How to get to Amsterdam from the UK

Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most popular urban destinations, offering many places to see and things to do. One can visit for the high density of museums, its canals or even its legal red light district and coffee shops. Whatever you’re looking for, easygoing Amsterdam has it.

The UK visitor has many options when trying to get to Amsterdam. By far the most popular since the advent of low-cost airlines is the plane. But a cheap flight to Amsterdam is not the only option, as many still take the ferry to Amsterdam or even drive through neighboring countries.

A flight to Amsterdam is the most popular option for UK travellers. Of all the airlines, Easyjet is the largest. Londoners are spoiled for choice and can choose to take an Easyjet flight from Gatwick, Stansted or Luton. After Easyjet, KLM (the Dutch national airline) is the next largest carrier, operating flights from both Heathrow and the city’s airport. However, the latter is often an expensive option and is only used by business travelers.

Further afield in the UK, Easyjet operates from regional hubs, but there are also even smaller airlines such as Jet2, which flies from Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds Bradford airports.

Expect to pay between £15 and £100 depending on how early you book. Remember, however, that low-cost airlines do not include seat reservations and meals in the price, nor the flight attendant service that you may be used to!

A ferry to Amsterdam, although less popular than a flight, is still a viable commercial operation for interested operators. These are popular with those who want to take a car to the Netherlands and those who are afraid of flying. They also offer a fairly relaxed ride for those who prefer it. There are two main services from the UK to the Netherlands and Amsterdam.

The most popular is the Dutch Flyer service (previously known as Amsterdam Express). With an all-inclusive ticket, travelers can depart by train from London Liverpool Street Station to Harwich on the east coast of England. From there, they can take a ferry to Hook in the Netherlands: Amsterdam Central Station is just a short train ride from here.

While taking a ferry to Amsterdam takes much longer than flying, it is much cheaper and there are less strict time requirements for check-in. Added to this, the ferry is more of an “experience”, with two cinemas, restaurants, bars and games.

There are also other ferry services serving the north of the UK, namely Hull to Rotterdam and Newcastle to Amsterdam.

Others, although relatively few, prefer to drive to Amsterdam. This journey will take the driver through the neighboring countries France and then Belgium. This is the least preferred method of getting from the UK to Amsterdam.