Trains in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Centraal is the main station for NS trains to Schiphol, Utrecht, Rotterdam and abroad. International trains go to Brussels, Paris and Berlin.

Trains to Schiphol run every few minutes by day. Some key lines, including Schiphol, run hourly all night.

Tickets and prices

• Schiphol to Centraal: about 5.50 EUR, about 15 minutes
• OV-chipkaart or contactless card for local transport
• NS Flex for discounted rides
• Eurostar to London and Paris
• From 1 January 2027, NS fares rise by about 4.7 percent on average

Where to buy tickets

• Yellow and blue NS ticket machines at every station. Most take cards only.
• NS Ticket & Service desks at the bigger stations, such as Centraal and Schiphol.
• OVpay: tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone at the card readers. You pay the normal fare.
• NS app or ns.nl: e-tickets on your phone. A single paper ticket from a machine costs about 1.60 EUR extra.
• International trains: book at nsinternational.com (no booking fee), at NS machines for some German and Belgian trips, or at an NS International desk.
• Not possible on board NS trains. Without a valid ticket you can be fined, so buy or tap in before you board.

Good to know: Check in and out with the same card every time to avoid a minimum charge.

NS (official site)

Direct trains from Amsterdam

• Haarlem: about 15 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Zaanse Schans (Koog-Zaandijk): about 15 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Sprinter
• Utrecht: about 25 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Zandvoort aan Zee: about 30 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Sprinter
• Leiden: about 35 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Alkmaar: about 35 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Hoorn: about 35 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Amersfoort: about 35 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Rotterdam: about 40 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity direct
• The Hague: about 50 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Delft: about 55 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Enkhuizen: about 1 hour from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• 's-Hertogenbosch: about 1 hour from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Breda: about 1 hour from Amsterdam Zuid, NS Intercity direct
• Zwolle: about 1 hour from Amsterdam Zuid, NS Intercity
• Arnhem: about 1 h 5 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity, ICE
• Den Helder: about 1 h 15 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Nijmegen: about 1 h 20 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Eindhoven: about 1 h 20 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Groningen: about 2 hours from Amsterdam Zuid, NS Intercity
• Leeuwarden: about 2 hours from Amsterdam Zuid, NS Intercity
• Middelburg: about 2 h 30 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Maastricht: about 2 h 30 min from Amsterdam Centraal, NS Intercity
• Antwerp (Belgium): about 1 h 15 min from Amsterdam Centraal, Eurostar
• Antwerp (Belgium): about 1 h 25 min from Amsterdam Zuid, Eurocity Direct
• Brussels (Belgium): about 1 h 50 min from Amsterdam Centraal, Eurostar
• Brussels (Belgium): about 2 h 10 min from Amsterdam Zuid, Eurocity Direct
• Dusseldorf (Germany): about 2 h 15 min from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• Cologne (Germany): about 2 h 40 min from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• Paris (France): about 3 h 20 min from Amsterdam Centraal, Eurostar
• Frankfurt Airport (Germany): about 3 h 50 min from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• Frankfurt (Germany): about 4 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• London (United Kingdom): about 4 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, Eurostar
• Hamburg (Germany): about 4 h 40 min from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• Stuttgart (Germany): about 5 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• Munich (Germany): about 7 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• Berlin (Germany): about 7 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, ICE
• Paris (France): about 7 h 10 min from Amsterdam Centraal, GoVolta
• Berlin (Germany): about 7 h 15 min from Amsterdam Centraal, GoVolta
• Berlin (Germany): about 8 h 30 min from Amsterdam Centraal, European Sleeper
• Bourg-Saint-Maurice (France): about 9 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, Eurostar Snow
• Basel (Switzerland): overnight, about 9 to 11.5 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, Nightjet
• Zurich (Switzerland): overnight, about 9 to 11.5 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, Nightjet
• Dresden (Germany): about 11 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, European Sleeper
• Munich (Germany): overnight, about 12 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, Nightjet
• Prague (Czechia): about 13 h 30 min from Amsterdam Centraal, European Sleeper
• Innsbruck (Austria): overnight, about 14 hours from Amsterdam Centraal, Nightjet
• Vienna (Austria): overnight, about 14 h from Amsterdam Centraal, Nightjet

Trams and metro in Amsterdam

GVB runs more than a dozen tram lines, 5 metro lines and free ferries across the IJ. Trams are the best way to move around the canal belt.

Trams run about 06:00 to 00:30. Night buses after that.

Tickets and prices

• GVB 1-hour ticket: about 3.40 EUR
• 24-hour ticket: about 10 EUR
• 48 to 168 hour tickets: about 16 to 43 EUR
• I amsterdam City Card includes transport

Where to buy tickets

• OVpay: tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone. No ticket needed.
• GVB app: single, day and group tickets on your phone.
• GVB website: 1 to 7 day tickets as mobile tickets.
• Ticket machines at metro stations sell 1 to 4 day tickets.
• GVB Service Desks at Centraal, Bijlmer Arena, Noord and Zuid.
• On board: tram conductors sell only the 1-day ticket, about 10 EUR, card only. No cash.

Good to know: You can tap in and out with a contactless bank card on GVB.

GVB (official site)

Amsterdam network

Amsterdam has five metro lines (50 to 54) that run mainly between the centre and the suburbs.

• Metro 50 (ring line): Isolatorweg to Gein. Stops: Lelylaan (Trains), Zuid (Trains, Schiphol), Amstel (Trains).
• Metro 51: Isolatorweg to Centraal. Stops: Centraal (Central station), Waterlooplein (Rembrandt House), Amstel (Trains), Zuid (Trains, Schiphol).
• Metro 52 (North/South line): Noord to Zuid. Stops: Noord (Ferry, north), Centraal (Central station), Rokin (Dam Square), De Pijp (Albert Cuyp market), Zuid (Trains, Schiphol).
• Metro 53: Gaasperplas to Centraal. Stops: Centraal (Central station), Waterlooplein (Rembrandt House), Amstel (Trains), Bijlmer ArenA (Stadium).
• Metro 54: Gein to Centraal. Stops: Centraal (Central station), Waterlooplein (Rembrandt House), Amstel (Trains).

Where lines meet: Centraal (51 + 52 + 53 + 54); Zuid (50 + 51 + 52); Amstel (50 + 51 + 53 + 54).

Buses in Amsterdam

GVB, Connexxion and EBS buses cover the region. Night buses run all night.

Day buses 06:00 to 00:30, night buses to 05:00.

Tickets and prices

• Same fares as trams
• Bus 397 from Schiphol: about 6.50 EUR
• Long distance: FlixBus from Sloterdijk
• Bike rental shops are all over the centre

Where to buy tickets

• OVpay: tap in when you board and tap out when you leave, with a contactless bank card or phone.
• GVB app, GVB website, metro machines and GVB Service Desks: same tickets as for trams.
• Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket covers regional buses such as Connexxion and EBS.
• On board GVB buses: drivers do not sell tickets. No cash.

Good to know: Buses take cards only, no cash. Tap in when you board and tap out when you leave.

GVB (official site)

Airport links in Amsterdam

Schiphol (AMS) is one of Europe's busiest hubs, only about 15 km from the centre.

The direct train takes about 15 minutes. Trains run day and night, hourly at night.

Tickets and prices

• Train to Centraal: about 5.50 EUR
• Bus 397 to Leidseplein area: about 6.50 EUR
• Taxi: about 60 EUR or more
• Rotterdam The Hague Airport is about an hour away

Where to buy tickets

• Train: NS machines in Schiphol Plaza and baggage reclaim take cards and coins, not banknotes. The NS desk also takes cash.
• Train: tap in with OVpay at the card readers in the station hall, or buy an e-ticket online before you land.
• Train: not possible on board. Buy or tap in before you go down to the platform.
• Bus 397: tap in with OVpay or buy online (about 6.50 EUR single, 11.75 EUR return). GVB tickets are not valid.
• Public Transport Service & Tickets minibus near stops A5 to A7 sells bus and travel tickets. It is sometimes closed.
• Amsterdam Travel Ticket (1 to 3 days, about 20 to 34 EUR) covers the Schiphol train, bus 397 and GVB. Sold at NS desks and AKO shops.

Good to know: Trains run 24 hours, so the train is best even at night.

Schiphol (official site)

Airport to city centre: full guide

Tips for Amsterdam

• Never stand or walk in the bike lanes. Cyclists have priority.
• Tap out when you leave, or the card charges a default fare.
• Trains between Schiphol and Centraal run 24 hours a day.
• On GVB trams, buses and metro the fine without a valid ticket is 70 EUR, raised from 50 EUR on 1 October 2025.

Apps to download

• GVB: Amsterdam trams, metro and buses
• NS: Train planner and tickets
• 9292: Door-to-door journeys across the Netherlands
• Uber: Ride-hailing

Route guides

• Brussels to Amsterdam by Train: Eurostar and Eurocity Direct Guide (2026)
• Paris to Amsterdam by Train: The Ultimate Eurostar (ex-Thalys) Travel Guide (2026)