Buy a low-cost 'Dutch Flyer' train & ferry ticket from London to
Amsterdam or any train station in the
Netherlands. The low-cost but
high-comfort overnight service
saves time, money & hotel bills!
Travel London-Amsterdam
in 4-5 hours by Eurostar with one simple change in
Brussels...
Fed up with
flying? More volcanic ash on its way? This page explains
how to travel from London or anywhere in the UK to Amsterdam or anywhere in the
Netherlands, avoiding airport hassle and
reducing both your stress levels and your
impact on the environment. Upgrade from a flight
to the excellent low-cost 'Dutch Flyer' or Eurostar and you'll rediscover how
the journey itself can be a treat!
What are the
options?
Option
1: London to Amsterdam by 'Dutch Flyer' train &
overnight luxury superferry...
Leave
central London by train at 7.32pm, sleep in a
cosy private cabin with toilet, shower, satellite TV & free
WiFi on
Stena Line's luxury overnight superferry from Harwich to Hoek van
Holland, and arrive by train next morning in Rotterdam
08:41, Den Haag 09:17, Amsterdam 10:14. From just £39 each way plus
£30 for a single cabin or £43 per cabin for a 2-berth,
this covers the whole journey from central London to
central Amsterdam or any rail station in the Netherlands all on
one ticket. Ideal for a weekend break or eco-friendly
business trip. You cut your
CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared to a flight. There's a daytime service too, on which
cabins are optional.
Timetables, fares,
how to buy tickets.
Option 2: London to Amsterdam
by Eurostar high-speed train, 4 hours 16 minutes!
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
Option 3:
North of England or Scotland to Amsterdam by overnight cruise ferry...
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.
The Dutch Flyer train+ferry tickets are valid to
any
station in the Netherlands, not just Amsterdam. Simply take the train &
overnight luxury superferry to Hoek van Holland, then use
Netherlands Railways intercity trains to travel just about
anywhere: Utrecht, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Apeldoorn,
Groningen... Or you can buy a
Eurostar ticket to Any
Dutch Station, covering Eurostar to Brussels & connecting
trains to Rotterdam, Den Haag, Haarlem or Maastricht, change
at Rotterdam for Utrecht, Groningen, Arnhem.
Sponsored links...
Train & ferry routes from the
UK to Amsterdam ...
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 the train from central London...
This is the 7pm train boarding at London's beautifully-restored
Liverpool Street station. Change at
Manningtree for Harwich. Enjoy the scenery as
the train runs along the beautiful Stour Estuary & arrives
right alongside the ferry at Harwich...
Board the world's largest superferry...
At Harwich, you simply walk off the
train and into the ferry terminal. You collect your
boarding card & cabin key at the Stena Line
check-in desk and walk through passport control onto the
overnight ferry to Hoek van
Holland. You can be on board in minutes,
compared to airports it's unbelievably quick &
painless. The
Stena Hollandica is the largest 'RoPax'
ferry in the world, a
63,000 ton floating hotel with over 1,400 beds in 538
cabins. Steady as a rock!
Snuggle down in your private cabin with satellite
TV, free WiFi, toilet & shower...
All passengers on the night crossing get exclusive use
of a private cabin. Even the cheapest standard
inside cabin (pictured above) includes a private
shower & toilet, satellite TV & free WiFi. The
beds have top quality Swedish 'Dux' mattresses for a
great night's sleep, and there's fresh towels, soap,
shampoo/shower gel. There's a desk with power
sockets for laptops & mobiles. Cabins are
optional (but half price) on the day crossing.
See the full range of cabins.
Dinner in the à
la carte restaurant? This is the
Metropolitan à
la carte restaurant on the Stena Hollandica. Adding
a 3-course dinner to your booking for £19 saves a few pounds
over the price you'd pay on board & you'll find a
reserved table with your name on in it.
There's also the 'Taste' self-service restaurant.
...And there's bars, lounges, a cinema, shop, free WiFi
& internet access: This is one of
the bar areas on
the 'Stena Hollandica'.
It's a relaxed & civilised way to travel, very
different from the stressful airline
experience. There's free WiFi if you have a
laptop, and an area with free internet PCs if you
haven't...
Next morning, step ashore in Holland...
Simply walk down the gangway into the terminal,
through Dutch passport control & onto the platform for the train to Rotterdam.
It takes just minutes, totally painless. Above, the
giant ferry Stena Hollandica has arrived
at Hoek van
Holland on a bright &
sunny morning, spot on time...
...and take a modern Dutch
train to anywhere in the Netherlands. Air-conditioned Sprinter trains leave Hoek van Holland
Haven (platform 2) every 20-30 minutes for Rotterdam
Centraal, change there for
InterCity trains to Amsterdam
Centraal or anywhere in the
Netherlands. Many InterCity trains are
double-deck, choose a top deck seat for the best
views!
One ticket covers the whole journey from London to
Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands, from £39
each way!
Standard cabins (1,
2
or 5-berth) have comfy beds with top-quality Swedish 'Dux'
mattresses, en suite toilet &
shower, satellite TV, European-style power sockets for laptops
&
mobiles, free WiFi & a small dressing table.
Towels, shower gel/shampoo & bedding are provided.
Above: A standard 1 or 2-berth outside
cabin. Sold as a single, you pay just £39 for the
room plus a travel ticket from £39. As a double, it's
£51 for the room plus a travel ticket for each
passenger.
'Outside' means 'with window', much nicer
than an 'inside' cabin & worth the extra few pounds.
The new Stena Hollandica has
extra-large cabin windows for great sea views...
Above: A standard 5-berth outside cabin.
Comfort Class 2-
or 3-berth: All the features of a standard cabin
plus a bit more room,
tea/coffee making facilities, hairdryer, complimentary fruit bowl & complimentary minibar with
beer, fruit juice and red & white wine.
Ideal for an eco-friendly business trip or special
weekend away to Amsterdam, Rotterdam or
Den Haag... One berth is extra-wide,
effectively a double bed.
Above: A Comfort Class cabin. £72 for the
room, plus a travel ticket (from £39) for each
passenger.
Captain's Class
2-berth:
For even more space, book a Captain's Class cabin.
All the facilities of a standard cabin, but with a double bed, tea/coffee
making facilities, hairdryer, fruit bowl & complimentary minibar with beer, juice,
&
wine.
Above: A Captain's Class cabin with double
bed. You pay £98 for the room (£49 on the day
crossing) plus a travel
ticket (from £39) for each passenger.
Captain's Suite
2-berth:
The ultimate choice, with double bed, separate sitting
room with satellite
TV, Nespresso coffee maker, fruit bowl & complimentary minibar.
Above: A Captain's Suite sitting room, a
bedroom with double bed is next door. It's £123
for the suite (£62 on the day crossing), plus a travel ticket (from (£39) for each
passenger...
This is the traditional way to reach Amsterdam, definitely
worth knowing about! One ticket covers the whole
journey from central London to Amsterdam Centraal, by train from London to Harwich, by luxury superferry across the sea to
Holland, and by train onwards to Amsterdam or anywhere you
like in the Netherlands. Stena Line have reported
that this service is being used by an increasing number of
young professionals, keen to avoid airport stress and cut
their environmental impact by 80%, as well as saving expensive
hotel costs in Amsterdam or London. Stena Line
has ordered two new 63,000 ton superferries, the largest
of their kind in the world. The new 'Stena Hollandica'
went into service in May 2010 to replace the earlier Stena
Hollandica, and the new 'Stena Britannica' went into service in
October 2010 to replace the older Stena Britannica. The
new ships have free WiFi &
internet access, private cabins with en suite toilet &
shower & satellite TV, putting it streets ahead of the
no-frills budget airline experience. There are two
services a day in each direction, based around the
overnight Harwich-Hoek "Night Boat" and the daytime "Day
Boat". The 'Dutch Flyer' service is run by
Stena Line, National Express East Anglia & Dutch railways
(NS) working together. See
the video...
CO2 savings: Flight: 68 Kg of CO2 per
passenger, Dutch Flyer only 13.6 Kg per passenger, an 80%
saving. Source.
This
overnight train & ferry service is the
most time-effective 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 24, 25, 31 December.
There's a direct connection from Cambridge & Ipswich,
too.
Leave
London Liverpool Street Station at19:32 every
day by train to Harwich International, arriving at
20:54 on Mondays to Saturdays or 21:14 on Sundays.
On Mondays-Saturdays the train is direct from London
to Harwich, but on Sundays you need to change trains
at Colchester, arrive 20:36 depart 20:46, a simple
same-platform change. Your ticket is in fact
valid on any suitable train to Harwich, you
can take an earlier one or even a slightly later one
if you like - Stena Line's own website shows an
18:20 departure from London as they have not updated
it! The train arrives directly at the
ferry terminal, you simply walk off the train into
the terminal, check in at the Stena Line desk then
walk through passport control onto the ferry. You can board the
ferry from around 20:45 onwards, so you can have a late
dinner in the ship's
à la carte or self
service restaurant and settle into your private en suite cabin. Check in closes at
22:30. To check train times from other UK
towns & cities to Harwich, use
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
The
Cambridge & Ipswich connection: There's a
direct train from Cambridge & Ipswich to Harwich,
leaving Cambridge at 19:43 on Mondays-Saturdays or
19:12 on Sundays, leaving Ipswich at 21:00 on
Mondays-Fridays or 20:35 on Sundays, arriving
Harwich at 21:29 (21:04 on Sundays).
Sail from Harwich
to Hoek van Holland on Stena Line's overnight luxury superferry,
sailing at 23:15 & arriving at 07:45 next morning.
Remember that Dutch time is 1 hour ahead of UK time.
This is Stena Line's superb new superferry
Stena Hollandica, the largest ferry of her
kind in the world at over 63,000 tons. She's a floating
hotel with over 1,400 beds, as all passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with
en suite toilet & shower, satellite TV, free WiFi
internet access, power sockets for mobiles or laptop, and soap, shampoo/shower
gel, towels & bedding all provided. The ferry has
a bar, wine bar, self-service
& à la carte restaurants, shop, cinema
showing the latest releases,
Guest Services desk, & children's play area. The
giant superferry is rock-steady in almost all
weathers and the crossing is almost always smooth,
making it very easy to sleep (and the cabins have
top quality Swedish 'Dux' mattresses, of which Stena Line
are very proud, even putting the 'Dux' logo on the cabin
doors!).
See the range of cabins
available here. A cooked breakfast is available
in the restaurant in the morning if you're an early riser. At Hoek van Holland, the ferry
terminal is right next to the station, you walk off the
ferry via the passenger gangway, 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 a train at 08:10
Mondays-Fridays
arriving Rotterdam Centraal at 08:41, or another at 08:25
every day arriving 08:56.
Travel from
Rotterdam to Amsterdam by InterCity train,
leaving Rotterdam Centraal at 08:58 and arriving Den
Haag HS 09:17 & arriving Amsterdam Centraal at 10:03.
On weekends you probably won't make this connection,
but no worries, the next train leaves Rotterdam at
09:11 arriving Amsterdam at 10:14. Many of these InterCity trains are double-deckers, take a
top deck seat for the best views.
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.
Here's the daytime train & ferry option, but make sure
you can get to Liverpool Street station for the very early
06:38 departure. Runs daily except 24,
25, 26 December.
Depart London Liverpool Street Station at 06:38 on
Mondays-Saturdays or 07:55 on Sundays by direct
train to Harwich International arriving at 08:10
Mondays-Fridays or 09:25 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. Always check train
times, especially if travelling at weekends.
Cruise from
Harwich to Hoek van Holland by daily Stena Line
luxury superferry. On Mondays-Saturdays she sails at 09:00 arriving 16:45.
On Sundays she sails at 10:30 arriving ay 18:15.
This is the Stena
Line Superferry 'Stena Britannica'. There are two bars, self
service & buffer restaurants, coffee shop, cinema showing the
latest releases, children's
play area, free WiFi & internet access.
There's mobile phone access throughout the voyage.
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 Schiedam or Rotterdam,
leaving every 15-30 minutes from platform 2. On
Mondays-Saturdays there's one
at 17:25 arriving Schiedam Centrum at 17:51 & Rotterdam Centraal at
17:56. On Sundays there's one at 18:55
arriving Schiedam Centrum 19:21 & Rotterdam Centraal
at 19:26.
Travel from
Schiedam Centrum to Amsterdam by InterCity train, leaving
Schiedam Centrum at 17:57 on Mondays-Saturdays
arriving Amsterdam Centraal
at 19:03. On Sundays, you leave Schiedam Centrum at
19:21 and arrive Amsterdam Centraal at 20:33. Many of these InterCity trains are
double-deckers, take a top deck seat for the best views. If you're heading for anywhere else in the
Netherlands, check train times using
www.ns.nl.
This is the comfortable, civilised & time-effective
overnight option that also saves a hotel bill. Runs
daily except 24, 25, 31 December.
Leave Amsterdam Centraal daily at 18:46
or Den Haag HS at 19:27 by InterCity train to Rotterdam Centraal,
arriving at
19:49. Many of these InterCity trains are
double-deckers, so take a top deck seat for the best
views.
Travel from Rotterdam to Hoek of Holland
by local Sprinter train.
This local train runs every 15-30 minutes, normally leaving from
platform 1. There's a train at 20:01
arriving Hoek Van Holland Haven at 20:30. By all
means catch an earlier train, your ticket is valid
on any train, and the ship starts boarding from
around 20:00.
Sail from Hoek van Holland
to Harwich by overnight Stena Line luxury superferry,
sailing at
22:30 Mondays-Fridays or 22:00 Saturdays & Sundays, arriving at 06:30 next morning.
Remember that UK time is 1 hour behind Dutch time.
This is Stena Line's new superferry 'Stena Britannica'. She's a floating hotel, as all passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with
en suite toilet & shower, free WiFi internet access,
LCD satellite TV, power sockets for mobiles or laptop, with soap, shampoo/shower
gel, towels & bedding all provided. The ferry has
two bars, self-service
& a la carte restaurants, shop, cinema showing the latest
releases,
Guest Services desk, & children's play area. The crossing is almost always smooth &
comfortable, making it very easy to sleep, as do the top
quality Swedish 'Dux' mattresses (of which Stena Line are
very proud!).
See the range of cabins
available here. 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
direct train, leaving Harwich International at
07:15 Monday-Friday or 07:20 Saturdays & Sundays, arriving London Liverpool Street station at
08:54 Monday-Friday, 08:45 Saturday or 08:59 Sunday.
You can check train times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
The
Cambridge & Ipswich connection: There's a
direct train from Harwich to Ipswich & Cambridge.
It leaves Harwich International at 07:50 on Mondays
to Saturdays arriving Ipswich at 08:17 and
Cambridge at 09:39. On Sundays, it leaves
Harwich at 08:30, arriving
Ipswich at 08:53 and Cambridge at 10:24. You
can check train times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
This is the leisurely daytime
cruise 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. In this direction, the Day Boat is
conveniently timed, and just as good an option as the
Night Boat.
Leave Amsterdam Centraal daily at 11:13
or Den Haag HS at 11:57 by InterCity train to Rotterdam Centraal,
arriving at
12:19. Many of these InterCity trains are
double-deckers, so take a top deck seat for the best
views.
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 12:31
arriving Hoek Van Holland Haven at 13:00.
Cruise from
Hoek van Holland to Harwich by daily Stena Line luxury superferry,
sailing at 14:30 & arriving at 20:00.
Remember that UK time is 1 hour behind Dutch time.
This is Stena Line's superb new superferry
Stena Hollandica. The ferry has
two bars, self-service
& à la carte restaurants, shop,
a cinema showing the latest releases,
Guest Services desk, children's play area, free WiFi &
internet access, a TV news room, and the Stena Plus club
lounge. There's mobile phone access
throughout the voyage and an area with free internet
access computers if you haven't brought your own
laptop. At Harwich, the ferry
terminal is right next to the station, you walk off the
ferry through passport control and onto the station. Cabins are optional
on the day crossing, but are half price
so well worth it for privacy and
somewhere to work, freshen up, watch satellite TV or snooze. Bring a
bottle of wine (or buy one on board) and chill out in your
cabin. See the range of cabins
available here.
Travel from
Harwich to London by direct train, arriving 22:14. On Mondays-Saturdays a
train leaves Harwich International at 20:45 arriving London Liverpool
Street station at 22:14. On Sundays, leave Harwich
at 20:35, arriving London
Liverpool Street at 21:59. You can check train times
at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Children
(aged 4-14 inclusive) £19.50 one way, £39 return
Children
aged 0-3 inclusive travel for free.
Slightly higher fares (around £48-£54 each way)
apply on peak dates or if travelling at short
notice.
The fare covers train+ferry+train travel from
London orany NX East Anglia
station (including Peterborough, Cambridge, Norwich, Colchester,
Romford) to Amsterdam or any Dutch station (including
Rotterdam, Den Haag, Leiden,
Arnhem, Utrecht, Groningen, Maastricht).
How to buy tickets
Cabins
You
must pay for a cabin on the overnight
ferry...
Per cabin,
not per person
Overnight
ferry...
(essential)
Daytime
ferry...
(optional)
Single berth cabin
£30
£15
Single berth cabin with
window
£39
£20
2-berth cabin
£43
£22
2-berth cabin with
window
£51
£26
3 or 4 berth cabin with
window
£76
£38
5-berth cabin with window
£83
£42
Comfort Class 2-berth
cabin, window
£72
£36
Captain's Class deluxe 2-berth,
window
£98
£49
Captain's Suite deluxe 2-berth,
window
£123
£62
About these fares...
What does
the fare include? The fare includes the train from London,
Cambridge 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 on 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 2 x £39 travel tickets plus 1 x £43 cabin = £121 =
£60.50 each. A solo passenger would pay £39 fare +
£30 cabin = £69.
Standard cabins have
satellite TV, WiFi internet access, very 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 for
passengers with disabilities.
Comfort Class cabins & Captain's Class cabins
allhave large windows, satellite TV, 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
(but half price!) on the daytime ferry. The privacy & comfort of a
private cabin with satellite TV, WiFi, 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, shop, games area, Stena Plus club
lounge, free internet computers & TV news screens.
Pre-book
lunch, dinner or breakfast: When you buy your
tickets at
www.dutchflyer.co.uk
you can add a meal to the booking. For example, a
good 3-course dinner on the night crossing costs £21, or
pre-book both dinner & breakfast for £28. A
2-course lunch on the day crossing costs £15. This saves a few pounds
over what you'd pay on board and you'll find a reserved table with your name on it in the Metropolitan à la
carte restaurant. Recommended!
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
Edinburgh, 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.
- This system can
book one-way or return tickets starting in the UK.
For one-way or return tickets starting in the Netherlands,
so
see the advice here.
- The
booking process is a bit unusual, but makes sense if you
realise
that you're first telling it you want a rail & sail ticket from
London to Amsterdam, then booking the 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.
- If you
select
'Amsterdam Central' as your destination your 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.
-
Overseas credit cards are accepted so visitors from the
USA, Canada, Australia, NZ etc are welcome!
- Stena's
website still suggests the unnecessarily-early 18:20 train from London
for the overnight ferry, but your ticket is valid on any
train. The
19:32 train from London gets you there in plenty of time and
is the better connection, ignore the 18:20!
- If
your travel date is less than 24 hours away, you'll need
to book by phone, 08445 762 762 (UK callers only).
Buy
tickets online (recommended):
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
08445 762 762 (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 applies to phone bookings.
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.
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 journeys starting in the UK 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. easy! However, for
journeys starting in the Netherlands,
see the advice here. 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.
The Man
in Seat 61's top travel tips: (1)
Book a cabin on the daytime crossing even though
it's optional, as cabins are half-price and it's somewhere to
relax, freshen up, work, or watch TV. Comfort or
Captain's Class cabins give you tea/coffee facilities
and a free minibar. (2) Add a meal to your
booking, this saves a few pounds over what you pay
on board and you'll find a reserved table with your name
on it in the
Metropolitan à la carte restaurant. For example,
you can add a good 3-course dinner to your booking for
£21, or both dinner & breakfast for £28.
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
Stena Line's Dutch website
www.stenaline.nl/ferry/londen/. 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 to book a ticket
in Dutch:
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 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 08445 762 762, 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, 09:00-17:00 Saturdays,
Dutch
time.
See the video -
London to Amsterdam by Dutch Flyer...
Video courtesy of
Airline in-flight food... Only kidding,
of course, it's dinner in the Stena Hollandica's à la carte
restaurant. The clever money takes the ship! Why
not upgrade to the Dutch Flyer next time?
Put the romance back... Flying has
lost its glamour. It's time to put
the romance back! Upgrade from a cheap flight to the Dutch Flyer.
Above, a glass
of complimentary cava in a Captain's Class
cabin on the Stena Britannica.
Take
Eurostar to Brussels in just 2 hours then a connecting train to Amsterdam,
either a high-speed Thalys
in 1 hour 54 minutes or a regular InterCity in 2
hours 55 minutes. 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.
Eurostar +
Thalys high-speed train...
The fastest
and most comfortable option is to
combine Eurostar to Brussels with a
high-speed Thalys
train from Brussels to
Amsterdam. Thalys trains are more comfortable and
faster than the InterCity trains as they use the new high-speed line between
Brussels & Amsterdam which opened in December 2009.
However, Thalys trains are less frequent than the hourly
InterCity trains and
they require advance seat
reservations so are less flexible. They don't carry bikes.
Fares.
How to
buy tickets.
Eurostar +
regular InterCity train...
The most
frequent & flexible option is to combine Eurostar to
Brussels with a
regular
hourly InterCity train from Brussels to Amsterdam, as
these 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!
Fares.
How to buy tickets.
Top tips 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.
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. You can
either book it yourself then book hotels
here, or for a tailor-made short break try
www.railbookers.com.
London ► Amsterdam, by Eurostar
&
Thalys high-speed train
Eurostar (30 minute check-in)
Mondays-Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
London St Pancras
depart
06:50
08:04 *
08:57
10:57
12:57
15:04
16:04
17:04
07:57
08:57
10:57
12:57
08:57
12:57
15:04
16:04
17:04
Pick
up at Ebbsfleet (near M25)
07:04
|
09:15
11:15
13:15
|
|
|
|
09:15
11:15
13:15
09:15
13:15
|
|
|
Brussels Midi/Zuid
arrive
10:08
11:05 *
12:05
14:05
16:08
18:05
19:05
20:05
11:05
12:08
14:05
16:08
12:08
16:08
18:05
19:05
20:05
Change trains in Brussels
onto a fast Thalys train, seat reservation required.
Brussels Midi/Zuid
depart
11:50
11:50
13:50
15:50
16:50
18:50
19:50
20:50
11:50
12:50
15:50
16:50
12:50
16:50
18:50
19:50
20:50
Rotterdam
Centraal arrive
13:03
13:01
15:03
17:03
18:03
20:03
21:03
22:03
13:03
14:03
17:03
18:03
14:03
18:03
20:03
21:03
22:03
Amsterdam
Centraal arrive
13:44
13:43
15:44
17:44
18:44
20:44
21:44
22:44
13:44
14:44
17:44
18:44
14:44
18:44
20:44
21:44
22:44
London ► Amsterdam, by Eurostar
& regular InterCity train
Eurostar (30 minute check-in)
Mondays-Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
London St Pancras
depart
06:50
08:04*
08:57
10:57
12:57
15:04
16:04
17:04
07:57
08:57
10:57
12:57
16:04
08:57
12:57
15:04
16:04
17:04
Pick
up at Ebbsfleet (near M25)
07:04
|
09:15
11:15
13:15
|
|
|
|
09:15
11:15
13:15
|
09:15
13:15
|
|
|
Brussels Midi/Zuid
arrive
10:08
11:05*
12:05
14:05
16:08
18:05
19:05
20:05
11:05
12:08
14:05
16:08
19:11
12:08
16:08
18:05
19:05
20:05
Change trains in Brussels
onto the hourly InterCity train to Amsterdam, no
reservation required. Stop off if you like.
* Runs
on Mondays & Tuesdays 16 February to 3 April 2012 and Mondays to
Fridays from 4 April onwards. ** Runs on
Mondays & Tuesdays 18 Feb to 3 April, Mondays to Fridays
from 4 April.
*** Only runs on Thursdays
& Fridays. **** Only runs on Fridays from
16 February onwards, no service before 16 Feb or on any day
other than Fridays.
Ashford (Kent): Outbound, only the 06:50 Eurostar calls at Ashford (07:57
Saturdays), at 07:24 (08:24 Saturdays). Inbound, only
the daily 16:56 Eurostar from Brussels calls at Ashford
(17:33).
Amsterdam ► London, by Eurostar & Thalys high-speed train
Mondays-Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Amsterdam
Centraal depart
06:16
08:16
09:16
11:16
13:16
14:16
15:16
16:16
****
17:16
08:16
11:16
14:16
17:16
10:16
11:16
13:16
14:16
15:16
17:16
Rotterdam
Centraal depart
06:58
08:58
09:58
11:58
13:58
14:58
15:58
16:58
****
17:58
08:58
11:58
14:58
17:58
10:58
11:58
13:58
14:58
15:58
17:58
Brussels Midi/Zuid arrive
08:10
10:10
11:10
13:10
15:10
16:10
17:10
18:10
****
19:10
10:10
13:10
16:10
19:10
12:10
13:10
15:10
16:10
17:10
19:10
Change trains in Brussels.
Remember the 30 minute Eurostar check-in.
Brussels Midi/Zuid
depart
08:52
10:56 **
12:56
14:56
15:56 ***
16:56
17:56
18:56
****
19:52
10:56
14:52
16:56
19:52
12:56
14:52
15:56
16:56
18:56
19:52
Drop
off at Ebbsfleet
(near M25)
|
|
13:45
15:45
16:45
|
18:46
|
20:45
|
15:45
|
20:45
13:45
15:45
|
|
|
20:45
London St Pancras
arrive
09:57
11:57 **
14:03
16:03
17:03
***
18:12
19:05
19:57
****
21:03
11:57
16:03
18:06
21:03
14:03
16:03
16:57
18:06
19:57
21:03
Amsterdam ► London, by Eurostar & regular InterCity train
Mondays-Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Amsterdam
Centraal depart
06:46
08:46
10:46
11:46
12:46
13:46
14:46
15:46
06:46
10:46
12:46
15:46
08:46
10:46
11:46
12:46
14:46
15:46
Den Haag HS depart
07:27
09:27
11:27
12:27
13:27
14:27
15:27
16:27
07:27
11:27
13:27
16:27
09:27
11:27
12:27
13:27
15:27
16:27
Rotterdam
Centraal depart
07:55
09:55
11:55
12:55
13:55
14:55
15:55
16:55
07:55
11:55
13:55
16:55
09:55
11:55
12:55
13:55
15:55
16:55
Brussels Midi/Zuid arrive
09:42
11:42
13:42
14:42
15:42
16:42
17:42
18:42
09:42
13:42
15:42
18:42
11:42
13:42
14:42
15:42
17:42
18:42
Change trains in Brussels.
Remember the 30 minute Eurostar check-in!
Stop off in Brussels if you like.
London to
Amsterdam by Eurostar & Thalys high-speed train, from £45
one-way, £79 return...
Eurostar now
offers special fares for travel by Eurostar+Thalys from
London to Amsterdam. Like air fares, the price rises
as the cheaper seats are sold, see the
how to buy tickets section
for advice.
Children under 4 go free, children aged 4-11 travel at
a reduced child rate. Both the Eurostar & Thalys parts
of the ticket are only valid on the specific train on which
you have been booked, with the cheaper ticket there are no
refunds or changes to travel plans. If you want to
stop off in Brussels, you'll need to book each leg
separately.
London to
Amsterdam or any Dutch station by Eurostar & regular
InterCity train, from £51 one-way, £89 return.
This option uses the slower but more frequent InterCity
trains between Brussels & Amsterdam rather than
high-speed Thalys trains.
Fares start at £51 one-way or £89 return. Children
under 4 go free, children under 12 go for £32 one-way,
£64 return. There's a youth fare for
anyone under 26 from £59 return and a senior fare
for anyone over 60 from £69 return, just enter your
age when booking. These fares are valid to
any station in the Netherlands including Amsterdam,
Rotterdam, Den Haag, Arnhem, Utrecht, Groningen,
Maastricht, by any suitable onward
connecting train within 24 hours of your Eurostar arriving in Brussels. You can
stop off in Brussels if you like, as long as you complete your onward
journey to the Netherlands within the 24 hours.
In the return direction the ticket is valid on any
suitable connecting train from your Dutch station to
Brussels in the 24 hours before your Eurostar
departure from Brussels back to London.
Tickets are non-refundable & non-changeable.
The
ticket is only valid on the specific Eurostar you
are booked on. Note that if you buy a ticket
to Any Dutch Station in Eurostar's 'Standard
Premier' first class, the ticket is valid in 1st
class on all connecting trains, even though the
ticket is now printed with a '*' in the 'class' box.
Option 1:
Buy online at
www.eurostar.com
(residents of any country) from £45
one-way, £79
return...
You can buy tickets
from London to Amsterdam by Eurostar & Thalys at
www.eurostar.com, from £79 return. In
fact, it'll sell you a ticket
to Rotterdam or Amsterdam not just from London but from any one of 130 stations
right all over Britain. You print your own ticket or
can collect it at the station in London,
but tickets cannot be picked up in Amsterdam.
Important:
www.eurostar.com
can only book one-way or return tickets starting in the UK.
For one-way or return journeys starting in Amsterdam, you
have to buy
tickets using option 2 below. Eurostar only
has an limited allocation of cheap fares on Thalys, so if you
see no cheap fares at www.eurostar.com, try options
2, 3
& 4 below. If you still find no affordable
fares, you can switch to the Eurostar+InterCity option.
Option 2:
Buy online at
www.nshispeed.nl
(residents of any country, sometimes struggles with
non-European credit cards)
You can buy
Eurostar & Thalys tickets from London to Rotterdam or
Amsterdam at www.nshispeed.nl,
one-way or return in either direction and you simply print
out your own ticket. NS HiSpeed is Dutch Railways
international division.
To travel
by Eurostar & Thalys, make sure you pick a departure shown
with with the Eurostar & Thalys logos, not one with the
Eurostar & Dutch Railways (NS) logos. Note that for a
return journey, option 4 below (splitting the journey into
separate London-Brussels & Brussels-Amsterdam bookings) can
still work out a few pounds cheaper if you can cope with co-ordinating your own connections
and don't mind the extra legwork, as the London-Brussels
part of the journey starts at £69 return on eurostar.com or
raileurope.co.uk, but 100 euros return (£85) on NS HiSpeed.
If you live outside Europe,
www.nshispeed.nlsometimes struggles with some
non-European credit cards,
but do give it a try (let
me know if it works for you!) but if it doesn't, simply
buy your tickets using option 1 above or option 4 below.
You can also buy
Eurostar+Thalys tickets from
London to Amsterdam by Eurostar & Thalys at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
worth trying in addition to eurostar.com as it's often
cheaper. Only UK credit cards are accepted. To book
with Rail Europe by phone, call 0844 848 5 848, lines
open 09:00-19:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, £8
booking fee. Tickets can be collected in London or
sent to any UK address for £2.25.
Option 4,
often the best way:
Split the journey! (Works for anyone from any country)
It's often worth
splitting the journey into two sections,
London-Brussels & Brussels-Amsterdam, so see if buying
separate tickets works out cheaper. It often does! Use
the timetable above as your guide, otherwise just remember
to allow at least 20 minutes to change in Brussels on
departures from London, and at least 40 minutes to change trains
in Brussels (including the 30 minute Eurostar check-in) on
departures from Amsterdam. Residents of any country can use
www.eurostar.com
to book the Eurostar London-Brussels (in either direction,
with self-print tickets) then
www.b-europe.com to book the Thalys
Brussels-Amsterdam (again
in either direction, with self-print tickets). If you live
in the UK, it can be better to buy all your tickets
together, using
www.raileurope.co.uk.
First book the Eurostar London to Brussels
& back, add it to your basket & click 'continue
shopping'
then book the Thalys from Brussels to Amsterdam &
back and checkout.
Alternatively, if you want a ticket starting outside London,
use
www.eurostar.com to book a through ticket from
any one of 130 UK towns & cities to Brussels, then use
www.raileurope.co.uk
to book the connecting Thalys train from Brussels to
Amsterdam & back. Some creative thinking is sometimes
required in the best way to split the journey!
Unfortunately, the option to buy 'Any Dutch Station' tickets
online at the Eurostar website disappeared in late 2011,
something to do with people buying them starting in
Amsterdam without realising they couldn't collect the ticket
there. Eurostar still sells these tickets by phone,
but you can easily buy them online at the Dutch Railways
website www.nshispeed.nl,
even for journeys starting in London, see the next
paragraph...
Option 1:
Buy online at
www.nshispeed.nl from just €50 (£44)
one way, €99 (£86) return...
You can buy the special fare from London to
Amsterdam or Any Dutch Station online at
www.nshispeed.nl,
the official website of Dutch Railways
international division.
www.nshispeed.nl will let you book to
almost any
specific Dutch station you like and it will work out
all your
connecting trains for you, whether you're going to
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Arnhem or wherever. But
do read the booking tips below.
www.nshispeed.nlassumes you're a Dutch person going from the
Netherlands to London, but it works equally well for
journeys in either direction, you simply print out your own tickets
so it doesn't
matter where you live or in which direction you want to
travel. www.nshispeed.nl
sells tickets from London to Any Dutch Station
from just 50 euros
(£44) one way, 99 euros (£86) return, although it seems to
add a 11.50 euros fee to one-way journeys starting
in London, and 4 euros to return tickets, making
the total cost 61.50 euros one-way eastbound, 50 euros one-way
westbound or 104 euros return.
There's also a 2.50 euros credit card charge. Your ticket
gives you a reserved seat on a
specific Eurostar, no changes to travel plans or refunds
permitted, but your ticket is valid beyond Brussels
to any station in the Netherlands by any suitable onward
train or trains within 24 hours of your arrival in Brussels, as long
as you don't use a Thalys or Fyra high-speed train.
(1) The NS HiSpeed booking form assumes you're
Dutch, travelling to London, so simply cut &
paste 'London St Pancras' from the 'To' box into the
'From' box. In the 'To' box, type any Dutch
town or city you like. (2) It may not show the
through fares to or from some very small Dutch local
stations, if so, just use the nearest major town or
city, as the ticket will be valid to any Dutch
station. (3) For some reason
www.nshispeed.nlsometimes refuses to book a return
ticket starting in the UK, if so, simply book a return
trip as two one-ways. (4) It's been reported
by several travellers that
www.nshispeed.nl has problems with the Safari
browser at the payment stage, but Firefox & IE work fine.
(5) If you live outside Europe,
www.nshispeed.nlsometimes struggles
with credit cards issued outside Europe,
but give it a try as it certainly does accept some overseas
cards. (6) Your
self-print ticketwill have all your Eurostar
reservation details printed on it, but nothing about
the onward trains from Brussels to your Dutch
destination, so remember to take a note of the
onward train times suggested by their website when
you book. The ticket is valid on any
reasonable connecting train between Brussels and any
Dutch station you like within 24 hours of arriving
in Brussels by Eurostar in the outward direction or
in the 24 hours before your Eurostar departure from
Brussels in the westbound direction. The 'Elk station NS' in small letters
on your ticket means 'any Dutch station'. No
seat reservations are required or even possible for
the onward trains from Brussels to the Netherlands,
you just hop on any train you like as long as it's
not a high-speed Thalys train. In the UK-bound
direction, feel free to catch a train back from the
Netherlands an hour earlier than the one it suggests
for a safer & more leisurely connection with
Eurostar in Brussels. Or even have a few hours
stopover in Brussels if you like, in either
direction! If you use
www.nshispeed.nl,
feedback would be appreciated.
Option 2: Book by phone in
the UK: Rail Europe 0844 848 5 848 or Eurostar 08432
186 186
You can
buy the special Eurostar+InterCity train 'Any Dutch
station' fares in the
UK by phone. Call Eurostar on 08432 186 186
(no booking fee), or Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848, lines
open 09:00-19:00 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00
Saturdays, £8 booking fee.
How to buy
tickets if you're in the Netherlands...
Buy a ticket from Any Dutch station to London by InterCity
trains & Eurostar 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 on your own PC printer, 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 in advance for the cheapest fares,
as buying tickets on the day can be expensive.
For travel by
Eurostar & regular InterCity train in whichever direction:
Buy online at
www.nshispeed.nl,
in either direction, with self-print tickets.
Unfortunately the facility to book tickets between London
and Any Dutch station seems to he disappeared from www.eurostar.com.
For travel by
Eurostar & Thalys high-speed train, for journeys starting in
London: First, try booking a London-Amsterdam
through ticket at
www.eurostar.com, selecting 'Amsterdam' as your
destination. If you see affordable fares,
that's great if not, switch to plan B. Plan B is to
book the Eurostar from London to Brussels at
www.eurostar.com (you print out your own ticket), then
book the onward Thalys from Brussels to Amsterdam at
www.thalys.com (you collect tickets in Brussels or
print them out yourself). Allow at least 20 minutes to
change trains in Brussels.
For travel by
Eurostar & Thalys high-speed train, for journeys starting in
Amsterdam: First, book the Thalys from Amsterdam
to Brussels online at
www.thalys.com
(you print your own ticket). Then book a Eurostar from
Brussels to London using
www.eurostar.com (you print out your own ticket).
Remember to allow for the 30 minute Eurostar-check-in at
Brussels, plus 10 minutes to change trains.
Short breaks:
Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
travel service with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, contact
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you. They get
very positive reviews.
Browse suggested holiday itineraries &
prices. US residents can call them on (646) 770
2894 (please quote seat61) and Canadian residents on
(416) 800 0732 (please quote 'seat61'). Australian
residents can call their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550.
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, Brussels South in
English).
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 & snacks. There are electrical
sockets for laptops & mobiles in 1st class (look above your
head!) but not in 2nd class. 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 (you'll need to change at Liège every day as
from the timetable change on 11 December 2011).
You can buy a
through ticket from London to Maastricht, simply go to
www.eurostar.com
and buy a ticket from London to a destination listed as 'Any
Dutch Station'. This is valid on a specific Eurostar
to Brussels, then onwards to
any station in the Netherlands using 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 Maastricht. Note that at
www.eurostar.com
all you are reserving is your Eurostar seat, beyond Brussels
a seat reservation is unnecessary you can just hop on any
train you like. The Eurostar website won't give schedules
for the onward trains, but you can use the online journey
planner at
www.bahn.de to find train times between Brussels and
Maastricht.
Alternatively, you
can 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 buy 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 train 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 train+ferry 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 &
connecting train from just £89 return, available from
www.eurostar.com.
It gives you a reserved seat on your chosen Eurostar as far
as Brussels, then you can travel onwards to any station in
the Netherlands using any onward train including InterCity
trains but excluding high-speed Thalys or Fyra trains, via
any reasonable route, within 24 hours of your arrival in
Brussels. So why not stop off in Brussels for a few
hours? On your return journey it's valid on any
suitable connecting trains to Brussels within the 24 hours
before your departure from Brussels to London. You can
buy a ticket from London to Any Dutch Station online at
either
www.eurostar.com
or at the Dutch Railways website, www.nshispeed.nl.
Prices are pretty much the same on each site (barring
differences due to exchange rates), and both systems offer
print-you-own tickets. The major advantage of www.eurostar.com
is that it allows you to buy a ticket to Any Dutch Station
not only from London but
from over 130 UK towns & cities.
It also allows you to pick a specific Eurostar seat.
Just remember to select the destination listed as 'Any Dutch
Station',
not
'Amsterdam'. Although
www.nshispeed.nl
only sells tickets to or from London, it has the advantage
that you can specify a particular Dutch station, for example
'Arnhem' and it will work out
all your connecting train times for you from London to Arnhem.
The Eurostar site will give you your Eurostar times as far
as Brussels, but you'll need to look up your own onward
train times using a suitable journey planner, for example
www.bahn.de. Not that this is a huge problem, of
course! If you want to use www.nshispeed.nl,
here are some tips:
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. They assume you're Dutch,
travelling to London, so just cut & paste 'London St
Pancras' from the 'To' box into the 'From' box to book a
journey starting in London.
Your ticket includes
a specific reserved seat on a specific Eurostar train, no
refunds, no changes to travel plans, then the words 'Elk
Station NS' means it's valid to any Dutch station, by any
suitable connecting train within 24 hours of arriving in
Brussels from London. On a London-bound journey it's
valid by any suitable connecting train or train within the 24
hours before the Eurostar departure from Brussels to London.
Problems booking a
return ticket have been reported, if you have any trouble
booking a return, just book two one-way tickets, from 50 euros each
way.
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! So here are the options...
Scotland & the north of England ►
Amsterdam by Eurostar via London
You can travel up to London by
train, take Eurostar to Brussels then a connecting
InterCity or Thalys train to Amsterdam.
First, have a look at the
London-Amsterdam section above to see the London to
Amsterdam timetable, and to understand the pros & cons of
using the faster but less frequent Thalys high-speed trains
from Brussels to Amsterdam, or the cheaper, more frequent
but slower InterCity trains.
www.eurostar.com
can sell through tickets from over 130 UK towns & cities to
'Any Dutch Station' (select this destination if you want to
go by Eurostar & InterCity train) or to 'Amsterdam' (select
'Amsterdam' as your destination if you want to go by
Eurostar & Thalys.
Eurostar & Thalys tickets to
Amsterdam are valid on the specific Eurostar & Thalys which
you book, but tickets to Any Dutch Station are valid on the
specific Eurostar you choose as far as Brussels, then by any
suitable connecting train (including InterCity trains but
excluding high-speed Thalys or Fyra trains) to any station
you like in the Netherlands including Amsterdam, within 24
hours of your arrival in Brussels. So stop off in
Brussels for a few hours if you like! No seat
reservation is necessary beyond Brussels, just hop on any
train. In the return direction, they are valid on any
connecting train to Brussels in the 24 hours before your
Eurostar departure from Brussels to London. The
Eurostar website won't give you the connecting train times
beyond Brussels if you use the 'Any Dutch Station' option,
but you can easily find train times from Brussels to your
chosen Dutch destination using the journey planner at
www.bahn.de.
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. The bus
departure pont is 200m from the station, and is not well
marked, so ask for directions at the station info point
and allow plenty of time for interchange.
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/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or
(when available)
Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)
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.
www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Other hotel sites worth trying...
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.
The Amsterdam hotels page on
Booking.com is definitely worth trying.
www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system
(Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It
has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries
worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and
decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras
such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one
price, then charge you another!).
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.
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 travel without insurance from a
reliable travel 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).
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome. 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 spare credit card, one designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...
It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which
UK credit cards
have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when
you use an ATM abroad. Taking this advice
can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your
normal high-street bank credit card! You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card,
find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, 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% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
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.
Take
Eurostar to Brussels in just 2 hours then a connecting train to Amsterdam,
either a high-speed Thalys
in 1 hour 54 minutes or a regular InterCity in 2
hours 55 minutes. 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.
In
the UK, try
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
If you live in the USA or Canada, try
