Alternative routes by train

Buy train tickets

Want to travel without ICE or Eurostar to Paris? That is possible on alternative train routes from the Netherlands. If you want to buy tickets for these routes, you can do so online. Sometimes you can book the whole route online with one ticket, sometimes you have to cut the route into several parts.
Do you have an Interrail Pass and want to travel without a reservation? Then you can travel with the trains below:

Routes to Germany

Amsterdam - Venlo - Düsseldorf - Frankfurt

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central to Venlo; if you are departing from Utrecht, take a train earlier, otherwise the transfer is tight in Venlo.
• Take a regional train from Venlo to Düsseldorf
• Take the ICE from Düsseldorf to Frankfurt

Travel time: 4.55 hours

Amsterdam - Arnhem - Duisburg - Frankfurt

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central to Arnhem
• Take a regional train from Arnhem to Duisburg
• Take the ICE from Duisburg to Frankfurt

Travel time: 5.25 hours

Amsterdam - Heerlen - Aken - Frankfurt

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central to Heerlen
• Take a regional train from Heerlen to Aachen
• Take the ICE from Aachen (sometimes with a change in Cologne) to Frankfurt

Travel time: 5.15 hours

The direct connection to Intercity Berlin is also very popular. To avoid the peak traffic on both ICE International and Intercity Berlin, you can also opt for the following alternative:

Amsterdam - Hengelo - Osnabrück - Berlin

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central to Hengelo
• Take a regional train from Hengelo to Osnabrück
• Take the ICE from Osnabrück to Berlin

Travel time: 6.50 hours

Amsterdam - Arnhem - Duisburg - Berlin

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central to Arnhem
• Take a regional train from Arnhem to Duisburg
• Take the ICE from Duisburg to Berlin

Travel time: 7.46 hours

Routes to Germany and Switzerland

Amsterdam - Venlo - Düsseldorf - Basel

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central to Venlo; if you are departing from Utrecht, take a train earlier, otherwise the transfer is tight in Venlo.
• Take a regional train from Venlo to Düsseldorf
• Take the ICE from Düsseldorf to Basel

Travel time: 7.55 hours

Amsterdam - Arnhem - Düsseldorf - Basel

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central to Arnhem
• Take a regional train from Arnhem to Düsseldorf
• Take the ICE from Düsseldorf to Basel

Travel time: 8.25 hours

Amsterdam - Münster - Basel

• Take the domestic Intercity from Amsterdam Central Station to Enschede
• Take the Regionalbahn to Münster
• Take the ICE from Münster to Basel

July only, travel time: 9.35 hours

Routes to Belgium - Antwerp

You do not need a seat reservation for the Intercity Brussels train to Belgium. If you want cheap last-minute travel, the alternative route via Roosendaal may be cheaper. Also, the trains are sometimes less crowded.

• Travel via Roosendaal to Antwerp and beyond

Route to France - Paris

Even to Paris, you can travel by Interrail without reserving a seat in Eurostar. The route is then:

• Amsterdam - Antwerp - Kortrijk - Lille Flandres - Amiens - Paris Gare du Nord

Travel time: 8.28 hours