Belgium/Netherlands Train Schedules/Prices
 

Hello--I'm going to Belgium and the Netherlands in about a week and a half and I've been pretty complacent in booking the mode of transportation between the places I'm visiting (Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges). What I'm wondering is at this point, will there be a big price difference between booking a ticket online versus just getting one the day of? Does taking a bus make any sense time-wise or economically, or is the train the only way to go? Thanks.

Hi,

At least for transport between big cities in Belgium, busses are no option and trains are the way to go. No need to book tickets ahead, they are not more expensive and there's always space. These trains 2 up to 4 times an hour ! if you plan on doing multiple trips, buying a 10-ride GoPass (-26y) or RailPass (+26) might be better value. A return ticket over a weekend (Friday after 7pm to Sunday night) might also be better value than just buying 2 single tickets. If you plan on visiting a special attraction like the Zoo, a museum, an amusement park, etc. you can also buy a combined ticket in the rail station, giving you a discount.

As for travel between Amsterdam and Brussels, there are normal international trains and Thalys trains. The first one is a lot less expensive (though still not inexpensive) and takes not that much longer than the high-speed Thalys trains. You can also take a bus with Eurolines, which will be less expensive but will also take longer.

Enjoy your trip !

We saved a lot of money by buying the Thalys ticket on line.

In Holland tickets i believe are about the same online as at the ticket window - actually a euro more at the window i think. Most Dutch buy online and print at home or in the automatic ticketing machines - American credit cards simply will not work - or most will not in these machines however (ones at Schiphol Airport's train station the sole exception i've been told) so you have to go to the ticket window - and there will be no language problem as English is widely spoken in both countries.

Like stardust saysa bout Belgium trains in Holland go usually 2-4 times an hour - there are no seat reservations - all open seating except on the Thalys train, which you should avoid because of what stardust says - you could pay a lot more (unless you score one of the very limited in number Smoove (sp?) fares months in advance - then it could be cheaper - but full fare is a lot more than the IC trains Amsterdam to Antwerp (change there for Bruges).
You are not traveling enough for the Benelux Railpass to be cost effective (unless planning day trips from any of your bases then it could be - especially in first class - which IMO has huge benefits in both countries - always IME of decades of rail travel there of always finding quite a few empty seats in first class but in second class you never know - it could be a mob scene, especially at rush hour with commuters, school kids, etc.
For lots of info on trains in these countries i always spotlight these info-laden sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com - oh an RailEurope and their agents like the middle site i list here, in the US is having a 50% off full fare Thalys promotion thru the end of August so if wanting to take this high-speed spiffy train check that out

PalenQ: I've been researching the Benelux pass. I have 10 travel days and will be doing the following:

Amsterdam -> Arnhem -> Amsterdam
Amsterdam -> Den Hague -> Amsterdam
Amsterdam -> Muiderslot -> Amsterdam
Amsterdam -> Brugges
Brugges -> Brussels (stop in Ghent)
Brussels -> Luxembourg
Luxembourg -> Vianden -> Luxembourg
Luxembourg -> Trier -> Luxembourg
Luxembourg -> Brussels

For me that is 9 trips on different days. The Benelux pass is only for 5 days unlimited and is around $220. It doesn't seem like it is really that cost effective given that many of my trips are short, low priced trips. In order to get my money's worth I'd need to be spending at least $60/day on travel for each of the 5 days.

Or am I missing something that makes the Benelux pass such a good deal?

If you had booked well ahead of time a Thalys ticket could have been cheaper, as it is you will be better off buying a ticket for the intercity to Brussels from Amsterdam. Unles you have a CC with a chip, or lots of cash, you will need to buy your ticket at a window, rather than from a machine.

You cannot buy tickets online for normal trains unless you live in the Netherlands and use online banking.

Thanks for the advice. I went on the raileurope website and it's actually showing the Thalys ticket to be only $2 more (and quicker) than the normal train ($52 vs. $54). Am I missing something here? Sounds like everyone's been saying how it's much more expensive.

Hi Brian,

For the Thalys it's all about offer and demand. It is probably more used by business travellers, and since it is a holiday period, it could well be that Thalys tickets are not so expensive right now. One thing to consider though, is that with a Thalys ticket you MUST take that train or you loose the ticket (as it has seat reservations). With the normal international train I believe there is 1 an hour and you can jump on any train that suits you.

>I went on the raileurope website and it's actually showing the Thalys ticket to be only $2 more (and quicker) than the normal train ($52 vs. $54). Am I missing something here?

Yes. You use RailEurope.

Belgian and Dutch rail authorities:
www.b-rail.be
www.nshispeed.de

That should be www.nshispeed.nl, and is only for international journeys.

It could be that you can still get a cheap Thalys ticket. Not knowing your travel dates, or which station you want to use to change to Brugge I can't comment on those prices.

If you are happy with the price offered by RailEurope, and the fact you must get the train you are booked on, then go for it.

Thanks for the advice. I went on the raileurope website and it's actually showing the Thalys ticket to be only $2 more (and quicker) than the normal train ($52 vs. $54). Am I missing something here? Sounds like everyone's been saying how it's much more expensive.>

Well it may be that RailEurope is only $2 more because they are currently offering a Half-Off Full fare Thalys special -i think thru the end of August and not sure how far if any after that you can travel. Anyway for any RailEurope product i always advising contacting the helpful folks at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - a RE agent i have bought passes from for years and attest to great personal service. If it were me i'd pay $2 more to gain an hour and take the spiffy Thalys train - but you have to be sure of your date and train as they are train specific.

For me that is 9 trips on different days. The Benelux pass is only for 5 days unlimited and is around $220. It doesn't seem like it is really that cost effective given that many of my trips are short, low priced trips. In order to get my money's worth I'd need to be spending at least $60/day on travel for each of the 5 days.>

Well probably so but i do not see where you get $60 a day if a 5-day pass is $220 - more like $44 break even and i always say if it is any close to break even take the pass - you will save time waiting in lines that can IME be long in Holland at least - but you have all the fares as www.ns.nl for Holland

$44 is about what 30 euros a day? and yes many of your days are short but take the five longest ones as the pass is a max of 5 unlimited travel days - in a one-month period.

and though i do see four rather expensive days i'd still have to look at regular fares, which i assume you have done.

PalenQ: Apparently my brain decided that math wasn't it's strong suit on that day. I have no clue where I got $60/day either!

I think I need to back up and plot out all the fares.

Amsterdam -> Arnhem -> Amsterdam: total of 28.10 euros
Amsterdam -> Den Hague -> Amsterdam: total of 19.70 euros
Amsterdam -> Muiderslot -> Amsterdam: total of 4.00 euros
Amsterdam -> Brugges: total of 45 euros
Brugges -> Brussels (stop in Ghent): 13 euros (approx.)
Brussels -> Luxembourg: 35 euros
Luxembourg -> Vianden -> Luxembourg: approx. 3 euros
Luxembourg -> Trier -> Luxembourg: approx. 30 euros
Luxembourg -> Brussels: approx. 35 euros

Cost for benelux pass is 149 euros for 5 days. So yes, approx. 30 euros per day.

By my calculations above, I only have 3 days where I would spend above that. However, if I took the 5 most expensive days I would come to a total of 163 euros. Ohhhhhh, so this would be cheaper!!!

tsk tsk - not paying attention in math class in school? i added it three times and it is really 173 euros - a no-brainer IMO to get a pass in that case - and it will save you time in lines - i ride trains in Holland every year and lines at ticket windows often are daunting - especially in Amsterdam Centraal station - i think NS (Dutch Railways) wants to discourage folks from buying at ticket windows and force them to do it online or from the automatic ticket machines (American credit cards do not generally work in them) - in fact you will pay one euro more than the price you got online for Dutch trains so add 2 euros making the total now 175 euros vs $220 for the 5-day pass - 175 euros being about $240 at optimal exchange rates. But some companies may have a shipping charge - i believe RailEurope charges $18 for orders less than $400 or $500 - others do not - ricksteves.com i believe charges about $15 - budgeteuropetravel.com, who i have bought various passes from for years because of their great service i believe charges $5 outside a certain non-rush service time limit.

You must take your pass to a ticket window in Benelux to activate it for the one-month period - i would do this at Schiphol Airport if landing there as there are rarely any lines at the airport train station ticket windows and there definitely may be very loooooooooong lines at Amsterdam Centraal ticket windows. Then you have five boxes to fill in the day's date you want to use it for midnight to midnight unlimited train travel in those countries - you need never go to a ticket window again.

NS does not want people buying tickets at the window. It is cheaper for them to have everyone using the machines. Most machines do not take credit cards of any sort, but those in Amsterdam do - if they have a chip. You can use a (Maestro)debit card in them too, or of course use Euros. If you have been in Europe for a while you will end up with a pocket full of coins and you can use them at the machines.
For tickets within Holland only people with access to Dutch Internet banking can buy tickets online.

For the short trips in the Netherlands make sure you have coins. They don't need to be exact - you will get change.

In a couple of years it will all change anyway once the OV chipcard becomes the only valid ticket.

Oh PalenQ, I wasn't including the Trier trip since that is Germany and would require me upgrading to the Benelux + Germany pass (which I think would be too much).

Very good point about the extra fee to buy at window. I hope to keep Euros on us at all times to use in the machines, but I imagine it will be very overwhelming the first couple of times.

Hmmm, with the shipping fees though, it sort of negates savings; however, I end up saving TIME, which is precious on vacation.

OK, off to determine whether it is advantageous to add the Germany portion for that one trip (probably not...especially since I'm not sure how accurate my price is on that portion - website was all in French and my Canadian French is rusty).

Ack, too many decisions to make!

Oh, quick question: If I buy the saver pass does the second person ALWAYS have to travel with me? I am not 100% sure if DH will make every single trip (another cause of my hesitation to commit to a pass).

The fare from Luxembourg to Trier is just a few euros - only about 25 miles or so (i know i have ridden my bicycle between Trier and Luxembourg dozens of times)

Saver Pass Q - no only one person need be present for the pass to be used - think about it - why would the railways care if the other person was not onboard? But if hubby will not do more than one trip i think a solo pass - if there is one for this - would be the only pass option you would consider.

Mailing fees - checking various sites i think that if you order exceeds $400 you should have no mailing fees unless you need rush service to have pass in a day or two.

Anyway the Benenlux-Germany pass - forget that.

A single Benelux Pass costs $220 p.p. but a Saver Pass costs $188 p.p. - for two or more names on the same pass - and if your DH does not want to do one day then the saver would be better - even if he did not use it one day or perhaps two

if you both did all the trips then the Saver Pass p.p. $188 p.p. vs $240 p.p. without and at least at budget europe where i buy passes they have free shipping if over $250 total order - but not sure on whether you need rush service - not sure what they time line is for free. RailEurope would charge $18 i believe for any total order under $399 - but they keep changing that and offer at times free shipping so check it out and take best bottom line.

PalenQ: YOu are a trove of great and helpful information! I am relieved that DH can opt to skip out of a trip. The only one he might ditch me on is Arnhem, but then again he likes sitting and so a nice train ride would be up his alley.

I will check out Budget Europe. I have 32 days until we leave....so hopefully enough time!

Silly question: I went to Budget Europe website and clicked on their link and it bumps me to raileurope.com. I am assuming this is totally legit right? No shipping if over $349.