Getting from Amsterdam to Paris

Amsterdam to Paris is one of the busiest city pairs in Europe for travelers working their way around the continent, and the answer to "how should I do it?" is simpler than it used to be. The direct high-speed train now takes about 3 hours 20 minutes, center to center, and cheap advance fares start at €35. For most people that settles it. The bus is the budget fallback, and flying rarely makes sense.

The short version

• Train (Eurostar): about 3h20, from €35 one way if you book early. Best for almost everyone.
• Bus (FlixBus or BlaBlaCar Bus): roughly 6.5 to 8 hours, from under €20 one way. Best if every euro counts, or you want an overnight ride.
• Flight (KLM or Air France): short in the air, slow door to door. Only worth it if you're connecting to another flight.

Taking the train from Amsterdam to Paris

The red high-speed trains in the photo used to be called Thalys. In October 2023 Thalys was rebranded as Eurostar, so the same route is now sold under the Eurostar name. The trip is also faster than when this page first ran: older versions said "a bit over 4 hours," and it's now about 3 hours 20 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal to Paris Gare du Nord.

Here's what you need to know, per NS International (the Dutch railways' international booking arm):

• Frequency: around 10 trains a day between the Netherlands and Paris.
• Stops: trains call at Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam Centraal, then Antwerp and Brussels, before arriving at Paris Gare du Nord.
• Fares: the cheapest one-way fare is €35. When those sell out, standard fares climb to between €55 and €135. Returns start at €70.
• Check-in: none. Unlike the London Eurostar, there's no security screening or passport check on this route. You walk to the platform and get on.

The €35 fares are the whole game. Seat61 reports that booking usually opens about four months ahead, and a fully flexible ticket bought on the day can run to €149. If your dates are fixed, book as soon as sales open.

You can book directly with Eurostar or through NS International, and both sell the same trains. Because Schiphol is a stop, you can also go straight from a flight into Amsterdam to a train for Paris without going into the city at all.

Taking the bus from Amsterdam to Paris

If you're traveling on fumes, the bus still gets you there for under €20 if you book early. The Eurolines buses this page used to recommend are gone, and today the two main names on this route are FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus.

• FlixBus lists fares from €18.97. It picks up at several Amsterdam stops, including Sloterdijk station, Centraal, Schiphol and Bijlmer ArenA, and drops off at several points in and around Paris, including Bercy Seine and Porte Maillot. One checked bag and one carry-on are included.
• BlaBlaCar Bus runs from Amsterdam Sloterdijk to Paris Bercy, with three pieces of luggage included in the fare.

Expect roughly 6.5 to 8 hours depending on the departure and the traffic around Antwerp, Brussels and Paris. Overnight buses mean you can sleep (sort of) and save a night's accommodation, which was the original writer's favorite trick and still works.

Is the bus worth it? If you can get a €35 train fare, pay the extra. You save three or four hours, get a far more comfortable seat and arrive at Gare du Nord, on the metro and RER, instead of at a coach stop. If the cheap train fares are gone and the train wants €100+, the bus starts looking a lot better.

Flying from Amsterdam to Paris

KLM and Air France (the same group) fly between Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle, and the flight itself is only a little over an hour. By the time you add getting to Schiphol, security, and the train or taxi from CDG into Paris, you've spent longer than the Eurostar takes from Centraal to Gare du Nord, and paid more for the privilege.

The one case where flying makes sense: you're connecting at CDG to a long-haul flight on the same ticket. Otherwise, take the train.

Building Amsterdam and Paris into a bigger trip

If Amsterdam and Paris are two stops on a longer trip, you don't need to fly into one and back out of the same city. An open-jaw ticket (into one city, home from another) lets you cover the gap by train. AirTreks, BootsnAll's sister company, has been building multi-stop and round-the-world tickets since 1987, and these two sample routes do exactly that:

Heading somewhere else from Amsterdam? We cover Amsterdam to Brussels, Amsterdam to London and Amsterdam to Berlin too. And if you're still planning the Amsterdam end, start with flights to Schiphol, Amsterdam hotels and Amsterdam hostels.

Amsterdam to Paris FAQ

Do I need my passport on the Amsterdam to Paris train?

Both countries are in the Schengen area, so there's no border control on this route. Carry your passport or national ID anyway: it's required ID for non-EU visitors, and staff can ask for it.

Is Thalys still running?

The trains and the route are the same, but the Thalys brand is gone. Since October 2023 you book them as Eurostar.

Can I use a Eurail or Interrail pass?

Yes, but you must also buy a reservation at extra cost before you board. Check the Eurail or Interrail reservation pages for the current fee.

Which Amsterdam station does the Paris train leave from?

Amsterdam Centraal, with a stop at Schiphol Airport a few minutes later. Our guide to Schiphol and Centraal Station covers getting between the two.