In the Netherlands, all conditions for a comfortable travel have been created for travelers. Trains are inexpensive and well-maintained.
Railway traffic in the country is concentrated mainly around the capital. But the farthest points of the Netherlands are also accessible thanks to the many branches that run from the center to the periphery. The main route of the country: Amsterdam - Schiphol airport and further to Belgium via Rotterdam.
Buying tickets
Train tickets in the Netherlands cannot be bought in advance. They are purchased before the departure of the train, at the station. There are fixed prices for railway tickets, which are calculated taking into account the length of the route. Train timetables can be viewed on the railways website ns.nl. Ticket prices are also presented there. However, you cannot purchase a ticket on this site. To this end, you should contact the ticket office of the station. Such cash desks operate at every station in the country. The ticket is considered valid from the moment of its purchase within 24 hours. Before boarding a train, it must be punched in a special terminal on the platform. For children under 4 years old travel is free. Children from 4 to 11 years old receive a discount on train tickets. If necessary, a ticket can be purchased in the carriage from the conductor, but it will cost more than a ticket bought at the box office.
What passenger trains are used
The Netherlands railway is considered one of the busiest in the world. Any locality in the country can be reached from Amsterdam. Trains leave from the central station every 15 minutes. Traffic does not stop at night. Trains leave every hour from Rotterdam to Utrecht.
The main carrier on the kingdom's railways is Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which owns the ns.nl electronic resource. This company offers seats on regular passenger trains, express trains, and Sprinter trains (with all stops). Each platform is designed to stop a train of a certain class. There are also smaller rail carriers in the Netherlands: Arriva, Veolia, etc.
International travel
From the Netherlands by rail you can get to Germany, Belgium and other European countries. Passengers are offered tickets for Europass, Inter Rail, etc. The train schedule in the Netherlands is presented on the website www.nsinternational.nl. You can book a ticket there. The early booking fee is € 3.50. To travel profitably in the Benelux countries, it is recommended to buy a Eurail Pass. Its counterpart is the Inter Rail Pass.
