Travel from Amsterdam to Basel on the daily direct daytime and now overnight train services

Due to construction work in Germany in 2024 and on the Dusseldorf <> Arnhem route in 2025, this train will be cancelled permanently from mid-July.

Final Destination: Basel SBB

Also calls at: Utrecht Central; Arnhem; Mannheim; Karlsruhe; Offenburg and Freiburg

This train also calls at: Basel Bad Bf

If you're heading to Basel city centre, the quickest journey is usually to leave this train at Basel Bad Bf.
There are easy tram connections from Basel Bad bf station to the city centre.
It's also usually cheaper to book tickets to Basel Bf rather than Basel SBB (see below)

After the train departs from Basel Bad Bf it will go on to call at Basel SBB station.
Remain on the train until it arrives at Basel SBB if your final destination is to the south of the city centre, or if you will be connecting into trains to other destinations in Switzerland - including Brig, Luzern, Interlaken and Visp.

Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
This booking period tends to be shorter when looking up journeys between mid August and mid October.

A choice of tickets on the DB website

Three types of tickets are always available: Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis and Flexpreis.

A key difference between these types of tickets is refunds:

• Super Sparpreis tickets are cheapest, but they can't be refunded at all.
• Sparpreis tickets can be refunded for a fee, but the refund will be in the form of travel vouchers to be used for alternative / future journeys.
• Flexpreis tickets can be refunded at no additional charge.

The other key difference is that both types of Sparpreis tickets are only valid on the specific departures selected when booking, but the Flexpreis tickets live up to their name, as they can be used on any departure on your travel date.

Note that none of the tickets can be exchanged to a different departure.
There's no need for this to be available for Flexpreis tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis ticket and want to travel by a different departure you can refund it and then use the travel voucher towards the cost of the new booking.
Super Sparpreis tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.

Seat reservations

For ticket holders seat reservations are always optional on this route, but if you will be using a rail pass they are now mandatory when travelling between mid-June and mid-August - check the Train guide for the exact dates.
Regardless of whether you will be using tickets or rail passes they cost €4.90 when travelling in 2nd Class and €5.90 when travelling in 1st class.
They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.

When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets, you have the option of purchasing seat reservations later.
It can be worth re-looking up a journey a week or two ahead of travel, because the DB website will indicate how busy a departure will be.
Although if you do book your reservations later and your journey involves more than one train, you will then have to pay for separate reservations per train.
They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.

When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets, you have the option of purchasing seat reservations later.
It can be worth re-looking up a journey a week or two ahead of travel, because the DB website will indicate how busy a departure will be.
Though for a journey of this length reservations are highly recommended.

Booking on the DB website

You can find these direct trains more easily by making a proactive selection of 'Direct Trains Only'.
Or to see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so if you can be flexible with your departure time use the 'best prices' tool - at the top right on the list of journey options.

The alternative route:

When the limited numbers of discounted tickets for this direct train have sold out, travelling via Paris can be the cheaper option.

Good option for rail pass users:

Not only is this a direct train, if you will be travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes, you can make big savings by avoiding the reservation fees charged to rail pass users on the Thalys and Lyria trains, that you'll have to take when travelling via Paris.

This routing is much more inconvenient than taking the daily, alternative direct train
And that because it also involves having to make the transfer in Paris, from the Gare Du Nord, where the Thalys from Amsterdam will arrive, and the Gare De Lyon, from where the Lyria service on to Basel will depart.

So why can it be an option worth considering?

The answer is that it can be cost effective option, particularly if you want to arrive in Basel at its main SBB station.

The direct train from Amsterdam - and the alternative indirect journey options via Koln or Frankfurt; all involve taking trains which call at Basel Bad Bf station; before going on to Basel SBB station.

But on those routes through Germany, heading for Basel SBB station can be a more expensive option, as it becomes an international journey from Germany to Switzerland.

Looking up this journey via Paris:

Avoid journeys via Paris that have a journey time of less than around 8hr 9mins.
Those faster journeys either involve additional changes of train or an ambitiously timed transfer between the stations in Paris.
The journey time of around 8hr 9mins allows more than an hour to make the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon.

Rail Pass users:

If you will be travelling with an InterRail or Eurail Pass, you should avoid this routing due to the particularly high rail pass reservation fees, which are payable on both the Thalys and Lyria trains.

In contrast, reservations are only recommended, but not mandatory, when travelling direct on the ICE train.

Book in advance and save: YES

Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date

Note that tickets will typically be available three months sooner for the journey by direct ICE train.

Travelling via Paris on a combination of Thalys and Lyria trains can be cheaper than taking the daily direct train, but think twice about making the saving, as this journey via Paris is much more awkward.

When looking up this routing on:
B-Europe - look for the Thalys logo and the TGV logo
NS International - look for 'x1' and the words 'Thalys and TGV'

Final Destination: Zurich

The train also calls at: Utrecht (21:03), connect from Rotterdam and Arnhem (22:02) connect from Nijmegen

The train is usually scheduled to depart Amsterdam Centraal at 20:30 and arrive in Basel Bad bf at the somewhat awkwardly early time of 06:11
However, due to the length of its route it is particularly susceptible to having it's timings altered.

Arriving in Basel:

If you will be heading to Basel city center, the quickest and cheapest option is to leave this train when it arrives at Basel Bad bf, but it will go on to call at the main station in the city, Basel SBB.
These onward connections will be typically available at Basel SBB:

• To Interlaken via Bern at 06:56
• To Biel (connect for Geneve and Lausanne) at 07:03

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

The train conveys:

• Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
• Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berthsm
• Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
• Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins

The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.

Click the train guides below for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains,

You can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.
By booking online you can avoid the booking fees which will be payable at the station in The Netherlands.