Rather wonderfully there are now direct Eurostar trains from London to Amsterdam; but if the timings of those trains don't suit, another option is travel via Bruxelles and make a connection at Midi/Zuid station.
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
3hr 55min - 4hr 5min (approx)
Daily
Mon-Fri = 4 x trains per day
Saturday = 2 x trains
Sunday = 3 x trains
In addition to direct journeys by Eurostar trains, the Eurostar website also sells
Eurostar also sells seat reservations to users of Eurail and InterRail passes without booking fees.
NS is the Dutch national rail operator and it operates a bespoke website for the booking of international rail journeys from and to The Netherlands.
Therefore it offers tickets for journeys by:
NS International also sells tickets to a range of destinations in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, which involve a change of train in Germany, along with the destinations in France, which can be accessed by making a connection in Bruxelles.
B-Europe is the website provided by Belgium's national railway operator for the sale of international rail journeys from and to Belgium.
Therefore tickets can be booked for the following international train services to/from Belgium
It also sells international end-to-end journeys solely by train, with connections outside of Belgium, if you will be heading to popular destinations in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
Users of Eurail and InterRail passes can also book seat reservations on the Eurostar and Thalys services without paying booking fees.
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.
HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.
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.
The current timetable comprises departures from St. Panrcras International at:
If the timings of these direct trains don't suit, you can travel on one of the (usually) much more frequent alternative journey options which involve changing trains in Bruxelles/Brussels.
Final Destination: Amsterdam Centraal / Amsterdam 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
Departing from London
Eurostar is currently suggesting that Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders should be at the Eurostar departure area in St Pancras International 90 mins before departure; and that Business Premier ticket holders should be there 45-60mins prior to departure.
The departure gates will close 30 mins prior to departure for Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders; and 15 mins prior to departure for Business Premier ticket holders.
Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
These trains will not be calling at Amsterdam from June 2024 to January 2025, due to construction work at Centraal station.
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.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please go here to say thank you.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 330 days ahead of the travel date.
Seats are assigned when booking tickets.
The prices shown below are the most heavily discounted, one way Standard Class prices
The booking path on the Eurostar website is comparatively straightforward and an advantage of booking direct with Eurostar, is that it offers its ticket purchasers the ability to choose specific seats from a seating plan (after the booking has been made).
The ticketing terms
Also worth knowing is that when travelling by Eurostar you can choose between three classes of service, but it isn't possible to select different types of ticket.
This impacts on the exchanges and refunds of what Eurostar refers to as 'Flexible tickets'
Customers can exchange tickets for travel in Standard and Standard Premier class multiple times without paying an exchange fee, as long as tickets are exchanged 7 days or more before the departure time of their individual journey
Though if the new ticket option is more expensive the difference in price will need to be paid, but if it is cheaper the price difference won't be refunded.
But make the exchange within 7 days of the individual journey and an admin fee of £30 will need to be paid, along with the price difference
Tickets to travel in Standard and Standard Premier class are not refundable.
In contrast tickets to travel in Business Premier Class can be refunded and they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference.
Eurostar's full ticket terms and conditions are here
Using Eurail and InterRail Passes:
If you will be travelling with a Eurail or InterRail 'Global Pass' you will need to book a rail pass reservation to travel by these trains.
You can purchase these online with no booking fees via B-Europe - or they ARE now available on the Eurostar website.
Booking in advance is recommended as it's not unknown for rail pass reservations on Eurostar services to sell out days or weeks in advance, here is evidently limited availability per departure.
It is worth targeting these direct Eurostar services from London to Amsterdam, the reservation fees of, from €35 if you will be using a 2nd class pass and from €43 if you will be using a First Class pass, are similarly priced as the London to Bruxelles journey.
So by taking these direct trains with a Eurail or InterRail pass, you will;
If you are a UK resident, worth knowing is your rail pass + reservation will only be valid if you take a from the UK on the first day that you will be using your pass.
You cannot use an InterRail Pass to return to the UK by another route and then travel between the UK and Amsterdam.
4hr 40 min - 5hr 15 min (approx)
Daily
up to 4 x connections per day
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
In addition to direct journeys by Eurostar trains, the Eurostar website also sells
Eurostar also sells seat reservations to users of Eurail and InterRail passes without booking fees.
NS is the Dutch national rail operator and it operates a bespoke website for the booking of international rail journeys from and to The Netherlands.
Therefore it offers tickets for journeys by:
NS International also sells tickets to a range of destinations in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, which involve a change of train in Germany, along with the destinations in France, which can be accessed by making a connection in Bruxelles.
If the timings of the direct trains don't suit, the other option for taking the journey by train from London to Amsterdam is to make a connection between trains in Bruxelles-Midi station.
The newly rebranded Eurostar Thalys trains depart the Belgian capital in most hours, hence onward transfers being possible from the Eurostar trains from London, which don't travel further than Bruxelles.
Hence there being more journeys per day available when taking the combination of Eurostar + Eurostar Thalys trains, compared to travelling direct to Amsterdam.
On the journey options with a total travel time of less than 4hr 50min, the connecting time on to the Eurostar Thalys trains is around 45mins - which should ensure a stress-free transfer at Midi/Zuid station, even if the Eurostar arrives more 20 mins late.
Using rail passes*
There are also comparatively frequent InterCity trains from Bruxelles-Midi to Amsterdam Centraal - with brand new trains gradually being introduced to the route.
They are not high-speed trains and they also divert off of the direct route, so they are typically around a little over an hour slower than the Eurostar Thalys train on the Bruxelles to Amsterdam route.
Users of [Eurail and InterRail passes]/train-ticket-guides/our-guide-to-using-eurail-and-interrail-passes/) don't have to pay reservations on these InterCity trains - because reservations aren't available when travelling by them.
In contrast the rail pass reservation fees on the Eurostar Thalys trains are near the top of the most expensive fees for rail pass users list.
The fees for rail pass users on the direct London to Amsterdam trains are similar to when travelling to Bruxelles, but they tend to sell out faster.
So if they are not available the combination of Eurostar + InterCity trains becomes the cheapest option when using Eurail or InterRail passes.
At St Pancras:
Eurostar is currently suggesting that Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders should be at the Eurostar departure area in St Pancras International 90 mins before departure; and that Business Premier ticket holders should be there 45-60mins prior to departure.
The departure gates will close 30 mins prior to departure for Standard Class And Standard Premier ticket holders; and 15 mins prior to departure for Business Premier ticket holders.
Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind; hence what can seem like a discrepancy between the journey time and the interval between the departure and arrival times.
Most of the departures between London and Bruxelles will be by the e320 trains, but the e330 trains can be used on some departures, which don't travel beyond Bruxelles.
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with six 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: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed lines in France and Belgium.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please go here to say thank you.
Final Destination: Amsterdam Centraal/CS
All trains also call at: Rotterdam and Schiphol
The train won't be travelling on a high speed line for the first part of the journey as far as Antwerp.
The fastest part of the route is when the train should travel at more than 275 km/h on the high speed line between Antwerp and Rotterdam.
On departure from Rotterdam the train will take another high speed line for most of the journey on to Schiphol Airport.
It may not be a huge surprise to discover this train ride is not on our most scenic express train journeys in Europe list, but there are two moments to look out for:
(1) Around 10 - 15 mins after departing from Antwerp, the train will race across a series of bridges over the estuary of the River Rhine, near to where it enters the North Sea.
(2) When the train nears the end of the high speed line north of Rotterdam, look out for the distant views of the windmills.
Book Early And Save: Yes
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.
Seat reservations are automatically included when booking tickets on the Eurostar and Eurostar Thalys trains
Eurostar train's general ticket terms:
'Customers can exchange tickets for travel in Standard and Standard Premier class multiple times without paying an exchange fee, as long as tickets are exchanged 7 days or more before the departure time of their individual journey
Though if the new ticket option is more expensive the difference in price will need to be paid, but if it is cheaper the price difference won't be refunded.
But make the exchange within 7 days of the individual journey and an admin fee of £30 will need to be paid, along with the price difference
Tickets to travel in Standard and Standard Premier class are not refundable.
In contrast tickets to travel in Business Premier Class can be refunded and they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference'.
Eurostar's full ticket terms and conditions are here.
What if you miss a booked connection in Bruxelles:
There is relatively new E.U. legislation which protects travellers against financial loss in the event of missed connections due to train delays, and it applies to 'through tickets'.
Eurostar classifies end-to-end journeys involving Eurostar + Eurostar Thalys trains as 'through tickets',
Though these new E.U. 'rules' protecting against financial loss don't apply in the exceptional circumstances causing a delay to the Eurostar, which can include - extreme weather conditions, the behaviour of a third party such as persons on the track; and on-board emergencies.
So in summary, SMTJ's understanding is that;
Much more info is available on this ticketing guide.
Using Rail Passes on Eurostar:
Rail pass users can now pay reservation fees to travel on Eurostar trains, in a similar manner to other international European high speed trains.
The new rail pass reservation fees are similar to the cheapest single journey ticket prices, but as those cheapest tickets can sell out quickly, it's likely that the rail pass reservation fees will save money.
You can purchase these online with no booking fees on B-Europe
Booking in advance is recommended as it's not unknown for rail pass reservations on specifc Eurostar services to sell weeks in advance, there is evidently limited availability per departure.
Taking this combination of trains can be a good option if the timings of the direct London to Amsterdam trains don't suit.
In the unlikely event of missing the booked connection in Bruxelles/Brussels, due to a late arriving Eurostar, tickets can be transferred free of charge to a subsequent Eurostar Thalys departure at the SNCB International Ticket Office in Bruxelles-Midi station.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
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