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London-Amesterdam & train reservations

Posted by (Beaverton, Oregon, USA) on

Hey there-- what are my train options for getting from London to Amsterdam? Would it either be A) Take the Eurostar from London to Bruges, and then take a high speed train from Bruges to Amsterdam, using a day on my Eurail pass, or B) Is there another train line that will take me from London to Amsterdam without having to use the Eurostar, that I can use my Eurail pass on?

And second, how important are train reservations? This is my first time traveling through continental Europe by train, and I'm not sure whether or not I should make reservations in advance for just some of the trips or for all of them? Can you make reservations the day of travel? Should I make a sleeper car reservation here in the states, or when I arrive to the city overseas? and finally, how do people (those who have been) feel about making reservations at hostels ahead of time? Do they fill up fast? (We're going in May 2008) I don't know whether or not we could just show up to try and find a room or if they get full fast in the summer travels.

Sorry for all the questions! Thanks for your help :)

Posted by
5847 posts

Hi Megan

The Eurostar doesn't go to Bruges. Rather it goes to Brussels. It is a about 3 hours from London to Brussels and about 3 hours from Brussels to Amsterdam. You definitely need to buy your Eurostar ticket in advance (prices are cheaper in advance).

Personally, I would probably fly from London to Amsterdam. It would probably be cheaper. You can probably get a plane ticket for about $100.

As for train reservations, I've made them as I travel around and have usually not had problems ... but be prepared to alter your trip a little bit if you run into a problem. One of the great things about a Eurail pass is if you can't get somewhere, you can just pick a different destination that day. It has been more than 10 years since I stayed in a hostel so I cannot comment on whether you now need reservations. I used to just make arrangements when I arrived in a town, but sometimes they were full. I recommend reading Rick Steves book 'Europe through the Back Door'.

Posted by
8700 posts

For London-Amsterdam you can take the Dutch Flyer which is a train-ferry-train combined route on one ticket. There is both daytime and overnight service. Go to www.dutchflyer.co.uk and www.seat61.com/Netherlands.htm for complete information.

Reservations are required on high speed trains, but you can probably wait until you get to Europe to make them. Be aware, however, that train companies are allowed to limit the number of seats they allocate for passholders. Popular night trains often sell out so it's good to make reservations well in advance for them. Click on the Railpasses tab at the top of the page and read what Rick has to say about all of this.

If you want to stay in a particular hostel in a major city, it's wise to book at least a few days in advance. But May is early enough that you should be able to find a room if (1) you start looking fairly early in the day and (2) you're not fussy about the accommodations.

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