Dutch budget rail operator GoVolta has opened ticket sales for a daily direct train between Amsterdam Centraal and Paris-Gare du Nord, launching on December 14, 2026.
The Breda-based rail operator that launched an Amsterdam to Berlin route for just €10 earlier this year is now taking on France.
As of May 29, tickets for their Paris packages are currently on sale on the GoVolta website.
Here’s what to know about the route, times, and stops
According to press information, the train will depart from Amsterdam Centraal at 07:46 AM and arrive at Paris-Gare du Nord by 2:54. Roughly, you’d be looking at a total journey time of approximately seven hours.
The return journey is a fair bit later; the train leaves Paris at 3:49 PM and pulls back into Amsterdam by 11:29 PM.
While you’re chugging along to Paris, the train will also serve nine intermediate stations:
- Haarlem,
- Den Haag HS,
- Rotterdam Centraal,
- Lage Zwaluwe,
- Roosendaal,
- Antwerpen-Centraal,
- Gent-Sint-Pieters,
- Arras,
- and Longueau (near Amiens)
You’ll arrive at Paris-Gare du Nord in the 10th arrondissement (district). Metro lines 4 and 5 will connect you to the city centre in around ten minutes, or it’s a fifteen-minute walk to Le Marais or Canal Saint-Martin.
Boarding from Belgium is nearly half price
While tickets between the Netherlands and France start from €19, travelling from Belgium is even cheaper. If you’re boarding in Antwerp or Ghent from either side of the route, your journey will start from €10.
You’ll also stagger your travel time considerably:
- From Antwerpen-Centraal, Paris is roughly four hours away.
- From Gent-Sint-Pieters, the trip to Paris takes around three hours.
What’s included (and what costs extra)?
Every GoVolta ticket includes a guaranteed reserved seat and two pieces of hand luggage:
- one cabin-bag-sized piece (up to 55 × 40 × 25 cm),
- and one smaller bag (up to 30 × 20 × 15 cm).
However, if you need extra space or a larger luggage allowance, it’ll cost you. Optional extras bookable at checkout include:
- An XL Duo Seat upgrade, costing €20 per single trip per person (useful for two passengers who want the four-seat bay to themselves).
- A large suitcase allowance, for €15 per single trip.
- Seat selection, for €12.50 per single trip per person.
- A Comfort Class upgrade, with general prices as yet unlisted.
On board, GoVolta runs ten refurbished carriages: nine Economy, one Comfort, and a restaurant car called the GoVolta Lounge, where breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be booked for the journey.
A valid travel document is required to board. If your plans shift after booking, some additional fees will apply:
- Changing your departure date: €50 per ticket, plus any fare difference
- Changing the passenger name: €70 per ticket
To avoid those fees, GoVolta offers two flexibility add-ons at €19 per person each; one covering unlimited date changes, one covering unlimited name changes. The good news is that, for a limited time at launch, the date-change option is available for just €1 instead of €19.
Tickets are available now for travel through December 2027, but GoVolta recommends booking early for weekends, public holidays, and peak travel dates, as each train has a fixed number of seats.
Would you take a seven-hour budget train to Paris, or is the Eurostar’s three-and-a-half-hour run worth paying more for? Tell us in the comments.
