International Trains - Rail Services to/from Amsterdam (2024)

Amsterdam has a number of direct international rail services which can connect you to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, UK and beyond. High speed rail travel in Europe is a good alternative to flying and gives a real feeling of travel.

In this article we overview all international trains running to/from Amsterdam.

International Rail Map Amsterdam

Firstly let’s start with our international rail network map for scheduled trains operating to/from Amsterdam Central. The map covers rail services from Amsterdam to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK.

Amsterdam-Paris: Eurostar (formerly Thalys)

The Amsterdam-Paris rail route is served by the Eurostar (formerly Thalys), an international high speed train service. In late 2023, Thalys was rebranded as Eurostar following the merger of Eurostar and Thalys.

In the Netherlands the Eurostar travels on the HSL-Zuid high speed line from near Amsterdam to the Belgian border reaching speeds of up to 250km/h.

The red Eurostar trains runs between Amsterdam Central and Paris Nord and make stops at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels Zuid/Midi. The service normally runs up to 11x daily for Amsterdam-Paris.

From Amsterdam the journey times are 1 hour 15 mins to Antwerp, 1 hour 50 mins to Brussels and 3 hours 18 mins to Paris.

The Eurostar has a 3 class service in Europe: Standard, Comfort and Premium – from 4 November 2024 these will be changed to a new unified class system and renamed Eurostar Standard, Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier.

All seats on the Eurostar have individual electric power outlets.

Standard (Eurostar Standard) has 2nd class seating (2-2 configuration) with free WiFi. Food/drink can be purchased at the bar carriage. Standard tickets are refundable and exchangeable up to 7 days before travel; thereafter there are no refunds, but changes are possible for a €15 fee plus the price difference.

Comfort (Eurostar Plus) has 1st class seating (2-1 configuration), free WiFi and food/drink can be purchased at the bar. Comfort tickets are also refundable and exchangeable up to 7 days before travel; thereafter there are no refunds, but changes are possible for a €15 fee plus the price difference.

Premium (Eurostart Premier) is a proper first class product with 1st class seating (2-1 configuration), free WiFi (with more data), complimentary food/drink served at your seat and and free access to an international press app. Premium tickets are fully refundable up to 1 hour before travel; changes are possible right up to departure time with any price difference applying.

Premium ticket holders can access the Eurostar lounge in Paris or Brussels as well as the NS International lounges at Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport or Rotterdam.

Eurostar has introduced refurbished trainsets with new interiors, more space for luggage and screens with real-time info. The former ‘Welcome bar’ area has been renamed the Eurostar Café.

Eurostar permits 2 pieces of luggage (max 75 x 53 x 30cm, no weight limit) plus 1 item of hand luggage. There are overhead luggage racks and special racks at each end of the carriage for larger items.

Eurostar (formerly Thalys) tickets are on sale up to 4 months out and are booked like an airline seat – with a specific seat reservation. Your ticket will have a carriage and seat number.

To secure the cheapest fares you should book as early as possible.

Standard fares for Amsterdam-Paris cost €35-€149, Comfort fares cost €75-€169 and Premium fares range from €150-€220.

From Paris Nord you can connect onto the French TGV network to destinations throughout France – but you will have to transfer to one of the other Paris stations using the Metro/RER or taxi.

BOOKING: Book your Eurostar (formerly Thalys) tickets here

or Book Eurostar tickets at Trainline

Amsterdam-Brussels/Antwerp: Eurostar or Intercity Brussels

Amsterdam passengers travelling to Brussels or Antwerp have a choice of services on the route.

The high speed Eurostar (formerly Thalys) train runs from Amsterdam/Schiphol/Rotterdam to Antwerp and Brussels Zuid/Midi up to 15x daily, as described above.

Eurostar fares for Amsterdam-Brussels range as follows: €29-€89 (Standard), €52-€103 (Comfort) and €106-€129 (Premium).

For Amsterdam-Antwerp the fares are €29-€79 (Standard), €48-€88 (Comfort) and €90-€109 (Premium).

An alternative to Eurostar is the slower Intercity Brussels train which operates up to 16x daily between Amsterdam and Brussels Zuid/Midi. The Intercity Brussels service also runs on the high-speed track in the Netherlands although it is not a high speed train.

The Intercity Brussels train makes stops at Schiphol, Rotterdam, Breda, Noorderkempen (Belgium), Antwerp Central, Antwerp Berchem, Mechelen, Brussels Airport, Brussels North and Brussels Central.

The Intercity Brussels journey time from Amsterdam to Brussels is 2 hours 50 mins, around 30 minutes quicker than the previous Intercity service which used standard Dutch tracks. The Amsterdam-Brussels travel time on Eurostar is around 1 hour 50 mins.

Intercity Brussels has 1st class (2-1 seating configuration) and 2nd class (2-2) tickets for sale.

Standard fixed (distance based) prices are in effect with no seat reservations necessary for international intercity travel. The service also offers cheaper “early bird” tickets for those booking online in advance.

The standard full-flex (2024) fare for Amsterdam-Brussels one-way costs €56.50 (2nd class) or €91.50 (1st class). These are valid on any Intercity Brussels service on-the-day and are freely changeable up to the departure day.

Early bird one-way fares start at €25 (2nd class) and €41 (1st class) and are valid for a specific train only. Tickets can be changed for a €5 fee.

Holders of Dutch Railways NS discount cards and free NS travel cards receive a fare reduction off the full-flex fare for the Netherlands segment of travel.

Also of note to travellers: there is an hourly Belgian stopping train service between the border town of Roosendaal (NL) and Antwerp; those travelling Amsterdam-Bruges should travel to Antwerp and then change to a Belgian intercity. For Amsterdam-Antwerp info see here

BOOKING: Book your Eurostar/Intercity Brussels tickets at NS International

or Book with Trainline here

Amsterdam-London: Eurostar

There is a direct Eurostar service between Amsterdam and London which runs up to 4x daily using the blue coloured trains.

NOTE! Between June 15 2024 and “early 2025” the Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam is being relocated to under the platforms which will then allow more passengers to be processed. This means there are no direct trains from Amsterdam to London during this time – passengers will need to make a stop in Brussels. The London-Amsterdam service will run as usual.

The journey time is just over 4 hours and the train stops only at Brussels Zuid/Midi and Rotterdam. The Eurostar high speed train service travels up to 300km/h and runs via the channel tunnel which takes about 20 minutes to cross.

This is the Eurostar timetable for direct trains between London and Amsterdam:

[Service frequency is reduced at weekends; Amsterdam is 1 hour ahead of London time]

Passengers departing either Amsterdam and Rotterdam normally have to go through a security and immigration check before boarding. However, this process is now being done at the change in Brussels Zuid – follow signs to the “Channel Terminal” at platforms 1-2.

There are 3 classes of travel on the Eurostar – Standard, Standard Premier and Business Premier. From 4 November 2024 these will be changed to a new unified class system and renamed Eurostar Standard, Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier.

Standard (Eurostar Standard) – effectively 2nd class with 2-2 configuration seating, food and drink can be bought at the bar coach.

Standard Premier (Eurostar Plus) – a 1st class “lite” offering with 2-1 seating, a light meal and drinks served at your seat and magazines available.

Business Premier (Eurostar Premier) – a full fare business product with 2-1 seating, lounge access, 3 course meal and drinks (including champagne) served plus newspapers and magazines.

Eurostar uses its E320 series trains for the London-Amsterdam route which are made up of 16 coaches. Business Premier and Standard Premier are normally located in coaches 1-3 and 14-16. There is a Eurostar Café bar facility in coaches 8 and 9.

For more info see our detailed review (Standard Premier class) of travel on the Eurostar between London and Amsterdam.

The cheapest fares need to be booked well in advance and are usually the direct train service; the Eurostar fares with a change in Brussels are normally more expensive.

One-way fares in Standard class between London and Amsterdam start from £51/€58 one-way or £78/€88 return.

Standard Premier fares start from £97/€111 one-way or £168/€192 return. Business Premier ticket prices are not cheap, priced from £335/€385 one-way or £580/€667 return.

BOOKING: Book your Eurostar tickets at NS International

or Book Eurostar tickets at Trainline

Of interest to some could be the rail and ferry option which includes the Stena Line ferry between Harwich and Hoek van Holland. Both ferry ports are accessible by rail or metro.

Amsterdam-Frankfurt, Basel via Düsseldorf, Cologne: ICE International

The modern ICE International trains (ICE3neo 408 variants) run from Amsterdam Central to Frankfurt (Main) Hbf up to 6x daily.

Jointly operated by DB Bahn (German Railways) and NS (Dutch Railways) the ICE train makes stops at Utrecht, Arnhem, Oberhausen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt airport. One train a day also continues on to Basel in Switzerland.

Journey times from Amsterdam are 2 hours 11 mins to Düsseldorf, 2 hours 38 mins to Cologne (Keulen / Köln), 3 hours 42 mins to Frankfurt airport and 3 hours 55 mins to Frankfurt Hbf. There is a high speed track between Cologne and Frankfurt where speeds can approach 300 km/h.

ICE one-way ticket prices between Amsterdam and Düsseldorf or Cologne start from €20 (2nd class) and €32 (1st class).

Amsterdam to Frankfurt costs from €38 (2nd class) and €50 (1st class). Book in advance to secure the lowest fares.

Seat reservations are included with 1st class tickets and cost €4.90 extra (recommended) for 2nd class.

BOOKING:Book your ICE trip at NS International

or Book ICE tickets at Trainline

The Basel bound ICE train departs Amsterdam Central at 0746 – from Frankfurt airport it heads to Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Offenberg and Freiberg before arriving at Basel SBB at 1447. For the return leg, it departs Basel at 1513 arriving back in Amsterdam at 2159. Journey time both ways is around 6 hours 45 mins.

Standard Amsterdam-Basel tickets are priced from around €38 (2nd class) and €60 (1st class) one-way.

In our opinion, both the 1st and 2nd class seats on the ICE International are extremely comfortable.

A nice feature of the ICE3M trains are the “Panorama lounge” cabins at the very front and rear of the trains where you can sometimes view the driver’s seat and window – although the driver can elect to frost the glass. One cabin is 1st class, the other is 2nd class.

The ICE train also has a bistro bar carriage in the middle of the train.

Free WiFi is available to all passengers and there are power outlets accessible from each seat.

BOOKING:Book your ICE trip at NS International

or Book ICE tickets at Trainline

Amsterdam-Berlin: Intercity Berlin

DB Bahn (German railways) and NS International operate an IC (Intercity) train service 6x daily between Amsterdam Central and Berlin Ostbahnhof. The journey makes a good number of stops: in Netherlands at Hilversum, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Deventer and Hengelo.

German stops are Bad Bentheim, Rheine, Osnabrück, Bünde(Westf), Hannover, Berlin Spandau and Berlin Hauptbanhof, the main station of the city.

The journey takes around 5 hours 52 mins with the lowest one-way prices from €38 (2nd class) and €50 (1st class).

The Intercity Berlin carriages are from DB and are normally pulled by a Dutch locomotive.

The IC Berlin train has an on board bistro bar carriage for drinks and snacks. 1st class passengers can order from their seat.

The 1st class seats (mainly 6 seat mini-compartments) are very comfortable; the 2nd class seats (open 2-2 configuration) are a little firmer. The windows on this train are large and offer good views.

Seat reservations are included with 1st class tickets and cost €4.90 extra (recommended) for 2nd class. Note, seat reservation is mandatory for the period June-August 2024.

Free WiFi is available to all passengers and there are some power outlets located under the seats. For more info see Amsterdam to Berlin by Intercity train (Complete Guide)

BOOKING: Book your Intercity Berlin trip at NS International

or Book Intercity Berlin tickets with Trainline here

Amsterdam to other destinations in Germany and beyond

Passengers heading to other destinations can use the ICE or IC trains from the Netherlands and then connect onto other German rail services. Connections are normally made at Hanover, Düsseldorf, Osnabrück or Frankfurt Main – from here you could travel to the likes of Hamburg, Stuttgart and Munich.

BOOKING: Book your trip to Germany at NS International

or Book tickets at Trainline

Amsterdam-Vienna/Munich, Amsterdam-Zurich: NightJet

Austrian Railways ÖBB operates a couple of NightJet night train services to/from Amsterdam.

There is an Amsterdam-Vienna service which departs nightly from Amsterdam at 1900 and arrives in Vienna at 0917 the next morning – giving a journey time of just over 14 hours.

The train runs via Utrecht, Arnhem, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt. It continues to Nuremberg where the train splits into a Munich bound section (via Augsburg) and a Vienna-bound section via Linz.

The arrival time in Munich is 0706 meaning a journey time of around 12 hours.

From Vienna and Munich the NightJet trains depart at 2010 and 2252, respectively. They arrive together the following morning at Amsterdam Central at 0959.

NightJet operates a second night train service from Amsterdam to Zurich via Utrecht, Arnhem, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Mannheim and Basel.

The train departs Amsterdam at 2030, arriving in Zurich at 0805. From Zurich the train leaves at 2159, arriving in Amsterdam at 0905. The journey time is just under the 12 hour mark.

One-way tickets prices for NightJet range as follows: €35-€165 for a 2nd class seat; €50-€195 for a couchette bunk (4-6 people); €80-€320 for a sleeper cabin for 1, 2 or 3 people.

BOOKING: Book your NightJet tickets at NS International

or Book NightJet tickets at Trainline

Amsterdam-Marseille: Eurostar Sun

Eurostar Sun is a special seasonal service which runs weekly (on Saturdays) during July and August only. The train operates as a normal Eurostar from Amsterdam to Brussels – but then continues on to Valence, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille St Charles. Note, this service will not run in summer 2024.

Alternatively there are TGV services originating from Brussels running year round which bypass Paris and serve many major destinations in the south of France – including Lyon, Marseilles, Nice and the French Riviera, Montpelier and Perpignan. The Amsterdam-Marseilles journey takes about 8 hours.

Prices from Amsterdam via Brussels start at €84 one-way. Book at NS International

Amsterdam-Bourg St Maurice: Eurostar Snow

The Eurostar Snow service runs every Saturday between mid-December and the end of March.

From Amsterdam it makes stops in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels before heading to Chambery, Albertville, Moutiers Salins, Aime La Plagne, Landry and finally Bourg St Maurice.

Travel time between Amsterdam and Bourg St Maurice is around 9 hours. Bus connections from these stations run to all the main French ski resorts.

BOOKING: One-way prices start from €99 in Standard class. Tickets on sale from October, book at NS International

European Sleeper: Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague

This is a start-up cooperative company based in the Netherlands and established in 2021. It runs a 3x weekly night train service on the Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague route using a mix of refurbished old rolling stock.

The train departs Brussels Zuid/Midi at 1922 and travels to Amsterdam via Antwerp, Roosendaal, Rotterdam (2122), Den Haag HS and Schiphol Airport. It leaves Amsterdam Central at 2234 with further Dutch stops at Amersfoort and Deventer before crossing into Germany at Bad Bentheim.

It arrives in Berlin Hbf at 0620, Dresden (0829) and Prague (1056).

From the other way it is timetabled to depart Prague at 1804 and travels the same route back with main stops Dresden (2030), Berlin Hbf (2256), Amsterdam Central (0626), Rotterdam (0727), Antwerp (0843) and arriving at Brussel Zuid/Midi at 0927.

Accommodation on board comprises of sleepers (1/2/3 bed) with a wash basin, couchettes (5-person comfort or 6-person standard compartments) and standard seats (in a 6-seat compartment). See the train layout here

Amsterdam-Prague tickets are priced from €49 (seats), €79 (6-bed couchettes) and €99 (5-bed couchettes). Sleepers are priced from €139 – if you require a 1 bed sleeper this will likely cost in excess of €200. Single sleepers do sell out but you can also take sole occupancy of a couchette.

Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The Prague-Berlin-Amsterdam-Brussels leg runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Tickets can be purchased up to 6 months ahead – you can book European Sleeper tickets here.

Amsterdam-Luxembourg

There are no direct services from Amsterdam to Luxembourg. You have the option of various routes via either Belgium or Germany.

The easiest way to travel (just one connection) is to take a train from Amsterdam to Brussels and then take an intercity service from Brussels to Luxembourg. This costs from €32 one-way if taking the Intercity Brussels or from €70 one-way if taking the faster Eurostar. Journey times are from 5 hours 35 mins to 6 hours 25 mins.

2nd class rail travel in Luxembourg is free.

BOOKING: Book Amsterdam-Luxembourg trips at NS International

or Book with Trainline here

Buying International Train Tickets

International train tickets can be easily bought at NS International counters at main stations including Amsterdam Central and Rotterdam Central. However, they will charge you a €7.50 per person service fee (max €22.50 per booking).

You can buy some limited tickets at the NS automatic ticket machines at stations – generally to Belgium, western Germany, Lille and Luxembourg.

To save the desk booking fee, it is best to book online in advance at the NS International site

Related articles: How to Buy a Dutch Train ticket and International Rail Borders in Netherlands

This article was originally published in 2010 and has continuously been updated. Last update 19 June 2024.

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