Best/most interesting train journeys in the Netherlands

[_toommm_]

I'm off to Amsterdam for six days at the end of the month, and would love to spend a day or two travelling by train. I wondered if any members would be able to recommend a particular journey or train to take that might be interesting, whether it be scenic, or an interesting train, or whatever. I've never travelled by train in mainland Europe other than from Reus to Barcelona, so I'd be interested to try some stuff out.

Thanks

 

[Techniquest]

I rather enjoyed the journey to Maastricht when I did it some years back, and I would also recommend Amsterdam-Lelystaad-Zwolle-Leeuwarden-Haarlingen Haven. From what I've seen on YouTube, Groningen looks like a nice place to visit, firmly on my list of want-to-do places.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I'm off to Amsterdam for six days at the end of the month, and would love to spend a day or two travelling by train. I wondered if any members would be able to recommend a particular journey or train to take that might be interesting, whether it be scenic, or an interesting train, or whatever. I've never travelled by train in mainland Europe other than from Reus to Barcelona, so I'd be interested to try some stuff out.

Thanks

If you've never really travelled by train in Europe please allow me to recommend a DB ICE, as they come through Amsterdam regularly and I personally think offer a fantastic experience.

 

[matt]

I rather enjoyed the journey to Maastricht when I did it some years back, and I would also recommend Amsterdam-Lelystaad-Zwolle-Leeuwarden-Haarlingen Haven. From what I've seen on YouTube, Groningen looks like a nice place to visit, firmly on my list of want-to-do places.

Yes I'd agree Harlington was a nice place for a short visit. Vlissingen was a good place as well.

 

[Techniquest]

Yes I'd agree Harlington was a nice place for a short visit. Vlissingen was a good place as well.

I was due to go to Vlissingen once, the trains ran as far as Goes I think then it was a replacement bus. I didn't do the bus, for reasons better known to distant past me, and turned back around to end my day in whichever town it was I'd got a cheap stay at. I actually forgot about that place, so much so I don't remember the name of the place at all!

 

[_toommm_]

Thank you all. And how would you recommend I book a journey such as Amsterdam to Harlingen Haven? I presume there’s not a proliferation of booking sites like there is in GB.

 

[Techniquest]

Thank you all. And how would you recommend I book a journey such as Amsterdam to Harlingen Haven? I presume there’s not a proliferation of booking sites like there is in GB.

I found the NS app easy to use, I never got beyond looking up fares etc so I don't know if it will accept a UK card or not. I did my journey to Harlingen on an InterRail pass nearly 10 years ago, the abandoned trip to Vlissingen was done in a ticket office.

In the modern era, your best bets are ticket machines or the app I would say.

I would also recommend other journeys in Europe, such as Liege (Belgium) to Luxembourg, that's a nicely scenic one to do. Especially if, like on my visit, it was after some snow fall A bit far to do it in one day from Amsterdam though! Maastricht to Liege is a nice and easy cross-border journey, and you can also go the other way to Aachen in Germany.

In terms of Dutch-only journeys, I haven't done enough of them to really offer too many opinions. I would recommend some trams in Amsterdam though, they aren't all that expensive (€9 for a 24 hour pass on Metro, buses and trams) and there's some nice options available. I cover some of them in my trip report, which will get posted in due course. I have time today, but WordPress' website and app are frustrating to use (I'm posting it on the blog first then on here) but I might share Day 1 this morning. Days 2-5 cover the Eurostar journeys and Amsterdam itself.

 

[duncombec]

Just a piece of advice from a recent visit: Amsterdam is very cash-unfriendly, including most or all public transport: make sure you have a card that doesn't charge any exchange fees.

I didn't travel much outside of Amsterdam, but even the tourist office in The Hague didn't take cash (although the museum I visited did).


Not quite what you're looking for, but I love the overhead tram stop within the train station at the Hague (the trams run through the station concourse, but one floor up, at 90 degrees to the platforms).

 

[biko]

As a Dutch person, I don't think many routes are really scenic as the country is predominantly very flat. Personally, I like the route between Maastricht and Heerlen the most as it's very hilly over there and very different to the rest of the country (and very far from Amsterdam). Also Maastricht - Sittard is a nice, curvy route through the hills of Limburg. For a typical polder landscape, many examples exist in the west of the country, I like Utrecht - Gouda - Rotterdam the most for that. Also some railway interest on that route with some junctions, branch lines, the large stations of Utrecht and Rotterdam etc.

Another personal favourite is Zutphen - Arnhem because of the typical Dutch river landscape on one side and the start of the hilly Veluwe woods on the other side. It also has old manor houses on the hills next to the railway. Also I like Arnhem because it's very hilly around the station and the landscape changes dramatically if travelling through to Nijmegen.

If your interest is in obscure rolling stock, you'd need to travel to the border I think. The Belgian cross-border local services use very old stock. Other possibility is to use the IC Amsterdam - Berlin within the Netherlands. This uses German coaches and a Dutch locomotive as far as the border in Bad Bentheim. In Bad Bentheim the train is stopped for 15 minutes to change locomotive and voltage on the overhead wires. It all feels very outdated in 2023 and will not be around for many more years I believe. Within the Netherlands, this train is just a normal intercity so no special tickets required.

Buying tickets is easiest and cheapest on the website or in the app. I think it should accept all credit cards now, but not sure as Dutch people don't really use credit cards domestically. Buying at a TVM or ticket office will attract a surcharge. If you travel a lot, some kind of Holland Travel Ticket or Amsterdam Travel Ticket might be useful. The former is a national day rover for all public transport in the Netherlands (despite that Holland is in the name) and is €48 off-peak: https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/onbeperkt-reizen/p/holland-travel-ticket

If you have any question, just let it know

 

[_toommm_]

As a Dutch person, I don't think many routes are really scenic as the country is predominantly very flat. Personally, I like the route between Maastricht and Heerlen the most as it's very hilly over there and very different to the rest of the country (and very far from Amsterdam). Also Maastricht - Sittard is a nice, curvy route through the hills of Limburg. For a typical polder landscape, many examples exist in the west of the country, I like Utrecht - Gouda - Rotterdam the most for that. Also some railway interest on that route with some junctions, branch lines, the large stations of Utrecht and Rotterdam etc.

Another personal favourite is Zutphen - Arnhem because of the typical Dutch river landscape on one side and the start of the hilly Veluwe woods on the other side. It also has old manor houses on the hills next to the railway. Also I like Arnhem because it's very hilly around the station and the landscape changes dramatically if travelling through to Nijmegen.

If your interest is in obscure rolling stock, you'd need to travel to the border I think. The Belgian cross-border local services use very old stock. Other possibility is to use the IC Amsterdam - Berlin within the Netherlands. This uses German coaches and a Dutch locomotive as far as the border in Bad Bentheim. In Bad Bentheim the train is stopped for 15 minutes to change locomotive and voltage on the overhead wires. It all feels very outdated in 2023 and will not be around for many more years I believe. Within the Netherlands, this train is just a normal intercity so no special tickets required.

Buying tickets is easiest and cheapest on the website or in the app. I think it should accept all credit cards now, but not sure as Dutch people don't really use credit cards domestically. Buying at a TVM or ticket office will attract a surcharge. If you travel a lot, some kind of Holland Travel Ticket or Amsterdam Travel Ticket might be useful. The former is a national day rover for all public transport in the Netherlands (despite that Holland is in the name) and is €48 off-peak: https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/onbeperkt-reizen/p/holland-travel-ticket

If you have any question, just let it know

Thank you very much, that’s very helpful (as has every other reply). I’ve booked a day trip to Bruges too, using the Thalys on the way down to Antwerpen, and using exclusively the Intercity trains on the way back up. I’m led to believe from Seat 61 the tickets for the Intercity services aren’t restricted to just the booked service, do you know that to be true too?

 

[eastwestdivide]

There are some impressive bridges to look out for. I like the long pair over the Hollansche Diep a little way S of Dordrecht (one on the HS line to Belgium). Also, as expected in a country of waterways, a lot of movable bridges including ones with gaps in the overhead wires.

 

[biko]

I’m led to believe from Seat 61 the tickets for the Intercity services aren’t restricted to just the booked service, do you know that to be true too?

Yes, that’s correct. You can use any intercity service on the date printed on the ticket as long as you pass the border at the right location. That means you need to take the intercity services between Antwerp and Breda via the high speed line and cannot use the cross-border stopping services via the old route.