How to get there – Holland & Belgium

Destinations (with relevant public transport information)

HOLLAND

Amsterdam   1: Train via Brussels (Eurostar/Thalys high-speed services)
2: Fly to Amsterdam

Enkhuizen    1: Train via Brussels to Amsterdam, then to Enkhuizen (Eurostar/Thalys high-speed/local service).
2: Fly to Amsterdam. 

BELGIUM

Bruges            1: Train via Brussels (Eurostar/local service)
2: Fly to Brussels 

By Rail:

• Eurostar sell tickets to Amsterdam and Bruges (book to “any Belgian station” for Bruges). Services from London St Pancras to Brussels are fast and frequent. The excellent rail network in the area offers easy transfers between Amsterdam and Bruges and also to Enkhuizen.

 By Air:

• Amsterdam
  British Airways – flying from London City, Gatwick and Heathrow.
  KLM – flying from London Heathrow, London City, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Humberside, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow International, and Belfast City.
  easyjet – flying from Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast International, London Gatwick, Stansted, Southend and Luton.
  Flybe – flying from London City, Birmingham, Doncaster, Nottingham, Manchester, Exeter, Southampton.
  Vueling – flying from London Luton 

• Brussels
  Brussels Airlines – flying from London Heathrow, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh.
  BMI – flying from East Midlands and Newcastle.
  British Airways – flying from London Heathrow.
  Ryanair – flying from Glasgow, Manchester and Edinburgh (to Brussels Charleroi Airport – shuttle bus runs every 30 mins to Brussels Midi railway station, 55 mins journey. Direct bus also runs from the airport to Bruges – 9 buses daily). 

By Car:

• Use Ferry services or Tunnel.  Example distances: Dunkirk (Dunkerque) – Bruges 58 miles; Hook of Holland – Amsterdam 51 miles.
  Long term parking is available in both Bruges and Amsterdam with good rail connections between (we can advise likely charges).

USEFUL CONTACTS

Rail contacts

www.ns.nl  – Dutch Railways (timetables in English).
www.belgianrail.be – Belgian Railways (timetables and online ticketing in English).
www.eurostar.com – Eurostar 03432 186186 (£10 call fee for phone bookings)
www.seat61.com – The Man in Seat 61 (an excellent independent site giving information on rail travel across Europe)

Flight contacts (please note: telephone calls made to some airlines are at expensive premium rates)

If you can, it is often worth checking alternative days (days or weeks), as sometimes you can save money by adding an extra day to the start or end of your trip.

www.britishairways.com – British Airways 0844 493 0787
www.klm.com – KLM +44 20 7660 0293
www.easyjet.com – easyjet 0330 365 5000
www.flybe.com – Flybe (bookings are online only – no telephone contact number)
www.brusselsairlines.com – Brussels Airlines  0333 222 0777
www.ryanair.com – Ryanair 0871 246 0000
www.flybmi.com – BMI 0330 333 7998
www.vueling.com/en – Vueling 0090 5078 1000 (note: premium rate)

Please note that rail and flight contacts are for your convenience and no endorsement is intended.

Airport websites – including local shuttle bus, train and taxi information.

www.schipol.nl – Amsterdam Airport Schipol
www.brusselsairport.be – Brussels Airport
www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com – Brussels South Charleroi Airport (served by Ryanair)

Ferry contacts

www.stenaline.co.uk – Stena Line- Harwich-Hook of Holland (“Dutch rail and sail” fares are available from London and East Anglia to any station in the Netherlands)
www.dfdsseaways.co.uk – DFDS – Newcastle-Ijmuiden (close to Amsterdam) daily overnight ferry service, and Dover-Dunkirk up to 24 daily sailings.
www.poferries.com – P&O -Hull to Rotterdam and Hull to Zeebrugge for Bruges (daily overnight sailings)

BOOKING PROCEDURE

• Decide how and when you would like to travel, checking price and availability (either yourself or through your travel agent).
• Once you are satisfied, place the booking with us. We will confirm the booking within 24 hours (week days only).
• Once we have confirmed your reservation, book your travel arrangements.

This information is correct as at December 2018.