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Getting There - International Travel.
The main international airport in the Netherlands is Schiphol Airport, located about 8 miles outside Amsterdam. Served by airlines from all over the world, this is also the base of KLM (the national airline) and has been voted the best airport in the world over the past number of years thanks to its fast and efficient service. It is currently one of the busiest and most important international hubs in Western Europe.
As well as arriving in the Netherlands by air, many also make their entry to the country by train. The Netherlands Railways (NS) offers a service which departs from Paris or Luxembourg travelling through Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam and The Hague before reaching Amsterdam. Both journeys take about six hours and you can use your Eurail, Inter-Rail or Europass tickets on this service. There is also a relatively new train, the Thalys, which travels to and from Paris via Antwerp and Brussels taking just four and a half hours. All travel passes can be used on this service too and those aged under 26 get a 45% discount.
For travelling to Amsterdam by bus, you can use either the Eurolines services or the Hoverspeed Citysprint services. Eurolines serves a vast selection of destinations throughout Europe and Hoverspeed Citysprint travels between the Netherlands, London and Belgium.
Finally, you can also travel to The Netherlands by ferry. P&O Ferries operate a daily car ferry service between Hull and Rotterdam and this journey will take about fourteen hours. Scandinavian Seaways operate a daily car service which travels between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and IJmuiden and again the duration is fourteen hours. Stena Line sails four times daily between Harwich and Hoek van Holland, this takes just three hours forty minutes.
This page contains an overview of all relevant practical information about The Netherlands. Various links can be used to obtain further information about the topic in question.
 Air
Sea
Rail
Road
The Channel Tunnel
Coach
Air
The Netherlands’ national airline is KLM-Royal
Dutch Airlines (KLM). KLM flies direct to all major European, North American and Asia-Pacific
cities. Most major international airlines, and some low-cost carriers fly to Amsterdam.
Departure tax: None.
Netherlands’s principal international airports are detailed
below:
Amsterdam
Schipol Airport is 15km (9 miles) southwest of the city, approximately
20 minutes by train. Airport
facilities include restaurants, duty-free shops, currency
exchange machines, banks, an art gallery, baby rooms, showers, a
business centre, conference rooms and car hire.
KLM buses provide
a daily service from 0600 hrs-0000 hrs departing every 15 to 30
minutes, stopping at a selection of major hotels and returning to
Schiphol. Plentiful taxis are also available to the city.
There is a direct rail link between the airport and Amsterdam
Central Station, with trains every 15 minutes from 0600
hrs -0000 hrs and every hour through the night. Trains to
Zuid Station (Amsterdam South) run every 15 minutes from
0525 hrs -0015 hrs, return is from Zuid Station,
Parnassusweg/ Minervalaan (via tram no. 5 from the city centre)
from 0545 hrs -0040 hrs. There is also a service to the RAI Congress Centre
every 15 minutes from 0525 hrs-0012 hrs. Return is from RAI
station (via tram no. 4 from the city centre) from 0545
hrs-0040 hrs.
Rotterdam
Zestienhoven is 8km (5 miles) northwest of the city approximately
fifteen minues away. Airport facilities
include restaurant, bank, outgoing duty-free shop and car hire.
Bus no. 33 departs every ten minutes. Return is from Central
Station travelling time is 20 minutes. Taxis to the city
are also available.
Eindhoven
Welschap is 8km (5 miles) from the city. Airport facilities include car hire, ATMs,
restaurants and outgoing duty-free shops.
Coaches run every 15 minutes and taxis to the city are also available.
Maastricht
Aachen is 8km (5 miles) from the city. Airport facilities include outgoing duty-free shop.
Groningen
Eelde is 9km (6 miles) from the city.
Enschede
Twente is 8km (5 miles) from the city.
Sea
The major ferry ports are Hook of Holland (Hoek
van Holland), Rotterdam and Vlissingen.
Regular car and passenger ferries are operated from the UK to The
Netherlands via the following routes and shipping lines:
Stena Line
(telephone number: (08705) 707 070:
Harwich to Hook of Holland - travel time – 3.40 minutes (day),
6.15 minutes (night) with two sailing daily.
P&O
Ferries (telephone number: (08705) 202 020
Hull to Rotterdam (Europoort) - travel time – 12 hours, one
sailing nightly.
DFDS
Seaways (telephone number: (08705) 333 000 (within the UK) or
(01255) 240 240 (outside the UK)
Newcastle to Amsterdam - travel time – 16 hours.
Note: Hoverspeed UK and P&O European Ferries
run services to The Netherlands via Belgium. French ports also provide
connections.
Rail
Eurostar operates direct high-speed trains
from London (Waterloo International) to Paris
(Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It
takes three hours from London to Paris and it takes two hours 40
minutes from London to Brussels.
Local trains run between Brussels and Amsterdam
(travel time – approximately 2 hours 45 minutes). Eurostar
operates 8 daily services to Brussels and Thalys International runs
6 daily trains (seven in summer) onwards to Amsterdam and other
Dutch destinations.
The Eurostar trains are equipped with standard-class
and first-class seating, buffet, bar and are staffed by multilingual,
highly trained staff. Pricing is competitive with the airlines,
and there is a large range of different tickets and prices. Children
aged between 4 to 11 years benefit from a special fare in first
class as well as in standard class. Children under 4 years old travel
free but cannot be guaranteed a seat. Wheelchair users and blind
passengers together with one companion get a special fare.
For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar
(telephone number: (0870) 600 0792 (travel agents) or (08705) 186
186 (public, within the UK) or (+44 1233) 617 575 (public, outside
the UK only) or Rail Europe (telephone number: (08705) 848 848).
Travel agents can obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar
Trade Refunds, 2nd Floor, Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford,
Kent TN23 1PD, UK. Complaints and comments may be sent to Eurostar
Customer Relations, Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1
8SE, UK (telephone number: (020) 7928 5163; e-mail: new.comments@eurostar.co.uk).
Rail travellers not using the Channel Tunnel link need to make some
form of sea crossing, usually by ferry or hovercraft. For details
on sea crossings, see also under Sea above. The cost of the crossing
is usually included in the price of the rail ticket.
There are plenty of rail passes on offer to travellers visiting
The Netherlands, including discounts for young
and senior citizens. For further details, contact Rail
Europe.
Road
The Netherlands is connected to the rest of Europe by a superb network
of motorways and roads. All roads are well signposted with green
E symbols indicating international highways, red
A's indicating national highways, and smaller routes
indicated by yellow N’s.
The national speed limit is 120kph (75mph). Although frontier formalities
between The Netherlands, Germany
and Belgium have now all but vanished, motorists,
particularly on smaller roads, should be prepared to stop when asked
to do so by a customs official.
The yellow cars of the ANWB/Wegenwacht (Royal Dutch
Touring Club) (telephone number: (70) 314 1420) patrol major roads
24 hours a day with qualified mechanics equipped to handle routine
repairs.
In case of emergencies, assistance is available (telephone number:
60888 within The Netherlands only).
The Channel Tunnel
All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in Eurotunnel
shuttles running between the 2 terminals, one near Folkestone in
Kent, with direct road access from the M20, and one outside Calais,
with links to the A16/A26 motorway (Exit 13). Each shuttle is made
up of 12 single and 12 double-deck carriages, and vehicles are directed
to single-deck or double-deck carriages depending on their height.
There are facilities for cars and motorcycles, coaches, caravans,
minibuses, campervans and other vehicles over 1.85m (6.07ft). Bicycles
are also provided for. Passengers generally travel within their
vehicles. Heavy goods vehicles are carried on special shuttles and
drivers travel in a separate carriage.
Terminals and shuttles are equipped for disabled passengers, and
Passenger Terminal buildings contain a variety of shops, restaurants,
bureaux de change and other amenities. The journey takes approx.
35 minutes from platform to platform and about one hour from motorway
to motorway. Services run every day of the year, and there are between
two and five an hour, depending on the time of day. There is a reservation
system and a turn-up-and-go service. Motorists pass through customs
and immigration before they board the shuttle without further checks
on arrival. Fares vary according to length of stay, time of day
and time of year and whether you have a reservation or not. The
price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers
or size of the car. The fare may be paid in cash, by cheque or by
credit card. For further information, contact Eurotunnel
Customer Services UK (telephone number: (08705) 353 535).
Coach
Eurolines
run coach services from the UK to The Netherlands and from The Netherlands
to various destinations throughout Europe. They have an office in
Amsterdam at Julianaplein 5, 1097 DN (telephone number: (20) 560
8788; fax number: (20) 560 8717, e-mail: info@eurolines.nl).
Further information can also be obtained by calling Eurolines
in the UK (4 Cardiff Road, Luton, Bedfordshire L41 1PP, telephone
number: (08705) 143 219, fax number: (01582) 400 694, and www.nationalexpress.com).
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