The heat is on and all we can think about is holidays. If you're looking to travel, but are uninspired about where to go, read to the end of this article for tips on how to travel, affordable destinations and the secrets of the lowest travel costs.
Transport is currently very problematic, as it is very expensive to travel by air, but let's not forget that there are alternative (and sometimes more sustainable) modes of transport. Sometimes international trains and buses get us to our destination faster than we can think (and give us a good view from the window too).
NS International
Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and even Switzerland are countries you can visit as part of a tour or as a final destination from the Netherlands. The most important cities in Belgium are about 2-3 hours by train from the Netherlands and we can even plan day trips to one of the cities to spend a summer day from a tourist's perspective. Prices even start at 15 euros for cities closer to the border. With the help of NS international, I have visited cities such as Ghent, Brussels, Paris, Luxembourg, Cologne in almost 2 years of living in the Netherlands.
Thalys along with Eurostar is the fastest way to travel by international train, with destinations in Paris and London, each taking around three to four hours if you're leaving from Amsterdam or a central city. As private companies, costs are a little higher, but if you plan your journey in advance, a trip to Paris starts from €35 and one to London from €40. Both can also be found on NS international or on their own websites.
Tips & tricks
As I traveled, I learned of all sorts of ticket and special offers on train tickets. Since I highly recommend the Brussels-Ghent-Brugge tour, the tips will be based on this one. The Brussels-Ghent distance can be covered by train in Belgium in 35 minutes, and the full price is €10. The Ghent-Brugge route took me 21 minutes and cost €7 (full price).
Young people up to the age of 26 have a reduced price and tickets are valid all day on this route. Families with at least 3 children take advantage of a special price, too, and when we were visiting with family we were lucky enough to catch the 1+1 offer on train tickets throughout Belgium. So before you travel, always check the website BelgianTrain for possible offers.
In Germany, on the other hand, there are offers such as The Deutschland-Ticket, which costs €49 but is valid throughout Germany for one month. The 24StundenTicket costs €24-25 and offers unlimited access to trains and buses for 24 hours. The 24StundenTicket 5Personen costs €40 but is valid for 5 people who can make as many journeys as they like in 24 hours. So if you're in Germany on a trip, don't buy your ticket at the counter before checking the website Deutsche Bahn.
Flix Bus
Not a fan of trains and flying is too expensive? German airline Flix Bus, which will also introduce FlixTrain in the Netherlands next year, provides the solution. Flix Bus offers rides all over Europe for a very good price. On fairly short distances, such as journeys to Belgium or Germany, Flix Bus offers the best time-price ratio. Cities you can visit from the Netherlands with Flix Bus are: Antwerp, Brugges, Lille, Düsseldorf, Essen, etc.
The Flix Bus is an affordable option even for travel in the Netherlands. While a train journey between Amsterdam and Rotterdam costs between 15 and 20 euros, last week I travelled for 4 euros between the same destinations with Flix Bus.
Bla Bla Car Bus, another company offering the same service, is also an option, but flights are more rare.
Destinations:
In case you need a little inspiration, here are some of the day trips, weekend trips and almost week-long trips I've taken by train or bus from Rotterdam (Netherlands) and the costs they incurred one way:
- Lille (3 hours and 20 minutes) - 18 euros by Bla Bla Car Bus
- Düsseldorf (2 hours and 30 minutes) - 19 euros with NS International
- Paris (2 hours and 40 minutes) - 50 euros by Thalys
- Brussels (2 hours) - 17 euros with NS International
- Luxembourg (5 hours and 30 minutes) - 26 euros with NS International
Other possible destinations departing from Amsterdam with NS International on my list are:
- Berlin (6 hours and 20 minutes)
- Strasbourg (6 hours and 30 minutes)
- Munich (7 hours)
- Zürich (8 hours)
- London (4 hours) by Eurostar, but flying may be a better option. (Tip: also check flights before any trip, there may be surprises).
I hope that with this article I have brought you one step closer to planning a holiday outside of the Netherlands!
An article by Ioana Orășteanu.
Ioana is a second year student at the University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam, International Business program. She likes to spend as much time as possible outside the home doing all sorts of activities. For this reason, she also decided to join the Rompro team to write articles on various topics, such as travel, unique activities and destinations to visit in the Netherlands.
