22 February 2010.
Train times valid from 13 December 2009 to 12 June 2010.
London to Amsterdam, without flying...
London
to Amsterdam by
'Dutch Flyer' train &
ferry service from £35...
Buy a cheap 'Dutch Flyer' train & ferry ticket from London to
Amsterdam or anywhere in the
Netherlands & travel overnight on Stena Line's Harwich-Hoek van
Holland superferry... Daytime ferry also
available.
This page explains
how to travel from the UK to Amsterdam or anywhere in the
Netherlands without flying, avoiding airport hassles &
unnecessary short-haul flights to
reduce your impact on the environment as well as your
stress levels.
This is the cheap, time-effective & traditional way to reach Amsterdam, worth knowing about! Leave London by train
after 8pm
daily, sleep in a
cosy private cabin with en suite shower on
the overnight Stena Line superferry from Harwich to Hoek van
Holland and arrive next morning by train in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or the Hague between 8am & 10am.
One ticket covers the whole journey, from £35 each way plus cabin
cost (£22 for a single-berth cabin or £36 for a
2-berth cabin). Ideal for a weekend away or eco-friendly
business trip. There's a daytime service too, with
cabins optional.
Timetables, fares,
how to buy tickets.
This is
the high-speed train option taking as little as 4 hours 16 minutes, compared to around 4
hours centre to centre
by air. Take Eurostar
from London to Brussels via the Channel
Tunnel, then either the hourly InterCity train or a
high-speed Thalys train train from Brussels to Amsterdam, a comfortable
& relaxed way
to travel compared to flying.
Timetables, fares & how to buy
tickets
*** New high-speed line to Amsterdam now open! ***
If you live in the north of England or Scotland, take a
train to Newcastle or Hull then the daily overnight cruise ferry
to Holland, a comfortable, convenient &
time-effective way to go, by-passing London.
More information.
Train+ferry tickets are valid to any
station in the Netherlands, not just Amsterdam, making
them particularly good value. Simply take the train & ferry service to Hoek van Holland, then use
Netherlands Railways intercity trains to travel just about
anywhere: Utrecht, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Apeldoorn,
Groningen... Or take Eurostar to Brussels & connecting
trains to Rotterdam, Den Haag, Haarlem or Maastricht, change
at Rotterdam for Utrecht, Groningen, Arnhem.
'Holland' or 'The
Netherlands' - what's the difference?
The Netherlands is a country
consisting of 12 provinces. 'Holland' is a region consisting of 2 of those
12 provinces, namely Noord Holland & Zuid Holland. The other 10 provinces of
the Netherlands are not Holland. Telling someone from
Utrecht, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Groningen or Maastricht that they come from Holland
is like telling a Glaswegian that they come from East Anglia...
Take an evening train from London's beautifully
restored Liverpool Street station to Harwich
in less than 90 minutes, arriving right next to the
ferry terminal...
...to catch the superferry...
All aboard! At Harwich, you get your
boarding card & cabin key at the Stena Line desk and
walk straight onto the
overnight ferry to Hoek van
Holland...
Cosy cabins: The overnight ferry is a
floating hotel. All passengers travel in a cosy private
cabin with
en suite shower & toilet. This is a standard 2-berth
cabin...
Restaurants & bars:
This is the lounge & self-service restaurant on board the
Stena Hollandica...
The bar & waiter-service
restaurant on board the ferry. The 3 course menu
costs 24 euros, with a buffet starter and buffet
desserts...
Step ashore in Holland next morning...
Above, the ferry has arrived in Hoek on a bright &
sunny morning.
...then take a Dutch
train to anywhere in the Netherlands.
Once ashore at Hoek van Holland, take a morning train
to Rotterdam, Amsterdam or anywhere in the
Netherlands.
One ticket covers the whole journey & a cabin on
the ferry! Buy
tickets
This is the traditional way to reach Amsterdam, a service definitely worth knowing about!
One
ticket covers the whole journey from London
to Amsterdam by train & ferry. The 'Dutch Flyer' service is provided
by Stena Line, National Express Trains East Anglia
& Dutch railways (NS) working together. Stena Line's superferries
Stena Hollandica & Stena Britannica have been given a
£75m rebuild
with more cabins, better passenger facilities,
additional bars & restaurants. Each ship has had a
huge new centre section welded in, making them the
longest ships of their type in the world. A
stress-free, time-effective & more
environmentally-friendly alternative to flying that's
often cheaper, too! There are basically two services
a day in each direction, based around the overnight
Harwich-Hoek "Night Boat" and the daytime "Day Boat".
This
overnight train & ferry service is the
most time-effective & traditional way from
London to Amsterdam, and it saves an expensive hotel night in Amsterdam or London.
Spend a full day in London
then a full day in Amsterdam, without
flying. Runs daily except 21-24 March & 24, 25, 31 December 2009.
Travel from
London to Harwich by train, leaving London Liverpool
Street station at 20:38 Monday-Saturdays or 20:00 on Sundays
arriving Harwich International at 22:02 (21:22 on
Sundays). The train
arrives directly at the ferry terminal, you simply check in at the Stena Line desk & walk through
passport control onto the ferry. To check train times
from other
UK towns & cities to Harwich, use
www.nationalrail.co.uk. You can board the
ferry from around 22:00 onwards. Check in closes at
23:00.
Travel tip:
You can take the earlier 19:18 train from
London (Mondays-Saturdays) and board the ferry at Harwich
at 21:00, giving you an extra hour to settle into your
cabin or have a late dinner in the ship's restaurant.
Sail from Harwich to Hoek van Holland by
overnight ferry aboard Stena Line's 'Stena Hollandica', leaving Harwich daily at 23:45 &
arriving Hoek van Holland at 07:45 next morning Dutch time
(1 hour
ahead of UK time).All passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with
en suite toilet & shower, soap, shampoo, towels & bedding provided. The ferry has a bar, self-service
& waiter-service restaurants, shop, cinema,
information desk, children's play area & WiFi internet
access. The crossing is almost always smooth &
comfortable, making it very easy to sleep,
see the cabin
pictures here. At Hoek van Holland, the ferry
terminal is right next to the station, you walk off the
ferry, through passport control and straight onto the
station platform.
Travel from
Hoek van Holland to Rotterdam by frequent Sprinter train,
leaving every 15-30
minutes from platform 2, there's an 08:07
arriving Rotterdam Centraal at 08:38 or an 08:22
(Mondays-Fridays) arriving 08:53.
Travel from
Rotterdam to Amsterdam or The Hague by InterCity train,
leaving Rotterdam Centraal daily at 08:58 and arriving Den
Haag HS 09:17 & Amsterdam Centraal at 10:03. Travel tip:
In Rotterdam, the sprinter from Hoek van Holland normally
arrives at platform 1 and the train to Amsterdam & Den
Haag normally leaves from platform 8 or 9. If you're
heading for anywhere else in the Netherlands, check train
times using
www.ns.nl.
There's also a daytime train & ferry option, but make sure
you can get to Liverpool Street station for the very early
06:25 departure. Runs daily except Sundays and 24,
25, 26 December.
Travel from
London to Harwich by train, leaving London Liverpool
Street station at 06:25
Mondays-Fridays, change at Manningtree, arriving Harwich
International 07:51. On Saturdays, depart London
Liverpool Street at 06:18 on a direct train to Harwich
International, arriving 07:44. No connection is
available from
London on Sundays. At Harwich, the
train arrives directly at the ferry terminal, you check in
at the Stena Line desk and walk through passport control onto the ship. For train
times from
other places to Harwich, check train times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Sail from
Harwich to Hoek van Holland aboard the Stena
Line Superferry 'Stena Britannica', leaving Harwich daily at
09:00, arriving Hoek van Holland at 16:15 Dutch
time. There are bars, two restaurants, cinema, children's
play area & WiFi. Travel tip: Cabins are optional, but are half
price on the day crossing, so well worth it for privacy
and somewhere to work, freshen up or snooze. At Hoek van
Holland, the ferry terminal is right next to the station,
you walk off the ferry through passport control and onto
the station platform.
Take the local
Sprinter train from Hoek van Holland to Rotterdam,
leaving every 15-30 minutes from platform 2, there's one
at 17:07 arriving Rotterdam Centraal at 17:38. Change in Rotterdam for
frequent InterCity trains to destinations all over the
Netherlands.
Travel from
Rotterdam to Amsterdam or The Hague by InterCity train, leaving Rotterdam Centraal daily at
17:58 and arriving Den Haag HS 18:17 & Amsterdam Centraal
at 19:03. The Amsterdam trains normally leave from
platforms 8 or 9. If you're heading for anywhere else in the
Netherlands, check train times using
www.ns.nl.
This is the comfortable, civilised and time-effective
overnight option that also saves a hotel bill. Runs
daily except 24, 25, 31 December.
Travel from
Amsterdam to Rotterdam by InterCity train, leaving Amsterdam Centraal daily at 18:59
or Den Haag HS at 19:46 and arriving Rotterdam Centraal at
20:02.
Travel from Rotterdam to Hoek of Holland
by local Sprinter train.
This runs every 15-30 minutes, normally leaving from
platform 1. There's a train at 20:13
arriving Hoek Van Holland Haven at 20:42.
Sail from Hoek van Holland to Harwich
overnight on Stena Line's superferry 'Stena Britannica',
sailing
at 22:00 daily and arriving at Harwich at 06:30 next
morning UK time.
All passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with en suite toilet &
shower, with soap, shampoo, towels and bedding all
provided. A bar, shop, cinema & two restaurants are available. At Harwich,
the ferry terminal is right next to the station, you walk
off the ferry through passport control and onto the
station.
Travel from Harwich to London by train, leaving Harwich at
07:10 Monday-Friday, 07:15 Saturday or 07:25 Sunday, arriving London Liverpool Street station at
08:48 Monday-Friday, 08:39 Saturday or 08:59 Sunday. There are also direct trains from Harwich to
Cambridge & Ipswich, see
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
This is the leisurely daytime option: Book a private
cabin on the ferry (cabins are optional but half-price on
the Day Boat), enjoy a meal in the restaurant at sea, and
chill out. Runs daily except 24, 25, 26 December and
21-24 March 2009. In this direction, the Day Boat is
conveniently timed, and just as good an option as the
Night Boat.
Travel from
Amsterdam to Rotterdam by InterCity train, leaving Amsterdam Centraal daily at 11:10
or Den Haag HS at 12:01, arriving Rotterdam Centraal at
12:23.
Take the local
Sprinter train from Rotterdam Centraal to Hoek of Holland.
This runs every 15-30 minutes, normally leaving from
platform 1. There's one at 12:43
arriving Hoek Van Holland Haven at 13:12.
Sail from Hoek
van Holland to Harwich on Stena Line's superferry 'Stena Hollandica',
leaving Hoek at 14:30 daily, arriving at Harwich at 20:00 UK
time. There is a bar, a self-service &
waiter-service restaurant, cinema, children's
play area, and shop. Travel tip: Cabins are optional, but are half price
on the day crossing so well worth it for privacy and
somewhere to work, freshen up or snooze. Bring a
bottle of wine (or buy one on board) and chill out in your
cabin... At Harwich,
the ferry terminal is right next to the station, you walk
off the ferry through passport control and onto the
station.
Travel from
Harwich to London by train. On Mondays-Saturdays a
train leaves Harwich at 21:06, arriving London Liverpool
Street station at 22:36. On Sundays, leave Harwich
at 20:58, change trains at Manningtree, arriving London
Liverpool Street at 22:42.
Children
(aged 4-14 inclusive) £17.50 one way, £35 return
Children
aged 0-3 inclusive go free.
Slightly higher fares
(around £44-£50 each way) apply on peak dates or if travelling at short notice.
This fare covers
train+ferry+train travel from London or any NX East Anglia
station (including Peterborough, Cambridge, Norwich, Colchester,
Romford) to Amsterdam or any Dutch station (including
Rotterdam, Den Haag, Haarlem, Leiden,
Arnhem, Utrecht, Groningen, Eindhoven, Maastricht)
Standard cabins (single-berth, 2-berth, 4-berth
or family 5-berth):
Standard cabins have comfy beds with duvets, a
desk/dressing table, and a private toilet &
shower. Towels, shower gel/shampoo & bedding
are all provided. This is a standard 4-berth outside
cabin (in fact, it's a family 5-berth as it has an
extra-wide lower berth on the right for 2 people).
Comfort Class cabins (2-berth):
For a touch of luxury book a Comfort Class cabin (shown
above),
with upper & lower berths with duvets, desk/dressing
table, excellent satellite TV, WiFi internet access,
tea/coffee facilities, complimentary fruit bowl and complimentary minibar with
beer and red & white wine.
Ideal for an eco-friendly business trip to Rotterdam,
Den Haag or Amsterdam.... The lower berth is
extra-wide, almost a double bed. In this photo,
the TV is on the wall on the left above the chairs, the
door to the en suite shower & toilet is visible on the
right.
Captain's Class cabins & suite
(2-berth):
For even more space, book a Captain's Class cabin or
Captain's Suite (shown here), with double bed, writing
desk, satellite TV, internet access, tea/coffee
facilities and complimentary minibar with beer, wine &
sparkling wine.
About these fares...
These fares include the train from London or any National
Express East Anglia rail station to Harwich, Stena Line ferry to Hoek van Holland, and the Dutch train
from Hoek to Amsterdam or any Dutch station, all in one ticket.
Cabins are compulsory on the overnight ferry: You must add the cost of a cabin to the cost of travel
tickets for each person (in other words, two people would
pay for two £35 travel tickets plus one £36 2-berth cabin =
£106 total = £53 each. A solo passenger would pay £35
fare + £22 cabin = £57 total).
Standard cabins have comfortable beds with fresh clean
sheets & snug duvets, private shower & toilet with fluffy
towels & shampoo/shower gel, and a small writing
desk/dressing table with European 2-pin power sockets for
mobiles or laptops, see the photo
above. 'Inside' means without porthole inside the
ship. There are special cabins available suitable for
passengers with disabilities.
Comfort Class cabins & Captain's Class cabins have windows, satellite TV (mainly Dutch
channels but these show many English programmes), WiFi internet
access, tea & coffee making facilities, fresh fruit & complimentary minibar
(small bottles of sparkling wine, red & white wine, cans
of beer, mineral water and soft drinks) all included in the
cabin price. Ideal for a civilised low-carbon business
trip to the Netherlands or a special weekend away!
Cabins are optional on the daytime ferry, but the privacy & comfort of a
private cabin with writing desk, power sockets for mobile
phones or a laptop is highly recommended for the 6½ hour
daytime crossing. Have a snooze, freshen up in the
shower, get some work done, or relax with your family.
Self-service and
waiter-service restaurants are available for meals on the
ferry, plus bars & cinema.
These fares are valid to any Dutch station, not just
Amsterdam, meaning almost any town or city in the
Netherlands. For example, from central London to Rotterdam,
Den Haag, Leiden, Haarlem, Utrecht, Arnhem, Nijmegen,
Eindhoven, Maastricht, Groningen, Enschede, Deventer,
Amersfoort, in fact any
Dutch railway station you
like... Simply check train times from
Hoek van Holland to anywhere in the Netherlands using the Dutch
Railways website,
www.ns.nl.
These fares are valid from any National Express East
Anglia railway station, not just London, including
Peterborough, Cambridge, Colchester,
Chelmsford, Norwich, Ipswich, Ely, Romford, Ilford, or
Bishop's Stortford. There are direct
trains from Cambridge and Ipswich to Harwich, as well as
from London, Chelmsford & Colchester. Simply check
train fares & times from your local station to Harwich
International using
www.nationalrail.co.uk. Allow plenty of time (at
least 40 minutes, preferably more) to
connect with the ferry at Harwich.
From York, Leicester, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham
(and so on) all you need is a ticket
to Peterborough, as your rail & sail ticket to Amsterdam
is valid from any NXEA station, which includes Peterborough.
Cheaper & faster than flying?
I needed to travel to Enschede in the east of the
Netherlands on personal business at just 24 hours notice.
Ryanair wanted £139 one-way from Stansted to Eindhoven + £8
baggage fee + £13 train ticket London-Stansted + £13 train
ticket Eindhoven-Enschede. I paid just £74 for an
inclusive train+ferry ticket from central London to any
Dutch station, and this included a private single-bed cabin
with en suite toilet shower. No baggage fees, no
airport tax, no fuel surcharge, no airport transfers,
low-stress & very time-effective being overnight.
On another occasion I booked well in advance for a long
weekend with my Dutch in-laws in Enschede.
I paid £200 return by train+ferry for me, my wife and
10-month old Nate from London to any Dutch station, which included
a private cabin on the ferry in each direction. I wondered how much I'd have saved
with a
'cheap' airline, so checked their websites for the same
weekend. EasyJet wanted £219 for
the flight alone. Ryanair offered an outward
flight for £14.99 and a return flight for just 79p.
But when I clicked 'proceed', Ryanair mathematics took over
and they somehow made that come to £137 for the three of us. Then they would have charged us
an extra £15 for our two bags. Add £50 for two return train tickets from
London to Stansted plus 70 euros (£60) for two train tickets from Eindhoven
to Enschede and the total cost by 'budget'
airline would be over £250.
Funnily enough, the plane wouldn't even have been quicker
for that long weekend in the Netherlands. Ryanair's afternoon
flight was too early to catch after finishing work in
London. Their 6.55am morning flight would have
meant getting up at 3am and driving or taxiing to the
airport as it's too early for public transport to get you
there, would have got us to Enschede by midday. The
overnight train+ferry allowed us to leave London after 8pm,
and arrive in Enschede at 11:35 next day, half an hour
before the flight, having slept
soundly in a comfortable en suite cabin on the ferry.
Train+ferry not only gave us more time in the Netherlands,
it gave us more sleep!
Taking bikes & pets...
Bicycles: You can take your bike with
you for £7 each way plus the relevant passenger fare. Just select 'bicycle' in the drop-down
'vehicle' box when booking at
www.dutchflyer.co.uk. Bikes go free on
National Express East Anglia
trains between London & Harwich except on
Mondays-Fridays on trains due to arrive in London
07:45-09:45, or departing from London 16:30-18:30 when bikes
are not allowed. In the
Netherlands, you need to pay for a bike day ticket, costing
around 6 euros. However, bikes may not be taken on
Dutch trains in the morning & evening Monday-Friday peak
hours (06:30-09:00 & 16:30-18:00). On arrival at Harwich International, you'll
need to cycle round from the station to the motorists'
terminal to board the ferry via the vehicle ramp.
Dogs or other pets: Stena Line will let foot
passengers take cats and small dogs in containers, and
larger dogs if you reserve an on-board kennel, under the
PETS travel scheme. Call Stena Line for details.
- The
booking process is a bit unusual, so read the text
carefully as you go along. On page 2, you're asked to email
yourself or print the itinerary you have selected before you
can continue. The process makes sense if you remember
that you're actually first telling it you want a rail & sail ticket from
London to Amsterdam, then booking the actual ferry from
Harwich to Hoek van Holland, as the train connections don't
need reservations.
- The booking
system only lists a few UK stations, including London,
Colchester, Cambridge, Ipswich & Norwich. Simply pick
the nearest one to the station you want and your ticket will
automatically be valid from any National Express East
Anglia rail station, not just the one you've selected.
- Select
'Amsterdam Central' as your destination and you ticket will
automatically be valid to any rail station in the
Netherlands, not just Amsterdam.
- At the end of
the booking you are emailed an 'e-ticket' in .pdf format.
All credit cards are accepted, so overseas users from the
USA, Canada, Australia, NZ etc are welcome!
- The booking
system refers specifically to the 20:38 train from London
(for the overnight service), but in fact your ticket is
valid on any train from London to Harwich that evening.
You can get on the ferry much earlier (at 21:00) and have a
late meal or just snuggle down in your cabin if you take the
19:18 train instead!
- If
your travel date is less than 24 hours away, you'll need
to book by phone, 0870
5 455 455.
- This system can
book one-way or return tickets starting in the UK. For
one-way or return tickets starting in the Netherlands,
see here.
Buy
tickets online:
www.dutchflyer.co.uk sells one-way or return
train+ferry tickets from London or any National Express
East Anglia station to Amsterdam or any Dutch station.
See the booking tips in the red box on the right...
By phone: You can buy
train+ferry tickets by phone from either Stena Line on
0870
5 455 455 (lines open 08:30-20:00
Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, 09:00-17:00
Sundays) or National
Express East Anglia on 0845 600 72
45 (lines open 08:00-22:00 daily). A booking fee
of around £4 may apply
to phone bookings. If travelling at short notice,
you will be e-mailed an e-ticket, you simply need to get
the e-ticket stamped at the ticket office at London
Liverpool Street as valid for the train to Harwich.
The ferry boarding pass, cabin key and onward Dutch rail
tickets are picked up at Harwich at the Stena Line
check-in desk.
In person: At London Liverpool Street station
ticket office. You can buy tickets on the day, but
places are limited and fares cheaper if you book in
advance, so it's best to book ahead.
Inward journeys starting in the Netherlands:
www.dutchflyer.co.uk will only book one-way or return
tickets starting inthe UK. If you want
to book one-way
or return tickets starting in the Netherlands you'll
need to use the equivalent Dutch website,
see the section below.
If you're
from overseas (USA, Canada, Australia etc) then you
can book online at
www.dutchflyer.co.uk and they will email you an
e-ticket, which you just need to get checked & stamped at
London Liverpool Street station ticket office before
boarding the train. Alternatively, you can book by
telephone
with National Express East Anglia (the UK train
operator involved in this service) on +44 1603 214 505, which is
their Customer Services
(open office hours Mon-Fri UK time), ask to be put through to
their telesales department.
Buy
tickets online: You can buy
one-way or return tickets from Amsterdam or any
Dutch station to London or any National Express
East Anglia Railway
station online at
www.stenaline.nl/ferry/londen/, in Dutch. It has
an English button, but leave it in Dutch and follow
the instructions below. It would be far too simple if you could
book the same tickets in either English or Dutch, wouldn't
it?! Here's what you need to know:
If you
switch it to English, it only offers tickets from
Hoek van Holland to London (or any National Express
East Anglia railway station). The 'Any Dutch station
to London' option (which is what you really want) appears on the
Dutch version of their site, but is missing from the
English version.
Why have
they done this? Stena Line can easily issue a
print-you-own 'e-ticket' in .pdf format for the Hoek van
Holland to London part of the journey, but used to
physically send out train tickets for the Amsterdam to
Hoek van Holland part. When they allowed people to
book in English, it was all too easy for Americans and
Australians to buy tickets from Amsterdam to London, and
Stena Line tell me that train tickets sent overseas (by
ordinary mail, not
by courier or special delivery) got
lost in the post a bit too often. So they removed
this option from the English version to reduce the
problem. But you can still book from Amsterdam to
London on the Dutch version of their site. I'll explain how to
understand the Dutch in a moment, it really isn't
difficult...
What's the
catch? There isn't one, except for this: The arrangement is that you
must buy a normal train ticket from
your starting station to Hoek van Holland to allow you to
get to the ferry terminal. When you get to Hoek van
Holland, they will
refund the cost of this ticket at the Stena Line check-in when they issue you with your
ferry & train tickets to London. A little
cumbersome, perhaps, but it works...
Is it
easier and/or safer to use the English version?
By all means use the nice friendly English version of
their site to book tickets from Hoek van Holland to
London, then buy separate train tickets from Amsterdam to
Hoek van Holland at the station in Amsterdam (no
reservation necessary, just buy a ticket and hop on, see
www.ns.nl
for times & fares). But doing it this way costsaround 12 euros per person more than buying an
inclusive through ticket from Amsterdam to London, because
an Amsterdam to Hoek van Holland train ticket costs around
18 euros, whereas Amsterdam-London using an inclusive
train+ferry ticket only costs around 6 euros more than
buying a Hoek van Holland-London ticket. So leave
it in Dutch, and buy a ticket from Amsterdam or any
Dutch station to London
following these instructions. It's really not that difficult!
'Elke station
in Nederland' simply means 'any station in the
Netherlands' including Amsterdam. Select this
option.
'Retour'
means return, 'Enkele reis' means one-way.
After
inputting your dates of travel, click 'afvaart zoeken' and
you'll see the daytime or overnight crossings offered.
Select the one you want and click 'volgende' (which simply
means 'next')
Now all you
really need to know is that 'volwassene' means 'adult' and
'kind' means 'child'.
It can help
to know that 'kies een hut' means 'choose a cabin'.
'Verplicht' means 'compulsory', on night crossings.
'Voertuig' means 'vehicle', but as a foot passenger you
aren't interested in this bit. 'Annuleringsverzekering'
means 'cancellation insurance', if you don't want this
then tickets will be non-refundable, but it's up to you.
Under 'extras', 'dinerbuffet' means evening buffet meal, 'ontbijt
buffet' means breakfast buffet'.
How are
tickets delivered? After booking you are sent an
email with a print-your-own 'e-ticket' in .pdf format for
the Hoek van Holland to London part of the journey.
You collect your ferry boarding pass, cabin key and
Harwich-London train ticket at the Stena Line check-in
desk at Hoek van Holland ferry terminal. However,
they won't send you anything for the train journey to Hoek
van Holland, so you'll need to buy a normal Dutch train
ticket from your starting point to Hoek van Holland.
At Hoek, they'll refund your train ticket and issue you
with your ferry and UK train tickets.
To buy tickets by phone: UK residents can buy
tickets starting in the Netherlands through the UK Stena
Line telesales office on
0870
5 455 455, lines open 08:30-20:00 Mondays-Fridays,
09:00-18:00 Saturdays, 09:00-17:00 Sundays. If
you're not a UK resident, call Stena Line's Dutch office on
0900-8123 (if calling from the Netherlands) or +31 174 315 811
(if calling from overseas), lines
open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 0:900-17:00 Saturdays, Dutch
time.
You leave London Liverpool Street station by train
for Harwich International, formerly known as Harwich Parkeston Quay.
On the 90-minute journey you travel through London
suburbs then open Essex countryside, finally alongside
the scenic Stour estuary. The
train's final destination is Harwich Town, but you must
get off at Harwich
International two stops before.
The train arrives right next to the ferry terminal,
where you check in at the Stena Line desk and are given
your boarding pass and cabin key...
2.
...by Stena Line ferry to Hoek van Holland...
The ship is a floating hotel.
Cabins are compulsory on
the overnight ferry, optional (but half price and well
worth it) on the
daytime ferry. The middle photo shows a corridor
on the ferry, the far right
photo shows a standard single-berth inside cabin. All
cabins have comfortable beds, a private shower & toilet,
shower gel/shampoo & towels, plus a small dressing table
with European-type power sockets for laptops or mobiles.
Both the 'Stena Hollandica' & 'Stena Britannica' have a bar,
'Food City' self-service restaurant, 'Metropolitan' grill
& buffet, children's play area, cinema &
shop. A bottle of wine in the shop costs around
5 euros, so treat yourself! The day ferry takes
6½ hours, the
night ferry 7 hours but you board the night ferry well before sailing to get a good night's sleep.
A cooked buffet breakfast
is available in the self-service restaurant, serving
starts an hour before arrival. On daytime crossings, if you don't have a
cabin you can place your bags in a luggage room which
is locked during the voyage.
3.
...by local train to Rotterdam...
At Hoek van Holland, the station is right
next to the ferry terminal. Walk off the ferry,
through passport control and onto platform 2 for
the
Sprinter train to
Rotterdam Centraal. This runs every 15-20 minutes
Monday-Saturday, every
30 minutes on Sundays. It takes just 30 minutes to
Rotterdam...
4.
...change for Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands.
Change in Rotterdam for InterCity trains
to Amsterdam & destinations all over the Netherlands.
Watch out for dykes & windmills! The Sprinter
train from Hoek van Holland normally arrives at platform
1. Trains to Amsterdam normally leave from
platform 8 or 9. Your ticket is valid to any
station in the Netherlands on any train that day.
Many InterCity trains, including the ones to Amsterdam,
are modern double-deckers like this one. Take a
top-deck seat & watch Holland unfold outside the
window...
Take
Eurostar to Brussels in 1 hour 51 minutes then a connecting train to Amsterdam
in as little as 1 hour 53 minutes more.
It's faster than train+ferry (in fact, it's
now not much slower than a flight)
and there's a wider choice of departures. It's a
stress-free and comfortable way to travel. There are two
options:
Eurostar +
ordinary InterCity train...
The most
frequent & flexible option is to combine Eurostar with the
regular
hourly InterCity trains between Brussels & Amsterdam,
which are inexpensive, flexible (as you don't need a seat
reservation, you just buy a ticket & hop on), and offer good
connections with Eurostar as they run every hour. They
even take bikes!
Eurostar +
Thalys high-speed train...
The fastest
option is to
combine Eurostar with
Thalys high-speed
trains between Brussels &
Amsterdam. Thalys trains are more comfortable and
faster as they now use the brand-new high-speed line between
Brussels & Amsterdam which opened on 13 December 2009. On
the down side, as you can
see from the timetable below Thalys trains are less frequent,
they require advance seat
reservations so are less flexible, and they don't carry bikes.
Top tip for a plane-free weekend in Amsterdam...
Catch a Friday
night Eurostar from London to Brussels, spend the night in
Brussels & continue to Amsterdam by InterCity train on Saturday
morning.
There are
InterCity trains
from Brussels to Amsterdam every hour all day, no seat
reservation necessary. Travel back from Amsterdam to
London via Brussels on Sunday afternoon.
London ► Amsterdam
(by Eurostar + ordinary InterCity train)
Eurostar (30 minute check-in)
Mondays-Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Depart London St Pancras
06:20
07:30 n
08:27
11:04
12:57
14:34 f
16:04
17:27
18:35
06:59
07:57
08:57
10:57
12:57
17:04
08:57
11:57
14:34
16:04
16:57
18:25
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid
09:44
10:28 n
11:33
14:05
16:03
17:33 f
19:03
20:33
21:33
10:03
11:03
12:03
14:05
16:03
20:03
12:03
15:03
17:33
19:03
20:03
21:30
Change trains in Brussels
onto the hourly InterCity train to Amsterdam, no
reservation required. Stop off if you like.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid
10:18
11:18
12:18
15:18
16:18
18:18
20:18
21:18
22:18
11:15
12:15
13:15
15:15
17:15
21:15
13:15
16:15
18:15
20:15
21:15
22:15
Arrive Rotterdam
12:06
13:06
14:06
17:06
18:06
20:06
22:06
23:06
00:06
13:06
14:06
15:06
17:06
19:06
23:06
15:06
18:06
20:06
22:06
23:06
00:06
Arrive Den Haag HS
12:25
13:25
14:25
17:25
18:25
20:25
22:25
23:25
-
13:25
14:25
15:25
17:25
19:25
23:25
15:25
18:25
20:25
22:25
23:25
-
Arrive Amsterdam
13:06
14:06
15:06
18:06
19:06
21:06
23:06
00:06
-
14:06
15:06
16:06
18:06
20:06
00:06
16:06
19:06
21:06
23:06
00:06
-
London ► Amsterdam
(by Eurostar + Thalys high-speed train)
Eurostar (30 minute check-in)
Mondays-Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Depart London St Pancras
06:20 f
08:27
11:04 f
12:57
14:34 f
16:04
07:57
08:57
12:57
08:57
11:57
14:34
16:04
16:57
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid
09:44 f
11:33
14:05 f
16:03
17:33
f
19:03
11:03
12:03
16:03
12:03
15:03
17:33
19:03
20:03
Change trains in Brussels
onto a fast Thalys train, seat reservation required.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid
10:50 f
11:50
15:50 f
16:50
18:50
19:50
11:50
13:50
16:50
13:50
16:50
18:50
19:50
20:50
Arrive Rotterdam
12:01 f
13:01
17:01 f
18:01
20:01
21:01
13:01
15:01
18:01
15:01
18:01
20:01
21:01
22:01
Arrive Amsterdam
12:43 f
13:43
17:43 f
18:43
20:43
21:43
13:43
15:43
18:43
15:43
18:43
20:43
21:43
22:43
f = Runs on Fridays only.
g = Eurostar connection runs one hour earlier on
Fridays.
Here's the
problem. In theory, you can buy a combined
Eurostar+Thalys ticket
from London to Amsterdam at www.eurostar.com
from £72 return. Just use the booking form below.
Unfortunately, time and again the actual fare it offers you
is a silly-money fare of over £200
return, even when a £69 return is available from London to
Brussels on exactly the same train. Now hang on, isn't
that £69 return ticket to Brussels actually valid to any
station in Belgium, meaning right up to the Dutch frontier?
Yes it is. And isn't a ticket from the last station in
Belgium before the Dutch frontier (a little place called
Essen) to Amsterdam only 53 euros (£46) return on the hourly
(non-Thalys) InterCity train? Yup! So by all means try booking a through ticket
from London to Amsterdam at www.eurostar.com
or
www.raileurope.co.uk
(options 1 & 3 below) and see if you're offered a sensible
price, but the cheapest option is often to buy a Eurostar ticket to Brussels
at www.eurostar.com then
buy an
Essen-Amsterdam ticket when you get there (option 2 below). If you live in the
Netherlands, click here. If
you live outside Europe, for example in the USA or
Australia,
click here. Finally, a recent useful addition to
the websites booking train travel to the Netherlands is the
Dutch Railways site,
www.nshispeed.nl, which can sell you a through ticket
from London to any Dutch station by Eurostar & intercity
train for 50 euros one way, 99 euros return. With
home-print tickets it doesn't matter that you don't live in
the Netherlands!
How to buy Eurostar tickets
to Amsterdam...
- First,
select London St Pancras (or any of the other listed UK
stations) to Amsterdam, and see what fare you get.
If you can't see a fare less than £100 return, try this
instead:
- Buy a
Eurostar ticket from London (or any of the other listed
UK stations) to Brussels at
www.eurostar.com. Tickets to
Brussels are automatically valid to any station
in Belgium by any suitable connecting train within 24
hours of arrival (not valid on Thalys or German ICE
trains, but valid on normal IC trains).
- Booking opens
120 days before departure. Tickets can
be sent to any UK, French or Belgian address. If you live
overseas or are travelling at short notice, they can be
collected at the station in London, Paris, Brussels or
Lille.
- When you
get to Brussels, buy an open ticket from Essen (the last
station in Belgium) to Amsterdam & back. You can
now board any hourly intercity train from Brussels to
Amsterdam within 24 hours of arriving in Brussels.
And there's no need to get off in Essen!
- Or you can
buy this ticket online at
www.b-rail.be, just click 'choose your language'
then 'Europe' at the top, then book from Essen to
Amsterdam & print out your own ticket. Choose any
non-Thalys on the date you want, it doesn't matter, as long
as you choose a price shown as 'full fare' on a train
service marked 'IC' the ticket will be valid on any
train that date.
- This also
works in the other direction. Book Eurostar from
Brussels to London & print out your own ticket.
It's automatically valid from any station in Belgium to
London. You can then buy an Amsterdam-Essen ticket
at the station in Amsterdam on the day of travel.
- Business
Premier & Leisure Select = 1st class with drinks &
meals included. Standard = 2nd class.
Option 1:
Buy a London to Amsterdam Eurostar+Thalys ticket
at
www.eurostar.com, from £72 return.
If (and it's a big 'if') the system comes up with
sensibly-priced fare for your dates of travel, the fastest
and easiest way to buy train tickets from London to
Amsterdam is to use
www.eurostar.com, just use the booking form on
the right. You can buy a ticket to Amsterdam starting
in any one of 130 UK local stations, not just London.
It's a good idea to try
www.raileurope.co.uk
as well, as sometimes one website is cheaper than the
other. Note that
www.eurostar.com can only sell Eurostar+Thalys
tickets, not Eurostar+InterCity tickets.
If you find a good fare, then great. The trouble is,
www.eurostar.com often comes up will silly-money
fares of over £200 return. If you don't see any
sensible London-Amsterdam fares for under £110 return in the
search results, cut your losses and try option 2 below.
Tickets booked at
www.eurostar.com can be sent to
any UK address or collected at the station in London.
If you live outside the UK you should use
www.eurostar.com, because
www.raileurope.co.uk
only accepts UK-issued credit cards. Tickets
cannot be picked up in Amsterdam, only in London.
To buy tickets by phone, call Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848, lines open
09:00-21:00 Mondays to Fridays, 09:00-18:00 on
Saturdays, no longer open on Sundays.
Like air fares, the fare increases as the cheaper
seats are sold, so book early and search for the
cheapest departure.
Both the Eurostar & Thalys parts of the ticket are
only valid on the specific train on which your seat is
booked. If you want to stop off in Brussels,
you'll need to book by phone as this cannot be
arranged online. The through fare allows
stopovers of up to 24 hours, for longer stopovers they
will have to sell you separate Eurostar and Thalys
tickets.
Option 2:
Combine a London to Brussels Eurostar ticket with an open
ticket from Essen (in Belgium) to Amsterdam. London to Amsterdam from £115 return, London to Rotterdam
from £90 return...
It's almost
always possible to buy a sensibly-priced London-Amsterdam
ticket this way, though it means using the normal slower
InterCity trains between Brussels and Amsterdam, not
high-speed Thalys trains.
Simply buy a London to
Brussels Eurostar ticket online at
www.eurostar.com (or use the Eurostar booking form
on the right),
fares from £39 one-way or £69 return. It's not
difficult to find this price, but it helps to avoid Fridays
and Sundays and other peak times, and to book well in
advance (maximum 120 days). The ticket is valid beyond
Brussels to any station in Belgium by any suitable
connecting train within 24 hours.
When you reach
Brussels, go to the ticket office and buy a ticket from a station called Essen to
Amsterdam Centraal for 26.50 euros (£23) one-way or 53 euros (£46) return.
Or from Essen to Rotterdam for 15 euros (£12) one-way or 29
euros (£24) return. These prices are a simple
kilometric tariff which doesn't change, you can buy it in Brussels on the day of travel as you
pass through. Essen is the last station in
Belgium before the Dutch border, not to be confused with the
much bigger Essen in Germany. You are now entitled to
travel all the way from Brussels to Amsterdam or Rotterdam
by InterCity train using a combination of your Eurostar
ticket to any Belgian station and your Essen-Amsterdam or
Essen-Rotterdam ticket. There is no need to get off
the train at Essen, indeed the InterCity train doesn't even
stop there. No seat reservation is necessary (or even
possible) on the Brussels-Amsterdam InterCity train, you
just hop on and find an empty seat.
Yes, it really is
that easy... No delayed flights, no 2-hour check-ins,
no expensive trains or taxis to and from remote airports.
If you prefer to
buy your Essen-Amsterdam ticket in advance, simply go to
www.b-rail.be.
Click 'choose your language' then 'Europe' at the top, then
book from Essen to Amsterdam on the dates you want.
The train time you choose is irrelevant, your ticket will be
an open ticket valid on any train from Essen to Amsterdam on
that date, as long as you select a service shown as 'IC'
(InterCity) and a price shown as 'full fare', don't choose
an unmarked train or a price with a strange name as that's
for Thalys. You pay online and simply print out your
own ticket. Update January 2010: You may have
trouble getting the b-rail.be journey planer to offer you an
option which isn't Thalys, now that Thalys uses the uses the
high-speed line so is much faster than the InterCity.
If you have any problems, just buy the ticket at the
station.
Stop off in
Brussels if you like: Eurostar tickets
to Brussels are valid to any station in Belgium using any
suitable connecting train (as long as it's not a Thalys or
German ICE train, normal IC trains are allowed) within 24 hours of your Eurostar arriving
in Brussels, and in the 24 hours before your Eurostar
departs from Brussels on your return journey. In other
words, you can use any Brussels-Amsterdam InterCity train
you like, not just the one that happens to connect with your
Eurostar, within 24 hours of arriving in Brussels on your
outward journey, and in the 24 hours before your return
Eurostar journey. So you can stop off in Brussels for
up to 24 hours on your outward and/or return journey.
If you want to stop off for any longer you'll need to buy a
ticket for the whole Brussels-Amsterdam journey, as you
won't be able to use the 'any Belgian station' facility on
your Eurostar ticket, at least in that direction.
Children under 4 go free, children aged 4-11 travel at
the child rate.
Option 3:
Buy a 'through ticket' from London to Amsterdam or any Dutch
station by Eurostar+InterCity train from 50 euros (£45) each
way at
www.nshispeed.nl or from Rail Europe on 0844 848 5
848...
There is a special
through fare from London to Amsterdam or any Dutch station by
Eurostar+InterCity train
(in other words, any train except high-speed
Thalys trains)
starting at £89 return or £51 one-way if you buy it
in the UK or 50 euros (£45) each way if you book it
online at the Dutch Railways site
www.nshispeed.nl. The price varies,
so book early and avoid busy periods to get the
cheapest fares.
The best way to
book these fares is online with
www.nshispeed.nl: The
special
through fare can't be booked online at the Eurostar
or Rail Europe websites, but it
can be booked online at the Dutch
Railways website
www.nshispeed.nl. With home-print tickets it
doesn't matter that you don't live in the
Netherlands! Best of all,
www.nshispeed.nl will let you book to any
specific Dutch station, and work out all your
connecting train times for you. See the
booking tips in the next paragraph.
Tips for using
www.nshispeed.nl: Simply go to
www.nshispeed.nl, click for 'English' and book
from London St Pancras to your chosen Dutch
destination, be it Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem or
Utrecht or wherever. Here are some important
tips: (1) For some reason
www.nshispeed.nlwon't book a return
ticket starting in the UK, so you must book a return
trip as two one-ways. (2) It may
not show these through fares to or from some very
small Dutch stations, if so just use the nearest
major town or city, as the ticket will be valid to
any Dutch station. (3) It's been reported
that
www.nshispeed.nl has problems with the Safari
browser, but Firefox & IE work fine. (4) The
NS HiSpeed
contact number if you need it is
+31 30 2354480 (annoyingly, they only give an
inaccessible 0900 Dutch number on their website). If you use
www.nshispeed.nl,
feedback would be appreciated.
Alternatively, book by phone in
the UK: You can book in the
UK by phone, although there'll be an £8 phone
booking fee to add. Call Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848, lines
open 09:00-21:00 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00
Saturdays.
These through fares must
be booked in advance, they are non-refundable &
non-changeable. Not valid on Thalys trains.
If you can't get a
fare under £115 return, use the method explained in
option 2 above, which in practice can work out
cheaper.
Children under 4 go free, children 4 but under 12 go
for £32
one-way, £64 return. Youth fares (aged 12-25)
from £45 one-way or £59 return. Senior fares
(over 60) from £39 one-way or £69 return.
The Brussels-Netherlands part of the ticket is valid
on any regular (non-Thalys) train that offers a
reasonable connection to your destination in the
Netherlands, no seat reservations required, you just
hop on. You are allowed to stop off in Brussels
for up to 24 hours if you like before travelling
onwards.
The Rail Europe
website (www.raileurope.co.uk)
appears to sell London-Amsterdam tickets by Eurostar+intercity train, but
in fact it simply
adds the London-Brussels fare to the
Brussels-Amsterdam fare, it cannot sell the special
through fares. So
you'll be paying twice for the Belgian part of the
Brussels-Amsterdam journey because your
London-Brussels ticket is valid to any Belgian station
but their online system doesn't take this
into account. In other words, it's always
cheaper to use either
www.nshispeed.nl or option 1 above (using an
Essen-Amsterdam ticket).
How to buy
tickets if you're already in the Netherlands...
Option 1:
Buy a Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London online at
www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to print out your
own ticket at home. This is automatically valid from
any station in Belgium to London. Then all you need to
do is buy an open ticket from Amsterdam to Essen for around
26 euros one-way, 52 euros return (this is the little Essen in
Belgium just inside the Belgian border, not the better-known bigger Essen in Germany).
You can buy this at the station on the day of travel, as no advance
reservation is necessary for the hourly intercity trains from
Amsterdam to Brussels and the price doesn't change, you just buy a ticket at a fixed price
and hop on, and you're now covered for the whole
Amsterdam-Brussels InterCity journey, no need to get off at
Essen. This is usually the easiest and cheapest way to
book an Amsterdam-London train journey.
Option 2:
Alternatively, you can book online at
www.nshispeed.nl or by calling
NS (Dutch Railways) on 0900 92 96, lines open 08:00-21:00
Mon-Fri, 10:00-18:00 Saturday and Sunday. Tickets
can be printed out, or posted to any Dutch address, or can be picked up at
major stations in the Netherlands. Or you can book
in person at the international booking offices at ten
largest stations in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam
Centraal, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem. But remember,
you'll need to book well in advance for the cheapest fares,
as buying tickets on the day can be expensive.
For a journey starting in London,
buy a ticket from London to Brussels at
www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to print your own
ticket at home. This ticket is automatically valid to
any station in Belgium. When you get to Brussels,
simply go to the ticket office and buy an open ticket from Essen
(the last station in Belgium before the Dutch border) to Amsterdam for just
26 euros one-way, 52
euros return, as explained in
option 1 (remember this is the
little Essen in Belgium, not
the bigger Essen in Germany). No advance
reservation is necessary for the hourly intercity trains from
Brussels to Amsterdam and the price doesn't change, you just buy a ticket at a fixed price
at the ticket office and hop on. You're now covered
for the whole Brussels-Amsterdam InterCity journey, there's
no need to get off at Essen.
www.eurostar.com accepts all credit cards, not just UK
ones. If you want to buy the Essen-Amsterdam ticket
before you go, go to
www.nshispeed.nl, click 'English' at the top, book from
Essen (Belgie) to Amsterdam and select the 'homeprint'
option to print out your own ticket. There's a 2.50
euros credit card fee if you buy online.
For a journey starting in Amsterdam,
simply buy a
Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London online at
www.eurostar.com, selecting the option to print out your
own ticket at home. This ticket is automatically valid
from any station in Belgium to London. When you get to
Amsterdam, all you need to do is buy an open ticket from
Amsterdam to Essen for around 26 euros one-way, 52 euros
return (remember this is the little Essen in Belgium, not
the better-known bigger Essen in Germany). You can buy
this on the day of travel if you like, as no advance
reservation is necessary for the hourly intercity trains from
Amsterdam to Brussels and the price doesn't change, you just buy a ticket at a fixed price
and hop on. You're now covered for the whole
Amsterdam-Brussels InterCity journey, there's no need to get
off at Essen. This is usually the easiest and
cheapest way to book an Amsterdam-London train journey, much
cheaper than buying through an overseas ticketing agency,
and there's no booking or postage fees to pay, either! If you
want to buy the Amsterdam-Essen ticket before you go, go to
www.nshispeed.nl, click 'English' at the top, book from
Amsterdam Centraal to Essen (Belgie), and select the 'homeprint'
option to print out your own ticket. There's a 2.50
euros credit card fee if you buy online.
What's the
journey like?
On board the Eurostar...
First class fares include an airline-style meal
and complimentary drinks. All passengers have access to
two buffet-bar cars serving drinks and snacks. For
more information about travelling by Eurostar, see the
Eurostar page. Eurostar arrives at platforms 1 or 2
at Brussels Midi (Brussel Zuid in Flemish).
These InterCity trains run every hour throughout the day
between Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, the Hague, and
Amsterdam. Seat reservation is not necessary or even
possible, you just turn up and hop on. A refreshment trolley serves
hot and cold drinks and snacks. Combined
Eurostar+InterCity tickets can be used on any InterCity train
between Amsterdam and Brussels within 24 hours of the Eurostar
you're booked on. In Brussels, the InterCity for
Amsterdam normally leaves from platforms 17, 18 or 19, but
always check
the indicator boards to see which one.
Advice on changing
trains at Brussels Midi.
An
InterCity train about to leave Brussels for Amsterdam
2nd class
on the hourly Brussels-Amsterdam InterCity train...
'Thalys' is a
joint venture of the French, Belgian, Dutch & German railways
formed to run the high-speed trains between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam & Cologne. Thalys trains have
1st & 2nd class seats (marketed as Comfort 1 & Comfort 2) plus a cafe-bar car.
Between Brussels & Amsterdam, the Thalys trains are more
comfortable, but less frequent and less flexible than the
regular hourly InterCity trains. 1st
class fares include complimentary refreshments served at your seat and 1st
class passengers may use the first class lounges at
Amsterdam Centraal or Schiphol stations with complimentary
tea, coffee, soft drinks and beer (look for signs to the 'NS
Hispeed Lounge'). However, the first class lounge at
Brussels is only for special frequent traveller cardholders.
All seats in both classes have power sockets for laptops &
mobiles, and all Thalys trains have WiFi on board, free in
1st class, chargeable in 2nd class. Like Eurostar, advance
reservation is obligatory, and special fares apply. You can check Thalys train times & fares at
the Thalys website, www.thalys.com.
You can check London to Amsterdam Eurostar+Thalys times and
fares at
www.eurostar.com. Combined Eurostar+Thalys tickets
can only be used on the specific Eurostar and Thalys trains on
which your seats have been reserved. In Brussels, Thalys
trains to Amsterdam normally leave from platforms 5 or 6, but
always check the indicator boards.
Advice on changing
trains at Brussels Midi. More
information about Thalys.
Seating plan for
Thalys.
Maastricht, right down in the southern tip of the
Netherlands, is most easy reached by
Eurostar changing in Brussels. There are hourly direct
Belgian InterCity trains from Brussels
to Maastricht on Mondays-Fridays, a change at Liège is needed at weekends.
Remember that Eurostar tickets to Brussels are valid to any
station in Belgium, so here's the clever way to check times
and buy tickets:
Step 1,
buy a London-Brussels Eurostar ticket at
www.eurostar.com. This is automatically valid to
any station in Belgium on any suitable connecting train
(including Belgian InterCity trains but not international
Thalys or ICE trains) within 24 hours of arrival in Brussels,
and (on your return) within 24 hours of your Eurostar
departure from Brussels. This will take you all the way
to Liège , so all you need to reach Maastricht is an open
full-fare
Liege-Maastricht ticket for just 4.80 euros each way.
Step 2, go
to the Belgian Railways website,
www.b-rail.be,
click 'Choose your language' then 'Europe' at the top.
Now book from Liège Guillemins to Maastricht, selecting any
normal InterCity (IC) train on the date you want (it doesn't
matter which train) and select 'full fare'. You print
out your own ticket. This is an open ticket valid on any
train on that date, not just the train you've selected.
Once printed you can't change the date, though.
Alternatively, you can buy the Liege-Maastricht ticket on the
day of travel at the ticket office as you pass
through Brussels. You can now travel direct from
Brussels to Maastricht using this combination of tickets.
Of course, you
can also travel from London to Maastricht by overnight
train+ferry if you like using the special 'London to any Dutch
station' train+ferry ticket, see the
section above.
London to any
other destination in the Netherlands: Utrecht,
Apeldoorn, Groningen, Arnhem, Eindhoven, etc...
Other destinations
in the Netherlands can also be reached just as easily as
Amsterdam, using either train+ferry or Eurostar. Decide
which you want to use by reading the London-Amsterdam
train & ferry and
Eurostar information above, then
check connections to your chosen destination as follows:
By train+ferry
to any Dutch station:
If you book a train+ferry ticket from London to Amsterdam at
www.dutchflyer.co.uk as
explained above, your ticket will be valid to any Dutch station,
not just Amsterdam. So you can travel from London to
anywhere in the Netherlands for the same price as Amsterdam.
Simply take the sprinter from Hoek van Holland to Rotterdam,
where you'll find frequent direct trains to Utrecht, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Arnhem, Groningen and so on, usually
every hour or better, with no need to go via Amsterdam. To check train times
to other Dutch destinations, first check what time your
chosen train+ferry service reaches Hoek van Holland using the
London to Amsterdam rail+sea timetable above. Then go to
www.ns.nl,
enter 'Hoek van Holland' as origin and your Dutch destination
as 'destination', enter your travel dates and time of
departure from Hoek (allowing at least 20 minutes from the
arrival of the ferry) and hit
'search'.
By Eurostar
to any Dutch station: There's a special fare
from London to any Dutch station by Eurostar & ordinary
train (in other words, any train except high-speed Thalys
trains) from just £89 return. First the bad news:
This ticket can't be booked online at either the Eurostar or
Rail Europe websites. Now the good news: It can
be booked online at the Dutch Railways website,
www.nshispeed.nl, and with home-print tickets it doesn't
matter that you don't live in the Netherlands! Best of
all,
www.nshispeed.nl will let you book to any specific Dutch
station, and work out all your connecting train times for you.
Simply go to
www.nshispeed.nl, click for 'English' and book from London
St Pancras to your chosen Dutch destination. Fares start
at 50 euros each way.
Problems booking a
return ticket have been reported, if you have any trouble
booking a return, just book two one-way tickets, 50 euros each
way.
Alternatively, you
can check train times from London to anywhere in the
Netherlands at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
Simply
enter 'London' as origin and your Dutch destination as
'destination', enter your travel dates and hit 'search'.
This will show you train times and where to change. For
Rotterdam, Leiden, Haarlem & Den Haag, I recommend buying a
Eurostar ticket to Brussels (valid to any Belgian station)
then when you reach Brussels buy an open ticket from Essen
(the last stop in Belgium) to your destination in order to use
the direct InterCity from Brussels. It's similar to the
process recommended for travel to Amsterdam
explained here.
DFDS Seaways 'Princess of Norway' about to sail
overnight from Newcastle to Amsterdam...
A Commodore Deluxe cabin on DFDS ferry 'King of
Scandinavia' from Newcastle to Amsterdam. Commodore
Deluxe offers genuine cruise ship standards with minibar,
satellite TV, shower & toilet. Highly recommended!
See the video...
About as far away from 'Ryanair' as you can get...
The exclusive Commodore Deluxe lounge aboard the 'King of
Scandinavia'...
A standard 'Seaways' class cabin with shower & toilet on
DFDS 'Princess of Norway' from Newcastle to Amsterdam...
Dinner in the '7 Seas' buffet restaurant aboard the
'Princess of Norway' from Newcastle to Amsterdam...
From
Scotland or the North of England, you can of course simply catch a train up to London then
take Eurostar as described above. However, it can be easier
to by-pass the Big Smoke using a luxurious cruise ferry
direct to Holland, either DFDS Seaways from
Newcastle or P&O Ferries from Hull. Both ferries sail
overnight, a time-effective alternative to flying for a
weekend away or a short break. You sleep in a
comfortable cabin after dinner in one of the restaurants on board
or even a night dancing in the nightclub.
And if you take DFDS Seaways 'Commodore Deluxe' class then
you're in for a real treat! Here are the options...
Scotland & the north of England ►
Amsterdam by Eurostar via London
Travel up to London by
train, then take Eurostar to Brussels and a connecting
InterCity or Thalys train to Amsterdam.
A good way to buy tickets is
first using
www.eurostar.com to buy a through ticket from over 130
UK towns & cities to Brussels, then buy an Essen-Amsterdam
open ticket
as explained in the
London-Amsterdam section. Your ticket to Brussels is in
fact valid to any Belgian station, and Essen (in Belgium, not
the better-known one in Germany) is the last stop before the
border.
Scotland & the north of
England ► Amsterdam by DFDS cruise ferry from Newcastle
The overnight DFDS Seaways cruise
ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam is perhaps the most
civilised and comfortable way to get from Scotland or the
North to Amsterdam. A full range of comfortable cabins
is available, including DFDS' famous Commodore Class (highly
recommended!), plus
a wide range of restaurants & bars, a children's play area,
a cinema and live entertainment in the nightclub.
Step 1, take a
train from your local station to Newcastle, timed to arrive
at or before 15:00. For example, you can leave
Edinburgh around 13:00. You can check train times & fares
and buy online using the UK page or
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Transfer from
Newcastle Central to the International Ferry Terminal at
North Shields. Clearly-marked DFDS transfer buses
leave Newcastle central station for the North Shields
international ferry terminal 2½ & 1¼
hours before the ferry sails. To find the bus stop,
walk out of the main exit at Newcastle Central Station onto
the cab road and turn left along the station front for about
100 yards until you reach the bus stop marked 'Bus 327 DFDS
ferry terminal only'. The bus fare is around £3 adults, £2 child, and the
journey normally takes about 40 minutes. The buses are
wheelchair accessible and have extra luggage space.
Alternatively, a taxi from Newcastle station to the DFDS
ferry terminal will cost about £16, journey time 35 minutes.
Another possibility is to take the Tyne & Wear Metro to
Percy Main station and walk from there, though it's a
fair old walk.
Step 2, sail
overnight from Newcastle to Amsterdam with DFDS Seaways (www.dfds.co.uk),
sailing daily at 17:00, arriving at IJmuiden
(20km from Amsterdam) at 09:30 next morning. The two
ships on this route are the 'Princess of Norway' and the
'King of Scandinavia'. Both are excellent, although the
'King' has 'Commodore Deluxe' as well as 'Commodore' &
'Seaways' class cabins,
and in my opinion is the nicer ship. Buy your ferry
tickets online at
www.dfds.co.uk.
A transfer bus meets the ferry to
take you to Amsterdam Centraal station, expect to arrive
there around 11:00. A taxi to Amsterdam will cost
around 60 euros, and if you want one you'll have to pre-book
it as there aren't many in IJmuiden. Try calling ATC
Taxis on 00 31 251314422 or Taxi Tervoort on 00 31 255
513838.
North of
England ► Amsterdam by P&O ferry from Hull
Step 1, take a
train from your local station to Hull, timed to arrive by
about 16:30. You can check train times & fares and buy
online using the UK page or
www.nationalrail.co.uk. In Hull,
there's a bus from the the interchange next to the St
Stephen's shopping centre at 17:15 out to the ferry
terminal. There's a 90 minute check-in for the ferry.
Step 2,
sail overnight from Hull to Rotterdam Europoort with P&O,
sailing from Hull International Ferry Terminal at 21:00 and arriving
at
Rotterdam Europoort at
08:15 (09:00 weekends), see
www.poferries.com. A transfer bus
is available on arrival
to Rotterdam
Centraal station (this is quite a way, about 24 miles).
Book the bus along with your ferry tickets from P&O.
Step 3, take
a train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. These run every
10-15 minutes, journey time 1 hour.
Buy your ferry
tickets online at
www.poferries.com.
To check train fares and
buy train tickets to Newcastle or Hull,
see the UK page;
Amsterdam ►
Scotland & the north of England by DFDS ferry to
Newcastle
A DFDS transfer bus leaves
Amsterdam Centraal station (the stop is in front of the
Hotel Victoria) between 15:00 & 16:00 for
IJmuiden to connect with the ferry to Newcastle.
Please check bus details when booking.
Sail from IJmuiden to
Newcastle with DFDS Seaways overnight cruise ferry, leaving
IJmuiden at 17:30 and arriving at Newcastle International
Ferry Terminal at 09:00 next morning. A wide range of
cabins, restaurants, bars are available, with cinema, shops
& live entertainment.
Transfer by shuttle bus or
taxi to Newcastle Central station for train travel home.
You can check train times & fares and buy online at
www.thetrainline.com or
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Amsterdam ►
North of England by P&O ferry to Hull
Take
a train around 15:30 from Amsterdam to Rotterdam Centraal,
these run every 10-15 minutes, journey time 1 hour.
A special bus then leaves
Rotterdam Centraal (Eurolines bus stop) at 17:00 for the 24
mile transfer to the Europoort ferry terminal, fare around
4.50 euros (pre-book the bus with P&O when you buy your ferry
tickets). Please check bus details at
www.poferries.com or when booking.
Sail overnight
from Rotterdam Europoort to Hull, leaving Europoort daily at
21:00, arriving in Hull at 08:00 next morning, see
www.poferries.com. A bus will transfer you from
the ferry terminal to Hull city centre on arrival.
Sponsored links:
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter 2009/10
edition (Dec 2009 to June 2010)
Summer 2010 edition (June to December 2010)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
Paying
for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a
small part of what you pay for your whole trip. You will
see a lot more, and know much more about what you're looking at,
if you have a decent guidebook. I think the Lonely Planets
& Rough Guides
are the best ones out
there for the independent traveller. You won't regret
buying one!
My own book, an essential handbook for train or ferry travel to Europe
based on this website called "The
Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and
is available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.
Find a hotel in Amsterdam or anywhere else in Europe...
It's
easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets, just
use the form below. This links to
www.hotelscombined.com, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you
(including Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Venere and many
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set
up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place
to start for booking any hotel online in any country,
worldwide. It saves me hours going round in circles on
umpteen different hotel sites!
The
Amsterdam or
Netherlands page on
www.venere.com is definitely worth trying. The price you see is the price you pay, no
hidden extras, and you simply pay the hotel when you get
there. After you've booked, you can change or cancel
your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and
cancellation policy.
www.laterooms.com lists a huge number of hotels in Amsterdam on a
single page showing price and availability for your dates. Laterooms gets discounts for hotel rooms booked within
3 months of travel, which makes it ideal for anyone booking train
travel within the normal 90 days train booking horizon.
The discounted prices will be shown in orange.
www.mrandmrssmith.com (no relation!) is the place to start
if you want something special for an anniversary, honeymoon,
romantic break or other special occasion.
www.mrandmrssmith.com lists a range of hand-picked
boutique hotels in Amsterdam.
www.tripadvisor.com
is a good place to browse independent travellers' reviews of all the main Amsterdam
hotels, and it has the low-down on Amsterdam's sights &
attractions, too.
If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget about the hostels. For backpacker hostels
in Amsterdam and most other European cities at budget prices
(either a dorm bed or an ultra cheap private room) see
www.hostelbookers.com.
Railbookers (www.railbookers.com,
020 3327 0761) are a reliable and helpful company offering city breaks to Amsterdam by train,
combining Eurostar travel & hotel. A 2-night break
starts at around £225 per person.
Never go abroad without travel insurance from a
reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. 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 myself). Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a pre-paid euro currency MasterCard from Caxton FX...
You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency MasterCard, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' MasterCard.
Find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, but if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85%. It
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
Railbookers (
If you live in the UK, get quotes from
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, see
If you live in the USA or Canada, see
