Sadly, I have not yet been to Amsterdam. A fact that seems even stranger when you consider the city’s proximity to London – a mere 45-minute flight.
Thankfully, in an exciting development that seems like it should have come sooner, Eurostar has announced it will start running direct trains between London and Amsterdam.
Late this year, travellers will have a choice of two trains a day, with the potential for stops in Antwerp, Rotterdam and Schiphol.
While the overall journey takes four hours, the time difference will have you arriving in Amsterdam five hours after leaving London and vice versa, three hours after departing Amsterdam.
It’s unclear what tickets will cost, as Eurostar has so far only revealed the fares would be affordable and competitive compared with other forms of transport.
The route will run the latest e320 trains, consisting of 16 carriages, a total of 894 seats, and a top travelling speed of 320km per hour. As with the existing services, free wifi and onboard entertainment would also be included.
With Eurostar’s London and Bordeaux direct service launching at the start of July, avoiding airports altogether is a fast-approaching reality. Who knows … by the end of the year I may have ticked the Netherlands’ capital off my bucket list.
Find out more at Eurostar.
Would you prefer to catch the Eurostar or fly to the Netherlands or France?
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