Train from Amsterdam central to ZRH
Feb 23, 2024, 12:54 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
Train from Amsterdam central to ZRH
I am contemplating to book train tickets from Amsterdam Central to ZRH in June. It will be close to 8h journey, with 2 transfers and 211 euros for 2 people in first class. Train arrives at ZRH around 4:30PM and we have outgoing flight at 7PM.
Question - assuming that time sitting in the train is not a problem for us, is there a better/same price alternative with a flight considering that we will have one checked luggage?
Also, is there a way to get any discount for that 211 euro price ticket?
Thanks
Question - assuming that time sitting in the train is not a problem for us, is there a better/same price alternative with a flight considering that we will have one checked luggage?
Also, is there a way to get any discount for that 211 euro price ticket?
Thanks
Feb 23, 2024, 1:10 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
In theory, this train ride sounds nice enough.
But in reality, the majority of it will be crossing through Germany. And the German rail system, regrettably, is extremely unreliable and very, very prone to delays and misconnections. (Have a look in the Germany or rail forums.)
I would not feel comfortable relying on this train connection to get me to ZRH in time to connect to a flight the same night.
But in reality, the majority of it will be crossing through Germany. And the German rail system, regrettably, is extremely unreliable and very, very prone to delays and misconnections. (Have a look in the Germany or rail forums.)
I would not feel comfortable relying on this train connection to get me to ZRH in time to connect to a flight the same night.
Feb 23, 2024, 1:17 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: OTP
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About the trains, assuming you are looking up fares at the Deutsche Bahn website (the German national railways - www.bahn.de), you are seeing the lowest possible fares. The price (211 euro for 2 people in first class) is actually pretty good, given that the fully flexible 2nd fare for Amsterdam-Zurich would already be €252.20 - per person! Remember that these tickets - much like airlines - are based on supply & demand, so prices are likely to only rise in the future if you wait with booking, until they reach the maximum price of a fully flexible ticket.
Now a big warning: As much as I love trains, would I opt for this myself? No. It's enormously risky to have just 2.5 hours between your scheduled arrival in Zurich and flight departure. Now if this was a domestic Swiss train, or you'd be coming from France in a TGV, I would book it and not worry. But you are traversing almost the entirety of Germany - and Germany's railways are notorious for big delays, misconnections and cancelled services. As a data point, all my last 6 long-distance train services I took in the last few months in Germany were delayed by at least an hour. Any German person here will tell you the same how unreliable trains can be these days. Taking a train across Germany is still perfectly enjoyable, and if you misconnect you are of course free to board any later train, but I would really not do it in case I am connecting to a (non-refundable) flight you don't want to miss.
Also don't forget that in June, Germany will host the Euro Football Championship. So I'd expect the transport situation to be even worse than it normally already is, with stations full of visiting fans.
A no-stress alternative which could work for you is the Amsterdam-Zurich sleeper train - see here for details:
https://www.seat61.com/international...am-Switzerland
You can check prices for this at the website of the Austrian Railways OeBB (www.oebb.at), given that these Nightjet trains are run by them. On arrival, you can simply store your luggage in some lockers at the station, enjoy a leisurely day in Zurich, and go to the airport at whatever time you want!
Whether there is a better/same price alternative with a flight you would have to research yourself. It's quite easy to look that up! Don't forget to discount BRU and DUS as alternative airports, as both are easy to reach by train from the Netherlands and have direct flights to Zurich.
Now a big warning: As much as I love trains, would I opt for this myself? No. It's enormously risky to have just 2.5 hours between your scheduled arrival in Zurich and flight departure. Now if this was a domestic Swiss train, or you'd be coming from France in a TGV, I would book it and not worry. But you are traversing almost the entirety of Germany - and Germany's railways are notorious for big delays, misconnections and cancelled services. As a data point, all my last 6 long-distance train services I took in the last few months in Germany were delayed by at least an hour. Any German person here will tell you the same how unreliable trains can be these days. Taking a train across Germany is still perfectly enjoyable, and if you misconnect you are of course free to board any later train, but I would really not do it in case I am connecting to a (non-refundable) flight you don't want to miss.
Also don't forget that in June, Germany will host the Euro Football Championship. So I'd expect the transport situation to be even worse than it normally already is, with stations full of visiting fans.
A no-stress alternative which could work for you is the Amsterdam-Zurich sleeper train - see here for details:
https://www.seat61.com/international...am-Switzerland
You can check prices for this at the website of the Austrian Railways OeBB (www.oebb.at), given that these Nightjet trains are run by them. On arrival, you can simply store your luggage in some lockers at the station, enjoy a leisurely day in Zurich, and go to the airport at whatever time you want!
Whether there is a better/same price alternative with a flight you would have to research yourself. It's quite easy to look that up! Don't forget to discount BRU and DUS as alternative airports, as both are easy to reach by train from the Netherlands and have direct flights to Zurich.
Feb 23, 2024, 3:40 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: FRA/SXB
Programs: FB Gold
Posts: 1,999
Would not do it for the reasons mentioned above : strike-prone, repair-prone German railway system. And relying on that to arrive relatively close to a flight......you're playing lottery here.
AMS being the hub for KLM; surely there must be a flight option that works.
AMS being the hub for KLM; surely there must be a flight option that works.
Feb 23, 2024, 7:45 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,567
Simply amazing! Had these answers been written a few decades ago, I would have been certain that they referred to... Italian trains! German ones were as reliable as the Swiss ones. Nowadays, though, it's not only rail strikes and weather that are important risk factors: German airlines strongly remind me of now-defunct Alitalia and Olympic Airways, and German airports are also often "hit" by days-long strikes of a variety of different unions. O tempora, o mores...
Feb 24, 2024, 5:33 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Rhineland-Palatinate
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Posts: 5,700
I concur with the general sentiment. I love trains and I think the German train networks is one of the best in the world with the Japanese one. But those days it is highly unreliable and delays due to repair or problems are commonplace. There is also an overhaul planned over the next years with entire section being closed off for weeks at a time.
Even for my domestic travel within Germany right now I tend to fly rather than take the train.
Even for my domestic travel within Germany right now I tend to fly rather than take the train.