Planning a train journey from Amsterdam to Prague? You’ve come to the right place. I will tell you all the essential information as I share my personal experience from my overnight train journey in June 2023. Let’s dive in!
Considerations When Buying the Train from Amsterdam to Prague Ticket
We purchased our train tickets using the Omio website, which displayed all available options for trains, buses, and flights. It provided us with the most affordable choice for the selected date. We absolutely recommend it! Here you can see the options for the same train route, from Amsterdam Centraal to Prague.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find direct overnight trains from Amsterdam to Prague. The best alternative we found was a route with two train changes, one in Duisburg and another in Berlin. Since we traveled all night, it at least helped us save one night’s accommodation.
As we were going to sleep on the train, we sought the most comfortable option. Since couchette options weren’t available, we opted for first-class tickets, which offered more leg space and bigger seats. We ended up paying around €75 for the first-class train tickets from Amsterdam to Prague. Second-class tickets were approximately €60, so the price difference wasn’t significant.
It’s important to buy a seat on the train, not just the ticket, otherwise you might end up standing the whole trip if there are no seats left. This may not be a problem for short distance train trips, but if you are going to be travelling for the whole night, it definitely matters.
Despite us travelling in peak season, we must say there were several vacant seats on each train of our overnight route from Amsterdam to Prague.
Our Train Route from Amsterdam to Prague
On June 9th, our train departed from Amsterdam Central heading towards Duisburg. The journey took 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, our carriage had a broken air conditioning system, and it was extremely hot.
We arrived at Duisburg around 11:00 PM, and we had a 1-hour layover before the next train to Berlin. However, the train from Duisburg to Berlin was delayed, and we finally boarded it around 1:00 AM. After a journey of approximately 5 hours, we arrived in Berlin. This experience was actually very stressful and had us thinking we would miss our next train connection. We strongly advise checking that your transfer time is long enough to absorb any delays. Our transfer times were a little over an hour long, and luckily, we didn’t miss the next train.We still had one final leg of the journey from Berlin to Prague.
The train to Prague was scheduled to depart at 7:00 AM from Track 1. We boarded the train while enjoying some sandwiches we had bought. A German-speaking woman checked our tickets, and everything was in order, so we continued the journey. Finally, around 11:30 AM, we arrived at our destination, Prague.
How much time did the train journey from Amsterdam to Prague take us?
We left at 8:30 PM and arrived at 11:30 AM the next morning, so the entire overnight train trip from Amsterdam to Prague took us approximately 15 hours. We spent about 12 hours sitting on the train during that time. If you are preparing for a long flight soon, check out our guide to mastering long flights.
Train from Amsterdam to Prague Experience
The downside
The train being delayed from the scheduled time caused us stress, as we had less time to go to the correct platform for our connecting trains, and the subsequent trains still had the same scheduled departure time.
We traveled by train all night from Amsterdam to Prague, and honestly, it was quite chilly even though it was June and we had bought first-class tickets. Sleeping was difficult due to the cold. There are more suitable options for overnight journeys, such as couchettes, which are actual beds inside the train compartments, providing a more comfortable sleeping experience. Unfortunately, that option was significantly more expensive and was also sold out when we purchased our overnight train tickets from Amsterdam to Prague.
Unfortunately, the train schedule changes weren’t the best, which also affected our sleep. We had to switch trains twice, and one of those changes was at 5 am. So, I would recommend looking for trains with fewer transfers or at less extreme hours.
The positive side
As someone from Chile, traveling on these trains was a new experience. It’s incredible how you can cover long distances while resting or enjoying the beautiful scenery.
The trains were very comfortable with spacious seats and tables in front of you. You could also stretch your legs while walking along the train, making it a more pleasant experience compared to, for example, a bus or economy class airplane travel. Initially, we had planned to make the overnight journey from Amsterdam to Prague by bus using Flixbus. However, after doing some research, we decided against this option since spending over 13 hours sleeping on a small bus seat didn’t seem like the best choice for us. If you want to know more about our experience with Flixbus across Europe, you’ll find this article helpful
The website for purchasing the tickets was very user-friendly, and the accompanying application allowed me to track my journey and stay well-informed about where to catch each train and which station to disembark at. If you want to know where to buy the train ticket from Amsterdam to Prague, you can visit the following link.
The best part was that it allowed us to save on one night of hotel stay, saving us at least 100 euros during the time we visited.
Planning a trip to Europe but don’t know where to start? Check out this post on Essential Tips For Planning Your Trip To Europe: A Step-By-Step Guide
Our General Experience in Train from Amsterdam to Prague
Our train journey from Amsterdam to Prague was an enchanting experience, with its ups and downs, but it delivered what we were looking for the most: a memorable and cost-effective way to explore the heart of Europe. If you are interested in more of our travel experiences, please check out our homepage.
The long trip is worth it because it allows us to enjoy the beautiful city of Prague. If you want to see how it was, click here.
Make sure to avoid this common 3 travel mistakes in 2023, to make the most of your trip!
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