Getting There By Rail
Centraal Station, Stationsplein, is one of the largest railway terminals in Europe. The station has an impressive array of facilities, from showers and restaurants to hotel and travel booking services. Over the last few years, the station has become increasingly seedy and insalubrious; many locals avoid it after dark. The national rail provider is Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS (tel: (0900) 9292/6; website: www.ns.nl), which runs an increasingly creaking network covering destinations all over Holland and further afield into the rest of Europe. International tickets should be reserved at least a week in advance.
Rail services: There are regular Eurostar trains (tel: (0990) 186 186, in the UK; website: www.eurostar.com) from London to Brussels (journey time – 3 hours 40 minutes), where a direct connection to Amsterdam can be caught after a short wait (journey time – 3 hours). THALYS (tel: (0900) 9228; website: www.thalys.com) high-speed services also connect Amsterdam with Brussels (journey time – approximately 2 hours 30 minutes). There are frequent daytime services from most large Western European cities and night services from all over the continent.
Over the last few years, the reputation of The Netherlands’ railway network has suffered, after part-privatisation led to maintenance problems, cancelled services and a public perception that the railways are in a dire state. There might be some light at the end of the train tunnel, with recent talk of new high-speed connections to France and Germany and an extension of the Eurostar service to Amsterdam.
Transport to the city: Centraal Station is located in the city centre. A number of trams and buses, as well as taxis, are available in the area immediately outside the main building.
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