grasshopper2

I am flying into Frankfurt and meeting friends in Amsterdam in June, so I was wondering, can I just get a train from the Amsterdam airport and go to Amsterdam or do I need to book the train tickets in advance? (Since I'm flying in I want to have flexibility if my flight is delayed.) Or, would I be better off flying since I need to consider the train strikes in Germany and I will already be at the airport?

grasshopper2

Sorry I meant catch a train from the Frankfurt airport.

PalenQ

Yes there are lots of direct trains from Frankfurt to Amsterdam Centraal (C.S.) - the main train station in the heart of Amsterdam. You depart from Frankuft Flughafen's Long-Distance train station - there are two train stations at Frankfurt's Airport - a Region or Local one for local trains and S-Bahns into Frankfurt and a Long-Distance Station or Fernbanhof which is what you want.

www.bahn.de/en is the official site of the German Railways - walk up fares can be very expensive but if you want to book in advance - cheaper fares of 59 euros or at times even cheaper I think, on direct trains are however non-changeable and subject to a 15 or 20 euro cancellation fee - they if you miss it you cannot change the ticket to another train so there is a risk of booking early if your plane is late - so build in a lot of fudge factor time or pay full-fare which IME will always be available on the spot - you can easily book ahead at www.bahn.de/en and take care of it all.

To check you want to put into the www.banh.de box Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbhf (short for Fernbahnhof) and to - Amsterdam Centraal.

for lots of general info on European trains check www.seat61.com - good info on discounted tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Train strikes are a plague in Germany these days so you may yes want to look into flying - ask your airline about an add-on fare too.