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London to Amsterdam by train
How to take the thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Amsterdam
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.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the direct train(s)
Journey Summary
3hr 55min - 4hr 5min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
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:
- 06:16 on Monday to Friday
- 08:16 daily
- 11:04 daily
- 18:04 not Saturday
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
Mon-Fri = 4 x trains per day
Saturday = 2 x trains
Sunday = 3 x trains
Tickets
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.
If you book Standard or Standard Premier tickets, you can exchange them if need be, to an alternative departure on your booked route; but if you want to transfer your ticket to a new departure less than 7 days before your travel date, you will need to pay an admin fee of £30 for Standard Class tickets, £40 for Standard Premier tickets PLUS the price difference with the new ticket you will be booking.
What's new, in response to the pandemic, is that these £30/40 charges aren't applied if you want to transfer to an alternative departure more than seven days before your travel date.
Business Premier tickets are less restrictive, they can't be refunded, but they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference.
Business Premier tickets can also be exchanged to the alternative journey options with a connection in Bruxelles, but if you booked Standard or Standard Premier tickets, they can only be exchanged to alternative direct trains.
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;
- save money compared to the alternative journey option of taking a Eurostar from London to Bruxelles and then a Thalys train to Amsterdam from Bruxelles
- save time compared to taking a Eurostar to Bruxelles and then an IC train from Bruxelles to Amsterdam.
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.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Eurostar | from €40 | |
| NS Intl | from €40 | |
| B-Europe | from €40 | |
| Save A Train | from €40 | |
| Omio | from €40 | |
| Happy rail | from €40 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
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.
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.
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Option 2: connecting in Bruxelles
Journey Summary
4hr 38min - 5hr 52 min (usually)
Daily
Travel Information
On the current, temporarily reduced timetable taking the direct trains (which also call in Bruxelles) arfe the most viable option for making the rail journey from London to Amsterdam.
Only two other trains from London to Bruxelles are currently available.
The train which departs London at 08:55 does not have a good connection into a Thalys train on to Amsterdam.
Instead it has a 40 min connection into a non-high speed IC train on to Amsterdam that is fue to arrive there at 15:38, but a direct Eurostar from Londonis due into Amsterdam less than 35 mins later at at 16:11.
The Eurostar which departs London at 18:04 only has a good connection into a Thalys train on Sundays, when a 30 min connection is available into the 21:52 Thalys departure, that is due into Amsterdam at 23:11.
Current timetable:
2 x connections per day
All of this info below relates to the usual timetable. pre-pandemic:
Mon -Thurs = 7 x connections per day
Friday = 8 x connections
Saturday = 5 x connections
Sunday = 6 x connections
The discrepancy in journey times is mainly due to the variations in the connecting time between trains at Bruxelles-Midi/Zuid station.
Travel on high speed lines virtually all the way from London to Amsterdam on this combination of
Eurostar + Thalys trains.
Taking this combination of trains can be a good option if the timings of the direct London to Amsterdam trains don't suit.
MOST of these journey options, with a transfer in Bruxelles, have total a total travel time of less than 4hr 50min - and on those journeys, the connecting time between trains in Bruxelles is around 45mins.
So if the departure/arrival times and price suit target those journeys.
50 minutes in Bruxelles should ensure a stress-free transfer at Midi/Zuid station, even if the Eurostar arrives more 20 mins late.
More information is available on our changing trains at Bruxelles-Midi station guide.
However, Saturday is not the best day of the week to travel between London and Amsterdam by this combination of Eurostar and Thalys trains.
All of the connections on Saturday have journey times of more than 5hr 30mins; because they all involve spending more than 90mins at Bruxelles Midi/Zuid station between trains.
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Bookings Open: 120 days ahead of the travel date
Eurostar sell tickets for journeys at the cheapest possible for this London to Amsterdam journey option, which invovles changing trains in Bruxelles - the Eurostar from London to Bruxelles Midi/Zuid AND the Thalys train on to Amsterdam.
It can be sometimes be cheaper than taking the direct London to Amsterdam trains.
A big plus of booking the Eurostar direct on Eurostar.com is that you can access a 'Manage Your Booking' facility - which enables you to change the seat that you will have been initially assigned when making a booking.
As the fabulous Seat 61 explains here in detail (scroll down to 'Choosing A Seat') some seats on Eurostar services are better than others.
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 Thalys departure at the SNCB International Ticket Office in Bruxelles-Midi station.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Eurostar | from £49 | |
| NS Intl | from €56 |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar is operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Final Destination: Bruxelles-Midi or Amsterdam
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.
Most of the departures between London and Bruxelles will be by the e320 trains, but the e3300 trains are usually used on some departures.
The usual calls at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations, have been been temporarily suspended until further notice.
However as the trains only call at these stations to pick up passengers. these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International, or usually announced on the train.
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure; though this time increases to 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
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.
Please support ShowMeTheJourney
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.
Train 2
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Amsterdam Centraal/CS
All trains also call at: Rotterdam; 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.
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.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
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