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Amsterdam to Lyon by train
How to travel from Amsterdam to Lyon on a combination of high speed trains
There are no direct trains from Amsterdam to Lyon, so when looking up the journey what may not be obvious is that the simplest routing is to make the connection between trains at Midi/Zuid station in Bruxelles.
On arrival at that station, you'll usually need to descend into the international departures area and pass through security to board the TGV train to Lyon.
The more frequent and usually cheaper option is to travel via Paris, but this involves having to make a transfer across the city centre from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon.
Connect in Lyon for Aix-les-Bains, Annecy, Chambery and Grenoble.
Users of Eurail and InterRail passes should try to avoid this routing as both the Thalys trains and the TGV trains have comparatively high reservation fees, though if you take an Intercity train to Bruxelles you'll save more than €20 and will only have to reserve for the TGV.
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Routes
Option 1: making a connection in Bruxelles
Journey Summary
5hr 43min - 6hr 7min (via Bruxelles)
Daily
Travel Information
This should be the easiest option for Amsterdam to Lyon train journeys, as it avoids having to make the awkward connection between stations in Paris.
However, look up this journey on a ticket agent and the only connections available online involve making a connection between trains at Bruxelles Midi/Zuid station of between 7 and 18 minutes.
Making this connection cannot be guaranteed, though tickets can be transferred free of charge to a later departure on from Bruxelles/Brussels in the event of the Thalys from Amsterdam arriving late.
But there can be gaps of more than three hours between departures of trains between Bruxelles and Lyon, so booking the tight connection and hoping you make it, is a scenario best avoided.
Our preference would be take an earlier Thalys from Amsterdam, allowing more than an hour to make the connection, but this requires separate bookings of the Amsterdam to Bruxelles and Bruxelles to Lyon journeys.
Both journeys can be booked on B-Europe, add them to its 'basket' and you can pay in one transaction.
Changing trains at Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel Zuid
Usually 3 - 4 'connections; per day
Tickets
Book in advance and save: YES
Online bookings usually open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
On NS International look for journeys that have '1 x change' and 'Thalys > TGV' listed below the price and journey details.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| NS International | * | |
| B-Europe | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
When travelling by train from Amsterdam to Bruxelles, you can take these trains, or the alternative slower, InterCity trains.
Two big ticks in the box from taking these trains:
(1) Despite being faster, the most heavily discounted tickets, tend to be no more expensive than for the InterCity trains
(2) Tickets include a seat reservation
Being at Amsterdam Centraal station at least 20 minutes before departure is recommended, the Thalys trains usually depart from the far side of the station to the main entrance and passengers also have to pass through a security check point.
Taking these Thalys trains:
Final Destination: Paris Nord or Marne La Vallé or Brussel-Zuid
All trains also call at: Schiphol; Rotterdam; Antwerpen
These trains use the high speed line between Amsterdam and Antwerpen, but are not high speed between Antwerpen and Bruxelles/Brussels, because between those cities they have to use conventional tracks, though engineering works are ongoing to speed up this part of the route.
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.
The best of these views are on the left.
And, as can be seen, you can see windmills between Schiphol and Rotterdam.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
You can avoid having to make the transfer across Paris from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon by taking these direct trains from Bruxelles to Lyon.
Final Destination: Marseille; Montpellier or Lyon
All trains also call at: Aeroport CDG; Marne La Valléé (for Disneyland Paris)
You will be travelling at high speed for virtually the entire train trip, but travelling at more than 270 km/h for hour after hour is the only aspect of this journey with a wow factor.
The landscape that can be seen from train mainly comprises flat farm land, though rolling hills can be seen to the north of Lyon.
This video showcases the journey experienc.
The trains which call at Lille will reverse direction on departure from Lille Europe station.
Option 2: making a connection in Paris
Journey Summary
6hr 39min (via Paris)
Daily
Travel Information
Choose to travel from Amsterdam to Lyon by train via Paris and the negative of this routing is that you will have to make the transfer between stations across Paris.
The Thalys train from Amsterdam will arrive at the Gare Du Nord and the TGV on to Lyon will depart from the Gare De Lyon.
But it can be worth making that cross Paris transfer, as a big plus of taking this route is that it tends to be cheaper than making the connections between trains in Bruxelles/Brussels.
The other big plus of taking this route is the wider choice of departure/arrival times.
The combination of trains sold by the ticket agents should allow at least an hour to make the transfer between stations in Paris.
So these connections are also more generously timed than those between trains in Bruxelles.
6 x connections per day
Change trains in: Paris
Tickets
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| NS International | * | |
| B-Europe | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
These Thalys trains are the only direct trains between The Netherlands and Paris on a route that has been transformed by the advent of high speed rail travel.
Being at Amsterdam Centraal station at least 20 minutes before departure is recommended, the Thalys trains usually depart from the far side of the station to the main entrance and passengers also have to pass through a security check point.
Final Destination: Paris Nord
All trains also call at: Schiphol; Rotterdam; Antwerpen Centraal; Bruxelles-Midi
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
Note that these trains depart from the Gare De Lyon in Paris.
Final Destination: Lyon-Perrache and/or St. Etienne
Check the location of your final destination in Lyon.
The TGVs from Paris first call at Lyon Part-Dieu station, before going on to complete their journey at Lyon Perrache station.
Lyon-Perrache is closest to the city centre, but Part Dieu, which is to the east of the city centre, has easier public transport links to other parts of the city.
The TGVs from Paris wil arrive at Perrache around 13 mins after they arrive at Part Dieu, so the quickest option to access many parts of the city, can be to make public transport connections from Part Dieu station.
Part Dieu is on line B of the Lyon Metro and Perrache is the terminus of Line A.
There is little of note to see on the journey, but what gives the journey it's sense of wonder, is that you'll be spending most of the trip travelling at more than 275 km/h on Europe's first ever high speed line.
The train heads on to the high speed line as soon as it reaches the edge of Paris, around 12 mins into the journey, and doesn't come off it until around 5 mins before the train is due into Lyon.
This video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, but it gives an idea of the speed and the typical views of the French countryside which can be experienced during this journey.
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