If you see yourself looking for travel options between London and Amsterdam, you have three options: car, plane, or train.
However, these two cities are separated by the English Channel which complicates things.
In March 2023, we traveled on the Eurostar and Thalys trains from Amsterdam to London.
Learn more about our positive experience on both these trains and why you should consider taking the train instead of driving or flying between London and Amsterdam.
Why Should You Take the Train Instead of Flying Between Amsterdam and London?
Amsterdam and London are about 222 miles apart. If you were driving in the United States, that is the distance between New York and Boston.
A drive between these two cities should take 4 hours at the most. However, the biggest blocker is the English Channel. Drivers need to follow the coast of France and then take the English Channel tunnel to get to England, adding travel time.
The short distance is the reason you should probably avoid flying between Amsterdam and London. The extra cost of flying and the time you need to get to the airport, check-in, get through security and customs, and wait for your flight will probably supersede the time it would take to drive to London.
Luckily, the train infrastructure is very reliable in Europe. Travelers are blessed with another method of travel that is moderately inexpensive in comparison to flying.
Your two options for a train between Amsterdam and London are the Thalys and Eurostar.
Overview of the Background and History of Thalys
The Thalys is a relatively new high-speed train that serves France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany.
Thalys began operation in 1996. Over the years, service has improved with performance and the number of destinations Thalys travels to throughout Europe.
As of 2019, Thalys had a total of 26 trainsets. They also served 26 different destinations in the low countries and Germany. They’ve received a customer satisfaction metric of 86% thanks to 89% on-time performance.
Overview of the Background and History of Eurostar
Eurostar is an international high-speed train that operates between England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
This train operator started in 1994. It provides service to 14 stations in Europe, with Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Brussels being the most notable.
The Eurostar can be considered one of the fastest high-speed trains in the European continent, with trains approaching 200 miles per hour on high-speed rail lines.
One of their marketing slogans is to imagine having breakfast in the morning in London and sitting in a Parisian bistro by lunchtime.
Our Trip from Amsterdam to London by Train
Booking The Train Trip
When booking our trip from Amsterdam to London, we wanted to find an afternoon direct train so we can enjoy another morning in Amsterdam and arrive in London in the late evening.
However, we let time go by before deciding to purchase tickets, and all the direct trains were booked.
We had to purchase a train ticket from Amsterdam to Brussels on board the Thalys and then connect with the Eurostar to London.
We booked the entire trip on the Eurostar website which cost us about $130 per person for a one-way standard coach ticket. We then had to submit passport information and were all set from there.
Quick, easy, and painless.
Boarding the Thalys at Amsterdam Centraal
After our great time in Amsterdam, it was time to leave and head to London.
We took an Uber ride to get to Amsterdam Centraal Station. The station is absolutely beautiful and rich in history. It was such an amazing experience to have been departing from that station.
Once we entered the station which was buzzing with life, giant screens were telling us where to go and which track our train was going to depart from. We spotted our train and began making our way over to the track.
From the lower concourse, we had to climb a set of lengthy stairs to get to the platform. Our train wasn’t departing for some time but there was a bunch of people queuing on the platform for the Thalys train to London.
The platforms at Amsterdam Centraal are massive. It was pretty hard to gauge where on the platform to stand so most people were standing in the middle.
Our train arrived and zoomed right past us toward the opposite end of the platform.
There was a mad dash of people trying to meet the train. Once on the train, people began blocking the platform because they were trying to get on the train. We were one of the last people to get on the train.
Getting Situated and The Thalys Train Experience
The Thalys train was fairly booked up. There weren’t any open seats.
There was a section for you to stack your suitcases that weren’t big enough to store above the seats. One concern we had as the trip went on was the potential for people to steal your bags at every stop. We always kept our eye on the baggage area to ensure no one was fiddling with the suitcases.
The seats were fairly comfortable. You had plenty of legroom as well. If you wanted to take a nap, you could.
Once the train began moving, the conductor didn’t check our tickets until 30 mins near our first stop. Since Brussels was the end of the line of that particular train, there was no need for us to get up at a stop.
The train ride was very smooth. You barely felt the wheels moving across the tracks. Anyone who has taken the Long Island Rail Road or used the New York City Subway would notice how noise-pleasing the ride was.
On the way to Brussels, we passed through some of the countryside of the Netherlands, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and finally arrived in Brussels.
It was a pleasurable experience overall.
Brussels Midi Station and Security & Customs
The Thalys pulled into Brussels Midi Station, which signaled the end of the first part of our journey.
We quickly got our suitcases and made our way to the customs line because our connection with the Eurostar was only 50 minutes.
The line for security and customs was outrageous. There was no chance that we were able to make the Eurostar connection if we went to the end of the customs line.
Luckily for us, without even asking an employee ushered us through the priority access security, and we were seen by the border crossing agent.
After we passed through customs and security, we had to wait in another line. This line was meant for boarding on the Eurostar.
The line was extremely long and wrapped around a corner in what resembled an American shopping mall. People were asking if they were on the right line for the right train. It was a little bit chaotic.
They began letting people aboard the train and everything was easy and status quo.
The Eurostar Train Experience and Arriving in London
The cabin was very spacious and comfortable. The train was fairly crowded but there were a few open seats.
We pulled out of Brussels Midi Station and started our trip to London.
One thing to comment on was the speed of the Eurostar. Right as we entered the French countryside, we began to pick up a lot of speed.
There was an overhead screen providing facts about the Eurostar and one of the facts mentioned that the fastest speed the train has ever accomplished was 334 kilometers per hour or 209 miles per hour.
The ride was very smooth. There was no need for the conductors to come check your tickets as that was handled while we were in Brussels.
The Eurostar only made one stop between Brussels and London in Lille, France to onboard some customers before making the trip across the English channel.
Going in the English tunnel was a highlight of this trip. The ride underneath the channel took about 20 minutes.
It was personally interesting because right above us, on June 6th, 1944, a vast number of ships made their way from England to the coast of Germany for Operation Overload or D-Day.
Once we broke out of the tunnel, we saw the beautiful landscape of England. 30 to 40 minutes later, we were pulling into London at the famous London St.Pancras International Train Station.
Disembarking at London St.Pancras International Train Station
Just like our experience on the Thalys, the trip on board, the Eurostar was great and highly recommended.
The cherry on top was taking the first steps outside the train at London St.Pancras Train Station. It was stunning. It felt like you time-traveled back to the 1940s. There was a wire-domed roof and a brick facade towards the end of the station with a neon sign “I want my time with you” with an antique clock just above it.
We made our way to the street side and caught an Uber to head to our hotel capping our 6-hour trip from Amsterdam to London by train.
Conclusion
An added benefit of living in Europe is how close in proximity some of the cities are. With that said, not all destinations in Europe require an expensive and time-consuming plane ride to get to.
Going from Amsterdam to London is no exception. We highly recommend you consider taking the train between these two great cities.
The Eurostar and Thalys are extremely comfortable, reliable, fairly inexpensive, and a great alternative to driving or flying.
We hope you found our experience helpful.
Sources
https://www.distancefromto.net/distance-from-london-gb-to-amsterdam-nl
https://www.thalys.com/be/en/about-thalys
https://www.eurostar.com/us-en
https://stpancras.com/
https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Stations/Brussels-Midi
