London to Den Haag / The Hague by train

How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Den Haag / The Hague

All that’s good to know about taking the train from London to The Hague with easy access to ticket, train and station info.

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Routes

From London St Pancras International to Den Haag Centraal

Travel Information

This easiest option for a London to Den Haag/ The Hague journey by train, is available when departing London at:

  • 06:16 on Monday to Friday
  • 08:16 daily
  • 11:04 daily
  • 18:04 not Saturday

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.

Connecting in Rotterdam

The journey options with an end-to-end timing of around 4hr 10mins allow around 35 mins to make the transfer between trains at Rotterdam Centraal station - which seems generous as there are typically 4 x trains per hour between Rotterdam and Den Haag Centraal.

Around 25 mins after the Eurostar should arrive, there will typically be an IC train departing to Den Haag Centraal.
However, the connection shown on NS International is into a 'Sprinter' train - but not only is a slightly slower than the IC train - it is also 2nd class only.
If you've booked 1st class you'll probably want to take the IC train.

Though it doesn't particularly matter which train you opt to take, the tickets for the part of the journey between Rotterdam and Den Haag won't be train specific - so you can use them on any train on from Rotterdam.

up to 4 x connections per day

Tickets

Book online and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date (usually)

The end-to-end journey from London to Den Haag / The Hague can be booked on NS International - NS is the national rail operator of trains in The Netherlands.
When looking up this journey on NS International you will need to enter 'Den Haag' in the 'To' search box.

If you miss the booked connection in Rotterdam you can simply hop on the next train to Den Haag, because seat reservations are not available on Dutch trains.

Eurostar ticket terms summary:

'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

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
NS Intl *

NS Intl Guide

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:

  • Thalys trains to Bruxelles and Paris
  • IC trains to Berlin via Hannover and Bruxelles via Antwerpen
  • Eurostar to London
  • ICE trains to Basel and Frankfurt (Main) via Koln
  • the Nightjet trains to Austria and Germany

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.

Journey Features

High Speed (total journey)

Good to Know

The view of the QE II Bridge over The Thames that can be seen on the right The view of the QE II Bridge over The Thames that can be seen on the right
Crossing The Medway Viaduct - this is the view from the right Crossing The Medway Viaduct - this is the view from the right
Typical view of the landscape in northern France Typical view of the landscape in northern France

It's not a 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, this is the only part of the journey not at high speed.

8: The train will then be back on high-speed tracks between Antwerpen and Rotterdam -  around 15 mins after leaving Antwerpen behind look out for the crossing of the Rhine River estuary.

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Journey Features

Not High Speed

Good to Know

Final Destination: Den Haag Centraal

All trains also call at: Delft; Den Haag HS*

*Den Haag HS is located on the eastern edge of The Den Haag/The Hague, while Den Haag Centraal lives up to its name, by being more conveniently located for the heart of the city.

Though it's worth trying to work out which of the two stations will give you the easiest access to your final destination in the city, particularly if you will be completing your journey by tram.

The trains:

Also note that we've listed two different types of train for this journey.

The Sprinter trains are 2nd class only, but are only slightly slower than the IC trains.

'Intercity Direct' trains are used on this route, they will have travelled up the Dutch high speed line, having commenced their journeys in Breda.
Though they don't travel on a high speed line between Rotterdam and Den Haag/The Hague.

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