Budget Travel - Amsterdam-London ... The Bus Alternative ?

Doe anyone have experience with Eurolines and in particular this route ?

My flight from LHR to the US leaves around noon and I cannot find a - to me - acceptable feeder-flight from basically anywhere on the continent.

What's happening with the dirt-cheap airfares from before - AMS seems to be currently the most expensive hub on the continent ? :confused:

My only budget-option now looks like the overnight Eurolines from AMS with arrival on Victoria Coach Station 7.45 am.

Will this arrival time provide me with enough time for arrival @ LHR T4 around 9.30 am and what are the best connections ?

I can't provide any specific information on the bus between Amsterdam and London because I have never taken it.

But I have taken the Eurolines overnight bus between Paris and London several times, and it has always arrived safely and on time ( usually a few minutes early ).

If you arrive in London by 7:45 A.M. you will be fine. The Victoria Coach Station is appr. 10 minutes walk down Buckingham Palace Road to the Victoria Train station. There you can catch the tube ( London underground ) to Heathrow.

You will either take the Victoria tube line to Green Park where you will connect to the Piccadilly line for Heathrow. Or take either the Circle or District line to South Kensington where you will connect to the Piccadilly line. Personally I prefer the South Kensington connection, but time wise it doesn't make much difference. Total travel time on the tube should be about 1 hour.

Check the Transport for London website; http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ to make sure that there isn't any engineering work ( repairs ) going on that will affect the operation of any of the lines that you are taking.

Have you looked at the Transavia flights to Rotterdam?

I've never taken a bus to the Netherlands, but I have been by train/ferry quite a few times.
http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry/rail-and-sail/holland/
Not sure if you've looked into this option yet.

I'd also recommend checking Eurostar to see if one of their £89 return fares to Amsterdam via Brussels are available for your dates.

What's happening with the dirt-cheap airfares from before - AMS seems to be currently the most expensive hub on the continent ? :confused:
Low costs airlines don't use LHR - so you'd have to fly to another London airport first.

In any case you'd be sensible travelling the day before and staying in London overnight - unless you are comfortable with the risk of buying a new one way ticket to the US if you miss the flight

As for flight options I had no problems finding one way flights for under €50 from AMS to a London airport

@ thebobmc:

Great info and much appreciated ^



Have you looked at the Transavia flights to Rotterdam?

Yes ... total travel time from my point of departure via RTM to Heathrow T4 would be approx 9 hrs - plus risking a tight connection, or rather impossible - if not departing a day early and spending 24+ hour layover in London.





I'd also recommend checking Eurostar to see if one of their £89 return fares to Amsterdam via Brussels are available for your dates.

Least expensive OW for AMS-LON train ticket prices out at a whopping €101 and I still would have a 12+ hour layover.


Low costs airlines don't use LHR - so you'd have to fly to another London airport first.

Yes ... I'm a frequent TATL flyer and choose LHR because it's a lot cheaper than other hubs - I know my way around and often used BMI to LHR for a decent fare - not available now for any possible connection.
A flight into one of the other LON airports is hardly an option since it would require a night at LHR T4 (or Yotel) - did this before and am not looking forward to a repeat. ;)



As for flight options I had no problems finding one way flights for under €50 from AMS to a London airport

Unfortunately not for the date and time I need - not even with Ryanair EIN-STN !

Wanted to report back on my very positive experience with Eurolines.

The Eurolines bus departed right on schedule from my selected departure point at Rotterdam 9 pm, was fully packed with backpackers/students and arrived a half hour earlier than scheduled at 6am at Victoria Coach Station London and from there it was a breeze connecting via Victoria Underground Station to LHR T4 where my Delta flight was departing from.

The whole bus trip was a breeze, stopping several times on our way to load additional passengers at Breda and Antwerp in addition to a rest stop and prior to the 70 min ferry ride Calais-Dover.
Seats were comfy and ride efficient. Plenty of time left to relax at LHR before my next 5 longhaul flights.

Would recommend without hesitation and the connection to LON airports is as smooth as one can get in my experience ..... ^

Travelomania, thanks for reporting back. This could be a good option if you cannot get a cheap flight or train ride for some reason (like a last-minute trip). When you took the ferry, do you go out on deck, or do they keep everyone on the bus?

And out of curiosity, do they use a left-hand or right-hand drive bus for this route?

When you took the ferry, do you go out on deck, or do they keep everyone on the bus?

No, you have total freedom on the ferry and you actually have to leave the bus.
And out of curiosity, do they use a left-hand or right-hand drive bus for this route?

It was a (EUR) bus from The Netherlands with a Dutch driver on the left side.

Travelomania, thanks for reporting back. This could be a good option if you cannot get a cheap flight or train ride for some reason (like a last-minute trip).

Exactly !

Will happily do a repeat in a few weeks when another one of my frequent TATL flights departs from TXL (Berlin) late morning and cannot find a suitable positioning flight (or train ride).
So this time it will be overnight from The Netherlands to Berlin with arrival 6.55am - should be piece-o-cake and cannot be beaten for €34 !

PS: extra bonus: no checked baggage amount or weight limits !

Glad you made it. I dont think I would have risked that on a weekday, London traffic can be horrendous!

Glad you made it. I dont think I would have risked that on a weekday, London traffic can be horrendous!

Ahhhh ... but here's the difference: it was an overnight trip with 6am arrival - without even as much as a London traffic stop !

I wouldn't even dare risking a daytime connecting trip from another LON airport to LHR.

Thanks for reporting back was good to know it all worked out.