Paris to Amsterdam by train

The Thalys train was easy to take but admittedly not very scenic. You do have the option to get out in Brussels if your time allows, and have a look around, then catch a later train to Amsterdam. The info is in Rick's Paris book.

The route isn't terribly scenic, but the Thalys High-Speed train has direct service between the two cities. Travel time is 3 hours 18 minutes. Check schedules and purchase tickets at http://www.thalys.com. You get the cheapest fares by booking well in advance (up to 90 days).

If time is not an issue, and maybe if cost is, you can also look at a rail map and pick out a route that might use Intercity and regional trains. www.bahn.de will have schedules, but not prices, from there you could go to the individual country sites to get prices.

Thank you

Regional trains are cheaper than international trains like Thalys, but it takes longer to arrive at your destination and you will have more changes.

"Regional trains are cheaper than international trains like Thalys, but it takes longer to arrive at your destination and you will have more changes" That's not necessarily true. If one books in advance you can get discount fares on the Thalys for only 35 euros. Whereas regional trains will cost well over 80 euros. From Brussels to Amsterdam alone, the cost of the regional train is 39 euros.

I, too, strongly suggest Thalys - you have to commit to a particular train, but if you purchase your tickets ASAP, they're very inexpensive! "Scenic" is at either end of your journey!

we did that trip this past summer. we left on the first train out of paris and arrived in amsterdam before 10am. we only stayed for one night. we had an apartment in paris for two weeks and were making amsterdam a 'day-and-a-half trip'. it was totally worth it. looking back at my notes, i see that we paid $142 USD round trip for the tickets on thalys. that's for both of us, so a little over $70 per person. we booked the train on may 18th for a trip on july 26th, which is how we got such a great fare. thus, if you are ok with having advance plans, buy your tickets as soon as you are able in order to get the best fare. the trip was great, though not terribly scenic. it WAS quick, though. door to door from our hotel back to our apartment in paris, even with using the metro and stopping for dinner groceries, was under three hours. my only suggestion is to avoid taking the first train of the day. the station wasn't fully open when we got there. have a great trip!

This route has been speed up with the completion of HSL-Zuid, a new high-speed line between Schiphol (Netherlands) and Mechlen (Belgium). Now, Thalys trains no longer call at Den Haag (The Hague) and total travel time has been slashed by 43 minutes.