Getting from Amsterdam to Brussels - Here are your options

Brussels is the closest big capital to Amsterdam, so plenty of people string the two together on a tour of Europe. If you're not set on Brussels itself, think twice: a lot of visitors find it a bit dry, and nearby Bruges or Antwerp may interest you more. But Brussels has a lot going for it too, from the Grand Place to the beer, and getting there has never been easier.

Quick summary

Take the train. The Eurostar from Amsterdam Centraal is fastest, at about 1 hour 50 minutes. The hourly EuroCity Direct from Amsterdam Zuid takes about 2 hours 8 minutes, needs no reservation, and is often cheaper if you're booking late. The bus is the cheapest, from under €10 if you book ahead, but takes longer. Flying makes no sense on this route.

Trains between Amsterdam and Brussels

When this page was first written, the trains took around 2 hours 45 minutes. The high-speed line has cut that by nearly an hour. There are now two ways to do it without changing trains, and a slower budget option.

Eurostar (the old Thalys)

The high-speed trains that used to be called Thalys were rebranded as Eurostar in 2023. According to Eurostar, they run from Amsterdam Centraal to Brussels-Midi in 1 hour 52 minutes, and some stop at Schiphol, Rotterdam and Antwerp on the way.

• Tickets: seats are all reserved and priced like airline tickets. Book early for the cheapest Standard fares; Eurostar advertised them from $34 one way when we checked in September 2026. On the day, fares can be several times that.
• Check-in: Eurostar asks you to be at the station 20 minutes before departure on this route.
• Classes: Standard, Plus (more legroom and a meal) and Premier.

EuroCity Direct

Since December 2024 the EuroCity Direct, run by Dutch and Belgian railways together, has replaced the old intercity. It runs 16 times a day and takes 2 hours 8 minutes from Amsterdam Zuid to Brussels-Midi, with stops that include Schiphol, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Mechelen.

• It doesn't start at Centraal. It leaves from Amsterdam Zuid, in the business district on the south side of town. From Centraal, metro M52 runs straight to Zuid, or pick the train up at Schiphol if you're coming from the airport.
• No reservations. You can't book a seat. You buy a ticket for a class and sit wherever there's space, which is handy if your plans are loose.
• Fares: NS International lists Saver fares to Brussels from €20-25. There's wifi and a power socket at every seat, but no food on board, so bring your own.
• Watch for engineering works. NS International announced that on 26 and 27 September 2026 the train will start and end at Amsterdam Centraal instead of Zuid. Check the NS International site before you travel.

The budget route via Rotterdam

If you've got time and want the lowest train fare, Seat61 describes a slower option: a domestic train to Rotterdam, then an hourly EuroCity over the old line to Brussels, with saver fares under €20. It takes noticeably longer.

Buying tickets

Book the Eurostar at eurostar.com, and any of the three options at NS International. Belgian Railways sells them too at b-europe.com.

Which Brussels station?

Brussels has three main stations, which confuses a lot of first-timers. Brussels-Midi (Zuid in Dutch, South in English) is the international station, where the Eurostar and the EuroCity Direct end. Brussels-Central is closest to the Grand Place, and Brussels-Nord (Noord) is next to the business district. All three sit on the same rail tunnel through the city, and local trains connect them in a few minutes.

Buses between Amsterdam and Brussels

The Eurolines buses this page used to recommend are gone: FlixBus took over Eurolines' Dutch business in 2019, so forget the old Eurolines office on Damrak.

Today FlixBus is the main operator. It lists 28 to 30 trips a day, fares from €9.48, and a travel time from about 2 hours 40 minutes. Buses leave from several stops, including Amsterdam Sloterdijk, Centraal Station (on the IJ side), Schiphol and Bijlmer ArenA, and arrive at Brussels-Nord or Brussels-Midi. There are night buses too, which can save you a hotel night if you can sleep sitting up.

The bus beats the train on price, especially if you book early or travel at an unpopular time. Traffic around Antwerp can add a lot to the schedule, though, so don't plan a tight connection at the other end.

Flights between Amsterdam and Brussels

Both cities have big airports, but you'd have to be a connecting passenger or a little crazy to fly. Once you add the trip to Schiphol, security and the ride in from Zaventem, it's slower than the train door to door. Even KLM started swapping flights on this route for train seats back in 2020. If you're flying into Schiphol on a long-haul ticket, you can pick up the Eurostar or the EuroCity Direct right at the airport station.

Going on to London or Paris?

You don't need to change in Brussels anymore. Eurostar runs direct trains from Amsterdam to London in 4 hours 19 minutes, with UK border checks done at Amsterdam Centraal before you board. See our full guides to Amsterdam to London and Amsterdam to Paris.

If Brussels is one stop on a longer trip, other Belgian cities are close by: see Amsterdam to Bruges, Bruges to Brussels, Brussels to Antwerp and Brussels to Luxembourg.

Planning something bigger? AirTreks, BootsnAll's sister company, has been building multi-stop and round-the-world tickets since 1987, and this sample route covers both cities:

More Amsterdam trip ideas are on our RTW and multi-stop trips page.