Travel to Netherlands

Flying to Netherlands

The national carrier is KLM (www.klm.com). Other airlines flying direct to the Netherlands from the UK include British Airways (www.britishairways.com), Cityjet (www.cityjet.com), easyJet (www.easyjet.com), Flybe (www.flybe.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). Delta (www.delta.com) operates direct flights from the USA.

Besides Schiphol, the Netherlands' principal airport near Amsterdam, the airports at Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Maastricht are also arrival points for international flights.

Major airports are: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Rotterdam the Hague Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Amsterdam: from London - 1 hour 15 minutes; New York - 7 hours 20 minutes.

Departure tax

Included in ticket price.

Travelling to Netherlands by Rail

Eurostar (tel: +44 1233 617 575; www.eurostar.com) operates direct high-speed trains from London St Pancras International to Amsterdam (journey time - 3 hours 40 minutes) and Rotterdam (journey time - 3 hours). Currently, there is no direct Eurostar service from the Netherlands to the UK, but you can take a Thalys (tel: +31 30 233 1676; www.thalys.com) high-speed train from Amsterdam (2 hours) or Rotterdam (1 hour 10 minutes) to Brussels before continuing your journey to London St Pancras International via the Eurostar. 

As an alternative to the Channel Tunnel, rail travellers can take the Dutch Flyer (tel: +44 844 576 2762, in the UK; www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry-to-holland/rail-and-sail), a rail-and-sail package, departing twice daily from London's Liverpool Street station to the port of Harwich. From there, a ferry crosses to Hoek van Holland, with an ongoing rail connection to Rotterdam, Den Haag or Amsterdam.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, or 5 days in 15 days or 7, 10, 15 days in a month across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Both passes can only be used by European citizens and residents. The Global Pass allows for two train journeys in your country of residence, whereas the One-Country Pass is not valid for any journeys within your country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 28. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from the InterRail website (https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 22 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 5 or 7 days in one month, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in up to four bordering countries and lets you choose from 27 European countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 28) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Netherlands

Eurotunnel (tel: +44 844 335 3535, in the UK; www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for vehicles between Folkestone and Calais. Driving time from Calais to Amsterdam is approximately 4 hours.

Flixbus (www.flixbus.nl) and Eurolines (tel: +44 871 781 8181, in the UK; www.eurolines.co.uk) offer daily buses from Victoria Coach Station in London, stopping at Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station and Amsterdam Duivendrecht Station respectively, with additional stops in Rotterdam and Den Haag (The Hague).

Getting to Netherlands by boat

The main ports are Rotterdam (www.portofrotterdam.com), Amsterdam (www.portofamsterdam.com), Dordrecht (cms.dordrecht.nl/binnenhavengeld), Groningen (www.groningen-seaports.com).