Night train Amsterdam to Copenhagen

Dear Katie: My wife and I did that trip (in reverse, Copenhagen to Amsterdam) long ago in 1975, when we were young. Other than the ferry ride, I don't recall any scenery of particular interest. Denmark, North Germany, and the Netherlands are rather flat, with some lakes, rivers, marshes, etc, but nothing all that special. Have you ever taken a night train in the US, like maybe the Empire Builder west across Montana? If you have, then you will know that you can sleep on a night train, and all is just fine. If you haven't....well, night trains there like here are anything but silky-smooth motion, you stop in little places in the middle of the night with a PA system giving instructions to people on the platform, the train's horn sounds often, you hear people in the corridor, the bunk is very narrow...and losing a night's sleep on vacation is no fun. Plus you'll have to pay for a couchette or a sleeper compartment (unless you want to sit upright for 15 hours). Think very seriously about either doing a discount airline or taking day trains and breaking the trip along the way.

Katie, I would recommend the night train leaving at 18:53 which requires only one transfer while still in Holland...very doable. Except for one of the stations which you'll be passing through in Germany (Flensburg), I am well familiar with all the rest of them...all major points and this route. Before 05:00 it will be light in June and the interesting countryside which you'll see is the North German plain as the train proceeds to Denmark...very nice. It won't get dark until past 21:00. Taking this night train requires mandatory reservation, which is not the case if you do it by day.

As I usually say/write, don't take a night train for the sake of saving one hotel night's fare. Overnight train trips are tiring (very tiring) if done on seats, unsafe if done in open compartments, expensive (very expensive) if done in private compartments. There are many flights AMS-CPH, both airports are easily accessible from the cities they serve. Take a decent rest at a hotel in Amsterdam, and fly the next day :)

City Night Line has a non-stop train (CNL 40447) with overnight accommodations leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 19:01, arriving in Copenhagen at 10:02. For one date in June, I see Sparnight fares of €99 per person in an Economy (WC end of car) double cabin or €139 per person for a Deluxe double (own bath). German Rail website You might compare that to overnight accommodations and airfare for two.