and three 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet. There are toilets & a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers.  The train has couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.  A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.  See the Nightjet page for a guide to on-board accommodation, travel tips, photos & video .

Fares start at €59.90 in 6-berth couchettes, €69.90 in 4-berth couchettes, €89.90 in a 3-bed sleeper, €109.90 in a 2-bed sleeper or €159.90 in a single-bed sleeper, all per person per berth.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at (in €, same prices).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket.  Child under 6?  See here .

Option 4, Amsterdam to Italy using the sleeper train from Munich to Milan, Verona, Bologna, Florence, Rome - time-effective, with dinner in Munich

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Munich, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 10:38, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf , arriving Munich Hbf at 18:07.

By all means book an earlier train and have more time in Munich.  You travel on luxurious German ICE trains with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Book this at www.thetrainline.com (this allows you to book all your tickets in one place, in €, £ or $, small booking fee) or at the German Railways website int.bahn.de (in €, no fee).

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Each portion of this comfortable Austrian Nightjet train has an air-conditioned Comfortline sleeping-car with nine 1, 2 & 3-berth standard compartments with washbasin and three 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet.  There are toilets & a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers.  The sleeping-car attendant can serve drinks, snacks & light meals from a room service menu.  The train has couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.  A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.  See the Nightjet page for a guide to on-board accommodation, travel tips, photos & video .

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at (in €, same fares).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket.  Child under 6?  See here .

Step 3, onward trains from Rome to Naples, Rome to Sicily or La Spezia to Cinque Terre (for example) can be booked separately at either www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, recognisees English place-names) or www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at [email protected] afterwards) or Italian Railways' own website www.trenitalia.com (more fiddly, requires Italian language place names, read this advice on using it first ).  Booking for Italian trains normally opens 4 months ahead.

Option 5, Amsterdam to Italy using the Amsterdam-Innsbruck sleeper train and the scenic Brenner route - scenic & time-effective

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Innsbruck by Nightjet sleeper train , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 19:00 arriving Innsbruck Hbf at 09:14.

This comfortable Austrian Nightjet train has an air-conditioned Comfortline sleeping-car with nine 1, 2 & 3-berth standard compartments with washbasin and three 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet. There are toilets & a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers.  The sleeping-car attendant can serve drinks, snacks & light meals from a room service menu.  The train has couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.  A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.  See the Nightjet page for a guide to on-board accommodation, travel tips, photos & video .

Departure from Amsterdam Centraal is at 19:00 on some dates, check when booking.

Tip:   If you have a sleeper ticket or a 1st class ticket for the onward train, you can use the ÖBB Lounge at Innsbruck Hbf between trains, with free WiFi and complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks & snacks.

Step 2, travel from Innsbruck to Italy by EuroCity train , leaving Innsbruck Hbf 11:24, arriving Verona P. Nuova 14:58 & Bologna Centrale 16:19.

This comfortable Austrian EuroCity train has a restaurant car for lunch, treat yourself!  It travels through the scenic Brenner Pass, a treat, see the Brenner Pass photos & video .

Tip:   Don't risk a tight connection with the earlier 09:24 EuroCity to Verona, I'd play safe and stick with the 11:24.

Change at Verona Porta Nuova for Venice.  Change at Bologna Centrale for Florence, Rome & Naples. 

Fares from Innsbruck Verona or Bologna (or, on the direct train, Venice) start at €29.90 in 2nd class or €59.90 in 1st class.

Fares from Bologna to Florence or Rome start at €19.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Step 1, book the nightjet sleeper from Amsterdam to Innsbruck at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or at the Dutch Railways international website www.nsinternational.nl (in €).  Look for the train marked NJ (Nightjet) with 0 changes. Booking opens up to 6 months ahead and you print your own ticket.  Child under 6?  See here .

Step 2, now use www.thetrainline.com again to book from Innsbruck to Florence, Rome, Naples or anywhere in Italy.  This connects to both the German, Austrian and Italian ticketing systems so you can book this as one transaction all in one place.  You print your own ticket for the Austrian train and the Italian high-speed trains are ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.  There's a small booking fee.  The Austrian trains open for booking up to 6 months ahead, Italian trains may only open for booking up to 4 months ahead.

Option 6, Amsterdam to Italy via the Gotthard route - with overnight stop in Heidelberg.

The easiest way to book from Heidelberg to anywhere in Italy is at www.raileurope.com , click More options and enter Basel SBB as a via point.  You can pay in €, £ or $, there's a small booking fee.

Alternatively, first book from Heidelberg to Basel SBB at German Railways int.bahn.de (in €, no booking fee) then book from Basel to anywhere in Italy at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, payment in €, $, £, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at [email protected] ) or www.trenitalia.com (in €, requires Italian-language place names, see advice on using it ).

Option 7, Amsterdam to Italy via Munich & the scenic Brenner route - with overnight stop in Munich.

Amsterdam to Verona, Bologna or Venice when using a direct train from Munich starts at €46.90 in 2nd class, €99.90 in 1st class.

Verona to Venice or Florence starts at €19.90 in 2nd class or €29.90 in 1st class.

Option 8, Amsterdam to Italy via Paris from €64.  Fast & comfortable, but involves crossing Paris by metro or taxi

This route is slightly faster than the route via Germany, if you don't mind changing trains & stations in Paris by taxi or RER express metro.

Stay overnight in Turin or Milan.  Both cities make a great stopover, but Turin is lovely. 

In Turin I suggest the Hotel Torino Porta Susa or Hotel Diplomatic or small Al Porta Susa B&B , all right next to Turin Porta Susa station where the Frecciarossa arrives and where your onward train leaves next morning, with good or great reviews.  Alternatively, the excellent Turin Palace Hotel is in the centre right next to Porta Nuova station.  It's a 7 minute taxi ride, 3-stop €1.50 metro ride or 20 minute walk from Porta Susa, but next morning you can board your train to Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples at Porta Nuova station where these trains start their journey. 

In Milan, affordable hotels & guesthouses with good or great reviews just outside Milan Centrale include the Hotel Bristol , Hotel Bernina , 43 Station Hotel , B&B Hotel Milano Central Station , Guesthouse Teodora .

Amsterdam to Paris start at €35 in 2nd class (standard) or €79 in 1st class (comfort).

Paris to Turin or Milan start at €29 in 2nd class (standard), €36 in 1st class (business) or €165 in executive class with food included.

Turin or Milan to Venice or Florence starts at €19.90 in 2nd class or €29.90 in 1st class.

First book Amsterdam to Turin or Milan and add to basket.  You can book this as one journey, but I recommend clicking More options and entering Paris as a via station with a stopover duration of at least 1 hour.  You should always allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris, ideally more.  Then book from Turin or Milan to your Italian destination for the following day, add to basket and check out.

Alternatively, travel Amsterdam-Paris on day 1, stay overnight, then travel Paris-Italy on day 2

Take an early evening Eurostar (formerly Thalys) from Amsterdam Centraal to Paris Gare du Nord , stay overnight in Paris ( see suggested hotels near the Gare du Nord & Gare de Lyon ), then take the early morning Frecciarossa leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 07:25 for Turin & Milan ( see the timetable here ).  Change in Milan Centrale for Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples.

Amsterdam to Barcelona , Madrid & Spain from €74

Option 1, Amsterdam to Barcelona in a single day.  Onwards to Madrid, Alicante, Malaga, Granada or Seville next day

Step 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex , leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 14:42 arriving Barcelona Sants at 21:27.

This impressive 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck TGV Duplex has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck.

It's a scenic ride, the train passes Beziers cathedral, flamingos on the lakes between Montpelier & Narbonne, the historic Fort de Salses right by the tracks before Perpignan, with great views of the imposing 2,784m Mt Canigou as the train rounds the southern end of the Pyrenees, see more photos & information about the journey .

Fares start at €39 in 2nd class or €59 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Stay overnight in Barcelona.  The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice here, it's part of Barcelona Sants station so easy to use when arriving & departing by train, with great reviews & good feedback from Seat61 users.  See other suggested hotels near the station .

Step 3, travel from Barcelona to other Spanish destinations next morning.

For Madrid:   AVE-S103 high-speed trains link Barcelona Sants with Madrid Atocha every hour or two in as little as 2h30 from €35.

For Granada:   Leave Barcelona Sants at 06:45 by AVE S112 high-speed train arriving Granada at 13:10.

For Malaga:   Leave Barcelona Sants at 08:35 by AVE-S112 high-speed train arriving Malaga Maria Zambrano at 14:51.

For Cordoba & Seville:   Leave Barcelona Sants at 08:35 by AVE-S112 high-speed train arriving Cordoba 13:42 & Seville Santa Justa 14:32.

For Valencia & Alicante:   EuroMed trains link Barcelona Sants with Valencia & Alicante regularly through the day, for example one leaves Barcelona Sants at 07:15 Mondays-Saturdays arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla 10:10 & Alicante 12:38 or at 10:15 every day arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla 13:13 & Alicante 15:32.

For Santiago de Compostela, A Coruna & Vigo , there's a morning Alvia train to Galicia, see details here .

Book at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .  These sites can book from Amsterdam to Barcelona in one go as one easy transaction with print-your-own tickets for both trains, and they connect to the Spanish Railways (Renfe) system to sell onward tickets in Spain.

You can use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com wherever you live, overseas credit cards no problem.  There's a small booking fee.

Booking for Eurostar & the TGV usually opens 4 months ahead .  Spanish domestic trains open for booking 60 days ahead , but this varies greatly and it can be less or more than this.

First book from Amsterdam to Barcelona.  In the search results, look for an option with just 1 change.

Tip:   If you want to stopover a few hours for lunch in Paris when using www.raileurope.com , just click More options and enter Paris , with a duration of however many hours you want.  In fact, I'd click More options and enter Paris anyway, as it'll then show separate prices either side of Paris and you can upgrade to 1st class if it's cheap to do so on one leg or the other, without having to upgrade throughout.  I'd allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Paris, ideally more - by default, the system allows as little as 40 minutes.

If you are heading for Madrid, Malaga, Seville, Cordoba, Valencia or Alicante, first add the Amsterdam-Barcelona journey to your basket, then book Barcelona to your chosen Spanish destination for the following day, add this to your basket and check out, paying for both tickets as one transaction.

Alternatively, you can book each train separately direct with the relevant operator, avoiding any booking fee, although this takes more effort and is unlikely to make it any cheaper.  It's easier to book everything together in plain English at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com !

Book the Amsterdam-Paris Eurostar at www.sncf-connect.com with print-at-home tickets;

Then book the Paris-Barcelona TGV at www.sncf-connect.com with print-your-own or show-on phone tickets,

Then book onward trains within Spain at www.renfe.com (no booking fee, but very fiddly and may reject some overseas payment cards, see advice on using it here ) - easier to use www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in $, small mark-up).

Option 2, Amsterdam to Paris, stay overnight in Paris, Paris to Barcelona & Spain next day

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Paris by Eurostar (formerly Thalys) , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 18:15, arriving Paris Gare du Nord 21:35.

By all means take an earlier train and spend some time in Paris, there's a train every hour or two.  Eurostars run at up to 300 km/h with 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see more about Eurostar (formerly Thalys) .

Stay overnight in Paris .  The Mercure Paris Gare De Lyon is part of the Gare de Lyon station complex, ideal for an early train next morning.  See other suggested hotels near the Gare du Nord & Gare de Lyon .

Step 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona by TGV Duplex , leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 09:42 and arriving Barcelona Sants at 16:31.

This impressive 320 km/h (199 mph) double-deck TGV Duplex has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  It's a comfortable & scenic journey - I recommend an upper deck seat for the best views, click here for the sights to see from the train on the way .

Step 3, travel from Barcelona to Madrid, Valencia, Alicante and so on by high-speed train.

A high-speed AVE leaves Barcelona Sants at 18:25, arriving Madrid Atocha 20:55, with cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

A fast EuroMed train leaves Barcelona Sants at 18:15 arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla 21:07 & Alicante 23:40.

For Granada, Seville, Cordoba & Malaga, stay in Barcelona overnight, I recommend the Hotel Barcelo Sants inside the station.  Next morning direct high-speed AVE trains leave Barcelona Sants at 06:45 for Granada and 08:35 for Cordoba, Seville Santa Justa & Malaga Maria Zambrano.

The easiest way to book from Amsterdam to Spain is at www.raileurope.com .

This connects to both French Railways for Eurostar & TGV and to Spanish Railways (Renfe) for onward tickets within Spain.  You can use it wherever you live as all overseas credit cards are accepted, fares in €, £ or $, small booking fee.

Booking for Eurostar & TGV usually opens 4 months ahead , booking for Spanish trains opens 60 days ahead , but it varies and it can be fewer. 

First book from Amsterdam to Paris, picking any direct Eurostar train you like.  Add this to your basket.

Now book from Paris to Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Seville, Valencia or Alicante as one journey.  In the search results, look for Paris-Barcelona options with 0 changes, or Paris to Madrid/Malaga/Seville/Valencia/Alicante options with 1 change in Barcelona.  Add this to your basket and check out, paying for both journeys as one transaction.

Alternatively , you can book each train separately, although this takes more effort and is unlikely to make it materially cheaper: 

Book the Amsterdam-Paris Eurostar & Paris-Barcelona TGV at www.sncf-connect.com with print-at-home or show-on-phone tickets.

Book onward trains within Spain at www.renfe.com (in €, more fiddly, may reject some overseas payment cards, see advice on using it here ) or much easier to use alternative sites www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, small booking fee) or www.petrabax.com (in US$, small mark-up).

Option 3, Amsterdam to Paris by Eurostar, a French sleeper train to the Spanish border, then onward Spanish trains

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Paris by Eurostar (formerly Thalys) , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 16:15 daily except Saturdays arriving Paris Nord at 19:35.

Or any day of the week, leave Amsterdam Centraal at 15:15 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:35 with time for dinner in Paris.

Step 2, travel overnight from Paris to Latour de Carol in the heart of the Pyrenees or from Paris to Cerbère on the Spanish border by French sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz around 21:00.  Then take a local train from Latour or Cerbère to Barcelona Sants arriving at lunchtime.  See the Paris to Barcelona by sleeper train page for details, prices, tips & how to buy tickets .

Step 3, travel from Barcelona to other Spanish destinations in the afternoon.

For Madrid:   AVE-S103 high-speed trains link Barcelona Sants with Madrid Atocha every hour or two in as little as 2h30 from €35, check times at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .

For Cordoba, Seville & Malaga:   Take the direct AVE-S112 high-speed train leaving Barcelona Sants at 15:15 arriving Cordoba, Seville Santa Justa & Malaga Maria Zambrano in the evening.  Fares start at around €45.

For Valencia & Alicante:   A EuroMed train leaves Barcelona Sants at 16:10 arriving Valencia Joaquin Sorolla at 19:02 and Alicante at 21:34.  Fares start from €23, check times at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .

Book Spanish trains at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or www.renfe.com (much more fiddly, in €, see my advice before using it ).  I'd allow at least 1 hour between trains in Barcelona.  Spanish trains should open for booking 60 days ahead , but it varies and can be less than this.

Amsterdam to San Sebastian from €63

Fares start at €35 in 2nd class or €79 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

The TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Leave Amsterdam Central at 06:15 Mondays-Fridays, change in Paris, arriving Hendaye at 16:47.

Step 3, transfer from Hendaye to San Sebastian by Euskotren metro, every 30 minutes, journey time 37 minutes.

Simply walk out of Hendaye station and turn right, the little Euskotren station is in a corner of the main station forecourt.  Buy a ticket for €2.75 at the Euskotren station from the machines or staffed counter and hop on the next half-hourly Euskotren metro from Hendaye to San Sebastian Amara station, journey time 37 minutes.  More about the Paris to San Sebastian journey .

Amsterdam to Ibiza & Mallorca

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Barcelona as shown in the Amsterdam to Barcelona section above .

If you use option 2 above , you can leave Amsterdam early evening on Day 1, stay overnight in Paris , reaching Barcelona at 16:31 on Day 2.

Step 2, sail overnight from Barcelona to Ibiza or Palma de Mallorca by ferry.

Ibiza:   Trasmed operate an overnight ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza on most nights of the week sailing at or around 22:00, arriving 07:00.  Times and dates vary, check times and buy tickets at the Direct Ferries website or www.trasmed.com .  Check-in for the ferry closes 30 minutes before sailing time.  You can pre-print your boarding pass to save time at the terminal.  Balearia also operate an overnight ferry to Ibiza on most nights of the week, sailing times vary but it typically sails at 22:00, arriving in Ibiza town (Ibiza Ciudad) at 06:00.  Check times and buy tickets at the Direct Ferries website or www.balearia.com .

Mallorca:   There are two overnight ferries from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca, both with restaurants, bars & cosy en suite cabins, both usually sailing from Barcelona around around 22:00 and arriving in Palma around 07:00.  One ferry is run by Trasmed ( www.trasmed.com ), the other run by Balearia ( www.balearia.com ).  You can check times & buy tickets at the Direct Ferries website .

Amsterdam to Algeciras & Gibraltar

Stay overnight in Barcelona  The Hotel Barcelo Sants is the top choice here, it's part of Barcelona Sants station so easy to use when arriving & departing by train, with great reviews & good feedback from Seat61 users.  See other suggested hotels near the station .

Day 2, travel from Madrid to Algeciras by Intercity train, leaving Madrid Atocha at 15:16 arriving San Roque-La Linea 20:59 & Algeciras 21:13.

Amsterdam to Paris starts at €35 in 2nd class or €79 in 1st class.

Paris to Barcelona starts at €39 in 2nd class or €59 in 1st class.

Barcelona to Madrid starts at €38 in standard class or €45 in comfort class.

How to buy the train tickets

You can buy all your tickets together at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com , both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee.

First book from Amsterdam to Barcelona, add this to your basket, then book Barcelona to Madrid and Madrid to Algeciras for the following day, add each of these to your basket & check out.

Booking for Eurostar & TGV opens up to 4 months ahead , for the AVE & Intercity train 60 days ahead , but it varies.  You print your own tickets. 

Amsterdam to Lisbon, Porto & Portugal from €122

Option 1, Amsterdam to Lisbon via Barcelona & Madrid .

Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in €, no booking fee).  You print your own ticket or can choose a mobile ticket. 

Using Raileurope or Thetrainline allows you to book your tickets in one place as they connect to both the SNCF & Renfe ticketing systems.

Day 2, travel from Paris to Barcelona by 320 km/h TGV Duplex leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 09:42 and arriving Barcelona Sants at 16:31.

This double-deck TGV has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  It's a comfortable & scenic journey, see an account of the sights to see from the train on the way .

Fares start at €39 in 2nd class or €59 in 1st class.  Fares work like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .  Booking for the TGV opens up to 4 months ahead .

Day 2, travel from Barcelona to Madrid by AVE high-speed train , leaving Barcelona Sants at 18:25 and arriving Madrid Atocha at 20:55.

The AVE has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  More about trains from Barcelona to Madrid .

Fares start at €38 in Standard class or €45 in Comfort class.  Fares work like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .  Booking for Spanish trains normally opens 60 days ahead , but it varies & can be less than this.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Porto & Lisbon via San Sebastian & Vigo - slightly slower, can be cheaper

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to San Sebastian as shown above .   For example:

Leave Amsterdam Central at 06:15 Mondays-Fridays by Eurostar , change in Paris , then take a TGV Duplex Océane to Hendaye arriving 16:47.

San Sebastian to Vigo starts at €23 each way.  The price varies, book ahead for the cheaper prices.

Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com .  Booking for Spanish trains should open 60 days ahead , but it varies & can be less.

Tip:   If using the daily departure with a change in Madrid, you might need to treat San Sebastian-Madrid & Madrid-Vigo as separate bookings.

This can also be booked at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com ,  Booking opens 60 days ahead , but it varies and can be less.

Amsterdam to Andorra

Option 1, Amsterdam to Andorra in a day

Fares start from €35 in 2nd class (standard) or €72 in 1st class (comfort).  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in €, no booking fee).  

Booking opens up to 4 months ahead .  You print your own ticket or can choose a mobile ticket.

Fares start at €25 in 2nd class or €45 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Andorra using the Paris-Toulouse-l'Hospitalet overnight train

Eurostars run at up to 300 km/h with 3 classes, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  More about Eurostar (formerly Thalys) .

Fares start at €35 in 2nd class (standard) or €72 in 1st class (comfort).  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this at www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (in €, no booking fee).  You print your own ticket or can choose a mobile ticket.

Amsterdam to Cologne, Frankfurt or anywhere in Germany from €18.90

1st class fares start at €49.90 to Cologne, €59.90 to Frankfurt or €69.90 to anywhere else in Germany.

Amsterdam to Berlin from €37.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Berlin by Intercity train - the daytime option

Option 2, Amsterdam to Berlin by European Sleeper - the overnight option, 3 times a week

A sleeper train links Amsterdam & Berlin on Monday, Wednesday & Friday nights, see the European Sleeper page .

The European Sleeper .  This is a 5-berth couchette car, beyond is a stainless-steel sleeping-car. Click the interior photos for larger images.

Amsterdam to Hamburg from €32.90

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 05:59, easy change at Osnabruck , arrive Hamburg Hbf 11:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 07:59, easy change at Osnabruck , arrive Hamburg Hbf 13:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 09:59, easy change at Osnabruck , arrive Hamburg Hbf 15:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 11:59, easy change at Osnabruck , arrive Hamburg Hbf 17:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 13:59, easy change at Osnabruck , arrive Hamburg Hbf 19:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 15:59, easy change at Osnabruck , arrive Hamburg Hbf 21:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 17:59, easy change at Osnabruck , arrive Hamburg Hbf 23:15.

Step 1, Amsterdam to Osnabruck by Intercity train, seen here at Amsterdam Centraal .  Power sockets at all seats and a refreshment trolley.  More about these Intercity trains .

Step 2, Osnabruck to Hamburg by ICE4 .  These come with a waiter-service restaurant car, cafe counter, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  More about ICEs .

Amsterdam to Munich from €37.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Munich by sleeper train - the most time-effective option :..

The sleeper leaves Amsterdam at 19:00 on certain dates.

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or at the Dutch Railways international website www.nsinternational.nl (in €).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket.  Child under 6?  See here .

Option 2, Amsterdam to Munich by daytime trains

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 06:38, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf , arrive Munich Hbf 14:06.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 08:08, change at Mannheim Hbf, arrive Munich Hbf 15:27.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 10:38, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf , arrive Munich Hbf 18:07.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 12:38, change at Düsseldorf or Frankfurt (Main) Hbf (it varies), arrive Munich Hbf 20:06.

Option 3, Amsterdam to Munich with overnight stop in Cologne

Why not allow time for a wander round Cologne, visiting the cathedral right next to the station?  You can add a stopover of up to 48h duration.  Adjust the departure time and length of stay to get earlier or later trains for each part of the journey with a longer or shorter overnight stop in Cologne.

Amsterdam to Vienna from €49.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Linz & Vienna by sleeper train - the most time-effective option

Option 2, Amsterdam to Vienna in a single day

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 08:08, change Frankfurt Flughafen (an easy same-platform change), arrive Vienna Hbf 18:47.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 10:38, change Frankfurt (Main) Hbf , arrive Vienna Hbf 23:05.

Option 3, Amsterdam to Vienna with overnight stop in Cologne or Nuremberg

You can programme in up to 2 stopovers over two days and still get end to end Sparpreis tickets.  Adjust the departure time and length of stay through trial & error until you see the trains that suit you either side of Cologne or Nuremberg.

Amsterdam to Salzburg, Innsbruck & Austria from €37.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Austria by Nightjet sleeper train - the time-effective option

This excellent Austrian Nightjet train has an air-conditioned Comfortline sleeping-car with nine 1, 2 & 3-berth standard compartments with washbasin and three 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet. There are toilets & a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers.  The sleeping-car attendant can serve drinks, snacks & light meals from a room service menu.  The train has couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.  A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.  See the Nightjet page for a guide to on-board accommodation, travel tips, photos & video .

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or Dutch Railways international website www.nsinternational.nl (in €, no fee).

Option 2, Amsterdam to Salzburg or Innsbruck by daytime trains

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 06:38, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf & Munich Hbf , arrive Salzburg Hbf 15:59.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 08:08, change at Mannheim & Munich Hbf , arrive Salzburg Hbf 16:58.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 10:38, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf & Munich Hbf , arrive Salzburg Hbf 19:59.

Buy tickets at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

You can book from Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands to Salzburg, Innsbruck or anywhere in Austria.  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  I recommend registering when prompted so you can log in and check your bookings or re-print tickets at any time.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Tip:   int.bahn.de won't suggest impossible connections, with a through ticket you can take later onward trains if there's a delay and missed connection.  However, it will suggest 10-minute connections with a high likelihood of being missed due to delay, so feel free to change Transfer time from normal to 30 minutes if you'd prefer a more robust journey.

Option 3, Amsterdam to Salzburg with overnight stop in Cologne.  Comfortable & time-effective

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Cologne by ICE , for example leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 18:38 arriving Cologne Hbf at 21:15.

ICE trains have a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Stay overnight in Cologne.  The good & inexpensive Ibis Hotel Köln-am-Dom is ideal as it's part of Cologne Hbf itself, with an entrance to the left of the main station entrance - many of its rooms have a cathedral view.  Also near the station with good reviews are the Breslauer Hof Am Dom , Hotel Domspitzen , CityClass Hotel Europa am Dom , Hilton Cologne , Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom .

Day 2, take any morning train you like from Cologne to Salzburg: A direct ICE4 train leaves Cologne Hbf at 08:17 daily running via the scenic Rhine Valley and arriving Salzburg Hbf at 15:59, or there are earlier or later departures with changes of train.

Fares from Amsterdam to Salzburg start at €37.90 in 2nd class or €69.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, book ahead for cheapest prices.

Buy tickets from Amsterdam to anywhere in Austria at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  To get the overnight stop in Cologne, click Stopovers and enter Cologne Hbf with a suitable length of stay, say 11 hours.  Why not allow time for a wander round Cologne, visiting the cathedral right next to the station?  Adjust the departure time and length of stay to get earlier or later trains for each part of the journey with a longer or shorter overnight stop in Cologne.

I recommend registering when prompted so you can log in and check your bookings or re-print tickets at any time.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Amsterdam to Legoland, Odense & Copenhagen from €49.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Copenhagen in a single day

You can travel from Amsterdam Centraal to Copenhagen in a single chill-out day, with three possible departures.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 05:59, an easy change of train at Osnabruck & Hamburg Hbf , arriving Copenhagen at 17:34.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 07:59, an easy change of train at Osnabruck & Hamburg Hbf , arriving Copenhagen at 19:34.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 09:59, an easy change of train at Osnabruck & Hamburg Hbf , arriving Copenhagen at 21:34.

Take a good book, sit back and enjoy the ride.  You travel from Amsterdam to Osnabruck by comfortable Intercity train , then Osnabruck to Hamburg by ICE4 with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, then Hamburg to Copenhagen by EuroCity train .

The Hamburg to Copenhagen EuroCity trains also call at Kolding ( for Legoland ) & Odense.

Amsterdam to Copenhagen starts at €49.90 in 2nd class or €79.90 in 1st class.

Book from Amsterdam or any station in the Netherlands to Copenhagen or any station in Denmark at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  I recommend registering when prompted so you can log in and check your bookings or re-print tickets at any time.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

If you're going to Malmö

Catch the next Öresund train from Copenhagen to Malmö Central , these run every 20 minutes taking 34 minutes, crossing the water to Sweden on the impressive Öresund fixed link .  You can buy a Copenhagen-Malmo ticket at the station, no pre-booking required, but you can save money by booking Amsterdam to Malmo rather then Copenhagen when using Bahn.de as German Railways offer through tickets.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Copenhagen with an overnight stop in Hamburg

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Hamburg leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 17:59, changing at Osnabruck & arriving Hamburg Hbf at 23:15.

By all means leave Amsterdam on the earlier 13:59 or 15:59 departures for more of an evening in Hamburg.  You travel from Amsterdam to Osnabruck by comfortable Intercity train , then from Osnabruck to Hamburg by ICE with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by EuroCity train , leaving Hamburg Hbf at 08:50 arriving Copenhagen at 13:34.

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  To get the overnight stop in Hamburg, click Stopovers , enter Hamburg Hbf with a length of stay of (say) 10 hours.  Adjust departure time and length of stay to get the trains you want.  If you have any problems you can book Amsterdam-Hamburg for day 1 and again Hamburg to Copenhagen for day 2, although this may work out slightly more expensive.

If you're going to Malmö , travel from Copenhagen to Malmö by Öresund train , these run every 20-30 minutes to Malmö, journey time 39 minutes.  Book from Hamburg to Malmö as one transaction at int.bahn.de .

Step 3, Hamburg to Copenhagen by EuroCity train .  From June 2023, these trains are temporarily being operated by former German Railways intercity cars and a Danish electric locomotive, until new trains being built by Talgo arrive in 2024.  The current trains have 1st & 2nd class, power sockets at seats, but no catering so bring your own food & drink.  More about the Hamburg-Copenhagen journey .

2nd class seats are almost all open-plan like this.  There are a handful of 6-seat 2nd class compartments in one of the coaches, but only a few.

The 1st class car has 6-seater compartments like this. Larger photo .  Larger photo .

Amsterdam to Stockholm & Gothenburg from €56.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Stockholm using the new Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper train - the time-effective option

You travel from Amsterdam to Osnabruck by comfortable Intercity train , then from Osnabruck to Hamburg by ICE with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  A later departure at 15:59 is possible, but with little room for manoeuvre in case of delay, so I'd stick with the 13:59.  Have dinner in Hamburg, see suggested restaurants near the station .

Fares start at €37.90 in 2nd class or €59.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this train at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Fares start at €44.90 with a couchette in 6-berth, €69.90 with a couchette in 4-berth, €79.90 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €164.90 with a single-bed sleeper all to yourself.  All prices per person per bed, fares vary like air fares so book ahead.

Book tickets at SJ's website www.sj.se .

Option 2, Amsterdam to Stockholm with an overnight stop in Hamburg, from €56.90

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Hamburg leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 17:59, change at Osnabruck , arriving Hamburg Hbf at 23:15.

By all means take the earlier 15:59 or 13:59 departure from Amsterdam for more of an evening in Hamburg.  You travel from Amsterdam to Osnabruck by comfortable Intercity train , then from Osnabruck to Hamburg by ICE with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

Day 2, catch a connecting train from Copenhagen to Sweden:

If you're going to Stockholm , travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000 train leaving Copenhagen at 14:19 and arriving Stockholm Central at 19:37.  The 200 km/h X2000 train crosses the water from Denmark to Sweden over the impressive Öresund fixed link . 

If you're going to Gothenburg , travel from Copenhagen to Goteborg Central by Öresund train , these leave every hour taking 3h53, also using the impressive Öresund fixed link .

If you're going to Malmö , travel from Copenhagen to Malmö Central by Öresund train , these leave at least twice an hour taking 39 minutes, also using the impressive Öresund fixed link .

To buy tickets

The cheapest way is to book from Amsterdam to Stockholm or Gothenburg as one transaction at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

To get the overnight stop in Hamburg, click Stopovers and enter Hamburg Hbf with a length of stay of (say) 10 hours.  Adjust departure time & length of stay to get the trains you want either side of Hamburg.  This way you'll get a Sparpreis Sweden fare from Amsterdam to Stockholm or Gothenburg with an overnight stop in Hamburg.  I recommend registering when prompted so you can log in and check your bookings or re-print tickets at any time.  You print your own ticket.

If you have any problems you can break the journey down:  Book from Amsterdam to Hamburg & Hamburg to Copenhagen at int.bahn.de , then book Copenhagen to Stockholm at either www.sj.se (in Krona, can struggle with some overseas credit cards, no booking fee) or Omio.com (formerly GoEuro.com, in Krona, €, £ or $, small booking fee, quick & easy to use and readily accepts overseas credit cards).

Option 3, Amsterdam to Stockholm with an overnight stop in Copenhagen, from €56.90

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam Centraal to Copenhagen in a single chill-out day, with three departures to choose from.

Take a good book, sit back and enjoy the ride.  See photos, tips & information for the Hamburg to Copenhagen intercity train .

Stay overnight in Copenhagen .  The friendly Astoria Hotel is a 1930s design classic right outside Copenhagen station main entrance, see photos & information here .  Other hotels near the station with good reviews include the Nimb Hotel (5-star luxe), Radisson Blu Royal Hotel (5-star), Axel Guldsmeden (4-star), Andersen Boutique Hotel , First Hotel Mayfair (3-star), Hotel Ansgar (3-star), City Hotel Nebo (2-star).

Day 2, take a train from Copenhagen to Sweden, these cross the water using the impressive Öresund fixed link .

For Stockholm take an X2000 train , one usually leaves Copenhagen at 08:19 arriving Stockholm Central at 13:35, or there are later trains.

For Gothenburg take an hourly Öresund train from Copenhagen to Gothenburg Central, journey time 3h53.

For Malmö , take an hourly Öresund train from Copenhagen to Malmö Central , journey time 39 minutes.  A same-day connection on Day 1 is also usually possible.

The cheapest way is to book Amsterdam to Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö as one transaction at German Railways int.bahn.de .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  To get the overnight stop in Copenhagen, click Stopovers and enter Copenhagen with a length of stay of (say) 11 hours.  Adjust departure time & length of stay to get the trains you want either side of Copenhagen.  You print your own ticket.  This way you'll get a Sparpreis Sweden fare from Amsterdam to Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö with an overnight stop in Copenhagen built in.

If you have any problems, you can book from Amsterdam to Copenhagen at int.bahn.de then Copenhagen to Stockholm at either www.sj.se (in Krona, can struggle with some overseas credit cards, no booking fee) or Omio.com (formerly GoEuro.com, in Krona, €, £ or $, small booking fee, quick & easy to use and readily accepts overseas credit cards).  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.

Step 1, Amsterdam to Osnabruck by Intercity train , seen here at Amsterdam Centraal .  Power sockets at all seats and a refreshment trolley.  More about these Intercity trains .

Step 2, Osnabruck to Hamburg by ICE4 , with restaurant car, cafe counter, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  More about ICEs .

Step 4, Copenhagen to Stockholm by tilting 200km/h X2000, seen at Stockholm Central .  More about X2000 trains .

Option 4, Amsterdam to Gothenburg using Stena Line's Kiel-Gothenburg overnight ferry

Book the train at the German Railways site int.bahn.de . 

You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.  I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log on at any time and check or reprint tickets.

Tip:   Book the ferry first and confirm ferry times before booking the train, making sure you arrive in Kiel at least 2 hours before the ferry sails. 

The ferry normally sails at 18:45 and arrives around 09:15, but times may vary so check online.

The ferry is a floating hotel with restaurants & bars, all passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with en suite toilet & shower.  You can add dinner & breakfast to your ticket when you book.

Fares vary, you might pay €39 per passenger as basic fare plus €75-€89 per cabin for a private 1 or 2 bed room.

Amsterdam to Oslo & Norway

Option 1, Amsterdam to Oslo with overnight stop in Hamburg - by train all the way

Fares start at €32.90 in 2nd class or €43.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Buy a ticket at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.  I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log on at any time and check or reprint tickets.

Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Gothenburg by EuroCity train & Öresund train :

Leave Hamburg Hbf 08:50, arriving Copenhagen 13:34.  Leave Copenhagen at 14:30, arriving Göteborg Central at 18:20.

The EuroCity train from Hamburg to Copenhagen has power sockets at all seats & a refreshment trolley.  More about the Hamburg-Copenhagen journey .  The Öresund train from Copenhagen to Gothenburg has power sockets & free WiFi, but bring your own food & drink.

Have an early dinner in Gothenburg.

Fares from Hamburg to Gothenburg start at €56.90.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Buy a ticket from Hamburg to Gothenburg at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Tip:   If you're clever, you may be able to book a through ticket all the way from Amsterdam to Gothenburg using int.bahn.de .  To get the overnight stop in Hamburg, click Stopovers and enter Hamburg Hbf with a suitable length of stay, say 10 hours.  Adjust departure time and length of stay to get the departure from Brussels you want and the 08:50 departure from Hamburg next morning.

Tip:   If you don't see any affordable fares (which may be the case if you want 1st class), split the booking:  First book Hamburg to Copenhagen at int.bahn.de .  Then buy a ticket from Copenhagen to Goteborg Central at www.oresundstag.se .

Day 2, travel from Gothenburg to Oslo by Norwegian train, leaving Göteborg Central at 20:10 and arriving Oslo Sentral at 23:47.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Oslo via Hamburg & Copenhagen - by train all the way

Day 2, travel from Copenhagen to Oslo by train, leaving Copenhagen at 07:30, change at Gothenburg Central, arriving Oslo Sentral 15:47.

Earlier & later departures are available, see the Copenhagen-Oslo timetable & how to buy tickets .

Option 3, Amsterdam to Oslo using the DFDS Copenhagen-Oslo ferry

Day 2, spend the day in Copenhagen, then sail from Copenhagen to Oslo overnight with a cosy private cabin with shower & toilet.  The ferry sails at 16:30 (15:00 some days) and arriving Oslo at 10:00 on day 3, as shown here .  This is remarkably affordable, and saves a hotel bill.  Book the ferry at www.dfds.com .

Option 4, Amsterdam to Oslo via the Kiel-Oslo cruise ferry - the most luxurious way to Oslo

Money-saving tip:   It's considerably cheaper to book on Color Line's Norwegian website www.colorline.no in Norwegian Krone, for example a €274 fare becomes the equivalent of €164.  You'll need to use Google Chrome translation to translate the Norwegian.  You are still able to enter a UK or other European address and contact details.  Feedback appreciated .

Amsterdam to Helsinki & Finland

Option 1, Amsterdam to Helsinki using the Finnlines ferry from Germany to Helsinki - the easiest option

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Hamburg, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 11:59, change Osnabruck , arriving Hamburg Hbf 17:14.

Book this at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .

Tip:   You should book from Amsterdam to Skandinavienkai Terminal, Lübeck as one transaction as this gets you a through ticket to the ferry terminal covering the train from Amsterdam to Hamburg, the regional train to Lübeck and the bus to the Skandinavienkai Terminal.  If you'd like time for dinner in Lübeck, click Stopovers and enter Lübeck Hbf with a length of stay of (say) 2 hours.

Day 1, travel from Hamburg Hbf to Lübeck by regional train, you've time for dinner in Lübeck's old town, see suggested restaurant here .  Then take a bus to the Skandinavienkai ferry terminal in Travemünde.

Sail from Travemünde to Helsinki by Finnlines ferry.  Finnlines sail from Travemünde to Helsinki every day, boarding at 23:30, sailing at 02:45 (the exact time varies) and arriving at Helsinki's Hansa Terminal in Vuosaari at 09:15 2 nights later (Day 3 from Amsterdam).

For full details of the transfer, check-in arrangements & ferry crossing, see here .

Book the ferry using the Direct Ferries website or at www.finnlines.com .

Book onward trains within Finland at the Finnish Railways website www.vr.fi .

Option 2, Amsterdam to Helsinki by train to Stockholm & ferry to Helsinki

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Stockholm as shown above .

Amsterdam to Prague from €46.90

Option 1 , Amsterdam to Prague by European Sleeper - the most direct & time-effective option, 3 times a week

The European Sleeper leaves Amsterdam Centraal at 22:34 on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, arriving Prague Hlavni at 10:56 next morning.

The European Sleeper has a comfortable sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed rooms with washbasin, economical couchette cars with 5 & 6 berth compartments and ordinary seats.  A light breakfast is included in the sleepers.  More about the European Sleeper .

Buy tickets at www.europeansleeper.eu .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead although this varies.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.  Easy!

On the glorious morning of 26 March 2024, the very first European Sleeper to Prague runs along the Elbe river valley between Dresden & Prague.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Prague by train in a single day - why not spend a few hours in Berlin?

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 05:59, change at Berlin Hbf , arrive Prague Hlavni 17:24.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 07:59, change at Berlin Hbf , arrive Prague Hlavni 19:24.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 09:59, change at Berlin Hbf , arrive Prague Hlavni 21:24.

You travel from Amsterdam to Berlin by InterCity train , power sockets at all seats, refreshments available.  What's the Amsterdam to Berlin journey & scenery like?

You then travel from Berlin Hbf to Prague Hlavni by EuroCity train with restaurant car with draught beer on tap, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  It's a lovely scenic run down the Elbe river valley south of Dresden, sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views.  What's the Berlin to Prague journey & scenery like?   Suggested hotels in Prague .

Fares start at €46.90 in 2nd class or €59.90 in 1st class.

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  I recommend registering when prompted so you can log in and check your bookings or re-print tickets at any time.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone or laptop.

It's also worth checking Amsterdam-Prague prices at the Czech Railways website www.cd.cz as they sometimes have cheaper prices than the Germans for exactly the same trains, although booking only opens 90 days ahead on cd.cz.  See my tips for using cd.cz .

Option 3, Amsterdam to Prague with an overnight stop in Berlin - breaks up the journey nicely, with a chance to see Berlin.

By all means leave Amsterdam on the earlier 13:59 or 11:59 departures for more of an evening in Berlin, and perhaps an evening stroll past the Reichstag building to the Brandenburg Gate , just 17 minutes walk from Berlin Hbf .

See the Amsterdam to Berlin by InterCity train page for tips, photos of the train and things to see along the way.

Stay overnight in Berlin.   Top choice here is the InterCity Hotel Berlin Hbf (my favourite), only 200m from Berlin Hbf 's main entrance, relatively inexpensive with great reviews, or if you're in the money, the excellent 5-star Steigenberger Hotel just outside the station.  If you're on a budget, the cheaper 3-star Motel One Berlin-Hbf is behind the station or use www.hostelworld.com .  Of course, if you really want to push the boat out, the famous Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is next to the Brandenburg Gate just 17 minutes walk away.

Day 2, travel from Berlin to Prague EuroCity train on any departure you like, see the timetable here .

For example, the 07:16 from Berlin Hbf will get you to Prague Hlavni at 11:24,  with breakfast in the restaurant car as you glide along the scenic Elbe river valley.  Or have a breakfast at your hotel and take a later train, they leave every two hours.  Bag a seat on the left-hand side of the train for the best views along the scenic Elbe river valley south of Dresden.  What's the Berlin to Prague journey & scenery like?   Suggested hotels in Prague .

Fares from Amsterdam to Prague start at €37.90 in 2nd class or €79.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  To get the overnight stop in Berlin, click Stopovers and enter Berlin Hbf with a suitable length of stay, say 12 hours.  Adjust the departure time and length of stay to get the trains you want either side of Berlin.

Amsterdam to Cesky Krumlov & other Czech destinations

Book from Amsterdam (or most other stations in the Netherlands) to most stations in the Czech Republic using the German Railways website int.bahn.de .  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .

Fares start at €37.90 in 2nd class or €56.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Tip:   It's an all-day ride from the Netherlands to the Czech Republic, so select an early morning departure time to do it all in one day.

Tip:   You might prefer breaking up a long journey with an overnight stop, perhaps Nuremberg, if your route goes that way.  To get an overnight stop, click Stopovers and enter Nuremberg , with a suitable length of stay, say 11 hours.

For Cesky Krumlov (a lovely town that's the second most-visited place in the Czech Republic, see the Cesky Krumlov page ) you need to book to Ceske Budejovice, not Cesky Krumlov, because the branch line between Ceske Budejovice and Cesky Krumlov is run by private operator GWTR and German Railways cannot ticket that part.

So simply book Amsterdam to Ceske Budejovice at int.bahn.de from €39.90, then buy the local ticket from Ceske Budejovice to Cesky Krumlov either at the station in Ceske Budejovice from the distinctive green and orange ticket kiosk in the main hall, or on board the train using the self-service ticket machines, contactless cards accepted.  You can check train times from Ceske Budejovice to Cesky Krumlov at www.gwtr.cz .

For Karlovy Vary or Plzen , book at int.bahn.de , looking for 3-change options via Frankfurt, Nuremberg & Cheb from €37.90.

For Brno , book Amsterdam to Brno at int.bahn.de .  It tends to route you via Vienna, as this is slightly quicker.  By all means click Stopovers and enter PRAGUE , this can be cheaper.  By adding a suitable length of stay you can build in an overnight stop if you like.

The most time-effective option from the Netherlands to Brno is to take the Nightjet sleeper train from Amsterdam to Vienna overnight as shown above , allow at least an hour between trains in Vienna, then take a Vienna-Brno train booked at either www.thetrainline.com (sells both Regiojet & ÖBB/CD trains), www.oebb.at (ÖBB/CD trains only) or www.regiojet.com (Regiojet trains only).

Amsterdam to Bratislava & Slovakia from €46.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Bratislava using the Amsterdam-Vienna Nightjet sleeper train - the time-effective option, recommended

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Vienna by Nightjet sleeper train , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 19:00 and arriving Vienna Hbf 09:17.

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or Dutch Railways international website www.nsinternational.nl (in €).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket.

Tip:   If you have a sleeper ticket and/or 1st class ticket for the onward train to Budapest, you can use the ÖBB lounge at Vienna Hbf between trains, with complimentary refreshments & free WiFi.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Bratislava in a single day from €46.90

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 08:08, change Frankfurt Flughafen & Vienna Hbf , arriving Bratislava Hlavna 20:23.

Tip:   In the search results, look for journeys with just 2 changes.

Option 3, Amsterdam to Bratislava using the Berlin-Bratislava sleeper - A comfy & time-effective option

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Berlin by InterCity train , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 11:59 and arriving Berlin Hbf at 17:51.

By all means leave Amsterdam on the earlier 09:59 or 07:59 departures to have more time in Berlin, there are left luggage lockers available and a stroll past the Reichstag building to the Brandenburg Gate takes just 17 minutes, so even a few hours stopover is a worthwhile experience.

Step 2, travel from Berlin to Bratislava on the sleeper train Metropol, leaving Berlin Hbf at 19:21 and arriving Bratislava Hlavna at 06:02.

Fares start at €49 with a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, €59 with a couchette in a 4-berth compartment, €79 with a bed in a 3-bed sleeper with washbasin, €99 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin or €129 in a single-bed sleeper with washbasin. 

Amsterdam to Budapest from €56.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Budapest using the Amsterdam-Vienna Nightjet sleeper train - the time-effective option, recommended

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Vienna by Nightjet sleeper train , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 19:00 arriving Vienna Hbf 09:17.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Budapest in a single day from €56.90

Option 3, Amsterdam to Budapest using the Berlin-Budapest sleeper - Another comfy & time-effective option

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Berlin by InterCity train , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 11:59 & arriving Berlin Hbf at 17:51.

By all means leave Amsterdam on the earlier 09:59 or 07:59 departures for more time in Berlin, there are left luggage lockers available and a stroll past the Reichstag building to the Brandenburg Gate takes just 17 minutes, so even a few hours stopover is a worthwhile experience.

Book this at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, using this will allow you to book all your tickets together in one place, small booking fee) or the German Railways website int.bahn.de (in €, no fee).  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Step 2, travel from Berlin to Budapest on the sleeper train Metropol, leaving Berlin Hbf at 19:21 & arriving Budapest Nyugati at 08:29.

Fares start at €49 with a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, €59 with a couchette in a 4-berth compartment, €79 with a bed in a 3-bed sleeper with washbasin, €99 in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin or €129 in a single-bed sleeper with washbasin.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Option 4, Amsterdam to Budapest using the Stuttgart-Budapest sleeper - Another time-effective option with dinner in Stuttgart

Book this at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, will allow you to buy all your tickets in one place, small booking fee) or the German Railways int.bahn.de .  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket or show it on your laptop or phone.

Have dinner in Stuttgart.

Step 2, travel from Stuttgart to Budapest by EuroNight sleeper train Kalman Imre leaving Stuttgart Hbf at 20:29 & arriving Budapest Keleti 09:19.

Fares start at €49.90 with a couchette in a 6-berth, €59.90 with a couchette in a 4-berth, €69.90 with a bed in a 3-bed sleeper, €88.90 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €129.90 in a single-bed sleeper, all per person per berth.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Option 5, Amsterdam to Budapest with overnight stop in Munich - if you prefer daytime trains & hotel to sleepers

Stay overnight in Munich.   The affordable Eden Hotel Wolff & NH Collection München are across the road from the station's north side exit with great reviews.  Or consider the more upmarket 25 Hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian , Excelsior by Giesel & Mercure City Center .  For a splurge, the luxurious Sofitel Munich Beyerpost occupies the former Royal Bavarian Post Office building of 1896-1900, at the station's south side exit.

Day 2, travel from Munich to Budapest on any railjet train you like.

The 07:23 from Munich Hbf will get you to Budapest Keleti at 14:19, but by all means have a leisurely breakfast and take the 09:29 from Munich arriving Budapest at 16:19, they leave roughly every two hours.

These swish Austrian railjet trains have a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  Look out for views of Salzburg citadel as you cross the river Salzach approaching Salzburg Hbf .  If you like, you can incorporate a stopover in Salzburg of a few hours or a day or two at no extra charge using the Stopover feature at int.bahn.de .  Left luggage lockers are available .

Fares start at €39.90 in 2nd class, €69.90 in 1st class or 84.90 in business class (= premium 1st class).

Amsterdam to Sighisoara, Brasov & Bucharest from €109

Option 1, Amsterdam to Romania using a sleeper from Budapest

For example, you can leave Amsterdam Centraal at 19:00 every evening by Nightjet sleeper train to Vienna Hbf and an onward railjet train to Budapest Keleti arriving 13:19 next day.  Buy tickets as shown above .

This sleeper train Ister has an air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin and a Romanian couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.  There's wonderful almost Alpine scenery through the Carpathian mountains between Brasov and Bucharest, a real treat.  Ister is the ancient name for the Danube.

Fares start at €39 with a couchette in 6-berth, €46 with a couchette in 4-berth, €69 with a bed in a 3-bed sleeper, €84 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €162 with a single-bed sleeper all to yourself.  All prices per person per berth.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

You can also book at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu , see my advice on using it .  For Bucharest type Bucuresti .  You show your ticket in the MAV app on your phone.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Romania using a sleeper from Vienna

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Vienna by Nightjet sleeper train as shown in the Amsterdam to Vienna section above .  Book this as shown.

Spend a day in Vienna , left luggage lockers are available .

Step 2, travel from Vienna to Romania on the sleeper train Dacia Express, leaving Vienna Hbf at 19:42 every evening and arriving next day in Simeria 07:10, Sighisoara 09:13, Braşov 12:36, Ploeşti Vest 14:28 & Bucharest Nord at 15:06.

The Dacia Express has a modern & comfortable Romanian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin, plus two deluxe compartments with shower & toilet) and a Romanian couchette car with 4-berth & 6-berth compartments.  There's wonderful almost Alpine scenery through the Carpathian mountains between Brasov and Bucharest, a real treat.

A Hungarian restaurant car is attached between Vienna and Budapest, treat yourself to dinner with wine.  A bar car is attached in the morning between Arad & Bucharest, serving drinks & snacks.  There's wonderful almost Alpine scenery through the Carpathian mountains between Brasov and Bucharest, a real treat.

The Dacia Express also conveys a portion from Vienna to Cluj Napoca, also leaving Vienna Hbf at 19:42 and arriving Cluj Napoca at 10:47. This portion has a Romanian couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.

Fares start at €59 with a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, €69 with a couchette in a 4-berth compartment, €79 with a bed in a 3-berth sleeper, €99 with a bed in a 3-berth sleeper or €159 with a bed in a single-berth sleeper all to yourself.  All per person per berth.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this train at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at .

Booking opens up to 90 days ahead .  In the search results, look for the direct train marked D with no changes.  If it says not available you can't book it, but if a sparschiene fare is shown you can.  You collect tickets from an ÖBB ticket machine in Vienna.

You can also book this train at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro .

Click EN top right for English.  Booking opens up to 90 days ahead .  For Vienna type Wien , for Bucharest type Bucuresti.   It can book seats, couchettes or sleepers.  For Austria to Romania journeys you can now print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Tip:   Prices might be cheaper on one website than the other, so check both sites!

Option 3, Amsterdam to Romania with overnight stop in Budapest - if you prefer day trains & a hotel to sleepers

Stay overnight in Budapest .  Top choice for an inexpensive stay next to Budapest Keleti is the Intercity Hotel just across the square in front of the station.  Also try the Royal Park Boutique Hotel , the inexpensive Baross City Hotel across the road or the Elit Hotel two minutes walk away.  Of course, if you want to push the boat out, the luxurious Corinthia Hotel opened in 1896 was almost certainly the inspiration for the 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel , 20 minutes walk or 9 minutes by taxi from Keleti station .  More hotels in Budapest .

Day 2, travel on one of the daytime air-conditioned Intercity trains from Budapest Keleti to Cluj, Arad, Timisoara, Simeria, Sibiu, Brasov & Bucharest.  See details of these trains here .

You can also book at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro .  Click EN top right for English.  Booking opens up to 90 days ahead .  For Bucharest type Bucuresti.   You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Amsterdam to Ljubljana & Slovenia or Zagreb & Croatia from €72

Option 1, using the Amsterdam-Munich Nightjet sleeper train then scenic EuroCity train to Ljubljana & Zagreb

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or Austrian Railways own site www.oebb.at (in €, same prices, more fiddly).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead.  You print your own ticket.

Booking tip :  If you don't see any cheap fares from Munich to Ljubljana or Zagreb using bahn.de (for example, if it says No special fares available ), try going to the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at and booking from Salzburg to Ljubljana or Zagreb on exactly the same train (the train leaves Salzburg about 1h55 after leaving Munich), then using www.oebb.at again to add a ticket from Munich to Salzburg on the same train.

Option 2, by daytime trains to Stuttgart and Croatian sleeper train to Ljubljana & Zagreb - time-effective with dinner in Stuttgart

Book this at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, using Trainline will allow you to buy all your tickets in one place, small booking fee) or the German Railways int.bahn.de .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket or show it on your laptop or phone.

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or Austrian Railways own site www.oebb.at (same prices, in €).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket.

Option 3, by daytime ICE train to Munich, overnight stop, then scenic EuroCity train to Ljubljana & Zagreb

Tip:   For dinner, I recommend the Bavarian food & beer at the Augustiner Keller ( www.augustinerkeller.de ) at Arnulfstrasse 52, to the north side of Munich Hbf , see walking map .

Fares start at €39.90 in 2nd class or €69.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Tip :  If you don't see any cheap fares from Munich to Ljubljana or Zagreb using bahn.de (for example, if it says No special fares available ), try going to the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at and booking from Salzburg to Ljubljana or Zagreb on exactly the same train (these trains leave Salzburg about 1h55 after leaving Munich), then using www.oebb.at again to add a ticket from Munich to Salzburg on the same train.

Option 4, using the Amsterdam-Vienna nightjet sleeper train, morning in Vienna, EuroCity train to Zagreb. 

This is a slower option, if only because of the morning at leisure in Vienna, but it's straightforward & comfortable.

This comfortable Austrian Nightjet sleeper train has an air-conditioned Comfortline sleeping-car with nine 1, 2 & 3-berth standard compartments with washbasin and three 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet. There are toilets & a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers.  The sleeping-car attendant can serve drinks, snacks & light meals from a room service menu.  The train has couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.  A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.  See the Nightjet page for a guide to on-board accommodation, travel tips, photos & video .

The train travels along the famous Rhine Valley between Koblenz (23:46) and Mainz (00:39), so if you're still awake and your compartment happens to be on the left-hand side of the train, switch off the lights and watch the Rhine pass by, mountains, vineyards, castles & the legendary Lorelei Rock lit by moonlight.  Wonderful!

In Vienna, you've the best part of a day to enjoy the city.  Left luggage lockers are available .

Fares start at €29.90 in 2nd class or €49.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Amsterdam to Belgrade & Montenegro

Option 1, Amsterdam to Belgrade & beyond using the Stuttgart-Zagreb sleeper. 

The line between Budapest and Belgrade is currently blocked by long-term track upgrading work, so the way to go is via Zagreb.  The most direct and fastest way is usually to take the Munich-Zagreb sleeper as shown below.

Book this at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, will allow you to buy all your tickets in one place, small booking fee) or the German Railways int.bahn.de .

Step 3, travel from Zagreb to Belgrade by train, leaving Zagreb at 11:04 and arriving Novi Beograd at 18:04 & Belgrade Centar at 18:12.

This train was suspended due to Covid-19 and remains suspended.

This train has air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats, but no 1st class.  There's no catering, so bring a picnic and some beer or wine.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Belgrade & beyond using the Zurich-Zagreb sleeper

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Zurich, leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 08:08, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf arriving Zurich HB at 16:00.

You travel on comfortable ICE trains with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  Do not risk any tight connections when catching a sleeper, I'd want at least an hour between trains in Zurich.  Have dinner in Zurich before boarding the sleeper, I recommend the steak-frites at the Brasserie Federal inside Zurich HB .

Book this at either www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, small booking fee, using Thetrainline allows you to buy both tickets together in one place) or the German Railways website int.bahn.de (in €, no fee).  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Step 2, travel from Zurich to Ljubljana or Zagreb by sleeper train, leaving Zurich HB at 19:40 and arriving in Zagreb at 10:39 next morning.

The train has an excellent air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), a modern air-conditioned Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments) and ordinary seats (not recommended).  Watch the Croatian sleeper video .

This train will revert to its traditional departure time, 20:40, from 25 October 2024.

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or Austrian Railways own site www.oebb.at (same prices, in €, a bit more fiddly).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead .  You print your own ticket.

Step 3, travel from Zagreb to Belgrade by train, leaving Zagreb at 11:04 and arriving Novi Beograd 18:04 & Belgrade Centar at 18:12.

This train is still currently suspended due to Covid-19.

This train has two air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats, but no 1st class.  There's no catering, so bring a picnic and some beer or wine.

Amsterdam to Sofia

Option 1, Amsterdam to Sofia via Bucharest

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Vienna using the Amsterdam-Vienna Nightjet sleeper train , as shown above .

Day 2, travel from Vienna to Budapest by railjet train , leaving Vienna Hbf at 11:40 and arriving Budapest Keleti at 14:19.

The swish Austrian railjet train has a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.  By all means take an earlier train if you'd like more time in Budapest, perhaps for lunch.

Fares start at €19.90 in 2nd class or €29.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

The Muntenia has 4 & 6-berth couchettes and ordinary seats.  A Romanian sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments is attached from Arad (depart 21:04) to Bucharest.  There's no catering car, so bring your own food & drink.

Fares start at €40 with a couchette in 6-berth or €47 with a couchette in 4-berth.  These are limited-availability advance-purchase fares

Book this at the Romanian Railways international website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro/en .  You print your own ticket.

The fare is around €34.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Sofia via Belgrade

Not currently viable while Zagreb-Belgrade, Budapest-Belgrade and Belgrade-Sofia trains remain suspended.

Amsterdam to Warsaw & Poland from €49.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Warsaw in a single day - why not spend a few hours in Berlin on the way?

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 05:59 daily, change at Berlin Hbf , arrive Warsaw Centralna 19:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 07:59 daily, change at Berlin Hbf , arrive Warsaw Centralna 21:14.

Leave Amsterdam Centraal at 09:59 daily except Saturdays, change at Berlin Hbf , arrive Warsaw Centralna 23:18.

You've time between trains in Berlin for a meal or for a stroll past the Reichstag to the Brandenburg Gate , just 17 minutes walk from the station.

Fares start at €37.90 in 2nd class or €56.90 in 1st class.

Booking to Poland normally only opens 60 days ahead .  I recommend registering when prompted so you can log in and check your bookings or re-print tickets at any time.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Warsaw using the Amsterdam-Berlin European Sleeper - the most time-effective way, runs 3 times a week

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Berlin by European Sleeper , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 22:34 on Monday, Wednesday & Friday arriving Berlin Hbf 06:18.  In winter from 7 November 2023 to 24 March 2024 it won't usually run on Wednesdays, see the European Sleeper page .

Fares start at €49 in a seat, €79 with a couchette in 6-berth, €99 with a bed in 5-berth, €109 with a bed in 3-bed sleeper, €129 with a bed in 2-bed sleeper, €159 with a bed in single-bed sleeper.  All per person per berth.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book the sleeper at www.europeansleeper.eu .

Booking opens up to 6 months ahead although this can vary.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone

Step 2, travel from Berlin to Warsaw by EuroCity train , leaving Berlin Hbf at 09:52, arriving Poznan at 12:36 and Warsaw Centralna at 15:14.

This EuroCity train is a comfortable air-conditioned Polish train with restaurant car serving drinks, snacks and full meals.  Treat yourself to an inexpensive lunch and a beer or two, I recommend the excellent Zurek soup and Kotlet Schabowy.  More about this EuroCity train .

Buy a ticket for the Amsterdam to Warsaw train at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Booking opens 60 days months ahead , you can book the sleeper and leave this until later if necessary.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.  I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log on at any time and check or reprint tickets.

Step 1, Amsterdam to Berlin by European Sleeper .  This is a 5-berth couchette car at Amsterdam Centraal, beyond is a stainless-steel sleeping-car.

Option 3, Amsterdam to Warsaw with overnight stop in Berlin - breaks up the trip nicely, with a chance to see Berlin.

Day 2, travel from Berlin Hbf to Warsaw Centralna in around 5h30 on any EuroCity train you like, see the timetable here .

Daily except Sundays the 05:51 from Berlin Hbf will get you to Warsaw Centralna at 11:14 with breakfast in the restaurant car.

Or have a leisurely breakfast and take the daily 09:52 arriving 15:14.  By all means take a later train to have a morning in Berlin.

Amsterdam to Krakow from €49.90

Option 1, Amsterdam to Krakow in a day - possible from 10 December 2023

By all means take the earlier 07:59 departure for a more robust connection and time for lunch in Berlin.

Step 2, travel from Berlin to Krakow by EuroCity train , leaving Berlin Hbf 16:52, arriving Wroclaw 20:56, Katowice 23:05 & Krakow Glowny 23:54.

The EuroCity train Oder is a comfortable air-conditioned Polish train with a restaurant car serving drinks, snacks & meals.  Treat yourself to an inexpensive dinner with a beer or two, I recommend the excellent Zurek soup & Kotlet Schabowy.  More about this EuroCity train .

Option 2, Amsterdam to Krakow using the Amsterdam-Berlin European Sleeper - runs 3 times a week

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Berlin by European Sleeper , leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 22:34 on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays arriving Berlin Hbf at 06:18.  In winter from 7 November 2023 to 24 March 2024 it won't usually run on Wednesdays, see the European Sleeper page .

Day 2, travel from Berlin to Krakow by EuroCity train , leaving Berlin Hbf 10:52, arriving Wroclaw 15:05, Katowice 17:15 & Krakow Glowny 18:07.

This EuroCity train is a comfortable air-conditioned Polish train called the Wawel , with restaurant car serving drinks, snacks and full meals.  Treat yourself to an inexpensive lunch and a beer or two, I recommend the excellent Zurek soup & Kotlet Schabowy.  More about this EuroCity train .

Buy a ticket for the Amsterdam to Krakow train at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Option 3, Amsterdam to Krakow with overnight stop in Berlin - if you prefer day trains & hotel to sleepers, departures every day

Day 2, travel from Berlin to Krakow by EuroCity train Wawel , leaving Berlin Hbf at 10:52 every day, arriving Wroclaw 15:05, Katowice 17:15 & Krakow Glowny 18:07.  The Wawel is comfortable & air-conditioned with restaurant car, treat yourself to lunch and a beer or two.

Amsterdam to Vilnius . Riga, Tallinn

Amsterdam to Lithuania with overnight stop in Warsaw

Amsterdam to Kyiv & Ukraine

Option 1, Amsterdam to Kyiv via the Warsaw-Kyiv sleeper

By all means take the earlier 13:59 or 11:59 departure for more of an evening in Berlin and perhaps a stroll past the Reichstag building to the Brandenburg Gate takes just 17 minutes from the station.

The Kyiv Express has modernised Ukrainian sleeping-cars with 2-berth & 3-berth compartments.  All bedding is supplied, and washrooms and toilets are at the end of the corridor.  Berths convert to seats for daytime use.  A smartly-uniformed Ukrainian railways sleeper attendant travels with each car.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Lviv & Kyiv via Vienna - can be  more time-effective, with free time in Vienna

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Vienna by Nightjet sleeper train as shown in the Amsterdam-Vienna section above .  Enjoy the best part of a day in Vienna, left luggage lockers are available .

Day 2, travel from Vienna to Lviv or Kyiv by direct Ukrainian sleeping-car. leaving Vienna Hbf at 16:42 every day and arriving Lviv at 09:20 & Kyiv at 16:03 next day (Day 3).

Introduced in December 2017, this train has one or two direct Ukrainian sleeping-cars with comfortable 1, 2 & 3 berth compartments with washbasin, see the photos below.  At Chop on the other side of the border the through sleeping-cars are jacked up to have their wheelsets changed from European standard gauge (4'8½") to Russian gauge used in Ukraine (5').

Book the train from Vienna to Lviv or Kyiv online at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at .

This will only book one-way or round trip starting in Vienna because tickets need to be collected from an ÖBB station in Austria.  They cannot be collected in Ukraine.  Booking this way you pay no fee or mark-up, just the official fare.  The sleeper has become popular, it can sell out.

If you have any problems or want a one-way ticket starting in Ukraine, you can also book the Vienna-Kyiv train via reliable agency www.polrail.com , with tickets posted or couriered to you for a small fee.  Polrail are based in Poland so charge in zlotys, but as they have access to Ukrainian ticketing system they are good for booking this train.

Be warned, these direct sleeping-cars can sell out within hours of reservations opening.

Booked through oebb.at:

Vienna to Kyiv costs €80.50 in a 3-berth sleeper, €90.50 in a 2-berth sleeper or €152.90 in a single sleeper.

Booked through Polrail:

Vienna to Kyiv costs around €138 in a 3-berth sleeper €149 in a 2-berth sleeper, or €241 in a single-berth sleeper.

Amsterdam to Moscow , St Petersburg & Russia

Option 1, Amsterdam to Moscow using the daily Warsaw-Moscow sleeper train - suspended due to sanctions

By all means take an earlier train for a leisurely afternoon or evening in Berlin.

This train uses impressive Austrian-built sleeping-cars with 4-berth compartments built in 2014, see photos of this type of sleeper here & see panorama photo inside one of these modern sleepers .  Each compartment can be sold as 1st class 1-berth, 1st class 2-berth or 2nd class 4-berth.  The train consist of two or three sleeping-car which start their journey in Prague.  There's a bistro car in Poland and a Russian restaurant car is attached between Brest (on the Polish/Belarus border) & Moscow.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Moscow using the Berlin-Moscow Strizh (Swift) sleeper train, twice a week - suspended due to sanctions

Russian track gauge is 5', but most of Europe (including the UK) is 4' 8½", so at Brest on the Belarus frontier the Talgo train runs through a special gauge-changing shed and the axles automatically adjust to the new gauge.  Once in Russia, the scenery is rolling hills, birch tree forests, and villages of small wooden houses.  Approaching Moscow, you may glimpse the plaques on the station building marked '1812' and '1942' as the train passes through the small station of historic Borodino.

You can book the Berlin-Moscow train at the Russian Railways website www.rzd.ru and print your own ticket, it's a little fiddly but usually works, or you can easily buy it online with English language after-sales service if you need it, using the Real Russia online system here .

Option 3, Amsterdam to Moscow via Kyiv - avoiding the need for Belarus visa

Amsterdam to Athens , Corfu & Greece

Option 1, Amsterdam to Athens by train & ferry via Italy - the leisurely option with an Adriatic cruise thrown in

The best and most comfortable option is to pick up a ferry in Bari.  The whole scenic and relaxing journey from Amsterdam to Athens will take around 3 nights, depending how the connections work out on your particular date.

Day 1, travel from Amsterdam to Milan in Italy as shown above , using whichever option you like best.

Stay overnight in Milan:   Affordable hotels with good or great reviews just outside Milan Centrale include the Hotel Bristol , Hotel Bernina , 43 Station Hotel , B&B Hotel Milano Central Station , Guesthouse Teodora .  Pricier more upmarket hotels include HD8 Hotel , Glam Hotel , Made to Measure Business , Starhotel Echo or Starhotel Anderson .

Day 2, travel from Milan to Bari, leaving Milan Centrale at 08:05 on a pleasant journey along the Adriatic coast arriving Bari Centrale 15:27.

Fares start at €29.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class.  Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.

Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, easy to use, small booking fee) or www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in €, £, $ or Au$) or www.trenitalia.com (in €, more fiddly).  Italiarail will refund their small booking fee if you email them at [email protected] with your booking reference.  Booking opens up to 4 months ahead .  It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.

In Bari, transfer from station to port, see map of Bari showing station, port entrance, check-in building & Superfast Ferries berth .

You can walk the 1.9 km from the station to the port entrance in 25 minutes, a stroll through Bari's pleasant old town, see correct walking map from the station to the port entrance gate - if Google tells you any different, trust me, not Google!

Alternatively, bus 50 runs from Bari Centrale station to the road outside the port gate roughly every 40 minutes.  A taxi will take 10 minutes.

Day 2, sail overnight from Bari to Patras in Greece with Superfast Ferries.

The ferry sails from Bari at 19:30 on Mondays-Saturdays, arriving Patras at 13:00 next day (Day 3).

On Sundays the ship sails at 13:30, too early to make connections from Milan.

You can check sailing times & dates at using the Direct Ferries website or at www.superfast.com or www.ferriesingreece.com .

You should check in at the Superfast desk on the ground floor of the cruise terminal (Terminal Crociere) at Bari port with passport & booking number to get your boarding pass, ideally 3 hours before departure in summer, although in practice 2 hours or even 1½ hours is normally fine.

You then walk 500m from check-in to the ferry, board the ferry via the foot passenger gangway at the stern and head up the escalator to the main lounge and reception desk to get your cabin key.

The ship is comfortable, with self-service restaurant, lounge, bar and sun deck.  You can book a deck place (a good & cheap option in summer if you have your own sleeping bag), a reclining seat or various types of cabin, all with private shower & toilet.  Strolling the decks in the morning sun as the ship cruises past the islands of Cephalonia and Ithaca is the nicest part of the trip, and it's a wonderful way to arrive in Greece.

Day 3, travel from Patras to Athens by Greek Railways bus/train combo.

Hellenic Train (Greek Railways) operate an integrated bus/train service from Patras to Athens every hour or two, total journey time 3h02, fare around €18.  No prior reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket to Athens at Patras railway station ticket office.

Corfu:  The Bari-Patras ferry calls at Corfu on certain dates in summer.  It calls at Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland on all departures year-round.  If you can't find a direct ferry to Corfu, book the ferry from Bari to Igoumenitsa, then take the local ferry from Igoumenitsa to Corfu with Kerkyra Lines ( kerkyralines.com ).  These sail half a dozen times a day, crossing time 60-90 minutes, fare around €5-€10.  Buy a ticket at kerkyralines.com or when you get to Igoumenitsa.

Option 2, Amsterdam to Athens overland by train via Munich & Belgrade - a rail adventure across the Balkans, currently suspended

Amsterdam to Istanbul & Turkey

This is an overland adventure, taking 3 nights

Step 1, travel from Amsterdam to Bucharest using any option shown above .

Do not risk any tight connections in Bucharest, I'd allow a minimum of 2 hours, or plan an overnight stop.

Book online as shown on those pages, but you should consider using an Interrail pass for the flexibility it gives.  You'll find more info about using a pass for a journey like this on the London to Istanbul page .

Railbookers custom-made tours

If you just want to buy train tickets at the cheapest price, book online as shown on this page.  However, if you want someone to sort out your whole trip for you as a package, arranging trains, hotels & transfers, and to look after you if anything affects your arrangements, talk to Railbookers.  Railbookers can tailor-make a train trip around Europe to your own specification.  Just tell them what you want and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels.  They now have offices in the UK, North America and Australia.

Hotels in Amsterdam

Book your accommodation in Amsterdam early, it can be difficult to find rooms at peak periods at short notice, the better & cheaper rooms quickly sell out.  You'll also find prices vary significantly even at the same hotel, depending on the season and what's going on in the city.

The ultimate Amsterdam hotel:   The Grand

The ultimate place to stay is The Grand, now the Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam .  From around €300 per night upwards for a double room, this is one of the most famous hotel in Amsterdam, 5 minutes walk from Dam Square and 10 minutes walk from Centraal Station.  For something smaller, slightly cheaper but equally special, try the Canal House boutique hotel , 15 minutes walk from the station, €205 upwards.

Mid-range to top end

The Park Plaza Victoria Hotel gets great reviews and is very convenient as it's on the corner just across the road from Amsterdam Centraal station, doubles from around €135 upwards per night.  In a similar price bracket, try the Kimpton de Witt Amsterdam Centre , 6 minutes walk from Amsterdam Centraal and also with excellent reviews. 

The Hotel Luxer is cheaper, from around €109 upwards per night, and also just 7 minutes walk from Centraal station with great reviews.  Also try The Times Hotel , Hotel Tourist Inn or Daily Rooms Hotel .  Or the Hotel Sebastians , around €115 per night, equally well located 10 minutes walk from Centraal station, another hotel which gets great reviews.

Cheap but good

There are many cheap hotels, including many near the station, but very few get outstanding reviews.  For ones that do, try the floating boat hotel AmiciA (formerly Friesland), around €45 per night 15 minutes walk from the station or the Rembrandt Hotel from €80, 10 min walk from Dam Square though 20 minutes walk from the station.

Backpacker hostels

www.hostelworld.com :  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

Travel insurance & VPN

Always take out travel insurance.

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  W hy you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com .

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9 Best Day Trips from Amsterdam by Train You Need to Know

• Updated on: April 13, 2022

This article may contain affiliate links.  For more information, please see our disclaimer  here.

Table of Contents

The city of Amsterdam can be completely captivating and keep you busy during your whole stay. However, there is just as much to see only a train ride away. Whether you are looking to visit another city capital like Brussels, or looking for something a bit more laid back like Zaanse Schans, the best day trips from Amsterdam are just a trains ride away.

As two native Dutchies we have explored quite a lot from the Netherlands and used the train on a daily basis to and from school and work. We can tell you it is one of the easiest and most comfortable ways to get around the Netherlands . Another big advantage is that you won’t be bothered by traffic jams!

So, in this post we are going to reveal the best day trips from Amsterdam by train. Among them we will discuss cities like Rotterdam and Delft but also places of interest like Zaanse Schans and the Muiden Castle. For the real travelers among us, take a day trip to another country and explore Brussels or Bruges in Belgium! Keep on reading to get to know what to do in these places, the travel time, and the estimated costs.

Video: Day Trips from Amsterdam by train inspiration

Map days trips from amsterdam by train

9 Best day trips from Amsterdam by train

1. rotterdam.

• Travel Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
• Estimate Cost One Way: €17
• Route: Open in Google Maps

Of course we have to start with Rotterdam. This enchanting city is where we first met and then lived together for 3 years, giving us plenty of local tips and tricks. Although if you are just stopping by for a day there are a few must-see spots that are ideal for a quick itinerary. 

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and quickly growing. This provides visitors with a little something for everyone. Whether you are interested in medieval architecture, art, modern breweries, or want to learn more about windmills, Rotterdam has it all.

After arriving at Rotterdam Central Station, head over to the old town center where you can see Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk, a medieval church with stunning architecture that was first constructed in 1449. If you like architecture, take the free architecture tour ! After the church, take in the view of the Erasmus Bridge or the Maritime Museum, both popular landmarks of the city.

For lunch you have a couple of options, you could visit the Fenix Food Factory. A fun open market that features workshops, tastings, bakeries, breweries, coffee shops, and so much more – or if you are a foodie and love picking up unique souvenirs, then Markthal Rotterdam is another fun spot! Or do the Rotterdam Tasty Tour and try different local snacks in the foodwalhallas of Rotterdam!

After, take a boat tour of the city, a popular option in the Netherlands due to our many canals and streams that wind through many towns. Or combine a tour on land and river with an amphibious bus that drives through the city and cruises on the Maas River! Another popular option is taking a tour through a windmill. Windmills are a staple in Dutch culture and contributed immensely to economic growth. While they are not as efficient today, you will find many still in operation. 

Must Read: The Ultimate Rotterdam Guide + Best Things To Do

2. Zaanse Schans

• Travel Time: 18 minutes
• Estimate Cost One Way: €4.50
• Route: Open in Google Maps.

If you are in Amsterdam for only a short time, then Zaanse Schans is the perfect stop to get some Dutch culture quickly. The town sits just outside Amsterdam, making the 35-minute train ride from Amsterdam Central Station a flexible option – or you can take a bike with the rest of the locals! 

A stress-free option is a half-day tour that will bus you from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans with a guide for only €34.40 per person! They will be sure to show you some of the most popular shops listed below. As you bounce from one to another, your guide even provides you with a bit of history of the town.

The fairytale-like town of Zaanse Schans will have you feeling like you stepped into a Disney movie. The charming homes, delicate streams, fresh air, and welcoming shops are truly unique. As you walk throughout the town you will find stores dedicated to sharing Dutch culture. 

Aside from the picturesque scenery, activities and shops include:

• Kooijman Souvenirs & Clogs : Watch clogs get made and buy your own from their massive selection.
• Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm : Enjoy a cheese tasting and buy a few savory and sweet flavors.
• Het Jonge Schaap : Ever wonder what goes on inside a windmill? This is your chance! Watch the inner workings and discover how useful they have been to the Dutch.
• Zaans Gedaan CacaoLab : Learn how the popular Dutch chocolate is made and buy a few bars for yourself.

Zaanse Schans is a beautiful town to visit, where you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to explore another era.

If you are wondering how to travel by train in the Netherlands, have a look at our post “ How to get around in the Netherlands “.

• Travel Time: 1 hour 5 min
• Estimate Cost One Way: €9 – €21

If you are looking to see castles on your travels, the Muiden castle will surely satisfy that itch. Its structure is everything one would hope for when picturing a castle. The large rounded corners of the structure are complemented by a moat, a hint that this place has seen some legendary battles.

To visit the Muiden castle you will need more than just a train. The train ride will take you most of the way but you will need to transfer to a bus for the rest of the journey. Some travelers may feel anxious about needing to catch another bus or train to make it to their location. Luckily, this short trip has multiple buses circulating, making it easy to catch a follow-up bus if your train arrives late. You can always decide to take a tour from Amsterdam to Muiden Castle , so you are sure everything is arranged for you.

Once you arrive there will be plenty of opportunities for great photos. The large castle towers over its visitors sitting alongside a welcoming garden holding a plumb orchard. The historical landmark offers multiple tour options of the well-preserved castle, making for an eventful day trip. 

• Travel Time: 55 minutes
• Estimate Cost One Way: €13

Just like the cheese, the town of Gouda is just an hour away and should be on top of the list for all cheese lovers. There are places to see like Sint-Janskerk, a beautiful cathedral, and Stadhuis Gouda, the city hall, but your focus of this day trip should be all about the cheese! 

Check out the Gouda Cheese Market where you will see giant wheels of cheese everywhere you turn. There are plenty of chances to taste and buy this town favourite, but I would avoid buying a wheel unless you are sure you can finish it before your flight home!

How else can the town of Gouda celebrate their favourite cheese? Well, with the Museum Gouda of course! Ok – so the museum is not entirely dedicated to Gouda cheese, but it can be a nice break from the savoury scents!

Must Read: 14 Day Road Trip To Visit The Best Cities in The Netherlands

• Travel Time: 1 hour
• Estimate Cost One Way: €15

The town of Delft has plenty to offer, but the most popular is the pottery. 

The town of Delft is famous for its delicate blue and white pottery, in Dutch called “Delftsblauw”. You can find everything from simple tea plates to elaborate vases that weigh just a bit more than your dog. Since the pottery is so popular in the town, you will also be able to take advantage of some excursions they have like pottery painting . Take a class to learn about their intricate designs and the true artistry that goes into the pottery. 

While the travel to Delft is a bit longer, it can be a nice day trip that rewards you with an authentic souvenir to take back.

6. Keukenhof

• Travel Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Estimate Cost One Way: €20

If you travel to Keukenhof, you are likely to visit the fabulous garden . The Keukenhof garden is a theme park for all those that love flowers and gardening. Stroll the tulip fields and watch as their bright green stems spud the brightest flowers. Walk, take a boat, bike, or even take a tour through the fields to fully experience all the park has to offer.

Keukenhof is best enjoyed outdoors! But due to the seasonal bloom of the flowers, it is only open for a short time. From the end of March until half of May (including weekends and holidays) you can stop by. Don’t be too disappointed if you are visiting during the closed season, it is a beautiful spot all year long, but the flowers aren’t around most of the year.

When it is time for lunch, you shouldn’t have issues finding the perfect spot to eat. There is plenty of outside seating so you can eat in the sunshine. This certainly is not a place you would want to spend too much time indoors.

Try some poffertjes or Dutch pancakes. If you are looking for a bit of variety there is also an Italian and Asian restaurant serving some classic dishes. For those on the go, you can quickly grab some strawberries or a hotdog.

Also have a look at our post “ best time to visit the Netherlands ” for more information about the perfect time to visit the Netherlands to see all the flowers in full bloom.

Check out: 10 Most Beautiful National Parks in the Netherlands

7. The Hague

• Travel Time: 50 minutes

If you hop on a 1-hour train ride for about €15, you will arrive in the Hague with plenty to keep you entertained. The Hague boasts itself as the only big city with a beach directly on the North Sea coast. Here you can get an incredible Skyview from the pier . But that certainly is not all it has to offer.

Visit the Hague Market, the largest market in Europe containing 500 stalls selling everything from flowers and snacks, to souvenirs and more. Be sure to visit on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday from 09:00 – 17:00 – unfortunately, shops close their doors on the other days.

That is not the only record this town breaks. The town of Hague is also unique for its Omniversum, a theatre with the only IMAX dome theatre in Europe. An ideal stop if your feet are sore from walking all those stalls.

If you love touring by boat, the Ooievaart is the perfect opportunity to float the canals and see a different side to the city. But maybe you prefer a bird’s eye view of the city, a unique opportunity would be to visit Madurodam , a miniature replica of The Netherlands. This spot allows visitors the chance to quickly get a bird’s eye view of this diverse country.

8. Brussels (Belgium)

• Travel Time: 2 hours
• Estimate Cost One Way: €25

One of the best things about traveling in Europe is how easy it is to visit another city, or even country! From Amsterdam Central Station you can take a 2-hour train ride and find yourself in Brussels, Belgium. Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the European Union, making it not only a popular spot for Belgium culture, but European as well.

Throughout Brussels you will come across plenty of stunning architecture. For example, Grand Place, a 15th Century city hall or the Old England Building, a department store from the 19th century. If architecture is not your thing, a beer tour or a stop at a chocolatier may be more your pace. Amongst all the stops is the most famous, the Manneken Pis, a fountain of a little boy peeing. 

9. Bruges (Belgium)

• Travel Time: 2 hours and 42 minutes
• Estimate Cost One Way: €41

No doubt Brussels is a popular spot! However, taking a break from city life may be in the cards for you if a day trip is on your mind. Bruges can be a fun visit for something just outside the Netherlands. The town of Bruges is known for its architecture and rivers that run through the city. This makes for a relaxing tour for all of its visitors.

Canal tours are very popular in the city but only run from March to November. Such a tour will give you the best sense of the city. Throughout the tour you will pass by buildings with enchanting vines that climb the walls, followed by beautifully designed bridges to pass under. The tour is very popular for tourists, so we suggest trying to save a spot early!

Of course, a stop in Belgium would not be complete without trying some fries, waffles, and chocolate. Luckily, Bruges has plenty of spots for you to try just that. While you can easily spot these places on nearly every corner, we suggest trying some chocolate at Chocoladehuisje and waffles at Chez Albert. Gorge at the Market can also be sure to squash any other cravings you may have. 

Must Read: Best Things to Do in Amsterdam

Best time to visit the Netherlands

While each season in the Netherlands nature offers something unique, autumn (September-November) is our favorite time of year. The trees transform into a kaleidoscope of autumn colors, and it’s a spectacular sight to witness. Moorlands reach full bloom to create purple landscapes, and the leaves dazzle with shades of orange, red, and yellow. 

And the weather provides the perfect temperature to unwind without being drenched in sweat or clutching heavy winter gear. Autumn is a magical time to go hiking in Utrecht due to the breathtaking spectacle produced by Mother Nature. Check out my  Best Time To Visit The Netherlands Guide  for more detailed weather information.

How many days do i need in the Netherlands?

As a lot of tourists just stay in Amsterdam city, please make some more time to explore the real countryside of the Netherlands as it’s really worth it. I know this may sound weird from a local, but really the country has so much to offer. Not all of you would have 14 days to spend in the Netherlands, but try at least to spend between 5 and 7 days to explore nature, beaches, typical Dutch villages, windmills, cities and to learn more about the culture by taking a tour. 

Where to stay in amsterdam

• Moderate: NH Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
• Moderate: Budget Hotel Ben
• Budget: ClinkNoord Hostel
• Moderate: Durty Nell’s In
• Camping Zeeburg Amsterdam
• Budget: €0-€50 Moderate: €50-€100 per night

FAQ Day Trips from Amsterdam by Train

Is there a direct train from amsterdam to london.

Yes, there is a direct train connection between Amsterdam Central Station all the way to London Centre, the trip will take just around 4 hours.

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11 Best Day Trips from Amsterdam by Train

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This article is a travel guide to Giethoorn Village in the Netherlands and lists the best things to do in Giethoorn..

The energy in Amsterdam is electric. It is also charming, quaint, happening, exciting, fun and anything else that you wish it to be. There are such a wide range of things to do in Amsterdam ranging from taking relaxed walks on the cute bridges, open boat rides in the canals, exploring the quiet neighborhoods and cycling in the gardens to going crazy at the many pubs and bars in Amsterdam, getting high in “coffeeshops” and visiting the infamous red light district. To see all of Amsterdam, ideally, you would need to spend 48 hours i.e. 2 days in Amsterdam and then spare a few more days or day trips to nearby areas.

All that said and done, there are incredible cities, Dutch villages, more canals and windmills waiting for you outside Amsterdam. Many of these places make for an easy day trip by train from Amsterdam due to their location and ease of access. So dive in and take a look at the 11 best day trips from Amsterdam below.

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11 Best Day Trips from Amsterdam – By Train

1. giethoorn.

Giethoorn is a fairytale village in the Netherlands which has gathered popularity because it’s a village with no roads . Both tourists as well as locals commute using boats here. You can rent a boat online or in-person although the boats are more expensive and low in availability during popular summer months. It’s good to know that you don’t need a license to rent or drive a boat in Giethoorn! A duration of 4-5 hours is plenty of time to explore the best things to do in Giethoorn – walk around this postcard-perfect place, glide through the canals, photograph the cute cottages dotted with colorful flowers and go under dozens of tiny bridges.

Find Hotels in Giethoorn on Booking.com

How to Reach Giethoorn from Amsterdam?

The distance of 119 km between Amsterdam and Giethoorn can be covered within one and a half hours by car. Although Giethoorn has no drivable roads, there are parking places available on the outskirts of a village from where it’s a short walk to the village itself. You can even reach Giethoorn from Amsterdam with the combination of train and bus. To make things easier, it’s best to be a part of a full-day tour going to Giethoorn from Amsterdam . Additionally, you could even take a boat tour to Giethoorn all the way from Amsterdam.

Book a canal cruise of Giethoorn village

2. Zaanse Schans

Speaking of picture-perfect locations, Zaanse Schans is one of the easiest day trips from Amsterdam that you just cannot miss! In fact, you can head over to Zaanse Schanze particularly easily if you have the Amsterdam and region travel card . This is the place where you get to see the Holland windmills without having to drive far into the Dutch countryside. There are plenty to things to do in Zaanse Schans such as exploring a cheese museum or the Albert Heijn museum, watching a cobbler create a shoe at the wooden shoe workshop, giving in to temptation at a chocolate and biscuits factory and of course, getting to explore the windmills of Zaanse Schans.

How to Reach Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam?

If you have a car then it’ll take you just 20 minutes to cover the distance of 20 km from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans . There is one large parking lot in Zaanse Schans near the wooden shoe workshop and museum. However, the easiest way is to take a day trip from Amsterdam by train. You need to catch the sprinter heading towards Uitgeest which will drop you off at Zaanse Schans in under 20 minutes.

3. Zandvoort

Just like Zaanse Schans, you can use your Amsterdam and Region ticket to take a day trip from Amsterdam to the Zandvoort beach , particularly if you’re visiting in summer. Not only does this beach have great seafood restaurants, beach clubs , water sports and parking, but many other facilities. In fact there are even some surfing schools at Zandvoort beach for you to learn how to surf. Furthermore you can even take your canoe or horse out to the beach. Whether it’s tanning on a sunbed, swimming in the ocean or taking long walks on the beach, Zandvoort is the ideal day trip from Amsterdam by train.

Find Hotels in Zandvoort on Booking.com

How to Reach Zandvoort Beach from Amsterdam?

Best way to reach Zandvoort beach from Amsterdam is by train. There is a Sprinter from the Amsterdam Sloterdijk station that goes directly to Zandvoort and the beach is a short five minute walk from the train station. If you have a car then the 40 km distance from Amsterdam to Zandvoort will be covered in 45 minutes.

Haarlem is one of the most underrated Amsterdam day trips. The whole city of Haarlem , set alongside the river, is absolutely breathtaking, offers a few things to do, lots of photo opportunities, a windmill and is just the perfect place to walk around for a little while and grab food at a nice restaurant. There are also some interesting churches and museums in Haarlem that are worth checking out, including the oldest museum in the Netherlands. All this combined with the fact that you can visit Haarlem from Amsterdam using the Amsterdam and region travel ticket makes it one of the easiest day trips from Amsterdam by train.

Find Hotels in Haarlem on Booking.com

How to Reach Haarlem from Amsterdam?

To reach Haarlem from Amsterdam by train, take the Sprinter going towards Hoorn from the Amsterdam Sloterdijk train station. The city center of Haarlem is a 10-15 minute walk from the Haarlem train station or a short local bus ride away.

5. Keukenhof

Keukenhof, also known as the flower garden of Europe is a massive garden that is famous for the tulip fields during spring. This makes it one of the most anticipated and popular day trips from Amsterdam. Keep in mind that these gardens are only open in spring when the tulips bloom which means that there is a very short window to visit this garden and that is why it is recommended to buy your tickets to Keukenhof online , well in advance. 

Coming to the garden itself, a visit to Keukenhof is an immersive activity because the park offers whisper boat rides, bicycle rentals and guided tours. To make your visit to the Gardens comfortable, there is wi-fi, wheelchair for the disabled and facilities such as lockers and restaurants available as well. Furthermore, they offer activities for children which include treasure hunts and a playground. To top it all off, the endless rows of tulips in every color make this the ideal trip from Amsterdam during spring.

How to Reach Keukenhof from Amsterdam?

One of the best parts about taking a day trip to Keukenhof is that you can book a combined public transport + entry ticket to the park. You can choose your boarding point as Amsterdam or various places around Amsterdam such as Haarlem, Leiden or RAI. 

If you’re traveling by yourself by public transport then you need to take a train to Europaplein/RAI from Amsterdam and then the bus to Lisse where the park is located. If you’re coming by car then the 40 kilometer distance can be covered within 40 minutes and parking is available at the garden itself which costs €6 per car.

6. The Hague

The Hague, known as the international city of peace and justice, is one of the most popular and easy Amsterdam day trips. Also the only big city with a beach directly on the North Sea coast, the Hague is famous for Scheveningen which is a long sandy beach that has resorts, great restaurants, a pier and a giant wheel on the beach. Apart from that, there are many beautiful palaces and museums to see here, which will keep you occupied for the entire day. A special mention to  the Het Binnenhof which is a gorgeous area with a palatial government building, a lake and beautiful garden around it.

Find Hotels in the Hague on Booking.com

How to Reach the Hague from Amsterdam?

Since the Hague is approximately 70 km from Amsterdam , it can be reached by various modes of transportation. Although driving to the Hague takes 1 hour 30 minutes, it is actually an easier day trip from Amsterdam by train instead. The train to Den Haag Central from Amsterdam Sloterdijk takes just 46 minutes. The cheaper option would be to take a flixbus which costs between €4-6 per person and takes an hour generally.

7. Marken, Volendam and Edam

Marken, Volendam and Edam are all individual Dutch towns that are located north-west of Amsterdam. Given the proximity of the towns, they can be combined and visited together as an easy day trip from Amsterdam by train. The drive to these towns is quite scenic and you’ll get to see the typical Dutch landscape along the way. Not just that, you can see the Dutch windmills, take languid canal cruises, scenic villages and even visit museums and workshops to learn about the cheese-making and wooden shoe making processes of the Netherlands. All in all, you can pack in a full day’s worth of experiences by taking a tour of Marken, Volendam and Edam from Amsterdam .

How to Reach Marken, Volendam and Edam from Amsterdam?

All these three Dutch towns are located within the Amsterdam region which means that if you purchase the Amsterdam and region travel card then you can pay a visit to all three by train or bus from Amsterdam. Alternatively, if you want to avoid the hassle of locating buses and trains to each destination, then consider taking a tour of Marken, Voldendam and Edam from Amsterdam with a guide.

8. Rotterdam

The second largest city in the Netherlands, Rotterdam is hip, artistic and trendy. This port city offers a harbor, beautiful bridges, museums, and boat tours. One of the most unique and best things to do in Rotterdam is to take a splash tour which is a 60 minute bus ride to see the city highlights, following which the bus dives into water, sails to the famous Hotel New York and back.

Find Hotels in Rotterdam on Booking.com

How to Reach Rotterdam from Amsterdam?

Rotterdam is just 78 km from Amsterdam which means that you can take a day trip to Rotterdam from Amsterdam by train or car. Driving here will take you an hour whereas an intercity direct train takes a little less time. There are also buses to Rotterdam, which cost less than trains if you book well in advance.

Day Trips from Amsterdam to Belgium by Train

9. brussels.

A day trip to Brussels from Amsterdam is one of the most sought-after and popular experiences. Brussels is a vibrant, fast-paced city that is a perfect mixture of the old and new. While the Brussels city center offers interesting buildings and sights, the outskirts are more modern but charming. Even though Bruges is more famous for the canals, Brussels still holds its own with lovely gardens and canals of its own.

Some of the best things to do in Brussels include paying a visit to the Grand Palace, the Royal Palace of Brussels, the Atomium, Parc du Cinquantenaire, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Natural Sciences. Ofcourse, you can’t leave Belgium without trying the sinfully delicious Belgian waffles and fries. Furthermore, a Belgian beer tasting at Delirium cafe, a bar with a Guinness world record, is also a fantastic experience!

Find Hotels in Brussels on Booking.com

How to Reach Brussels, Belgium from Amsterdam?

It’s reasonable to have doubts about whether it is possible to take a day trip to Brussels from Amsterdam. They are, afterall, in different countries. The fantastic thing about Europe is that distances are very small and train connections are excellent. Which means that you can go from Amsterdam to Brussels, finish sightseeing and return back, or head to another city, within a day. The distance between the cities can be covered in a little over 2 hours with a direct train . If you wish to drive then it’ll take you about 2 hours 40 minutes to traverse the 210 km distance between Amsterdam and Brussels.

Bruges, also known as the Venice of the west , is a popular and one of the best day trips from Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. The romantic canals in Bruges, coupled with the Flemish architecture and sleepy lanes makes one feel as if they’ve stepped back in time. Another reason why Bruges is a popular day trip is that you can get here easily by train from Amsterdam and Brussels, visit the plethora of places to see in Bruges in one day and head back on the same day. Since the sights to see are close to one another, it makes sense to only spend a day or a few hours in Bruges and stiöl cover everything.

Find Hotels in Bruges on Booking.com

How to Reach Bruges from Amsterdam?

It takes roughly 3 hours to reach and take a day trip to Bruges from Amsterdam. Firstly, you need to take a train that goes directly to Brussels from Amsterdam and then another train that goes to Bruges from Brussels . Given that the places to see in Bruges can be covered in 3-4 hours, it makes a viable and worthwhile day trip . You can also consider booking a cheaper (but slower) Flixbus from Amsterdam to Bruges.

One of the most opulent cities in western Europe, even today you can witness the grandeur, wealth and charm of Ghent. Whether it is the view of the Graslei from Korenlei, an informative and stunning boat ride, the charm of Patershol or a tour of Gravensteen, there are plenty of things to do in Ghent in one day . Moreover, since Ghent and Bruges are less than an hour from each other, you can even combine the two and visit them on the same day. But for this, I recommend doing a weekend getaway from Amsterdam, seeing Brussels on one day and then Ghent and Bruges on the next, before going back to Amsterdam or to your next destination.

Find Hotels in Ghent on Booking.com

How to Reach Ghent from Amsterdam?

You can reach Ghent from Amsterdam in 2.5 hours by train by taking a direct train from Amsterdam to Brussels and then another one from Brussels to Ghent. The connection is fast and easy with only 1 change in Brussels. The second train is the one that goes to Bruges so if you plan on seeing both Ghent and Bruges in a day then you need to take this train again while heading towards Bruges.

Bonus – Train from Amsterdam to Paris

If you’re already spent a few days in Amsterdam and seen the surrounding areas then it’s almost a sin to leave without having seen Paris. Lucky for you, reaching Paris from Amsterdam by train is super convenient since the Thalys operates between the two cities and you reach your destination Paris within 3 hours 30 minutes from Amsterdam.

Irrespective of how many days you spend in Paris, there are still plenty of places to see in Paris within a weekend or less.. Apart from the Eiffel Tower itself, don’t miss out on the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre museum, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Tuileries garden and Montmartre, among other places.

Find Hotels in Paris on Booking.com

Must Read: Discover the best things to do in Spring in Paris!

Weekend Trips from Amsterdam by Train

All the places mentioned in this list of Amsterdam day trips can be turned into weekend trips from Amsterdam as well, particularly Giethoorn and the cities in Belgium.

If you were to take a weekend trip to Belgium from Amsterdam, you could spend one day and night in Brussels and the following day in Ghent and Bruges . There are even plently of tours to Ghent and Bruges from Belgium that include a guide and take the hassle of planning a trip away from you.

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Amsterdam: Public transport tickets & Passes Overview, current prices (2024)

Whether you are looking for a single ticket, a day pass or an Amsterdam Travel Card, here you will find all the information you need. In this guide we present the most important tickets for visitors. So you can easily find the right ticket for your stay in Amsterdam.

Important information about buying tickets:

• You cannot buy tickets on buses and trams from the driver.
• Many of the tickets are available online and can be purchased before your trip. You will find more information below.
• Almost all public transport in Amsterdam is organized under the tariff system of the municipal transport company GVB “Gemeente Vervoer Bedrijf”. This makes it much easier for passengers, as a day ticket is valid on the metro, trams and GVB buses.

#1 Single rides with the OV chip card / “e-purse” or OVpay

If you are staying in amsterdam for a longer period of time but do not want to use public transport very often.

A charger for the OV-chip card – credit card fees may apply (image: travelguide.amsterdam)

The OV card / e-purse system is not that simple, especially if you don’t visit the Netherlands often.

How does the OV card / e-purse work?

The OV card works like a prepaid cellphone card. You can load the card with a certain amount of money at a machine and then use it up.

For a single ride, you will pay a fixed base price plus a set amount per kilometer driven. Thus, you are paying for the distance traveled. The distance is measured exactly every 50 metres and charged accordingly. There is no such thing as a classic one-way ticket , which costs a certain amount regardless of the distance travelled (flat rate). The OV chip card / e-purse can be used in trams, buses, as well as the Metro.

• Every passenger over the age of 4 must have a chip card.
• The card must be topped up with at least €4 before each journey to ensure that there are sufficient funds to cover the fare.

E-purse – prices

A rechargeable and anonymous chip card, without personalisation with a passport-type photo, costs €7.50 (without adding credit). There is a €2.50 service charge for withdrawing any remaining balance.

Standard fare: base price: €1.08 per trip plus 19.6 cents per kilometer traveled

Children (4–11 years) get a discounted fare: base price: 71 cents per trip plus 12.9 cents per kilometer traveled

Another payment system was introduced in 2023: OVpay. You can pay for a single journey on local public transport directly with your credit or debit card. All you have to do is present your payment card to a scanner when boarding and alighting. The fare will be automatically debited from your account.

Paying with OVpay – important information:

• You must always check in and out with the sa me bank card. Otherwise, the billing system will not be able to determine the correct fare.
• For single journeys, you will need a separate payment card for each passenger.
• In addition to the fares, credit card or exchange rate fees may also apply.
• A journey with an age discount (e.g. children’s fare) is not yet possible with OVpay.
• Don’t forget to check out with your payment card when you get off the bus. The fare depends on the distance traveled. If you do not check out, you will be charged an incorrect, usually higher fare.
• There is no daily limit, as there is in London. This means that you can pay significantly more per day with OVpay than with a day ticket (see below).

#2 GVB single day ticket or multi-day-ticket: Easy & affordable – ideal for visitors & tourists – optional Airport Express bus

Cheap & easy: the single-day-ticket with a validity of 1 – 7 days. Buy online and save time and stress in Amsterdam.

GVB single and multi-day tickets are popular with visitors to Amsterdam. They are easy to use and affordable.

What does this ticket offer?

• This ticket gives you unlimited travel on all GVB trams, city buses and the metro (day and night) throughout Amsterdam and you don’t have to keep an eye on your balance like you do with the e-purse.
• It is flexible in terms of time. Tickets are available for a single day and for up to 7 days , from 24 to 168 hours. The clock starts ticking at the time of first use.
• There is a day ticket, especially for children aged 4 to 11. The kids’ ticket is only valid for a single day. You can purchase more than one child’s day ticket if required.
• You can buy the ticket online before your trip (no surcharge – click here) .
• This ticket is not valid for other regional bus companies, such as Connexxion or EBS, or in trains of the Dutch railway company NS

GVB Day Ticket + Airport Transfer Schiphol Airport ↔ City Centre

→ You can find more information about the Amsterdam Travel Ticket here

→ More information about the various options for airport transfers, including travel times and prices

Current prices for GVB day and multiple-day tickets

Prices are at the lower end for a European city. The longer the validity, the lower the price per day.

Fares (2024) :

Children’s ticket (4–11 years) for 1 day / 24h: €4.50 – multiple tickets can be purchased for longer stays.

Standard fare:

1 day / 24h: €9 2 days / 48h: €15 3 days / 72h: €21 4 days / 96h: €26.50 5 days / 120h: €33 6 days / 144h: €37.50 7 days / 168h: €41 (€5.85 per day)

Our tip: buy online to save time and stress You can buy your ticket online before your trip via the English-language website of the authorised GVB ticket seller without having to pay a surcharge (click here) . This will save you stress later, as you won’t have to deal with the fare system and ticket machines after your flight. If you are travelling via Schiphol Airport, you can also buy the Amsterdam Travel Ticket online (day ticket for local transport + airport transfer by express bus or train).

GVB Ticket Child

Children aged 0-3 travel free on Amsterdam’s public transport. For children between 4 and 11 years of age, the GVB children’s day ticket is available at a reduced price.

Children aged 0–3 years can use public transport in Amsterdam free of charge. There is a reduced day ticket for children between the ages of 4 and 11. It currently (2024) costs €4.50. There is no multi-day pass for children.

If you need a children’s ticket for several days, the easiest way is to buy several one-day children’s tickets. You can buy GVB children’s day tickets online together with adult tickets.

Where is the GVB day ticket valid?

The GVB day ticket is valid on the entire GVB tram, underground and bus network.

→ Map / city map Amsterdam: GVB day ticket coverage

If your destination or accommodation is outside the validity area, you might be interested in the Amsterdam Region Travel Ticket (see below). This ticket is valid for the entire region around Amsterdam.

# 3 Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket: Trips around Amsterdam + airport transfer included

The Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket entitles you to:

• Unlimited use of all GVB streetcars, city buses, metro (day and night) and ferries . This allows you to travel within the city of Amsterdam in the same way as the GVB Day Ticket (see above).
• In addition, you can also use the buses of the Connexxion and EBS companies . These bus companies serve destinations outside the Amsterdam city area. The GVB day ticket (see above) is not valid on these buses. This also includes the Airport Express Bus 397 (shuttle bus to the airport) .
• Trains  in the Amsterdam region with the national railroad company NS are included.

You can buy this ticket before your trip via the GVB authorized ticket portal (click here) . This will save you time and stress during your stay in Amsterdam.

Current prices for the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket (2024)

With the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket you can travel in a much larger area than with a GVB day pass. Therefore the price is higher.

Current prices for the “Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket” Valid for 1 day: €21 Valid for 2 days: €31.50 Valid for 3 days: €40.50

The validity period is different from the GVB day ticket. The “Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket” is valid from the first check-in until 04.00 a.m. after the last valid day (depending on whether you have the 1, 2 or 3 day version). The day starts at midnight.

For example: If you use a 2-day ticket for the first time from midnight on Wednesday, then your ticket will be valid until 04:00 on Friday morning.

Where is the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket valid?

Here is a map showing the area covered by the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket.

→ Map / Plan: Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket

#4 Amsterdam Travel Ticket (ATT)

Day ticket + transfer by train or bus to schiphol airport.

The “Amsterdam Travel Ticket” – day ticket for public transport + airport transfer – online booking saves time and avoids stress

The Amsterdam Travel Ticket (ATT) is an extension of the GVB single day or multi-day-ticket described above. It can be considered an extension because with this ticket you also have the option of using the following unlimited times for your transfer to and from Schiphol airport :

• Unlimited 2nd class rail travel between train station “Schiphol Amsterdam” Airport and any train station in Amsterdam (Amstel, Bijlmer Arena, Amsterdam Centraal Station , Holendrecht, Lelylaan, Muiderpoort, RAI, Sciencepark, Sloterdijk, Zuid and Duivendrecht)
• The Amsterdam Airport Express (bus 397) operated by Connexxion and the Niteliner (bus N97).

This ticket also entitles you to unlimited travel on all GVB trams, (night) buses, metro and ferries in the whole of Amsterdam. However, its validity is regulated differently. The “Amsterdam Travel Ticket” is valid from the first check-in until 4 AM following the last valid day (depending on whether you have booked the 1, 2 or 3 day option). The day starts at midnight. For example: if you start using a 2-day ticket at midnight on Wednesday, then it will be valid until 4 AM on Friday.

Please note: This ticket is not valid on buses that are operated by other transport companies such as EBS and Arriva or on any bus other than the Amsterdam Express (bus 397) and the Niteliner (bus N97) operated by Connexxion.

Our tip: buy online and save time and stress abroad

You can buy the “Amsterdam Travel Ticket” via this English-language website This will save you stress on arrival. You won’t have to deal with ticket machines after your flight.

Current pricing for the “Amsterdam Travel Ticket”

Prices are higher than a simple day ticket as it includes your airport transfer. A return trip from the airport to the city centre on the Airport Express Bus 397 currently costs €11.75. Taking this into account, the Amsterdam Travel Ticket is affordable.

 Current fares for the “Amsterdam Travel Ticket”

Validity 1 day:   18 Euro Validity 2 days: 24 Euro Validity 3 days: 30 Euro

Tickets with longer validity are not currently available.

→   Overview: Transfer Schiphol Airport ↔ Amsterdam city centre – all transport options (bus, train, taxi,…) incl. journey times and current prices.

#5 “I Amsterdam” card: Day ticket + discount card for sightseeing

Day ticket for public transport + free / reduced entry to attractions.

The I Amsterdam card is the official sightseeing pass for the city of Amsterdam. It is designed to help visitors navigate the maze of public transport fares and entrance tickets. The name is derived from the play on words “I am Amsterdam”. If you are also planning to visit the attractions and famous sights of the city, then the ‘I Amsterdam’ card may be of interest to you. It is a combination of day passes for public transport and discounted admission to tourist attractions.

The “I Amsterdam” card is a combination ticket and offers the following benefits:

“I Amsterdam” – just one ticket for public transport + free admission to attractions

Tip: Buy the ‘I Amsterdam’ card, GVB day ticket or entrance ticket online without paying a surcharge.

Insider tip: you can purchase the “I Amsterdam” card via this English-language website before your trip. This will save you the hassle and possibly even the credit card fees that you might incur if you pay on arrival.

Pricing for the “I Amsterdam” card (as of 2024)

1 day – 24 hours: €60 2 days – 48 hours: €85 (€42.50 per day) 3 days – 72 hours: €100 (€33.33 per day) 4 days – 96 hours: €115 (€28.75 per day) 5 days – 120 hours: €125 (€25 per day)

#6 Overview: Day tickets in Amsterdam

#7 group tickets for travel groups or school trips.

In addition, these tickets can be purchased online at no extra cost via this English language website .  There is no need to handle a large sum of money at a local ticket machine while your group waits impatiently. You will receive a receipt for your online purchase, which makes accounting for a group much easier.

#8 GVB 1 hour ticket

With the GVB 1 hour ticket, you can use all GVB lines within one hour. The ticket is unfortunately not available online. Current price 2024: €3.40 for adults

#9 FAQ 2024

Local transport Amsterdam: How much does a day ticket cost 2024?

The prices for the day ticket are very reasonable for a European metropolis. With a longer period of validity, the price per day decreases significantly.

Regular fare 2024: 1 day / 24 hours: 9 € 2 days / 48 hours: 15 € 3 days / 72 hours: 21 € 4 days / 96 hours: 26,50 € 5 days / 120 hours: 33 € 6 days / 144 hours: 37,50 € 7 days / 168 hours: 41 € (5,85 € per day)

More information about other tickets, online tickets, tickets for children … in our travel guide

Which public transport ticket is best for Amsterdam tourists?

The day or multi-day ticket of the city’s public transport company GVB is very popular with visitors to Amsterdam. With this ticket, you can easily use local transport (metro, bus, tram) in the Amsterdam city area . It is very cheap compared to other European metropolises. More information about other tickets, online tickets, tickets for children … in our travel guide

How much does a single ticket cost for public transport in Amsterdam?

There is no classic single ticket for Amsterdam public transport. Single journeys can be paid for with the “OV / E- Purse card”. It works in a similar way to a prepaid mobile phone card. You can load an amount of money onto this card at a machine. You can then use this credit to pay for local transport. A reloadable, anonymous e-purse card (without passport photo) costs 7.50 euros (without credit).  It is easier to use local transport with a day or multi-day ticket.

Where can I buy local transport tickets in Amsterdam?

You can buy local transport tickets in Amsterdam at vending machines or sales points of the local transport company GVB. You can also buy many tickets online. This saves time and stress in Amsterdam. You can find more information and our tips on buying tickets in our Amsterdam travel guide.

Is the GVB Day Ticket Amsterdam valid on the Schiphol Airport Express Bus 397?

The regular GVB day pass does not include the airport transfer by express bus or train. However, you can buy a combined ticket consisting of a day ticket for public transport + airport transfer (express bus or train). This combined ticket is called the “ Amsterdam Travel Ticket ”.

Is an airport transfer included with the Amsterdam Travel Ticket?

With the “Amsterdam Travel Ticket” you can use the following unlimited transfer options to and from Schiphol Airport :

• Train travel in 2nd class on NS trains between Schiphol Amsterdam station and any station in Amsterdam (Amstel, Bijlmer Arena, Amsterdam Centraal Central Station, Holendrecht, Lelylaan, Muiderpoort, RAI, Science Park, Sloterdijk, Zuid and Duivendrech)
• Amsterdam Airport Express (Bus 397) and Niteliner (Bus N97)

I was a tourist in Amsterdam and lived in the DAM square area from 28th September 2019 to 1st October 2019. I request you to please issue a 12 hour ticket for 4.0 Euro. The 24 hour ticket which I bought for 8 Euro becomes a bit redundant since trams are not there in the late hours up to early morning. We usually party till about 2 am and then the walk back from Bull Dog Palace at Leidseplein Square to Dam Square becomes arduous and dangerous since we are not in our senses. I used line 2, 14, 24 and 26 extensively during our stay there.

good information

Liebes Amsterdam Travel Guide Team,

erstmal Kompliment! Sehr gute Seite mit hilfreichen und übersichtlichen Informationen.

Wo finde ich eine Liste aller Teilnehmer wie Geschäfte, Kultureinrichtungen und Restaurants usw. die den 25% Rabatt durch die I Amsterdam Karte geben? Gibt es eventuell eine App oder ähnliches um auch die Standorte auf einer Karte zu sehen und eine gute Reise Route finden zu können? Falls nicht, wie kann ich Teilnehmer herausfinden? Oder muss ich in jedem Laden vor Ort einzeln nachfragen?

Vielen Dank im voraus! 🌷

Hallo Egga, vielen Dank für Dein Kompliment. Das ist eine tolle Motivation, weiter an unserem Reiseführer zu arbeiten.

Es gibt eine App “I amsterdam city card” für Apple und Android Geräte. Diese kann man nach dem Kauf herunterladen und sieht dann alle teilnehmenden Geschäfte / Restaurants.

Viel Spaß in Amsterdam!

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19 places you can get to by TRAIN from the Netherlands

All aboard! 🚂

Romantic weekends in Paris, celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich, or skiing in the French Alps: these 17 trains departing from Holland are guaranteed to bring you to dreamy destinations.

Sustainable , fast, AND comfortable, travelling with international trains from the Netherlands is an easy decision.

But are you still struggling to find your perfect destination? Strap in to find the ultimate getaway!

☀️ Direct international day trains from the Netherlands

🛌 international sleeper trains from amsterdam and beyond, 🌦️ seasonal international trains from the netherlands, 🚝 more international trains from the netherlands, 🍿 coming soon: more international trains and sleepers from the netherlands, ⚖️ pros and cons of travelling with international trains from the netherlands, 🎟️ how to buy tickets for international trains from the netherlands, 👌 tips for international train journeys from the netherlands, 🙋‍♀️ faqs: international trains and sleepers from the netherlands.

One of the many beauties of the European continent is its extraordinary train network. It’s never been so easy to hop on a train and ride straight into an international adventure. 🚂

So, all aboard — and strap in for the best direct international connections from the Netherlands!

1. London, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Ready to swap haring and stamppot for fish and chips? Or do you just want to enjoy an ice-cold beer at an authentic English pub? Well, London ’s the place to be then — innit? 😉

Geen problem (no problem), says Eurostar . In as little as 3 hours and 56 minutes, their high-speed train will bring you all the way across the North Sea and deliver you to London’s St. Pancras Station.

READ MORE |  How to get from Amsterdam to London: the complete guide

The direct train from Amsterdam to London, which also stops in Rotterdam, runs five times a day, and gives travellers a great variety of choices! 

💸 Cost: Starting from €44 ⏰ Duration: From 3 hours 56 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Rotterdam Centraal

2. Antwerp, Belgium 🇧🇪

Ah Belgium, the beloved ( or is it ?) little brother of the Netherlands. It’s no surprise that Antwerp made our list of international trains from the Netherlands. 🇧🇪

Just a short 1 hour 15 minutes Eurostar train journey away from Amsterdam, Antwerp is a great destination for a weekend away or a day trip. But pro tip: The journey’s cheaper (and only 30 minutes longer) if you opt for the Brussels InterCity.

READ MORE | 19 best day trips from Amsterdam: the ultimate travel guide

What is there to do in Antwerp, you ask? Well, plenty! Antwerp is a river city with extraordinary architecture, an international culinary scene, hipster delights, and yet a charming historic centre. Museums, concerts, parks, shops — you name it, Antwerp’s got it!

💸 Cost: Starting from €15.50 ⏰ Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal, Breda

3. Brussels, Belgium 🇧🇪

Fries, mussels, beer, and chocolate? SIGN US UP, because we can’t get enough of these Belgian delicacies. The best place to find them? In the Belgian capital, of course. 🧇🍟🍺 

Brussels is a multicultural city with so much more than just great grub. It’s also got glorious architecture and a fascinating history — a city that truly has something to offer to everyone. 

Curious to go see it for yourself? The IC Brussels will sweep you from Amsterdam to Brussels’ Manneken Pis in less than three hours.  

💸 Cost: Starting from €19 ⏰ Duration: 2 hours 44 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal, Breda

4.  Paris, France 🇫🇷

Eating the freshest of French pastries, taking long walks down the Seine, hanging with Mona Lisa, and having a cheeky kiss with a sexy Parisian (or your significant other) in front of the Eiffel Tower: Ooh la la!

READ MORE | If Emily in Paris were set in Amsterdam: here’s what our readers had to say

The answer is, ‘oui’, you can get to Paris from Amsterdam by train — and in as little as 3 hours and 20 minutes! 🇫🇷 

Eurostar’s fast train scoops you up from Amsterdam’s Central Station and delivers you in Paris faster than you can say ‘croissant’. You even have multiple departures each day to choose from!

💸 Cost: Starting from €35 ⏰ Duration (from Amsterdam): 3 hours 33 minutes 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal

5. Düsseldorf, Germany 🇩🇪

A short 2 hours and 12 minutes away from Amsterdam lies Düsseldorf — the fashion capital of Germany. It’s a super popular place for a short getaway among Nederlanders , and its easy accessibility by train is just one of the many reasons why.

Need travel inspo? Say no more. Climb the Rhine Tower to enjoy breathtaking panoramas of the city, enjoy a German beer in the world’s longest bar street, go on a romantic walk along the Rhine promenade, and window shop in the lavish Königsallee.

Oh, and while you’re in Germany, don’t forget to stop by a bakery to have some real bread (because the Netherlands doesn’t have any). 😉

💸 Cost: Starting from €20 ⏰ Duration: 2 hours 12 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem Centraal 

6. Cologne, Germany 🇩🇪

Köln (Cologne) is one of those super underrated cities that should definitely be on your travel radar for this year! 

From the magnificent Kölner Dom to the delicious chocolate museum, you are guaranteed to have a splendid time.

READ MORE | The 19 biggest differences between Germany and the Netherlands

NS’s international Intercity will swoop you out of Amsterdam and bring you straight to Cologne in just over three hours.

💸 Cost: Starting from €20 ⏰ Duration: 3 hours 17 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem Centraal

7. Disneyland Paris, France 🇫🇷

Looking to escape reality for a wee while? Get those mouse ears on, because just a stone’s throw away from France’s capital lies Disney’s only European location: Disneyland Paris. Wat leuk!

READ MORE | The guide to 10 thrilling theme parks in the Netherlands

Whether you’re a thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie, or simply trying to relive your dearest childhood memories — Disney’s magical vibe will make your dreams come true. 🪄

Jump aboard the Eurostar in Amsterdam and bibbidi-bobbidi-boo: within 3 and a half hours, you’ll be standing eye to eye with Mickey and his friends. 🐭

💸 Cost: Starting from €35 ⏰ Duration: 3 hours 33 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal

8. Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪

Do you want to shamelessly let out your inner hipster for a weekend? Or maybe learn about World War II ? Berlin is the place for you. The German capital is a perfect getaway by train from the Netherlands. 

With exceptional landmarks, a vibrant cultural scene, and some of the world’s best Döner Kebab , Berlin never ceases to amaze us. 

Thanks to the InterCity between Amsterdam and Berlin, you can easily make your Berlin-dreams come true! The best part? The train’s five daily departures between 7 AM and 3 PM let you be heel flexible in your travels.

💸 Cost: Starting at €40 ⏰ Duration: 6 hours 25 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Hilversum, Amersfoort Centraal, Apeldoorn, Deventer, Almelo, Hengelo

Fancy going to sleep in the Netherlands and waking up in another country? Geen problem! 

The Netherlands has multiple overnight trains that can take you to different destinations around Europe — all while dreaming the sweetest dreams. 😴

9. Basel, Switzerland 🇨🇭

This Swiss city on the Rhine river has plenty of reasons (and rich people 😉) to fall in love with — why not go see for yourself? It’s only a night’s train away! 

READ MORE | Why is there a first and second class on trains in the Netherlands?

Although it’s a small city, Basel won’t let you run out of things to do that easily. As the cultural capital of Switzerland, the city hosts countless museums and art galleries that will have any art lover swooning. 

Prefer to explore nature? Just take a dip in the Rhine (if you dare), or ride a bike over to Germany or France. 🚵‍♀️

💸 Cost: Starting at €50 for a seat, €80 for a sleeping cot ⏰ Duration: 9 hours 52 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem Centraal

10. Munich, Germany 🇩🇪

Oktoberfest vibes year-round? Heck yeah, we’re here for it. Munich is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in Germany — so it would be wrong not to include it on a list of the best places to get to by international train from the Netherlands. 

If nibbling on a warm pretzel and sipping fresh German beer sounds like the perfect weekend for you, then what are you waiting for? 🥨

Nightjet’s sleeper train will take you from Amsterdam to Munich within 12 hours — and offer you a journey that’s much more manageable than driving on the Autobahn! 

💸 Cost: Starting from €30 for a seat, €80 for a sleeping cot ⏰ Duration: 11 hours 40 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, ‘s-Hertogenbosch

11. Innsbruck, Austria 🇦🇹

If you miss the stop at Munich Central Station, worry not! The same train ends up in sensational Innsbruck.

Quirky, colourful houses? Innsbruck’s get ‘em. A stunning old town? All yours to explore. But the best part? MOUNTAINS! 

READ MORE | Why is the Netherlands so flat? The complete explanation

Tucked in the incredible landscape of the Austrian Alps, this small town will definitely leave you wanting more. 🏔️

💸 Cost: Starting at €30 for a seat, €80 for a sleeping cot ⏰ Duration: 13 hours 45 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, ‘s-Hertogenbosch

12. Zurich, Switzerland 🇨🇭

Move a little further into Switzerland, and you’ll find captivating Zurich, the biggest city of the country (but not its capital, nuh-uh!). 🇨🇭

Once you’ve arrived, swap out Dutch cheese for Swiss cheese and explore the colourful old town. Sounds good? Natuurlijk it does — and luckily, Nightjet’s sleeper train from Amsterdam can effortlessly get you there.

Step on in Amsterdam at 8.28 PM, fall asleep to the rhythmic chugging of the train, and open your eyes in Zurich at 8.05 AM — fully rested and ready bright and early to seize the day.  

💸 Cost: Starting at €40 for a seat, €80 for a sleeping cot ⏰ Duration: 11 hours 37 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅  Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem Centraal

13. Vienna, Austria 🇦🇹

Visiting Vienna is dangerous — chances are REALLY high you’ll find yourself wanting to move there. After all, it’s been crowned the world’s most livable city MANY years in a row. 🇦🇹

But tourists enjoy Vienna just as much as locals do. After all, who wouldn’t love to enjoy a lekker Wiener Schnitzel surrounded by inspiring street art and lavish architecture?

Good news: getting from Amsterdam to Austria’s capital is easy as pie (or should we say Apfelstrudel?). With Nightjet’s sleeper, you’ll have crossed the 1,200-kilometre distance in just under 14 hours. 

💸 Cost: Starting from €70 for a seat, €117 for a sleeping cot ⏰ Duration: 13 hours 45 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht Centraal, ‘s-Hertogenbosch

14. Prague, Czech Republic 🇨🇿

The sleeper train between Amsterdam and Prague has been long anticipated , and has finally launched in March of 2024. 

From visiting Prague’s many museums to roaming around the old town and tasting the delicious local cuisine, Prague is a true gem that should feature on anyone’s travel bucket list.

Thanks to European Sleeper , getting to the lovely capital of the Czech Republic is now as easy as going to sleep. 😴

💸 Cost: Starting from €79 for a seat, €99 for a sleeping cot ⏰ Duration: 12 hours 10 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Rosendaal, Rotterdam Centraal, Den Haag HS, Amsterdam Centraal, Amersfoort Centraal, Deventer

15. Dresden and Saxon Switzerland, Germany

Going to sleep in flat ol’ Netherlands and waking up in a green mountain paradise? Yup, thanks to  European Sleeper ‘s newest night train to Germany, it’s be possible! 

In so-called Saxon Switzerland, a national park located south of the city of Dresden, you’ll find breathtaking sandstone cliffs, unique rock formations, deep canyons, lush valleys, and amazing lookout points. 🏔️

It’s a great place for an outdoorsy getaway. And the best part? It’s just a train ride away!

💸 Cost: Starting from €79 for a seat, €99 for a sleeping cot ⏰ Duration: 9 hours 55 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Rosendaal, Rotterdam Centraal, Den Haag HS, Amsterdam Centraal, Amersfoort Centraal, Deventer

Train carriers just know how to cater to their clientèle, which is why Eurostar introduced two special seasonal train lines for the summer and winter respectively. How leuk !

While Eurostar Sun will take you to the south of France, Eurostar Snow heads for the French Alps at a top speed of 300 kilometres an hour! 🚝

16. South of France 🇫🇷

If you’re anything like us, then the Netherlands has you dreaming of the Mediterranean sunshine. Lucky for all of us sun-chasers, Thalys is making these dreams MUCH more attainable. Oh mon dieu! ☀️

READ MORE | 7 destinations for a romantic camping getaway in France

Forget traffic jams, high petrol prices and stressful pee-breaks, and think tanned Frenchmen, fresh seafood, and a blue, blue sea! With Eurostar’s seasonal Eurostar Sun line, travelling to the South of France is easy as ever. 

This international train from the Netherlands rides to four French Mediterranean destinations in just eight hours: Valence, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, and Marseille. 

💸 Cost: Starting from €49 ⏰ Duration: 13 hours 45 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal

17. French Alps 🇫🇷

Ah, the marvellous French Alps, what a sight for sore eyes! If you are (like the Dutchies), a fan of zooming down the slopes, and singing your heart out at après-ski parties, then jump aboard. 

READ MORE | 7 winter escapes from the Netherlands by train

Every Saturday between December 24 and March 25, Eurostar Snow ’s international train from the Netherlands can take you to some of the most marvellous ski resorts of the French Alps. 

Stops along the way include Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers, Aime-La-Plagne, Landry and Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

💸 Cost: Starting from €65 ⏰ Duration: 8 hours 50 minutes (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal

So far, all the trains included in this article have been direct trains from the Netherlands to various European countries. 

Of course, if you don’t mind some stops and transfers along the way, you can explore many other exciting destinations. The possibilities are (almost) endless!

18. Rome, Italy 🇮🇹

Travelling to Italy by train? Certo (of course), it’s possible — all roads lead to Rome, after all! 

Throw back one too many Aperols, and indulge in delicious Italian feasts (pizza and tiramisu, anyone?) while losing yourself in the history of one of the oldest cities of Europe. Or, if you’re up for it, get yourself a charming Italian lover to show you around on his Vespa. 😉

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #32: Eat a lot of very questionable snack food

With as little as two transfers, you can get from Amsterdam Central to the Italian capital (without having to face crazy Italian drivers along the way) — and enjoy all that la Bella Italia has to offer.

💸 Cost: Depends on the trip and amount of transfers — starting from around €110 ⏰ Duration: Around 21 hours (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal 🚏 Common transfer locations: Basel, Zürich, Milan

19. Luxembourg, Luxembourg 🇱🇺

With the proximity of Luxembourg, it’s surprising that there is no direct international train from the Netherlands to this marvellous little country.

READ MORE | Road trips from the Netherlands to Luxembourg

Nonetheless, Luxembourg is just a 6-hour journey away, if you don’t mind a quick transfer (or two, depending on what trip you book) along the way. And let us tell you: Lëtzebuerg is so worth it!

From swimming in lakes, to exploring the modern capital, or charming medieval towns, the country’s small size makes it easy to explore its entirety within just a few days. The best part? Public transport is entirely free, so getting around will never be an issue. 

💸 Cost: Depends on the trip and amount of transfers — starting from around €35 ⏰ Duration: Around 6 hours (from Amsterdam) 🚅 Get on at: Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal 🚏 Common transfer locations: Brussels, Arlon

International train travel is becoming increasingly popular among passengers in the Netherlands. Naturally, train companies are responding by working on even more direct lines. Hoera!

Here are a few of the confirmed plans! 👇

Warsaw, Poland 🇵🇱

What lies right behind Czechia? Beautiful Poland, of course! How great would it be if the European Sleeper to Prague continued to Warsaw?! 🤩

Did you just say “super great”? Then you’re in luck! Because those are the exact plans of the company. 

Although a launch date for this route is not yet known, the intention is that the night train to Prague will also get a number of carriages that go all the way to the Polish capital. 🇵🇱

Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸

If sunshine is calling, any Nederlander will answer. Well, good news for the Dutch: EuropeanSleeper doesn’t just have its eye on Warsaw but also on Barcelona !

Taking passengers from several stations in the Netherlands to Spain’s picturesque heart, the sleeper is expected to get here by the spring of 2025. 💃

Whether travelling by international train is the right thing for you is up to you to decide. Nonetheless, we’ve compiled some pros and cons to help you make up your mind.

• It’s super eco-friendly!
• It’s a lot faster than travelling by bus.
• During your journey, you can easily work or relax.
• You can avoid traffic jams.
• It’s a great option for people who are afraid of flying.
• It can be pricey.
• Most of the time, it’s slower than flying.
• Trains can be crowded and noisy. (Noise-cancelling headphones can help!)
• You might be less flexible once you arrive at your destination (but the same goes for flying).
• Trains can be unreliable.

Most tickets for international trains from the Netherlands can conveniently be ordered on NS international’s website , or at a physical NS counter at a train station. 

However, if you want to save some bucks, it may be worth checking the websites of the respective train carriers first (for example Eurostar, European Sleeper and Nightjet). They sometimes have better offers or special deals. 

While international trains from the Netherlands are A-MAZING in themselves, here are some tips to follow that will make your trip even more pleasant.

• If you’re trying to secure cheap tickets (because why wouldn’t you?), book early. If you book far enough in advance, tickets can be up to €100 to €200 cheaper.
• Always book your journey from your actual station of departure, instead of using your own OV-chipcard for the Dutch part of the trip. This is cheaper and saves you the hassle of having to check in twice.
• If you’re looking to go away for a long weekend, it’s cheaper to go from Saturday to Monday than from Friday to Sunday.
• When travelling on an international train from the Netherlands, remember to bring your ID or passport, and residence permit (if you have one). Even if you don’t go through a security check, your documents could be checked at customs.
• Don’t forget to take out some cash before leaving the Netherlands. While the Netherlands likes to do everything by bankpas , other countries might not. 
• If tickets for your desired destinations are not available yet, make sure to set yourself a reminder in your calendar. Remember: The early bird catches the worm.

Now, what are you waiting for? Time to book that train journey to the destination of your dreams!

Hopefully, these international trains from the Netherlands will make travelling as easy-breezy as the Dutch coast.

Do you prefer to travel internationally by train, car, or plane? Tell us in the comments below!

Which countries can I go to from the Netherlands by train?

Technically, with enough transfers, international trains from the Netherlands could get you to most countries in Europe! But if you don’t feel like endless transfers, direct international trains from the Netherlands can take you to France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and England.

Are there international trains from the Netherlands?

Yes! People living in, or visiting the Netherlands are lucky to have several international trains available to them. The great connections make it easy to get around Europe.

What companies operate international trains from the Netherlands?

Depending on their destinations, international trains from the Netherlands are operated by different companies. The leading operators are Thalys, Eurostar, Nightjet and NS.

How many sleeper trains does the Netherlands have?

In total, there are five sleeper trains from the Netherlands to cities in Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

When can I book international train tickets in the Netherlands?

When tickets for international trains go on sale largely depends on the destination of your choice and the company that carries it. 

Here’s a list of when different companies start selling their tickets.👇

• Thalys (Paris, Disney, Brussels and Antwerpen): 4 months before departure 
• IC Brussels, and other (indirect) destinations in Belgium: around 11 months before departure
• German destinations: 180 days before departure 
• Eurostar (London): 180 days before departure 

What new international trains are coming to the Netherlands?

In an effort to make international travel more sustainable, many more train lines between the Netherlands and other countries are in the works. Confirmed destinations include Prague, Warsaw and Barcelona.

Can I travel to Italy from the Netherlands by train?

Unfortunately, there are no direct international trains from the Netherlands to Italy just yet. However, if you don’t mind a few transfers, then you can easily get to Italy via Switzerland.  

Is there a train from the Netherlands to the UK?

Jazeker! Eurostar’s direct can take you from Amsterdam (or Rotterdam) through the chunnel, and deliver you at London’s St. Pancras station in under four hours.

What countries are close to Amsterdam by train?

The neighbouring counties of the Netherlands are Germany and Belgium. These are most easily accessible by international train from Amsterdam.

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Does the Gvb day ticket include travel on bus 397? - Amsterdam Forum

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Does the Gvb day ticket include travel on bus 397?

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The Gvb ticket to my research is good for 24 hrs but does not include use of the train from AMS airport to the city.

I am staying near bus 397. Can someone please help confirm whether the Gvb ticket includes usage on bus 397.

4 replies to this topic

Bus #397 is operated by Connexxion not by GVB. So no, your GVB ticket won’t be valid.

Thank you. So if I need two trips from airport to the city the same day, It is best to buy the travel card?

Right, that's the card that I meant

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The Maya Train Will Get You to All of Yucatán’s Best Spots. But Not Yet.

In December, the train began running on its first route through Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. On a five-day journey a few months later, the author encountered enthusiasm, and scheduling hiccups.

By Elisabeth Malkin

Elisabeth Malkin has been visiting the Yucatán Peninsula for three decades.

I stepped off the platform at the gleaming new Maxcanú train station, eager to see the magnificent Maya archaeological site of Uxmal. All I needed was a taxi to take me there, a trip of about 30 miles away.

There are no taxis, said the stationmaster, as we stood on the polished limestone floors of the high-ceilinged station, which was cool and breezy despite the brilliant late-morning sun outside. And I was the third person in two weeks to get off at Maxcanú expecting to reach Uxmal, he said.

I was midway through a five-day trip to explore the brand-new Maya Train and several of its destinations in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico . Designed to run 965 miles (1,554 kilometers) around a loop of 34 stations when completed, the train will whisk passengers in cool comfort through colonial cities, archaeological sites, splashy resorts and tropical forests.

Now I was stunned. Wrangling a taxi has never been a problem in Mexico. But the drivers gathered in the main square of Maxcanú offered only beat-up vans that hopscotch through small towns, where I might or might not find a taxi to Uxmal. The next van was leaving in 45 minutes.

Yucatán’s layers of history have long held me spellbound. During earlier car trips, I have clambered up deserted Maya temples and palaces, stepped into the cool naves of massive 16th-century churches and visited restored haciendas, testaments of the ostentation — and hardship — of the peninsula’s 19th-century plantation economy. Traveling by train, I thought, would allow me to steep myself in more of that history.

But as I found in Maxcanú, a train won’t necessarily get you to where you want to go.

During my February trip, I traveled on the only route then available, an east-west leg that opened in December and runs from Cancún to Mérida, and then south through the port city of Campeche to the Maya site of Palenque (a short route between Cancún and Playa del Carmen opened last month, with three trains a day). I encountered scheduling confusion, unfinished stations and a dearth of trains — just two operating daily each way between Cancún and Campeche, and only one to Palenque. Overnight sleepers and special dining trains seem years away.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador considers the Maya Train his showcase development project, and wants to inaugurate the rest of the train before he leaves office on October 1. Based on my experience, that goal seems elusive.

A $29-billion route through the jungle

I started my journey in Cancún, where in the pre-dawn gloom the station hovered like a glowing spaceship. An attendant scanned the ticket I had bought online and a half-dozen more pointed me toward my tourist-class car, which was about a quarter full. I planned to go to Campeche, about 300 miles away, stopping once each day. At 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) an hour, the train covers the route in about six hours, the same as a car. (When construction is complete, the train’s speed should increase to 160 kilometers an hour.)

The car’s wide windows looked out at a wall of low jungle. The blue-green seats were comfortable and there was ample space between the rows. I bought a very good cappuccino at the snack bar, but declined the plastic-wrapped sandwiches. The rest of the merchandise was fruit cups, milk boxes and junk food.

The train will ultimately cost much more than the $29 billion budgeted so far, and it’s not the first time ambitious planners have alighted on the region. Cancún was once a tiny fishing village, selected half a century ago as a tourist hub. Last year 10 million international tourists flew into its airport, more than the airports of Mexico City, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta combined.

But uncontrolled growth has stressed the Caribbean coast’s fragile environment. The Maya Train, scientists warn , will push those problems south, threatening the area’s water supply, its unique system of underground limestone caves and its vast nature reserves.

Mr. López Obrador has charged ahead, handing the train over to the military , and arguing that it will spread Cancún’s wealth and attract new visitors. Mexico received more than 42 million overseas tourists last year and they spent almost $31 billion .

Local governments see an opportunity. “The train will allow people to disperse throughout the peninsula,” said Michelle Fridman, the tourism secretary for Yucatán state, which promotes dozens of attractions far beyond highlights like Mérida and Chichén Itzá .

Now that the train is operating, transport companies will begin to connect stations with lesser-known sites nearby, she said.

It’s fair to ask whether the train is the most effective way to develop the peninsula’s tourism. Tour companies already run trips to many sites from major cities, which are well served by buses. Driving a rental car through most of the area is considered safe , according to U.S. State Department travel guidance .

Route of Mexico’s Maya Train

Canceled trip.

It took two hours (and one time-zone change) to reach Valladolid, a colonial city of handsome streets and ancient churches, where I bought the rest of my tickets at the station. A tourist-class ticket from Cancún to Valladolid costs 472 pesos (around $28) for foreigners and 355 pesos (around $21) for Mexicans. First class, with wider seats, costs 755.50 pesos and 566.50 pesos, and discounts are available for older travelers and residents of the five states along the train’s route. (A first-class bus from downtown Cancún to Valladolid costs between 222 and 344 pesos, depending on the time of day, and takes half an hour longer.)

It was impossible to run the new Maya Train tracks into dense city centers and the Valladolid station, like the rest, was outside the urban core. A waiting bus took disembarking passengers downtown, a 15-minute ride for 35 pesos.

That day I toured Ek Balam , the site of a ninth-century Maya kingdom that is dominated by a 100-foot palace distinguished by a facade of carvings depicting winged warriors, stylized animal features and geometric patterns bordered by giant fangs. Admission to the site includes entry to the X-Canché cenote, one of thousands of limestone sinkholes that were sacred to the Maya.

Later that afternoon, I was wandering through the Museum of Ethnic Clothing, a private collection of traditional dress, embroidery and hats, when a WhatsApp message from the ticket office blinked on my phone. My train scheduled for the following day was canceled.

I decided to deal with the problem in the morning and enjoy the city. As I wandered past the antique shops and boutique hotels of the elegant Calzada de los Frailes, it was clear that Valladolid’s tourism, and the infrastructure to handle it, was well established. The Maya Train is simply an alternative way to reach a city that tourists discovered years ago.

‘We’re on the Tren Maya!’

In the morning, I found that my train had not been canceled, but the station for which I had a ticket, Tixkokob, was closed. I got off instead one stop earlier at Izamal, known for its ocher streets and the giant Franciscan convent of San Antonio de Padua, built atop the ruins of a pyramid.

During the 90-minute ride, I heard widespread enthusiasm among fellow travelers who expressed a willingness to give the train time to work out the kinks. “We’re an experiment,” said Oliva Escobedo Ochoa, 64, who was vacationing from her home in central Mexico.

Leticia Iliassich, 57, who is Mexican, was traveling with her Croatian husband along with relatives from Mexico and Croatia. They had initially been scheduled on an earlier train to Mérida that had been canceled. “We knew that it was a new project,” she said. “We don’t mind.”

The group had already sent a video to friends declaring, “We’re on the Tren Maya!”

At the Izamal station I hitched a 15-minute ride into the town center with a man who had asked me to take his photo alongside the train and his father. From there I negotiated a taxi to Hacienda San Lorenzo Aké, a working hacienda that still turns the fiber from an agave plant called henequén into coarse rope. Global demand for henequén, known as Yucatán’s “green gold,” brought fantastic wealth to the region in the mid-19th century, speckling the peninsula with more than 1,000 haciendas. ( Many are now sumptuous hotels.)

Where geometry, nature and the divine merge

It was during my third day that I found myself stuck in Maxcanú, after a 90-minute train ride from Izamal. The stationmaster, an army captain, offered me a ride to Uxmal, just as he had to the stranded tourists before me.

Eying Uxmal’s 4 p.m. final ticket sale, I accepted.

My situation made it clear just how distant the Maya Train’s promises are for tourists seeking to explore more of Yucatán. In time, that will change, said Ms. Fridman, the tourism secretary. “The idea is to have more hotels along the train line,” she said. “That will happen little by little.”

But Uxmal , among the most stunning of the Maya sites, made up for the inconvenience. Uxmal’s grand buildings are faced with intricate decorative masks as well as friezes in which geometry, nature and the divine merge. New plaques at each structure offer detailed information in English and Spanish, part of the government’s investment in improving displays at Maya sites for the train project.

Most tourists either take day trips by car or bus to Uxmal from Mérida or stay at one of three nearby hotels. As I finished dinner at my hotel, the dining room began to fill up: 47 Polish tourists had arrived.

Panama hats and a cramped van

My plan for the day was to go by taxi to Bécal, a town where Panama hats are woven in limestone caves to keep the fibers soft, and then pick up the afternoon train in nearby Calkiní for the port city of Campeche.

But I spent so much time watching the hat-making demonstration and then fitting my new hat and buying gifts that we set off with little time to reach the station. To my chagrin, I missed the train, the last one of the day.

On Calkiní’s central square, I found a van that was leaving for Campeche. Cost: 65 pesos. Time: about 1 hour and 20 minutes, similar to what I would have spent on the train. Of course, I was trapped in a cramped seat and had to listen to the driver’s choice of sentimental ballads, but I was dropped off in downtown Campeche, close to my hotel.

The next day, I toured the Museum of Maya Archaeology , an expertly curated collection that included haunting jade funeral masks, glyphs and delicate ceramic figures.

José Madrigal, 45, an engineer from Fremont, Calif., was trying to make Maya pottery interesting for his twin sons. The boys had just turned 5 and their birthday present had been a ride on the Maya Train. “They love trains,” Mr. Madrigal said. Then the family moved on, keeping up a brisk clip through the museum. They had another train to catch.

Should you take the train?

Yes, if you are traveling between larger stations. The train also offers a way to get to Palenque, which is harder to reach and has roads with security concerns. Travelers can stow bicycles on board.

To see train times, check the destinations on the website . You cannot buy tickets online more than a week in advance. But when you finally board, the ride is smooth — and the coffee is excellent.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Stunning Hotels That Used To Be Train Stations

T ravelers often speak of the romance of trains, and there's undoubtedly an element of truth to that declaration. Train travel allows us to really feel the fabric of a journey, to experience the weight of a trip and its distance, and to immerse ourselves in the actual process of going from one place to another. This is unlike taking a flight, which feels like time travel to another dimension, with the points of origination and arrival seeming disparate and unconnected. 

Railway stations are a key part of the experience, hubs that are often beautifully designed, spacious, and simple, stripped of draconian security, and comfortable in the role of pretty gateways to getaways. Some stations have become landmarks in their own right, places that visitors will come to admire even if they have no intention of taking a rail trip — Grand Central Terminal in New York City is an obvious example. Others have long stopped serving a practical purpose and have been transformed into commercial spaces, perhaps into a bar or even a hotel, allowing travelers a place to stay where they can appreciate the property's rich back story.

Read more: 11 Things You Didn't Know You Could Ask For From A Hotel

Alton Station, England

Residents of England who like a little thrill in their rides will be familiar with Alton Towers, a theme park in the middle of the country packed with exciting rollercoasters and beautiful grounds. This hotel, in the county of Staffordshire, sits nearby and was a functioning station from 1849 until the 1960s. Renovations on the main station, as well as the abode of the station master, transformed the place into a fully functioning spot for a stay. The ticket office, for instance, is now a bedroom, and the ladies' waiting area, created back in the day when the genders were demarcated by their own spaces, was turned into a kitchen. 

In 2022, a refurbishment helped to spruce up the beautifully patterned Minton tiles that were a hallmark of the station floor. Some original features remain, such as the plaster panels, the ticket barrier at the booking office, and oil lamps. Expect pretty surroundings with gorgeous views of the nearby Churnet Valley.

Canfranc Estación, Spain

Looking at this property, the word "grand" immediately comes to mind. A long, gorgeously designed building sitting in the Pyrenees mountain, it was originally known as the Canfranc station and opened as a railway port in the late 1920s. Close to the border with France, the Spanish property is extremely luxurious. Much of the interior design of rooms and public spaces is modeled on the prevalent materials when the station opened, the heyday of Art Deco, with brass, wood, and velvet strongly represented. 

The exterior form was, however, more reminiscent of the style of stations from the 1800s, with touches like a roof featuring slate tiles and a massive dome as the centerpiece. Walking around the hotel, it's easy to imagine the building's original purpose, evident from the arched doorways and windows, the high-ceilinged lobby area, and the pretty floor tiles. Additions include a plush heated pool and a fully equipped gym.

Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown Union Station, United States

A broad brick building in the heart of Indianapolis, this property is a short walk from the Lucas Oil Stadium, the home field of the Indianapolis Colts. The structure boasts a Romanesque-revival exterior and was once a piece of the city's original Union Station. It is of such cultural significance that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Relics of the station quietly reveal themselves to guests, from the bright atrium lobby that was part of the train shed to the Grand Hall with its curved roof and colonnaded side arches. 

One of the most fascinating aspects of the hotel is the rooms, with 26 of the accommodations set inside actual Pullman train carriages dating from the early 1900s. For fans of railway travel, it doesn't get much better than this. Guests looking to unwind can take a dip in the heated swimming pool.

Hotel Chalet, United States

Formerly known as Chattanooga Choo Choo, this destination sits in the heart of the Tennessee city. Visitors will fall in love with rooms built inside former train carriages, with the Sleeper Deluxe category fitted with a trundle bed and opening to a wall of windows. For the complete experience, consider booking a MacArthur Suite, which stretches across the length of an entire train car, can sleep four guests, and features its own dining area, powder room, and even a private outdoor terrace (a perfect spot for lingering over a fruity tipple at the end of a day). 

The property dates to the 1970s, when it opened as the train station called Chattanooga Choo Choo, and it was joined in 2015 by the massive residential condo development called Passenger Flats. For large-scale events, the Hotel Chalet has the Beverly Ballroom, a generous space with 18-foot ceilings, swish pendant lights, and an undeniable sense of refined class.

Hotel Stanica Ravno, Bosnia And Herzegovina

The station in Bosnia and Herzegovina was once a stop for trains traveling between Dubrovnik, a signifcant trading city on the Adriatic, and Vienna, the Austrian capital. From its roots as a station over a century ago, it has been transformed into a small, quaint hotel that doesn't wow with lofty overtures and grand, dramatic spaces but by its intimate, cozy character. The hotel has six rooms and a maximum capacity of 18 guests, meaning every guest gets a personal experience in a property packed with history.

Travelers can look forward to quiet, soothing rooms with four-poster beds, comforting color schemes, and walls of exposed brick that speak of the building's past. The hotel is surrounded by undulating hills and the gorgeous Herzegovinian countryside, famous for its Karst landscape and excellent vineyards. Hotel Stanica is also a key stop on the revamped Ćiro Trail bike route, which follows the former rail route as closely as possible. Popovo Polje (which translates loosely to "Priest's Field" in English) is about 30 minutes away by car, where karst mountains rise theatrically from the valley floor.

Hotel Station Amstelveen, Netherlands

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport sits only about 15 minutes by car from the Hotel Station Amstelveen, a property whose name refers to the suburb of Amsterdam where it resides. The building, a delightfully intimate affair with only five rooms, has a sturdy brick exterior, while interiors are bright, with contrasting white linens and furnishings that create a pleasant atmosphere of old and new. 

The rooms have names celebrating the hotel's past (it first opened in 1915 as a railway station, becoming a hotel much more recently), with choices like Porter, Conductor Suite, Master, and Inspector. All feature king- or queen-size beds, televisions loaded with many viewing options, and are incredibly inviting spaces. Run as a bed and breakfast, it feels more like someone's home than a commercial enterprise, making it a comforting place to stay when visiting Amsterdam, one packed with travel-focused history and the quaint glamour that is everywhere in the Dutch capital.

InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, Thailand

Nature lovers visiting Thailand might recognize part of the name of this resort. The Intercontinental Khao Yai Resort is just a short drive from Khao Yai National Park, home to the Siamese crocodile, two types of gibbon, and more. While the InterContinental resort was never actually a train station, it certainly ticks the box when it comes to train-centric imagery, with old train carriages repurposed for accommodations. The brainchild of star American designer Bill Bensley, the carriages have undergone extensive upgrades, arrayed in curling rows around a small lake and set between verdant landscaping. 

They display both simplicity in their design and opulence in their materials, with touches like old railway signboards incorporated into the scheme. Poirot Restaurant is set inside an old rail car, as is the sleek, artfully lit Terminus Bar. Even the spa, playfully called Back on Track, features a massage table inside a carriage and a reception area brimming with railway station accents.

Kruger Shalati, South Africa

A train stuck on a bridge might make passengers feel a touch uncomfortable, but for guests of Kruger Shalati, there is nothing to worry about. The train, moored over the Sabie River, has train cars refitted to become suites, though the resort also has rooms in a house nearby. The luxury of the accommodations is apparent as soon as you step in, from plush fabrics and linens to rich marble and wood. Entry to the property is on solid land, with the reception, restaurants, and rooms set next to the Selati Bridge. 

The real draw is to book a room atop the bridge, cleverly designed so that the bed looks through large windows over the river, Kruger National Park , and the wildlife that comes to the water year-round. The overall atmosphere takes guests back to a rail safari in the 1920s, an era when glamour was an integral component in exploration. For a photo-op to incite jealousy in your friends and family, check out the pool suspended on a deck over the river.

Namsen Salmon & Train Experience, Norway

Another that is not actually a former station, but for fans of all things dual gauge, it certainly scratches the itch. Here, travelers will find train cars that double up as hotel rooms, sitting on a bridge over the Namsen River in the center of Norway. The property, run by Elizabeth Hamsund and Torger Haugen, is especially suited to train and fishing enthusiasts. The bridge used to function as a way for trains to cross the Namsen River, but since 2005, no trains have passed over it, and the line ceased operation. 

The couple were granted permission to use the bridge in 2015, and in May 2017, the duo unveiled four railway carriages on the 180-meter span, sitting above a river teeming with salmon. By night, guests can retire to cars that haven't been radically altered — some still have the upper and lower sleeping berths emblematic of train travel — while daytimes are filled with salmon fishing in beautiful nature.

Nipponia Hotel ‌Koyasan Pilgrimage Railway, Japan

A town of heartwarming tranquility and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Japanese temple settlement Koyasan is an incredible place to visit, with more than 50 temples where visitors can stay and double that number dotted around its mountainside. For anyone searching for peace, quiet, and simple Buddhist temple food, Koyasan is one to add to the bucket list. This hotel sits by a station that is historically a starting point for worshippers as they head up to the mountain temples and monasteries on foot. 

The building next to the train tracks was built in 1926 and was used by station employees, but following an overhaul, it was revamped to create two guest bedrooms. The railway connection is evident not just from the view of trains but also from the touches within the rooms — handrails, luggage racks, dials and gauges, foldable seats, passenger straps, old train staff uniforms, and more.

Old Railway Station, England

In Petworth, a small town in the rural expanses of West Sussex, England, this property uses a former station's stock to create a welcoming bed and breakfast. The railway station is more than a century old, completed in 1892, and located in a town that is known today for its wealth of arts and antique shops. Hints of yesteryear are on display at this bed and breakfast, where the morning meal is served on the former platform. 

Rooms are split between the main building — the former station house — and lovingly restored Pullman carriages. Inside the train cars, guests will find comfortable beds, wooden shutters, and gleaming wood floors, while station house digs include one with a pretty cathedral ceiling. A new edition, currently under renovation and slated to open in 2024, is Princess Ena, a carriage that will be overhauled and become a buffet car. Petworth is a nostalgic sort of place, and there is plenty waiting at The Old Railway Station Hotel.

Platform 1 Castle Howard Station, England

In gorgeous Yorkshire, England, this lodging sits by a station close to Castle Howard, a grand stately home built between 1701 and 1811. Fans of historical drama might recognize the immense country house, for it was a site used in the filming of "Brideshead Revisited," a British TV show based on the novel of the same name that first aired in 1981. Platform 1 calls the train station its home, and it's a Grade II listed building, referring to a United Kingdom designation for structures of special historic interest. 

Today, the accommodation is set up as an apartment, accessed through a door that Queen Victoria walked through when visiting a noble at the mansion more than 150 years ago. The unit is notable for its natural light and breaks off into various rooms, all with underfloor heating and a stove that uses wood logs to generate extra warmth. Trains still run intermittently at the station, and guests can watch them whizz by, especially on weekends.

Radisson Lackawanna, United States

Expect a sense of epic grandeur at this former station in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Finished in 1908 and designed in French Renaissance style, the sturdy building was a humming, bustling train station with some pretty ornate detailing. Visitors will see imposing columns out front, with a large clock above, while inside, marble columns and walls, a curved stained-glass ceiling with Tiffany glass, and a large lobby area that was the station's main concourse speak to the pomp of the place in its heyday. 

The lobby is an excellent place for just sitting and soaking in the atmosphere, not to mention imagining the thrum of passengers crisscrossing the space en route to their trains or the ticket office. Rooms, of which there are 146 divided among different categories, are more muted, with leather wall panels behind beds and unfussy color schemes dominated by whites and browns. The hotel is grand and down-to-earth all at once.

St. Louis Union Station Hotel, United States

The Missouri property was a once powerhouse of train travel, opened in 1894, close to the center of St. Louis. The hotel presents a sweep of exquisite design, not least in the Grand Hall. The lobby area shimmers with a vast curving roof, intricate mosaic detailing, artful arches around the edges, gleaming marble floors, and tons of places to sit, from comfortable couches with high backs to stylish single-seater armchairs. When used as a canvas for a 3D light show, the Grand Hall becomes a living art space, and projections of images like stained-glass windows enhance its creative appeal. 

The building is no less impressive, looking almost like a refined European chateau, with steep rooflines and a soaring clock tower. Rooms take the opulence down a few notches, distinguished by their practical form that is a contrast to public areas. The swimming pool, set inside what feels like a train shed, is a joy.

Train Spot Guesthouse, Portugal

This bed-and-breakfast lodging in Portugal is on a line that once connected the country with Spain. The property sits within the former Marvão-Beirā station, a building that has been recognized by the government as an architectural gem and that is only a few miles from the border with Spain. Rooms are dotted around the building, set around a wooden staircase edged by a shiny white handrail, and have punches of color; they come with a private or shared bathroom. Apartments, suitable for four people, are set on the ground level and add a full kitchen to the amenities offered. 

The renovation of the station is very stylish, with jazzy tiles in public spaces and pleasing outdoor seating near the old train tracks that allow guests to make the most of the joyous climate. Travelers can take meals outside by the lawn, followed by a siesta in a hammock nearby. The village of Marvão, a short distance away, still feels medieval, set high up on a promontory above the surrounding plains.

Train Station Inn & Railway Dining Car, Canada

Open seasonally during the warmer months, this property in Nova Scotia, Canada, has cabooses revamped as hotel rooms, set by the former Tatamagouche Train Station that was built in the 1880s. All made in Canada, the exterior of the train vessels look very much like they did when in service, with bright coloring and slender ladders for accessing each carriage's roof. The indoors are another story, upgraded with knotty pine walls and ceilings and quilted bedspreads, lending the rooms the air of a frontier outpost. 

They sleep between two to four guests, depending on configuration, with some featuring bunk beds or period details such as a conductor's old seat. The Caboose Carole is particularly excellent, sleeping five (assuming one of them is a child) and located near the station building, with a tucked-away bed hidden under the railway berth. Meals can be taken in a former rail car, drinks are plentiful at the Baggage Room Bar, and the old platform hosts occasional live concerts.

Union Station Hotel Nashville Yards, United States

This former station sure is a sight to behold. An imposing building, it is populated with gorgeous archways, soaring towers and turrets, and a strong Gothic aesthetic. Much of the original detail remains, from the dense stone exterior to the clock tower that showcases a statue of Mercury, and the lobby with a vaulted ceiling and rich marble floors to the gilt bas-reliefs of angels. 

The standout is the lobby roof, which gives the space with regal air through expanses of stained glass. The building opened in 1900 and has aged beautifully, helped by a 2023 renovation that installed clean-lined, tasteful rooms with high ceilings and plenty of natural light. Intricate touches, such as brass and leather accents that recall train travel, are a clever, understated way to tie the accommodations to the setting. For guests with four-legged friends and furry companions, the hotel is pet-friendly .

Read the original article on Explore .

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Amsterdam to London trains

Go greener and travel on a direct Eurostar train from Amsterdam to London.

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Take a train from Amsterdam to London

Travelling from Amsterdam to London with us is simple, smart, and speedy. Go direct from city centre to city centre in just 4hrs 09mins. And whether you’re going for work or play, we’ll get you there feeling relaxed and rested. Read on to discover why taking Eurostar from Amsterdam to London is the only way to travel.

High-speed train from Amsterdam to London

To start your journey, get to Amsterdam Centraal at our recommended arrival time to allow plenty of time to go through border controls and security. When you arrive at the station, please be sure to keep your ticket handy as you’ll need to scan it at the NS ticket gates to enter the station. Find the Eurostar departures building at the end of platform 15b. Once there, you’ll need to show your ticket again and pass through security before moving to a waiting area. Amsterdam Centraal station is a stunning Gothic/Renaissance Revival building in the centre of the city. It’s well connected by public transport links including trams, buses, and metro services. You’ll find plenty of shops and restaurants at Amsterdam Centraal to keep you occupied before you jump on one of our Eurostar trains.

On board a direct train from Amsterdam to London

Travelling to and from London with Eurostar is simple, affordable and relaxing. You can bring two bags and one piece of hand luggage for no extra charge and with no weight limits. We won’t charge you for choosing your seats and there are no restrictions on liquids, so feel free to bring something bubbly for the journey. Find out more about our luggage allowances . Wherever you sit, you can email, tweet and post all the way with our free onboard wi-fi. You’ll find power sockets at your seat, so you can stay charged up while you relax. If you find yourself feeling peckish, you can enjoy a range of hot and cold drinks and sweet and savoury snacks at Eurostar Café . And if you’re travelling in Standard Premier or Business Premier, you’ll be served a three-course meal at your seat. Find out more about our food on board . Whether you’re travelling for work, a special occasion, or heading away on a budget break, we’ve got the travel class for you. Check out our seats in Standard , Standard Premier and Business Premier .

Taking an indirect train from Amsterdam to London

If the times of our direct trains to London don’t suit, you can get a Eurostar train from Amsterdam Centraal to Brussels-Midi/Zuid instead and then change to a Eurostar London train for the remainder of the journey. Get off the train in Brussels and find the departure area under platforms 1 and 2. When you get there, scan the barcode on your Eurostar ticket at the ticket gates, pass through security and passport control and you’re on your way again.

Arriving at St Pancras International from Amsterdam Centraal

Eurostar trains arrive right in the heart of London at St Pancras International station , one of the most elegant stations in the world. Built in 1868, it is a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture. On arrival, you can indulge in some boutique shopping, experience fine dining at a world-class brasserie or enjoy a glass of bubbly at the longest champagne bar in Europe. As well as lots of shops and restaurants, you’ll find underground lines and buses to whisk you to London’s top museums and galleries.

Timetables for direct trains from Amsterdam to London

See the full timetable

Frequently asked questions

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A Eurostar Amsterdam to London train ticket starts from £39.

How long is the Eurostar Amsterdam to London train journey

Typically, the train journey from Amsterdam to London takes 4hrs 09mins. When you view the available tickets, you will be able to see the length of the train journey for each departure time.

Are there additional fees when travelling on the Eurostar Amsterdam to London train?

Unlike airlines, there are no hidden costs when travelling by Eurostar. Once you have picked your train tickets ( Standard , Standard Premier or Business Premier ), there will be no additional fees for seat selection, advanced booking, or luggage allowance .

How far in advance can you book your Eurostar Amsterdam to London train ticket?

Eurostar tickets from Amsterdam to London can be booked up to 180 days before your return travel date, however, there are a few exceptions depending on engineering work or when you book. Have a look at our booking calendar and available days will show in black while the greyed-out dates are not available for sale just yet.

Can you take your own food on the Eurostar Amsterdam to London train?

There are no food restrictions, so you’re allowed to bring your own food from home on the Eurostar.

How fast does the Eurostar go between Amsterdam and London?

The Eurostar travels through the Channel Tunnel at a speed of 100 miles per hour (160kph) although when the train is outside the tunnel it reaches speed of 186 miles per hour (300 kph).

How much luggage can I bring with me on the Eurostar Amsterdam to London train?

Standard adult tickets allow you to bring two pieces of luggage that are up to 85cm long, and one small piece of hand luggage such as a handbag or briefcase. Find out more information about luggage allowances .

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You can still find affordable flights to Europe this summer

Airfare prices to amsterdam, brussels, prague and reykjavik are way down from last year.

Christina Saull and her husband have waited five years to take a 10-day cruise through the Norwegian fjords. The first time they planned the trip, it was postponed for a medical emergency. The second time, there was a family wedding. Now, finally, they were getting ready to go in July.

Only they needed plane tickets.

“It’s interesting to see how expensive fares have been and how they’ve fluctuated,” said Saull, a public relations executive who lives in Alexandria, Va.

The couple watched prices go from as little as $900 round trip to as much as $2,500 for flights from Washington to Edinburgh, Scotland, and back from Copenhagen . They finally settled on premium economy seats for $2,000 each on Delta Air Lines and its partner Air France.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable for summer Europe travel,” Saull said of what they paid.

Not unreasonable is a good way to describe transatlantic air travel this summer. Even with strong travel demand, tickets are cheaper on average than they were last year.

“Airfare to Europe is less expensive than last year by 10 percent,” said Hayley Berg, the lead economist at flight-booking app Hopper . The average round trip ticket before any extra fees costs $882, according to the data.

The highest fares are in June, July and August, Berg added. Traveling in shoulder months — for example, September and October — could save travelers as much as 30 percent.

Schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium Diio shows airlines will offer 8 percent more seats on U.S.-Europe routes from May through September than last year.

Philadelphia is gaining new nonstops to Copenhagen, Naples , and Nice, France, on American Airlines. Phoenix gets its first nonstop to Paris on Air France. Washington, a new flight to Zurich on Swiss International Air Lines. And many other routes additional flights or options on larger planes.

“In the transatlantic, we are looking forward to another strong summer,” said Glen Hauenstein, president of Delta Air Lines, referring to bookings earlier in April. He added the airline sees “healthy demand” for seats to Europe.

Paris has flight deals, but hotels are pricey

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are a bump in the finely tuned machine that is summer air travel to Europe. The Games run from July 26 through Aug. 11, and the French capital is expected to host some 15 million visitors during the event and the following Paralympic Games. Last summer, the city saw more than 6.2 million visitors in July and August.

“Paris will be like an Olympic village in July and August,” said Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of the French airline French Bee . All those visitors still need a way to get to the city. French Bee , which caters to leisure travelers like those going to the Games, has added flights from Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco to meet the demand.

Flight deals to Paris can still be found. Booking website Expedia recommends travelers buy tickets at least 21 days before their trip and, for international travel, look at departing on a Monday to find the best airfares.

Finding an affordable hotel in Paris during the Games is another matter. Expedia said it has seen a “massive surge” in searches for accommodations there this summer and recommends travelers look at nearby cities for more reasonably priced options.

Consider Nice, Prague and Reykjavik

Finn Vigeland, a transit planner who lives in Washington, was “quite surprised” last month when he found a good deal on flights to Nice, France, in July.

Prices on American Airlines’ new nonstop to Nice from Philadelphia were only $700 to $800 round trip, he said. That was affordable enough to make a trip to France with friends possible, and he booked the flight (with points, not cash).

Average fares to Nice from the United States are down a quarter to $907 compared to last summer, Hopper’s data shows. The city also has the distinction of being one of the few European destinations with lower airfares this summer than in 2019, 11 percent lower to be exact. That drop is, in part, thanks to a plethora of new flights on American, Delta, and United.

Amsterdam, Brussels, Prague , and Reykjavik , Iceland, are other European cities where ticket prices from the United States are down more than 20 percent from last year, according to Hopper.

Airfares are not down double-digits in all markets though. Fares to cities like Berlin and Glasgow, Scotland, are on par with last year.

Traveler after traveler said they felt like they could find reasonably priced plane tickets for trips between the United States and Europe this summer. Those who said they could not often lacked flexibility to adjust their trips to when and where fares are the cheapest.

“I felt like this was doable. It made sense,” Alexander Giess said of his plan to take his 10-year-old daughter on a three-week trip to France this summer.

After a lengthy search, in March the marketing executive paid about $1,000 each for two round-trip tickets to Nice from San Francisco on his preferred airline, Delta.

Where to go

Our favorite destinations: These 12 destinations are at the top of our wish list for where to go this year, without crowds. In 2023, we explored an Alaskan bear paradise, Brooklyn’s famous pizzerias and a hidden gem in Italy, among other highlights .

Travel like a local: Residents share their favorite places in our top city guides: New Orleans , Rome , Tokyo and Mexico City .

National parks: This comprehensive guide has details on all 63 U.S. national parks. For a deep dive into five of the most well-known, you can listen to the Field Trip podcast . Then explore tips from locals for visiting Yosemite , Glacier and Everglades .

Tales from the road: Dolly Parton has opened a new resort at her theme park complex in Tennessee, while “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have a new hotel in Waco . Road-trippers may be just as excited to see the cartoon beaver at Buc-ee’s , and bargain-hunters should consider a stop at the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro, Ala.