Useful info and websites for arranging travel to/from your cycling, ‘bike and boat’ or ‘bike and sail’ holiday in Holland or Belgium. Flight, rail, local connection options and onward travel ideas for start/ finish destinations featured in our tour routes in and around the Low Countries.
HOLLAND
Destinations – Amsterdam / Enkuizen
Amsterdam
1: Train via Brussels or direct to Amsterdam (Eurostar/Thalys high-speed services)
2: Fly to Amsterdam
3: Ferry and train (Harwich-Hook of Holland/Hull-Rotterdam/Newcastle-Amsterdam)
Enkhuizen
1: Train via Brussels or direct to Amsterdam, then to Enkhuizen (Eurostar/Thalys high-speed/local service).
2: Fly to Amsterdam.
3: Ferry and train (Harwich-Hook of Holland/Hull-Rotterdam/Newcastle-Amsterdam)
BELGIUM
Destinations – Bruges
Bruges
1: Train via Brussels (Eurostar/local service)
2: Fly to Brussels
3: Ferry and train (Harwich-Hook of Holland/Hull-Rotterdam/Newcastle-Amsterdam)
By Rail:
- Eurostar sell tickets to Amsterdam and Bruges (book to “any Belgian station” for Bruges). Eurostar also offer direct services to Amsterdam. Services from London St Pancras to Brussels and Amsterdam are fast and frequent. The excellent rail network in the area offers easy transfers between Amsterdam and Bruges and also by local NS train to Enkhuizen.
By Ferry:
- From London and the South-East, Stena Lines’ Harwich to Hook of Holland service offers a cost-effective way to travel to The Netherlands, with easy rail connections on to Amsterdam or Bruges. Daily day or overnight sailing with all-in “rail & sail” tickets available from UK to Hook of Holland.
- From the North, P&O run an overnight cruise-ferry from Hull to Rotterdam (transfer bus to Rotterdam Centraal station or Amsterdam), and DFDS run an overnight cruise-ferry from Newcastle to IJmuiden with coach transfer to Amsterdam Centraal station.
By Air:
- Amsterdam
British Airways – flying from London City, London Gatwick and London Heathrow.
KLM – flying from Aberdeen, Belfast City, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow Int, Humberside, Inverness, Leeds/Bradford, London City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, Newcastle, and Norwich.
easyjet – flying from Belfast Int, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow Int, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Stansted, and London Luton, and Manchester. - Brussels
Brussels Airlines – flying from Birmingham, Edinburgh, London Heathrow, and Manchester.
British Airways – flying from London Heathrow.
Ryanair – flying from Edinburgh, Glasgow Int, Liverpool, and Manchester (to Brussels South Charleroi Airport – shuttle bus runs every 30 mins to Brussels Midi railway station, 55 mins journey. (Direct bus also runs from the airport to Ghent and Bruges – 9 buses daily).
By Car:
Use Ferry services or Tunnel. Example distances: Dunkirk (Dunkerque) – Bruges 58 miles; Hook of Holland – Amsterdam 51 miles.
Long term parking is available in both Bruges and Amsterdam with good rail connections between (we can advise likely charges).
This information is correct as at January 2023
Useful Contacts
Please note that rail and flight contacts are for your convenience and no endorsement is intended.
Rail contacts
www.ns.nl – Dutch Railways (timetables in English).
www.belgianrail.be – Belgian Railways (timetables and online ticketing in English).
www.eurostar.com – Eurostar
www.seat61.com – The Man in Seat 61 (an excellent independent site giving information on rail travel across Europe)
Flight contacts
If you can, it is often worth checking alternative days (days or weeks), as sometimes you can save money by adding an extra day to the start or end of your trip.
www.britishairways.com – British Airways
www.klm.com – KLM +44 20 76 60 02 93
www.easyjet.com – easyjet
www.brusselsairlines.com – Brussels Airlines
www.ryanair.com – Ryanair
Airport websites
These usually include local shuttle bus, train and taxi information.
www.schipol.nl – Amsterdam Airport Schipol
www.brusselsairport.be – Brussels Airport
www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com – Brussels South Charleroi Airport (served by Ryanair)
Ferry contacts
www.stenaline.co.uk – Stena Line- Harwich-Hook of Holland (“Dutch rail and sail” fares are available from London and East Anglia to Hook of Holland)
www.dfdsseaways.co.uk – DFDS – Newcastle-Ijmuiden (close to Amsterdam) daily overnight ferry service, and Dover-Dunkirk up to 24 daily sailings.
www.poferries.com – P&O -Hull to Rotterdam and Hull to Zeebrugge for Bruges (daily overnight sailings)
Booking Procedure
- Decide how and when you would like to travel, checking price and availability (either yourself or through your travel agent).
- Once you are satisfied, place the booking with us. We will confirm the booking within 24 hours (week days only).
- Once we have confirmed your reservation, book your travel arrangements.
This information is correct as at January 2023.
