Train from Amsterdam port to Paris

[Lojay2]

Cruising this spring and looking at possibly extending the trip that ends in Amsterdam, by going to Paris. 

 

A friend suggested taking the train.  Looking for input from travelers that have done this so as to see if this is a viable option.  

 

Your thoughts and suggestions, please

 

Thank you 

[TMLAalum]

@Lojay2 Most definitely a viable option if not the best option for travel from Amsterdam to Paris!

We did the reverse last August. We booked the Thalys (now Eurostar) train from Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal as soon as tickets were available- approximately 4+ months ahead. I set up an alert on the Netherlands booking site: https://www.nsinternational.com/en/ and found it user-friendly to book. We booked the cheapest seats which were 35 Euro pp and were just fine for the 3-hour journey.

Our river cruise boat dock was a manageable walk with luggage from the Amsterdam train station. 

If you post here: British Isles/Western Europe - Cruise Critic Community you will likely get more responses.

[Mrs.Dukes]

I’ve taken the train in the opposite direction, Paris to Amsterdam. It was very easy. As I recall, about a 3 1/2 hour trip.

[kurgan]

From Amsterdam Central to Paris Nord it's about 3.5-4 hours. For schedule and price see sncf.com

[Atlantic Girl]

We did the opposite last August when we started in Paris and then took the train to Amsterdam to board our cruise. We booked regular seats on the Thalys train and it was a wonderful experience. It took about 3 and a half hours. We left from Paris Nord station and arrived in Amsterdam Centraal Station. In Amsterdam it is a 10 minute walk from cruise pier to Centraal or you can take a 5 minute tram ride on #26 . The tram stops right at the cruise pier and you can pay with tap. Thalys is now called Eurostar and the sooner you book , the cheaper the tickets. We paid under 40 Euros each. We have plans to do the exact same trip the next time we cruise from Amsterdam as Paris is a wonderful experience. 

[Lojay2]

We are ending our cruise in Amsterdam, I previously posted about flight connections and a friend suggested that I take the train to Paris and get a direct flight from there. We do have the time and have never been to Paris

 

Please give me your thoughts/recommendations, if this is a good idea. 

 

A few questions that come to mind

    1. How far is Amsterdam port to train ( is there staff to help with luggage)

    2. Is there good scenery 

    3. Do you have to go through passport/immigration 

    4. Is train station in Paris easy access to get cabs/uber to hotels (are there porters to assist with luggage) 

 

Thank you in advance for your help 

[Sun-Cruisers]

We did exactly want you plan to do. Got off the ship as early as possible and taxied to Centraal Station. We had pre-booked the early departure on the Thalys fast train to Paris. We were in Paris before 1PM. Arranged a ride through our hotel. At our hotel before 2PM, it was a dream trip.

[NCTribeFan]

Did this in late April last year following a long HAL sailing.  It was very easy.  The price would've been much less had we booked farther in advance, but it was still reasonable.  Short taxi ride (we stayed overnight at the Movenpick, which is next door to the pier).  Airfare home from Paris was direct, nonstop, and much less than it would have been from Amsterdam.

 

I would happily do this again.

[merlin5353]

Easy to do. We've done the train from Paris to Amsterdam.  Taxi's at both ends. Get the train schedule app for your phone. 

[ORV]

I've done this in the other direction. This is really easily done. The train station in Amsterdam is right next to the cruise port. If you're ok with handling your luggage a few blocks then it's a piece of cake. This is assuming your ship is going to dock in the downtown port. I don't think there's anyone to help with your luggage, but I could be wrong about that. 

 

It's not a long ride at all, I don't remember the scenery that much as we played cards with our traveling companions. We were there before I knew it. 

 

I think both places are part of the EU, so you don't have to worry about immigration. If I'm wrong hopefully someone will correct me. 

 

I think the train station you go into in Paris is Gard du Nord, at least that's the one we boarded at. I don't think there is any problem with taxis, although we only took one from our hotel to the train station. 

 

I'd recommend it. Everyone should go to Paris at least once. I think the train you want to look up online is Thalys, or something like that. Wasn't expensive at all, and it really wasn't too hard to deal with luggage, but we have really good luggage that rolls well or attaches to one that rolls. A good backpack also helps. 

[Host Kat]

4 hours ago, Lojay2 said:

Cruising this spring and looking at possibly extending the trip that ends in Amsterdam, by going to Paris. 

 

A friend suggested taking the train.  Looking for input from travelers that have done this so as to see if this is a viable option.  

 

Your thoughts and suggestions, please

 

Thank you 

 

3 hours ago, Lojay2 said:

We are ending our cruise in Amsterdam, I previously posted about flight connections and a friend suggested that I take the train to Paris and get a direct flight from there. We do have the time and have never been to Paris

 

Please give me your thoughts/recommendations, if this is a good idea. 

 

A few questions that come to mind

    1. How far is Amsterdam port to train ( is there staff to help with luggage)

    2. Is there good scenery 

    3. Do you have to go through passport/immigration 

    4. Is train station in Paris easy access to get cabs/uber to hotels (are there porters to assist with luggage) 

 

Thank you in advance for your help 

 

Hello @Lojay2

 

Thank you for your new threads, however they were off topic where posted. To help you out, your two new threads have been moved & merged into one new thread on the British Isles/Western Europe forum where it will be on topic. Due to the Cruise Critic software, all posts now appear in post date/time order in this newly merged thread. Browse through the thread titles in this forum looking for threads of interest. You may find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that may be of interest to you.

 

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I hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

 

[Globaliser]

2 hours ago, ORV said:

I think both places are part of the EU, so you don't have to worry about immigration. If I'm wrong hopefully someone will correct me.

 

Both bits are in fact true, but that's not the reason for there being no immigration.

 

Although both France and the Netherlands are in the EU, the reason is actually that they're both in the Schengen border-free travel area.

 

However, there is also no customs when travelling between Amsterdam and Paris. For this, the reason is indeed that both countries are in the EU.

 

6 hours ago, Lojay2 said:

A friend suggested taking the train.  Looking for input from travelers that have done this so as to see if this is a viable option.

 

If you're going from central Amsterdam to central Paris, then actually (absent special circumstances) it would be a bit mad to choose any other form of public transport.

[CruiserBruce]

Did Amsterdam to Paris by train June 2023. As others has said, pretty much the best way to do it.

 

2 key points. There are several docking locations in Amsterdam...the true downtown terminal is walking distance to the Centraal Station. But that is not the only docking location, so being 100% sure where you dock is important.

 

Second, book through thalys.com (Rail company in the Netherlands), not scnf.com. I booked through sncf.com (French rail company). It caused major problems boarding in AMS. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Second, book through thalys.com (Rail company in the Netherlands), not scnf.com. I booked through sncf.com (French rail company). It caused major problems boarding in AMS. 

Some confusion here. Thalys, which was never Dutch (the rail company in the Netherlands is NS), no longer exists - former Thalys services are operated by Eurostar, as mentioned above and on previous threads, the so-called Eurostar Red trains. 
 

I’m intrigued why tickets bought through SNCF caused an issue. They certainly sell Eurostar tickets (and indeed are the majority shareholder of the Eurostar group). But, yes, tickets for Amsterdam-Paris can be bought on the Eurostar website. 

[CruiserBruce]

58 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Some confusion here. Thalys, which was never Dutch (the rail company in the Netherlands is NS), no longer exists - former Thalys services are operated by Eurostar, as mentioned above and on previous threads, the so-called Eurostar Red trains. 
 

I’m intrigued why tickets bought through SNCF caused an issue. They certainly sell Eurostar tickets (and indeed are the majority shareholder of the Eurostar group). But, yes, tickets for Amsterdam-Paris can be bought on the Eurostar website. 

I am not arguing with you...the website was thalys.com

 

The issue was we booked a number of trips (AMS-Paris Nord, Paris-St Lazare- Bayeux, Bayeux-Reims and Reims-CDG) on the sncf site. All but the AMS-Paris Nord allowed me to print the tickest at home before departure (or I could have them in the app as well). But the trip from AMS-Paris Nord wouldn't ticket, and said I needed to get the ticket at the (Centraal) station.

 

We stayed 3 nights in AMS, so one day we went to the station to get our tickets. We were directed to a SNCF ticket machine. The ticket machine said our booking code was invalid. We tried everything the machine offered to validate our purchase. We spent 90 minutes talking to every (literally every one of the 6 Thalys agents working) person there...no body could make it work. We ended up booking a new ticket AMS-Brussels on  local train, then connection to a high speed train to Paris. When we returned, we sought, and received a refund from sncf for the trip we couldn't get ticketed.

[TMLAalum]

Again, may I suggest booking through the Netherlands site for the same train formerly known as Thalys. Train tickets for international trips by train - Fast & comfortable | NS International | NS International. I thought I'd set up an alert thru them, but it may have been on the former Thalys site. Getting notified as soon as tickets are available and purchasing them then will save you money.

For all our European train travel I've learned so much from the Man in Seat 61. Here is the link to his information about travel from Amsterdam to Paris:

Trains from Amsterdam to other European cities  | Times, fares, tickets (seat61.com)

[Globaliser]

14 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I am not arguing with you...the website was thalys.com

 

This website no longer works, as Thalys has basically been taken over and no longer exists (as Cotswold Eagle says), except as a redirect to eurostar.com. As Eurostar is the operator, it would seem natural for anyone now making a booking to start there, on the operator's website.

 

However, the Dutch national railways website and the French national railways website would also allow you to book.

[FreestyleNovice]

Thalys was the brand name of the France-Belgium-German and The Netherlands network of high speed trains based upon the French TGV trains. Thalys became the Eurostar brand somewhere in 2023. The European high speed train network never really gotten what it had to be, except for France and Germany with a decent network. It sill can compete with air travel on the shorter distances like the mentioned Amsterdam - Paris route.

 

To buy tickets:

Dutch Railways Nederlandse Spoorwegen International website, for international and international high speed trains: https://www.nsinternational.com/en

Dutch Railways Nederlandse Spoorwegen domestic website: https://www.ns.nl/en

 

To plan train travel:

One of the better train journey planners for international train travel in Europe is the German Bahn: https://int.bahn.de/en

 

 

Edited August 2 by FreestyleNovice

[liberty176]

Our cruise this summer (early August) ended in Amsterdam.  As others have said, it's a short (15 min with suitcases) walk from the central cruise terminal to the Centraal train station *IF* that is where your ship is docking.  Do keep in mind Amsterdam is also limiting cruise ships in the future, not sure if that will apply to ships that are embarking/disembarking there, or if that's for ships that haven't booked slots yet, or what.

 

The Olympics were still going on, so we were a bit hesitant to go to Paris (which would definitely be manageable).  Instead, we actually took the train to Brussels (we opted for an hourly semi-express local train so that we could have a flexible ticket), and then used Brussels as a base to explore a few places by day trip, since it was closer to our desired destinations than Amsterdam and has excellent trains/connections.  As others have said, though, if you want to go to Paris, you'll want to book a ticket on one of the high-speed trains, which requires picking a time.  They try their best on disembarkation mornings, but you never know if immigration or customs will clear as scheduled.