A canal house at Herengracht 361, one of many stepped-gable buildings protected as a Rijksmonument along Amsterdam's canal ring.
Photo: Massimo Catarinella / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Paris to Amsterdam by Train
An international route between France and Netherlands.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30
- Duration
- 3h 19m – 3h 55m
- Price from
- 29 EUR
- Distance
- 431 km
- Operators
- Eurostar
- Frequency
- Around 8-10 direct trains per day
Compare and book Paris–Amsterdam tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Paris to Amsterdam different
- This route was run by Thalys for nearly three decades until the Thalys brand was fully retired and folded into Eurostar on 1 October 2023 — you may still see red former-Thalys trainsets running the service alongside blue Eurostar ones.
- Direct services call at Brussels-Midi and Rotterdam Centraal, and some also stop at Antwerp-Centraal or Schiphol Airport — a single ticket can span France, Belgium and the Netherlands in one continuous ride.
- Unlike the Paris-London Eurostar, this train never leaves the Schengen Area, so there is no passport or immigration control — a structural difference from Eurostar's UK route, not just a rephrasing of it.
Paris station
Departs from Paris Gare du Nord in the 10th arrondissement, Europe's busiest railway station by passenger numbers, with direct access to RER B/D and five metro lines — Eurostar's Amsterdam and Brussels trains use a fenced-off departure lounge for bag screening, separate from the domestic platforms.
Amsterdam station
Arrives at Amsterdam Centraal, an 1889 station built on three artificial islands in the IJ at the edge of the canal ring — trams, the metro and the free ferries to Amsterdam-Noord all leave from directly outside.
Train vs. other options
Flying Paris-Amsterdam takes about 1h15m in the air, but with Charles de Gaulle and Schiphol both 20-45 minutes from their city centers plus airport check-in, door-to-door time is often close to or longer than the roughly 3h20m city-center-to-city-center train.
Booking tips
- Book as early as possible — Eurostar's cheapest Standard fares are released furthest in advance and sell out first, especially on weekend departures.
- Compare direct trains against ones that also stop at Antwerp, Rotterdam or Schiphol Airport — the extra stops can add 30+ minutes.
- Fares are generally cheaper for Tuesday-Thursday departures than Friday or Sunday.
Good to know: Because this route stays inside Schengen, there's no passport check like on the London train, but Eurostar still runs its own bag-screening ahead of boarding — budget 20-30 minutes before departure rather than the 5-10 minutes typical of a domestic French TGV.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Paris to Amsterdam take?
Direct Eurostar services take around 3 hours 19 minutes. Trains with extra stops (Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schiphol) can take up to about 3 hours 55 minutes.
Do I need my passport for the Paris-Amsterdam train?
You need ID/passport to travel, but because France, Belgium and the Netherlands are all in the Schengen Area, there's no passport control before boarding — unlike the Paris-London Eurostar.
Which company runs the Paris-Amsterdam train?
Eurostar operates it exclusively today; the route ran under the Thalys brand until that name was retired in October 2023.