Train From Amsterdam to Zurich

Raileurope is a booking site, similar to Hotels.com, Expedia or other. I've never heard of Virail so I assume they are a booking company as well. Stay away from them. DB is the big German state owned railway company, their app DB Navigator is really good and so is their website, www.bahn.de

Between Amsterdam and Zürich there are direct overnight trains operated by ÖBB using the brand Nightjet, buy the tickets at www.oebb.at and read more at www.nightjet.com. If you want to travel during the day, you'll need to change somwhere in Germany, look up connections and buy your tickets at www.bahn.de

Saloon is a long row of seats, like in a plane or on a bus. Saloon with table means four seats around a table, and compartment is a small compartment with usually six seats. See images here: https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/ice.htm

Do not use RailEurope or any other third-party company to buy rail tickets. You should use either the Netherlands national rail site, or the Swiss rail site. I'd start with the former, because it might be cheaper.

I was surprised it can be done in so little time, but I quickly found a 7:38AM departure that has only ONE change, in Cologne, for 9 hrs 22 minutes. Some trips have as many as FOUR changes. If I had to go through Cologne, I would stay there two nights, in the nice Hilton just steps from the HBF. (If you don't know those three initials, you are not ready to buy a train ticket! :-) )

This is such a long trip that it is not meaningful to choose a side of the train. I suggest some basic study of European trains, like:

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trains-rail-passes
https://www.seat61.com/

Start here: https://www.nsinternational.com/en/

great info here https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Amsterdam.htm#Amsterdam-Switzerland

Lots of info here, many thanks... what's the different between 1st class non flexible and 1st class semi flexible?

We are just looking for a 1st class ticket directly from Amsterdam to Zurich during the day so we can view the landscape...

Also, we'll have luggage, where do we put that when in 1st class?

Jean

what's the different between 1st class non flexible and 1st class semi flexible?

The best way to answer that question would be to click on the line you see saying:
" Book with confidence, select flexible fare conditions. Please check our travel updates about the Corona virus before you book." I added boldface there to simulate a "live link" on a web-page.

This leads to:
https://www.nsinternational.com/en/covid19/flexible-booking

This is very like buying an air ticket. My definition of "flexible" means nothing, beside the ticket-issuer's detailed definition which is designed to maximize their income from what is called a "wasting asset." (That is something that becomes valueless after a certain date and time) There is no substitute for reading and understanding the rules yourself.

But in most cases, "non flexible" means just what it does on an airline. You can't get your money back, and you may have to pay the full walk-up fare if you miss your train for any reason. I would point out that some such rules have been relaxed at times, during the Covid-19 era. But you have to know the exact conditions at the moment you buy the ticket. My telling you the conditions today is little help to you!

Of course, another element of "flexibility" is whether you can get any or all of your cash back, or do you have to accept a credit for future travel. Many people buy Travel Insurance to help protect them in such situations. But then you have to read a 24-page Policy Description to make sure that you are covered in case a close relative gets sick, there is a nearby war, or if there is an ... ... epidemic. (For example, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my regular Travel insurer does not care about pre-existing health conditions of my MOTHER, they only care about pre-existing health conditions of the TRAVELER.)

I really don't mean to sound uncooperative. It's more that you need to understand that your reasonable question is not that simple to answer. I am not going to give an answer that could easily change by tomorrow! That is the nature of travel today.

Well, as the 8am train is the only one in that time frame that has only 1 change from Ams to Zur so it would be senseless to pay for semi-flex. The others have 3 to 4 changes.
I also assume with this one way ticket I don't need a BAHN Card?
Thanks,
Jean

If you're not planning a lot of travel, a Bahncard is probably not worth it. And the luggage shelves are a good place for your luggage. Smaller luggage will fit above the windows, but for larger luggage there are other shelves.

I'd also suggest booking this trip on www.bahn.de instead of through NS since the trip will be done on German trains and I'm not sure NS offers all the same options as DB.

I accept Badger's suggestion, because I've always had good results with DB. The issue of seat assignments (for example) is likely to be much easier with a national rail site than with a third-party reseller.

In response to your "... the only train ... ", I would point out that many posters here are not starting from a hotel room, but from an air arrival or another mode of transit. So they need transportation, in one way or another, any time they can get to their destination the same day. Many posters here are also budget travelers, and they wouldn't care about time, in comparison with price. Seriously, suppose your taxi gets a flat tire, or a fire shuts down a bridge you need to go over to get to the Amsterdam train station? We once had a drunk passed out on our (starting-out station) Frankfurt S-Bahn, and after 45 minutes of delay, we called the hotel we had just left, to call us a taxi, all the way to the airport because it was too risky to wait any longer.

I partly tell this story because of a recent thread here about "Can I rely on trains to get me to the airport." The simple answer is that Europe has much better airport access than most of the USA.

It doesn't apply to this trip, I think, because of the major cities. But some train trips (particularly in, say, Belgium) may have segments on a train with no First Class. This would be like a two-segment air trip, where you fly First or Business across the ocean, but then take a commuter flight for the last hour or two.