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	By Superferry or Eurostar...
	Above:  You can travel by train + ferry overnight or by day, with Stena Line's Harwich-Hoek of Holland superferries... Amsterdam from £29 each way...
	Above:  Or you can travel London-Amsterdam in 5 hours 36 minutes by Eurostar & connecting train. Amsterdam from £69 return...

This page explains how to get from London and other parts of the UK to Amsterdam & the Netherlands without flying, avoiding airport hassles and unnecessary short-haul flights which are now the fastest-growing contributor global warming.  There are several convenient & affordable options:

• Option 1:  London-Amsterdam by train+ferry, overnight with cabin:  This is the most convenient & time-effective way to go, and one ticket covers the whole journey:  £55 one-way, £110 return from central London to central Amsterdam or anywhere else in the Netherlands.  The fare includes the train to Harwich, a private cabin on the ferry with en suite shower/toilet, and onwards train travel in the Netherlands.  Leave central London in the evening, sleep on the ferry, and arrive in Rotterdam, the Hague or Amsterdam next morning.  It runs daily, ideal for a weekend away or an eco-friendly business trip.  Timetables, fares & how to buy tickets.

• Option 2, London-Amsterdam by Eurostar, daytime:  This is the high-speed daytime option taking just 5 hours 36 minutes city centre to city-centre (compare this with around 4½ hours by air in total), with a wide choice of departures and no sea crossing involved.  You take Eurostar from London to Brussels via the Channel Tunnel, then either the hourly InterCity train or a high-speed Thalys train train from Brussels to Amsterdam.  It's a comfortable & relaxed way to travel, especially when compared to flying.  Fares from £69 to £149 return, book early for the cheapest prices.  Timetables, fares & how to buy tickets.

• Option 3, London-Amsterdam by train+ferry, daytime:  This is the cheapest & most leisurely way to go, with combined train+ferry fares from £29 one-way, £58 return from central London to central Amsterdam or any station in the Netherlands.  You take an early morning (06:25) train from London to Harwich, Stena Line's daytime ferry to Hook of Holland, then Dutch trains to Amsterdam, arriving around 18:30.  It means an early start from London, not everyone can get into London in time to catch it.  Eastbound, it runs Monday-Saturdays only.  Timetables, fares & how to buy tickets.

• Option 4, by direct overnight cruise ferry from the north of England:  If you live in the north of England or Scotland, the best way to Amsterdam is via an overnight cruise ferry from Newcastle or Hull to the Holland.  More information.

• London to other destinations in the Netherlands

Holland or The Netherlands - what's the difference?

General information on train travel to Europe

Hotels & accommodation in Amsterdam & the Netherlands

Sponsored links:

	Above:  The 'Stena Britannica'.  Photo courtesy of Stena Line.
	Above:  Sole occupancy of a cosy private cabin is included in the £55 overnight fare, with shower & toilet.

One ticket covers the whole journey, as Stena Line, National Express Trains East Anglia & NS (Dutch railways) sell cheap combined train+ferry fares from London or any National Express East Anglia railway station to Amsterdam or any rail station in the Netherlands.  Stena Line withdrew its fuel-thirsty HSS fast ferry on this route in January 2007, and opened up its conventional ferries to foot passengers.  Both Stena Line ships, the Stena Hollandica & Stena Britannica, have undergone a £75m rebuild with more cabins, better passenger facilities, additional bars and restaurants.  To achieve this, they've each had a huge new centre section welded in, making them the longest ships of their type in the world.

London ► Amsterdam by overnight ferry...

This is both comfortable and time-effective.  A full day in London can be followed by a full day in Amsterdam, without flying.  Runs daily (except 24, 25, 31 December 2008 and 21-24 March 2009).

• Travel from London to Harwich by train, leaving London Liverpool Street station in the evening at 20:38 Monday-Saturdays or 20:00 on Sundays arriving Harwich International at 22:02 (21:22 on Sundays).  At Harwich International, the train arrives directly at the ferry terminal, you walk into the terminal and onto the ship.  For trains from other places to Harwich, check train times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

• Sail overnight from Harwich to Hoek van Holland aboard the Stena Line Superferry 'Stena Hollandica'.  She sails at 23:45 daily, though you can board well before this and snuggle down in bed.  All passengers get a private cabin with en suite toilet & shower, soap, shampoo, towels and all bedding provided.  A bar & two restaurants are available, as is WiFi internet access.  The ship arrives at Hoek van Holland at 07:45 Dutch time.

• At Hoek van Holland, the ferry terminal is right next to the station, you walk off the ferry into the terminal and onto the station platform.  Take the local Sprinter train from Hoek of Holland to Rotterdam.  This runs every 15-30 minutes from platform 2, there's usually one at 08:07 arriving Rotterdam Centraal at 08:38 or (Mondays-Fridays) 08:22 arriving 08:53.

• Change in Rotterdam for frequent InterCity trains to destinations all over the Netherlands.  A Dutch InterCity train leaves Rotterdam Centraal daily at 08:58 arriving Den Haag HS at 09:14 & Amsterdam Centraal at 10:03.  If you're heading for anywhere else in the Netherlands, you can check Dutch train times at www.ns.nl.

Fares    How to buy tickets   Finding accommodation in Amsterdam   Map of Amsterdam

London ► Amsterdam by daytime ferry...

Runs daily except 24, 25, 26 December 2008 and 8 March 2009.

• Travel from London to Harwich by train, leaving London Liverpool Street station in the early morning at 06:25 Mondays-Fridays, change at Manningtree, arriving Harwich International 07:51.  On Saturdays, depart London Liverpool Street at 06:18 on a direct train to Harwich International, arriving 07:44.  No connection from London on Sundays.  At Harwich International, the train arrives directly at the ferry terminal, you walk into the terminal and onto the ship.  For trains from other places to Harwich, check train times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

• Sail from Harwich to Hoek van Holland aboard the comfortable Stena Line Superferry 'Stena Britannica'.  She sails at 09:00 daily, arriving at Hoek van Holland at 16:15 Dutch time.  There are bars, two restaurants, children's play area & WiFi.  Cabins are optional, but are half price on the day crossing, so well worth it for privacy and somewhere to work, freshen up or snooze.

• At Hoek van Holland, the ferry terminal is right next to the station, you walk off the ferry into the terminal and onto the station platform.  Take the local Sprinter train from Hoek of Holland to Rotterdam.  The train runs every 15-30 minutes from platform 2, there's one at 17:07 arriving Rotterdam Centraal at 17:38.

• Change in Rotterdam for frequent InterCity trains to destinations all over the Netherlands.  A Dutch InterCity train leaves Rotterdam Centraal daily at 17:58 arriving Den Haag HS at 18:17 & Amsterdam Centraal at 19:03.  If you're heading for anywhere else in the Netherlands, you can check Dutch train times at www.ns.nl.

Fares    How to buy tickets   Finding accommodation in Amsterdam   Map of Amsterdam

Amsterdam ► London by overnight ferry...

Runs daily except 24, 25, 31 December 2008 and 7 March 2009.

• A Dutch InterCity train leaves Amsterdam Centraal daily at 18:59 and Den Haag HS at 19:46, arriving Rotterdam Centraal at 20:02.

• Take the local Sprinter train from Rotterdam Centraal to Hoek of Holland.  The train runs every 15-30 minutes, there's one at 20:13 arriving Hoek Van Holland Haven at 20:42.

• Sail overnight from Hoek van Holland to Harwich aboard the comfortable Stena Line Superferry 'Stena Britanica'.  She sails at 22:00 daily, arriving at Harwich at 06:30 UK time.  All passengers get a private cabin with en suite toilet & shower, soap, shampoo, towels and all bedding are provided.  A bar & two restaurants are available.

• At Harwich, the ferry terminal is right next to the station, you walk off the ferry into the terminal and onto the station.  Travel from Harwich to London by train, leaving Harwich at 07:10 Mon-Fri, 07:15 Saturdays or 07:25 Sundays, arriving London Liverpool Street station at 08:48 Mon-Fri, 08:39 on Saturdays or 08:59 on Sundays.  There are also direct trains from Harwich to Cambridge & Ipswich.

Fares    How to buy tickets   Finding accommodation in Amsterdam   Map of Amsterdam

Amsterdam ► London by daytime ferry...

Runs daily except 24, 25, 26 December 2008 and 21-24 March 2009.

• A Dutch InterCity train leaves Amsterdam Centraal daily at 11:10 and Den Haag HS at 12:01, arriving Rotterdam Centraal at 12:23.

• Take the local Sprinter train from Rotterdam Centraal to Hoek of Holland.  The train runs every 15-30 minutes, there's one at 12:43 arriving Hoek Van Holland Haven at 13:12.

• Sail overnight from Hoek van Holland to Harwich aboard the comfortable Stena Line Superferry 'Stena Hollandica'.  She sails from Hoek at 14:30 daily, arriving at Harwich at 20:00 UK time.  There are bars, two restaurants, children's play area.  Cabins are optional, but are half price on the day crossing, so well worth it for privacy and somewhere to work, freshen up or snooze.

• At Harwich, the ferry terminal is right next to the station, you walk off the ferry into the terminal and onto the station.  Travel from Harwich to London by train.  On Mondays-Saturdays, a train leaves Harwich at 21:06, arriving London Liverpool Street station at 22:36.  On Sundays, leave Harwich at 20:58, change trains at Manningtree, arriving London Liverpool Street at 22:42.

Fares    How to buy tickets   Finding accommodation in Amsterdam   Map of Amsterdam

Useful notes...

• You can check sailing times at www.stenaline.co.uk.

• You can check UK train times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

• You can check Dutch train times at www.ns.nl.

• No services to Holland on 25, 26 December or 1 January.

• No services from Holland on 24, 25, 26, or 31December.

Buying connecting tickets from other UK towns & cities

Finding accommodation in Amsterdam

Map of Amsterdam

How much does it cost?
London to Amsterdam  or any Dutch station  by daytime train+ferry	Adults £29 one-way, £58 return  Children (aged 4-14 inclusive) £14.50 one way, £29 return  Children aged 0-3 inclusive go free.
London to Amsterdam  or any Dutch station  by overnight train+ferry	Adults £55 one-way, £110 return  including private cabin with toilet & shower.  If two adults share a cabin, the fare falls to £49 per person each way.  Children (aged 4-14 inclusive) £30.50 one way, £61 return, with sleeping berth.  Children aged 0-3 inclusive go free, but do not get their own berth.

Above:  The overnight train+ferry fare includes a standard inside cabin (see the picture above), but you can pay more for a Comfort Class cabin or a Captain's Suite (shown here), with double bed, satellite TV, internet access, tea/coffee facilities and complimentary minibar.  Ideal for an eco-friendly business trip to Rotterdam, Den Haag or Amsterdam....

• These fares include the train from London to Harwich, the Stena Line ferry to Hoek van Holland, and the Dutch train from Hoek to Amsterdam, all in one ticket.

• These fares are valid to any town or city in the Netherlands, not just Amsterdam.  For example, from London to Rotterdam, Den Haag, Leiden, Haarlem, Utrecht, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Groningen, Enschede, in fact any Dutch railway station you like...  You can check train times from Hoek van Holland to anywhere in the Netherlands at the Dutch Railways website, www.ns.nl.

• These fares are valid from any National Express East Anglia railway station, not just London, including Cambridge, Colchester, Chelmsford, Norwich, Ipswich, Ely.  There are direct trains from Cambridge and Ipswich to Harwich, as well as from London, Chelmsford & Colchester.  You can check UK train fares & times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.  Allow plenty of time (at least 40 minutes, preferably more) to connect with the ship at Harwich.

• The £55 overnight fare includes your own private cabin with en suite shower/toilet on the ferry.  Passengers travelling alone get sole occupancy of a single-bed standard inside cabin, included in the £55 fare.  If two adults travel together and share a 2-bed standard inside cabin, the London-Amsterdam fare falls to just £49 each way per person.  Standard cabins have comfortable beds with fresh clean sheets and duvets, a private shower and toilet with fluffy towels and shampoo/shower gel, and a small writing desk/dressing table with European-style power sockets for mobiles or laptops.  Standard outside cabins cost £6 more than standard inside cabins ('outside' just means they have a porthole).

• Cabin upgrades:  More luxurious 'Comfort' and 'Captain's suite' cabins are also available for a slightly higher fare.  For two people sharing, London to Amsterdam costs £64 per person with a Comfort Class cabin or £78 per person each way with a Captain's Suite with double bed.  Comfort Class cabins and the Captain's Suite all have windows, satellite TV (mainly Dutch channels but these show many English programmes), internet access, tea and coffee making facilities, fresh fruit and complimentary minibar (small bottles of sparkling wine, red and white wine, cans of beer, mineral water and soft drinks, all included in the cabin price.  Ideal for a civilised low-carbon business trip to the Netherlands or a special weekend away!  There are also cabins available suitable for passengers with disabilities and family cabins.

• The £29 daytime fare does not include a cabin on the ferry, but you can reserve one if you like for a small charge.  The privacy and comfort of a private 2-berth standard cabin with writing desk, power sockets for mobile phones or a laptop costs around £26 extra per cabin and is well worth it for the 6.5 hour crossing.  'Comfort' and 'Captain's suite' cabins with satellite TV and internet access (see above) cost more.  Both self-service and waiter-service restaurants are available for meals on the ferry, plus bars and cinema.

• You can check these fares & cabin charges and book online at www.dutchflyer.co.uk.

• Taking a bicycle:  You can take your bike with you, for £7 each way plus the relevant foot passenger fare.  Just select 'bicycle' in the drop-down 'vehicle' box when booking at  www.dutchflyer.co.uk.  Bikes are carried free on One Railway trains between London and Harwich, except on Mondays-Fridays on trains due to arrive in London 07:45-09:45, or departing from London 16:30-18:30 when bikes are not allowed on trains at all.  In the Netherlands, you need to pay for a bike day ticket, costing 6 euro.  However, bikes may not be taken on Dutch trains in the morning and evening Monday-Friday peak hours.  On arrival at Harwich International, you will need to cycle round from the station to the motorists' terminal to board the ferry via the vehicle ramp.

• Taking pets:  Stena Line will let foot passengers take cats and small dogs in containers, and larger dogs if you reserve an on-board kennel, under the PETS travel scheme.  Call Stena Line for details.

Cheaper than flying...

• I paid £200 return by train+ferry for myself, my wife and 10-month old Nate from London to any Dutch station, for a weekend visit to the in-laws in Enschede in the east of the Netherlands.  This fare got us from central London to central Enschede, and it included a private cabin overnight on the outward journey, plus an optional private cabin on the daytime return journey in which my wife and baby could nap whilst I worked on my laptop.  Out of curiosity, I wondered how much I'd have saved taking a budget airline.  EasyJet would have charged us £219 for the flight alone (without any ground transport costs) on the same weekend.  Ryanair appeared to offer an outward flight for a mere £14.99 and a return flight for just 79p.  However, when I clicked 'proceed', Ryanair seemed to think that 2 x £14.99 plus 2 x 79p adds up to £127..!  They add taxes, a charge for the baby, and taxes on top of the charge for the baby.  Then they would have charged us an extra £15 for our two bags.  On top of this we'd have had to pay another £50 (2 x £25) for train tickets from London to Stansted airport and back plus 70 euros (2 x 35 euros, £50) for two train tickets from Eindhoven (the Dutch airport) to Enschede and back.  Total cost by 'budget' airline, £242.

...faster than flying?!

• Funnily enough, the plane wouldn't even have been quicker, at least on the outward journey.  Their afternoon flight was too early to catch after finishing work in London.  Their 6.55am morning flight, which would have meant getting up at 3am and driving or taxiing to the airport as it's too early for public transport to get you there, would have got us to Enschede by midday.  The overnight train+ferry allowed us to leave London after 8pm, and arrive in Enschede at 11:35 next day, half an hour before the flight would have got us there, having slept in a cabin on the ferry.  Train+ferry not only gave us more time in the Netherlands, it gave us more sleep..!

How to buy tickets starting in the UK...

• Buy your train+ferry tickets from London to Amsterdam online at www.dutchflyer.co.uk, with no booking fees.  Tickets are sent to any UK address.

• www.dutchflyer.co.uk will book one-way or return tickets from London (or any One Railway station) to Amsterdam (or any Dutch station), but if you want to book journeys starting in the Netherlands (i.e. one-way or return from Amsterdam to London), you'll need to use the equivalent Dutch website www.golondon.nl, see below for instructions on how to use it.

• You can also buy train+ferry tickets by phone, by calling either National Express East Anglia on 0870 40 90 90 (lines open 08:00-22:00 daily) or Stena Line on 0870 5 455 455 (lines open 08:30-20:00 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, 09:00-17:00 Sundays).  A booking fee (around £3) normally applies to phone bookings.

• If you're from overseas (USA, Canada, Australia etc) then you cannot book online unless you have a suitable UK address to which tickets can be sent.  But you can book by telephone with National Express East Anglia (the UK train operator involved in this service) on +44 870 40 90 90, and ask to pick up your tickets at Liverpool Street station.  If this number doesn't work, try +44 1603 214 505, which is Customer Services, ask to be put through to their telesales department.  Lines are open 08:00-22:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturday & Sunday, UK time.

How to buy tickets starting in the Netherlands...

• You can buy one-way or return tickets from Amsterdam (or any Dutch station) to London (or any National Express East Anglia Railway station) online at www.golondon.nl.  It's in Dutch, but easy to use following these instructions:

• 'Elke station in Nederland' simply means 'any station in the Netherlands' including Amsterdam.

• 'Retour' means return, 'Enkele reis' means one-way.

• After inputting your dates of travel, click 'afvaart zoeken' and you'll see the daytime or overnight crossings offered.  Select the one you want and click 'volgende' (which simply means 'next')

• Now all you really need to know is that 'volwassene' means 'adult' and 'kind' means 'child'.

• It may help to know that 'kies een hut' means 'choose a cabin'.  'Verplicht' means 'compulsory', on night crossings.  'Voertuig' means 'vehicle', but as a foot passenger you aren't interested in this bit.  'Annuleringsverzekering' means 'cancellation insurance', if you don't want this then tickets will be non-refundable, but it's up to you.  Under 'extras', 'dinerbuffet' means evening buffet meal, 'ontbijt buffet' means breakfast buffet'.

• Ticket delivery:  You pick up your train+ferry tickets at the Stena Line ferry check-in at Hoek van Holland.  To get there, you'll need to buy a one-way train ticket to Hoek van Holland from Amsterdam or whatever your Dutch starting station is, but the cost of this is refunded when you pick up your train+ferry tickets.  Dutch stations have ticket machines with touch-screen and an English language button.  they accept cash or Maestro cards, including UK-issued Maestro cards.  Larger Dutch stations also have ticket offices, which also accept cash and Maestro cards but not credit cards.

• Alternatively, you can call Dutch Railways on +31 900 92 96 (lines open 08:00-21:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-18:00 Saturday and Sunday, Dutch time) and the tickets will be posted to any Dutch address or can be picked up from major stations including Amsterdam.

What's the train+ferry journey like?

1.  By train from London to Harwich... You leave London Liverpool Street station by train direct to the ferry terminal at Harwich International (formerly known as Harwich Parkeston Quay).  The train's final destination is Harwich Town, but you must get off at Harwich International two stops before.  The train arrives right next to the ferry terminal, where you check in at the Stena Line desk and are given your boarding pass and cabin key.		2.  ...by Stena Line ferry to Hoek van Holland... On the ferry, cabins are compulsory on the overnight crossing, and are included in the fare.  The middle photo shows a standard inside cabin, included in the basic £55 fare.  All cabins have comfortable beds, a private shower & toilet, shower gel/shampoo and towels, and there's a small dressing table with power sockets (European type) suitable for laptops or mobiles.  Cabins are optional on the daytime crossing at a small extra cost, well worth it for comfort and privacy.  Both the 'Stena Hollandica' and 'Stena Britannica' have a bar, 'Food City' self-service restaurant, 'Metropolitan' grill & buffet, children's play area, cinema & shop.  A bottle of wine in the shop costs only £2.79, so treat yourself!  The day crossing takes 6.5 hours, the night crossing 7 hours but you board the night ship 1½ hours before sailing to get a good night's sleep.  On overnight crossings, a cooked buffet breakfast is available in the 'Food City' self-service restaurant, serving starts an hour before arrival.  On daytime crossings, if you don't have a cabin, you can place your bags in a luggage room which is locked during the voyage.

3.   ...by local train to Rotterdam... At Hoek van Holland, the station is right next to the ferry terminal.  Go to platform 2 for the Sprinter train to Rotterdam Centraal, which runs every 15-20 minutes Monday-Saturday, every 30 minutes on Sundays.		4.  ...change for Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands. Change trains in Rotterdam for frequent InterCity trains to Amsterdam and other destinations all over the Netherlands.  Your train+ferry ticket is valid to any station in the Netherlands, on any train that day.  Many InterCity trains, including the ones to Amsterdam, are smart modern double-deck trains like this one.  Take a seat upstairs and watch Holland unfold outside the window...

Taking Eurostar to Brussels and a connecting train to Amsterdam is an excellent way to go, faster than the train+ferry, and there is a wider choice of departures.  It's a very comfortable way to travel, and it avoids a sea crossing if that's important to you.

There are two options:  You can combine Eurostar with the regular hourly InterCity trains between Brussels & Amsterdam, or combine Eurostar with slightly faster, more comfortable but less frequent and much less flexible Thalys high-speed trains between Brussels and Amsterdam.  InterCity trains are more frequent and don't require seat reservations, so can be more flexible if you want to stop off in Brussels.  But the Thalys trains are more comfortable and faster, though only slightly faster, as there's as yet no separate high-speed line between Brussels and Amsterdam so they use the same tracks as the InterCity trains.  You can buy through tickets between London and Amsterdam via both of these options.

Top tip:  For a plane-free weekend in Amsterdam, catch a Friday night Eurostar to Brussels, spend the night there, and continue to Amsterdam on Saturday by InterCity train.  The London-Amsterdam Eurostar+InterCity train fare allows you to stop off in Brussels for up to 24 hours if you want.  There are InterCity trains from Brussels to Amsterdam every hour all day, no seat reservation necessary.

London ► Amsterdam  (by Eurostar + InterCity train)
	Mon-Fri	Mon-Sat	Daily	Daily	Daily	Daily	Daily
Depart London St Pancras	05:53	07:10	08:25	09:57	13:20	14:34	16:30
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid	08:59	10:31	11:50	13:25	16:40	17:50	19:44
Change trains in Brussels onto the hourly InterCity train to Amsterdam, no reservation required.  Stop off if you like.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid	09:18*	11:18*	12:18*	14:18*	17:18*	18:18*	20:18*
Arrive Rotterdam	11:06	13:06	14:06	16:06	19:06	20:06	22:06
Arrive Den Haag HS	11:25	13:25	14:25	16:25	19:25	20:25	22:25
Arrive Amsterdam	12:06	14:06	15:06	17:06	20:06	21:06	23:06

London ► Amsterdam  (by Eurostar + Thalys)
	Fridays	Daily	Daily
Depart London St Pancras	07:10	09:57	14:34
Arrive Brussels Midi/Zuid	10:31	13:25	17:50
Change trains in Brussels onto a fast Thalys train, seat reservation required.
Depart Brussels Midi/Zuid	10:52	13:52	19:52
Arrive Rotterdam	12:36	15:36	21:36
Arrive Den Haag HS	12:56	15:56	21:56
Arrive Amsterdam	13:36	16:36	22:36

* The InterCity trains to Amsterdam depart at xx.15 rather than xx.18 on Saturdays & Sundays.

Buying connecting train tickets from other UK towns & cities      Advice on changing trains at Brussels Midi    Map of Amsterdam

Amsterdam ► London  (by Eurostar + InterCity train)
	Mon-Fri	Daily	Daily	Daily	Mon-Fri, Sun	Daily