Had one too many drinks and missed the last train? Bracing yourself for a taxi journey that is going to eat up your monthly pay? No need! You can still travel around on night service transport.
Night buses and trains are offered all across the Netherlands — so you don’t have to be afraid that you’ll be stranded anywhere! Here is all you need to know about night buses and night trains in the Netherlands.
(P.S. We’ll cover night trains in Amsterdam too!)
When and where do night trains in the Netherlands run?
Night trains in the Netherlands run after the last ‘regular’ train sets off around 1 AM. They don’t run as regularly as normal trains, but about every hour or so, you can board a night train and will be safely transported to your destination until the early morning hours.
- Randstad region: every single night, hourly
- Rotterdam via Den Haag Holland Spoor, Leiden Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam Centraal to Utrecht Centraal: every single night, hourly
- Between Utrecht and Nijmegen/Arnhem: ‘only’ one night train on Friday and Saturday nights, around 1 AM
- From Utrecht to Amersfoort: every Friday and Saturday and then you can take a connection from Utrecht to other major cities
- From Randstad to the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen, there is a late train every Friday and Saturday night
- Other late trains are: Amsterdam to Alkmaar, Utrecht to Eindhoven, Rotterdam to Eindhoven, Amsterdam to Haarlem, Utrecht to Rotterdam, Amsterdam to Amersfoort to Deventer, and Rotterdam to Zwolle via Utrecht and Amersfoort.
Night trains and buses in Amsterdam
Of course, as you might expect, Amsterdam runs buses and trains throughout the night. Being the capital city and all, they don’t want their residents and visitors to be led astray.
Night trains in Amsterdam
If you want to go to a major city or are travelling back to Amsterdam, then you’re in luck. A train runs hourly into the early hours of the morning, so you can always find your way back, no matter how long you are boogieing into the night.
These are regular trains, though and not sleeper trains, however, there is always enough room for a snooze. Always remember to check online first, before you decide to stay out!
Tip: They also tend to take a little longer to get to your destination than normal, and high-speed trains don’t run. All and all, I’ve done the early morning slog to Rotterdam Centraal many times before and made it! It’s also the same price, and if you have one of those day cards – it’s valid until 4 AM. Ideal!
Are there sleeper trains?
As far as sleeper trains go, they are making a comeback! OBB and NS are putting the sleeper trains back on the map. You can even hop on a sleeper train to Vienna, Prague, Milan and Venice and even Brussels and Berlin! This means that you’ll be able to sleep during your journey, and wake up in a completely different (more mountainous) country!
Night buses in Amsterdam
Just after midnight (around 12:30 AM) the metro line, tram, and regular buses stop running. Need to get home? Don’t panic! From then until 7:30 AM, you can catch a night bus.
This means that transport is available 24 hours a day! On the weekday, everything else is usually resumed from around 6 AM anyway. These night buses have 12 routes, that link to Amsterdam Centraal Station. They go via Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein.
How much do night buses cost?
Pricing is different than usual. You can buy a single ticket, via the driver for €5.40. This is valid for 90 minutes, including any transfers you may have.
There are plenty of other ticket options to choose from online or at your local GVB ticket office. Or if you want to make life simple just use your bank card or mobile phone.
Have you ever taken night buses or night trains in the Netherlands before? Let us know your experiences in the comments!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in July 2018, and was fully updated in February 2023 for your reading pleasure.
