I'm looking for the fastest and the cheapest way to get from the center of Amsterdam to the center of Rotterdam for three persons. Should I take the train? A bus? Even a plane?
2 Answers
The fastest way (41 min from station to station, half-hourly on weekdays) is the IC Direct (high-speed train), but you need to buy an additional ticket on top of your regular ticket (€16.80 = 14.50 + 2.30). The normal train connection (60–70 min, 2 trains per half-hour) would cost you less (€14.50). You can look up times and prices and buy tickets on the NS website. You will be charged €0.50 extra if you pay with credit card.
If you are able to find a regular Dutch traveler, you can save 40% on your ticket. Holders of the Dutch railways reduction card get this reduction outside peak hours and can take up to three fellow travelers with the same reduction. So to go cheap you need to make Dutch friends ;)
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1They've recently increased the frequency of the regular train; it's now 4/hour. Plus, you can also take the international train to Brussels (not Thalys) without surcharges or reservations, 1/hour, ~55 minutes.– MSaltersCommented Jan 3, 2012 at 8:43
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The information about the trains to Brussels is outdate. Some things have changed the past year.– BernhardCommented Mar 29, 2013 at 22:05
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@EugenMartynov But the question and answer are about Amsterdam, not Schiphol.– RelaxedCommented Jun 15, 2014 at 13:12
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My bad! Fixing prices and times. I should read carefully :) Commented Jun 15, 2014 at 13:17
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Prices and names of trains has been outdated but the general information is still valid. So check the train information site (NS link still works) for the most up to date information.– Willeke ♦Commented Jul 23, 2021 at 9:04
A plane is certainly not the answer, since the two airports (AMS and RTM) are only 45 km apart. I checked Kayak anyway; there are no nonstop flights. Air France will fly you AMS-RTM via London (LCY) for EUR 242 and it takes 3 hours including the layover. So that is neither faster nor cheaper than a train, not by a long shot!
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2In addition, travelling to and from the airports would take more time than Fyra, so even if the flight was instant you'd still lose.– MSaltersCommented Jan 3, 2012 at 15:03
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in fact there are no scheduled flights between any 2 airfields within the Netherlands. You'd need to rely on a private charter which is not cheap and not exactly fast either.– jwentingCommented Nov 2, 2021 at 13:25