Amsterdam to Antwerp by train

Direct Eurostar trains link Amsterdam Centraal and Antwerpen-Centraal in about 1 hour 20 minutes, roughly once an hour through the day.

Eurostar or Eurocity Direct

Two direct trains cover this trip, and they leave from different Amsterdam stations. Take Eurostar (the former Thalys) if you are starting in the city centre. It departs from Amsterdam Centraal, calls at Schiphol and Rotterdam, and runs on the HSL-Zuid high-speed line to Antwerpen-Centraal.

Eurocity Direct, run by NS and SNCB, is the cheaper option. It does not call at Amsterdam Centraal. You board at Amsterdam Zuid, Schiphol or Rotterdam, and the trip from Amsterdam Zuid takes about 1 hour 23 minutes. Metro line 52 runs from Centraal to Zuid, and trains to Schiphol leave Centraal every 10 minutes.

A slower EuroCity also runs from Rotterdam to Antwerp via Breda and Noorderkempen. From Amsterdam you change at Rotterdam. It only makes sense if you are already in Rotterdam.

Journey time and frequency

On a normal weekday Eurostar has about 12 departures in each direction, mostly once an hour, with a journey time of about 1 hour 20 minutes. Eurocity Direct also runs hourly, up to 16 times a day. Between them you rarely wait long for a direct train.

Eurostar keeps a similar hourly pattern in the new timetable from 13 December 2026. Eurocity Direct times may shift slightly from that date.

Tickets, fares and seats

Eurostar fares start from €29 one way in Standard, the second class, and €49 in Plus, with a limited number of seats at those prices on each train. Your ticket includes a reserved seat. Standard and Plus both allow two bags plus one small item, and Plus gives you more space.

Eurocity Direct has no seat reservations: you sit anywhere in the class you paid for. Saver tickets from Amsterdam Zuid start at €20 in second class, tied to one train and limited in number. A Flex ticket, valid on any Eurocity Direct that day, costs €53.30 in second class. Your Dutch OV-chipkaart does not work for the trip into Belgium, so buy an international ticket.

With an Interrail pass

On Eurostar, pass holders must reserve. The pass holder fare between the Netherlands and Belgium is €22 in Standard and €27 in Plus, and pass places are limited, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. On Eurocity Direct you need no reservation and pay no supplement on the international trip; the supplement only applies to journeys within the Netherlands between Schiphol and Rotterdam.

Engineering works in November and December 2026

Weekend works on the Dutch and Belgian lines cut services on several dates:

• 7 and 8 November: Eurostar runs a few trains with journeys of over 2 hours. Most Eurocity Direct trains terminate at Breda, and the five that continue to Amsterdam Centraal skip Schiphol and Rotterdam.
• 14 and 15 November, 28 and 29 November: Eurostar runs a reduced timetable and the trip takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. On 14 and 15 November Eurocity Direct still runs between Amsterdam Zuid and Antwerp.
• 5 and 6 December: Eurostar runs a limited service because of Dutch engineering works and does not call at Rotterdam Centraal; Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal are still served.

On these weekends, look at your train's stops and times before you set off.