Trains between France and the Netherlands
The train between France and the Netherlands is a convenient and quick way of travelling. Daily, there are a large number of high-speed trains between Paris and Amsterdam. A journey between Amsterdam and Paris takes slightly more than three hours, and the Thalys train is very comfortable, including an on-board restaurant and free wifi.
During the summer season (July and August), there are also direct Thalys connections between Amsterdam and the southern part of France.
Thalys between Amsterdam and Paris
Thalys is the international version of the high-speed TGV train service. There are many Thalys trains running between Amsterdam and Paris, up to 10 times per day. The Thalys route uses high-speed lines for a large part of its route, which means that the travel time between Amsterdam and Paris is only three hours and 17 minutes (for a distance of 500 kilometers or 310 miles).
The Thalys service from Paris Nord calls at Brussels South (Midi), Antwerp Central, Rotterdam Central and Schiphol Airport before terminating at Amsterdam Central station. You can also board along the route, like Brussels to Amsterdam or Paris to Rotterdam.
Thalys offers free wifi for all passengers, also for passengers in second class (Comfort 2). There is an on-board restaurant car. A free meal is included for passengers in first class (Comfort 1), and passengers in second class can buy a meal, drinks or snacks in the restaurant or at the bar.
A direct Thalys connection between the Netherlands and southern France in July and August. On Saturdays, a connection between Marseille and Amsterdam is offered. When you travel outside these months (or happen to travel on another day than Saturday), travelling to other French stations is still possible, but you have to change trains in Paris.
How to buy Thalys train tickets
Unlike many domestic trains, you can't take any Thalys train as you like. You must make a reservation for a specific Thalys train. Depending on your ticket, this reservation can be changed.
The easiest way to buy train tickets for Thalys between Amsterdam and Paris is by ordering them online. Tickets can be bought at the NS International website, and you can order them 4 months before your intended travel date. You can pay with iDeal (if you have a Dutch bank account) or by credit card.
Thalys Paris-Amsterdam:
Thalys offers three ticket types:
- No-Flex: these tickets are the cheapest and usually sold-out first. You can’t change or refund these type of tickets. These tickets are only available for second class (Comfort 2).
- Semi-Flex: these tickets are more expensive, but also have more availability. Their main advantage is that you can change your date of travel for free up to one day before departure, and you can refund 50% of the ticket price when you cancel before departure.
- Flex: these tickets are only available for first class (Comfort 1) and are the most expensive option. However, they are quite flexible: you can refund or exchange your ticket without additional costs until departure, and you can refund the ticket for 50% of the price after departure.
Free meal and lounge access in Comfort 1
When you buy a first class ticket (Comfort 1), you’ll be seated in the excellent and comfortable first class of Thalys. And when your travel time is more than 50 minutes, you’ll also get a free meal on board. Depending on the time of the day, this can be a lunch, a light snack or a full meal.
A Comfort 1 ticket also gives you access to the NS International lounges in Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam, and the Thalys lounge in Paris and Brussels. And Comfort 1 isn’t even very expensive: when you book well in advance, the ticket price for Comfort 1 is often the same as the price for Comfort 2 semi-flex.
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