Eurostar has expanded its service of London to Amstedam direct trains.
The timetable now comprises departures from St. Panrcras International at:
07:16 on Mon-Saturday
11:04 daily
17:16 on Mon-Friday
17:19 on Sundays
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
Final Destination: Amsterdam Centraal/CS
All trains also call at: Bruxelles - Midi and Rotterdam Centraal
These trains do not call at Ebbsfleet International or Ashford International.
These trains also don't call at Antwerpen-Centraal or Schiphol Airport
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure, and 45mins before departure on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure.
Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
If the timings of these direct trains don't suit, you can travel on one of the much more frequent alternative journey options, which involve changing trains in Bruxelles/Brussels.
THE JOURNEY:
It's not a particularly scenic journey, but it is a journey with distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: The train will then travel on a high speed line between the tunnel and Bruxelles - the best views over Bruxelles/Brussels can be seen from the right of the train.
7: The train will then travel on conventional tracks between Bruxelles and Antwerpen.
8: The train will then be back on high-speed tracks between Antwerpen and Schiphol and around 15 mins after leaving Antwerpen behind, look out for the crossing of the Rhine River.
Windmillls can also be spotted between Rotterdam and Schiphol.
This journey is featured on the The Daily Telegraph's list of Best Rail Journeys to take in 2018.
TRAVELLING FROM AMSTERDAM TO LONDON:
For the time being the direct train service between London and Amsterdam only operates in this direction - TO The Netherlands
Direct Eurostar trains back to London can't be put into service until the passport and check-in facilities are ready at Amsterdam Centraal station.
So until they do begin operating, at a date still to be confirmed, the only option for the return journey is to make a straightforward connection between trains at Bruxelles-Midi station.
More details of how to do this are available HERE.
