Basel / Bâle to Amsterdam by train

Final Destination: Amsterdam Centraal/Amsterdam CS

This train also calls at: Arnhem and Utrecht

Departing from Basel:

This is the only direct train service between Switzerland and The Netherlands and it is usually scheduled to depart from Basel Bad Bf station at around 15:20.
Though due to the length of the journey, this train is particularly vulnerable to having its schedule altered due to works on the line, especially at weekends.

It also usually commences its journey at Basel SBB station at around 15:15.

On departure from Basel the part of train heading to Amsterdam is usually joined to another train that will be heading to Dortmund.
If you only see 'Dortmund' on the departure screens, then it's likely that the info will ALSO apply to this Amsterdam train.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

This is the ONLY direct train service between Switzerland and The Netherlands

But, finding this 1 x direct train of the day when booking online can be tricky; there will also be a plethora of alternative journeys available, all of which involve making a connection.

So look for the journey that only has ‘ICE’ in the train details column and USUALLY departs from Basel Bad Bf station at around 15:19.

Choosing your departure station:

This train commences its journey at Basel SBB station and then calls at Basel Bad Bf.
So use Basel Bad Bf as the 'from' station when looking up tickets for this train; they can be much cheaper than  journeys from Basel SBB.

Seat reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on DB Bahn and your seat reservation is included, but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.

Making the reservation is highly recommended, if you want to be sure of being able to sit in the same seat, all the way from Basel to Amsterdam.

The alternative route via Paris:

If the limited numbers of discounted tickets for this direct train have sold out, travelling via Paris can be the cheaper option - on a combination of Lyria trains from Basel to Paris and then by Thalys train from Paris to Amsterdam.

However, there are two points to be aware of:
(1) the journey via Paris involves a transfer across the city between two Paris stations (the ticket price won't include the transfer),
(2) the trains to Paris depart from Basel SBB and not Basel Bad Bf.

So if the discounted tickets for the direct train have sold out; then search again, changing the 'from' station to 'Basel SBB', or use the non-station specific city name.