Tips to get the best rates
Tips to get the best rates
Tips to book cheaper tickets
Book from any station near you
Do you live in Groningen or Den Helder? Or do you live near another station? You can pay less if you book from a nearby station. The inbound journey to Amsterdam, Schiphol or Rotterdam will then cost no more than € 9 (2nd class) and € 15 (1st class) when booking to Paris.
Other advantages are:
- You only have to check in once with your international ticket.
- Your entire journey is tracked when you load it into the app; you will receive a message if there is any important travel information.
More tips:
- NS International often has offers.. Click here for an overview of the current offers.
- Book as early as possible so you have the best chance of getting the lowest prices.
- When booking, please fill in the departure station nearest to you. This will be cheaper than travelling with your OV-chipkaart in combination with an international ticket.
- Is it not possible to book your destination yet? Then click on the desired departure day in the calendar and set up an email alert.
- Travelling in the evening is often cheaper.
- If you want to leave for a weekend, go Sat-Sun-Mon instead of Fri-Sat-Sun.
- Sign up for the newsletter (Dutch only). This way you will always be the first to know about our offers.
- Are you travelling to Belgium? Book the cheaper Early Bird fare up to 7 days before departure.
- Book online. With online bookings you do not pay any booking fees. Payment is safe, simple and fast via iDEAL or credit card.
Prices
Prices depend on the time of booking, degree of flexibility and the time of travel.
We offer different rates, with the lowest rates often limited. If the cheapest tickets are sold out, the "stock" will automatically sell slightly more expensive tickets.
The price can also depend on the degree of flexibility, just like in aviation: if you want to be able to change or cancel your ticket later, you pay a little more. And: the busier the train, the more expensive the tickets will be. So be quick and book your train ticket as early as possible. You will then have the best chance of getting the lowest prices.
When can you book?
The different carriers decide when the train tickets will be sold. This period is not the same for all trains.
- Thalys (Paris, Disney, Charles de Gaulle, Brussels and Antwerp): 4 months before departure.
- Intercity Brussels (destinations in Belgium): approximately 11 months
- German destinations: 180 days before departure (approximately 6 months)
- London: varies according to the route:
Eurostar (direct train): 180 days before departure (approximately 6 months)
Eurostar and Intercity Brussels (transfer to Brussels Zuid/Midi): 180 days before departure (approximately 6 months)
Eurostar and Thalys (change of trains in Brussels Zuid/Midi): 4 months before departure.
Request email alert
Is your destination not yet bookable? Then click on the desired departure day in the calendar and set up an e-ail alert. As soon as the sale opens, we will send you an email. You can book straight away and benefit from the lowest prices.
Price calendar
For a large number of destinations, we have a price calendar that allows you to see at a glance what the lowest price(indication) on a day is.
The calendar can be used for Paris, London, Berlin, Cologne, Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges, Dusseldorf and Disney. You will automatically see the calendar when the international train stops at your departure station.
Are you departing from another station? Or are you travelling with more than one adult, a child or a senior citizen? No problem: you choose a station on the train route (Amsterdam Central Station, for example), select an adult and see when you can travel cheaply.
Then change the departure station and select the desired travel group. This way you can easily find the cheapest day of travel and the best price for you!
If you travel with children, other discounts apply. Children up to the age of 14 travel for free through Germany if they are accompanied by their (grand)parents.
An example of a price calendar is shown below:
