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Amsterdam to Basel / Bâle by train
Travel from Amsterdam to Basel on the daily direct train service
There is a daily direct train from Amsterdam to Basel, but if its timings or ticket prices don't suit it can be worth considering a journey which involves a connection in Paris.
Though if you will be travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes taking the direct train will save a lot of money.
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Routes
Option 1: the daily direct ICE train
Journey Summary
6hr 32 min
Daily
Travel Information
Step on board the only direct train between The Netherlands and Switzerland.
Final Destination: Basel SBB
Also calls at: Utrecht Central; Arnhem; Mannheim; Karlsruhe; Offenburg; Freiburg;
This train also calls at: Basel Bad Bf
If you're heading to Basel city centre, the quickest journey is usually to leave this train at Basel Bad Bf.
There are easy tram connections from Basel Bad bf station to the city centre.
It's also usually cheaper to book tickets to Basel Bf rather than Basel SBB (see below)
After the train departs from Basel Bad Bf it will go on to call at Basel SBB station.
Remain on the train until it arrives at Basel SBB if your final destination is to the south of the city centre, or if you will be connecting into trains to other destinations in Switzerland - including Brig, Luzern, Interlaken and Visp.
1 x train per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
This is the ONLY direct train service between The Netherlands and Switzerland.
But finding this 1 x direct train of the day when booking online can be tricky - there will be a plethora of alternative journey options available, all of which involve making a connection.
Look for the journey that only has ‘ICE’ in the train details column.
The train is usually scheduled to depart from Amsterdan at around 08:08
Reservations:
Seat reservations are included when booking 1st class tickets.
However, if you book 2nd class tickets, or will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass, reservations are optional.
The advice is too pay the reservation fee, you'll be quite fortunate to find a spare seat available for the entire journey.
The alternative route:
When the limited numbers of discounted tickets for this direct train have sold out, travelling via Paris can be the cheaper option.
Good option for rail pass users:
Not only is this a direct train, if you will be travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes, you can make big savings by avoiding the reservation fees charged to rail pass users on the Thalys and Lyria trains, that you'll have to take when travelling via Paris.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| NS International | from €39 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
There are few scenic highlights on this trip, though you'll be travelling beside a canal between Amsterdam and Utrecht, it will be on the left.
What gives the journey the wow factor is when the train travels on Germany's fastest high speed line between Seigburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen.
The train also takes a high speed line between Karlsruhe and Freiburg
Step on board the only direct train between The Netherlands and Switzerland.
Final Destination: Basel SBB
Also calls at: Utrecht Central; Arnhem; Mannheim; Karlsruhe; Offenburg; Freiburg;
This train also calls at: Basel Bad Bf
If you're heading to Basel city centre, the quickest journey is usually to leave this train at Basel Bad Bf.
It's also usally cheaper to book tickets to Basel Bf rather than Basel SBB.
There are easy tram connections from Basel Bad bf station to the city centre.
After the train departs from Basel Bad Bf it will go on to call at Basel SBB station.
Remain on the train until it arrives at Basel SBB if your final destination is to the south of the city centre, or if you will be connecting into trains to other destinations in Switzerland - including Brig, Luzern, Interlaken and Visp.
The journey:
There are few scenic highlights on this trip, though you'll be travelling beside a canal between Amsterdam and Utrecht.
What gives the journey the wow factor is when the train travels on Germany's fastest high speed line
between Seigburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen.
The train also takes a high speed line between Karlsruhe and Freiburg
Option 2: traveling via Paris
Journey Summary
8hr 9min
Daily
Travel Information
This routing is much more inconvenient than taking the daily, alternative direct train
And that because it also involves having to make the transfer in Paris, from the Gare Du Nord, where the Thalys from Amsterdam will arrive, and the Gare De Lyon, from where the Lyria service on to Basel will depart.
So why can it be an option worth considering?
The answer is that it can be cost effective option, particularly if you want to arrive in Basel at its main SBB station.
The direct train from Amsterdam - and the alternative indirect journey options via Koln or Frankfurt; all involve taking trains which call at Basel Bad Bf station; before going on to Basel SBB station.
But on those routes through Germany, heading for Basel SBB station can be a more expensive option, as it becomes an international journey from Germany to Switzerland.
Looking up this journey via Paris:
Avoid journeys via Paris that have a journey time of less than around 8hr 9mins.
Those faster journeys either involve additional changes of train or an ambitiously timed transfer between the stations in Paris.
The journey time of around 8hr 9mins allows more than an hour to make the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon.
Rail Pass users:
If you will be travelling with an InterRail or Eurail Pass, you should avoid this routing due to the particularly high rail pass reservation fees, which are payable on both the Thalys and Lyria trains.
In contrast, reservations are only recommended, but not mandatory, when travelling direct on the ICE train.
4 x connections per day
Tickets
Book in advance and save: YES
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
Note that tickets will typically be available three months sooner for the journey by direct ICE train.
Travelling via Paris on a combination of Thalys and Lyria trains can be cheaper than taking the daily direct train, but think twice about making the saving, as this journey via Paris is much more awkward.
When looking up this routing on:
B-Europe - look for the Thalys logo and the TGV logo
NS International - look for 'x1' and the words 'Thalys and TGV'
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| NS International | * | |
| B-Europe | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Friday = 11 x trains
Sunday - Thursday = 10 x trains
Saturday = 7 x trains
Final Destination: Paris Nord
All trains also call at: Schiphol; Rotterdam; Antwerpen Centraal; Bruxelles-Midi
The journey:
These Thalys trains are the only direct trains between The Netherlands and Paris.
This is a route that has been transformed by the advent of high speed rail travel.
There have never been so many direct trains from Amsterdam to Paris and aside from two fairly short stretches of the route (between Amsterdam and Schiphol and between Antwerpen and Bruxelles) you'll be travelling at high speed for the entire train ride!
It's not a scenically interesting journey, but look out around 15 mins before the train is due to arrive in Antwerpen - for the dramatic crossing of the location of where the River Rhine meets the North Sea.
And, as can be seen, you can view windmills between Schiphol and Rotterdam.
Aide from two fairly short stretches of the route (between Amsterdam and Schiphol and between Antwerpen and Bruxelles) you'll be travelling at high speed for the entire train ride!
It's not a scenically interesting journey, but look out around 15 mins before the train is due to arrive in Antwerpen - for the dramatic crossing of the location of where the River Rhine meets the North Sea.
And, as can be seen, you can view windmills between Schiphol and Rotterdam.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
*The 14:23 train only departs between certain dates only.
The usual first train of the day does not depart on Sundays.
Final Destination: Zurich or Bâle/Basel
All trains also call at: Mulhouse-Ville
Most trains also call at: Dijon-Ville
---------------------------------------------------------
This is a journey of four distinct parts.
1: Initially the train will travel on the high speed line south from Paris.
2. The train switches to conventional tracks north of Dijon - the most scenic part of the journey
3. Between Dijon and Mulhouse there is another high speed line.
4. The final part of the journey from Mulhouse to Basel is on conventional tracks.
This is a journey of four distinct parts.
1: Around seven minutes after departure, the train will move on to the high speed line south from Paris and it will then travel at more than 270 km/h for around 1hr 10mins.
The video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, but it gives an idea of the journey experience on this part of the trip.
2. The train switches to conventional tracks north of Dijon, and this is the the most scenic part of the journey
3. Between Dijon and Mulhouse there is another high speed line.
4. Then the final part of the journey from Mulhouse to Basel is back on conventional tracks.
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