Day Train Trips from Amsterdam: Times, Fares and Sights

The five cities below are all one train ride from Amsterdam Centraal, and you can see any of them in a day. The times and fares come from the NS journey planner, NS being the Dutch national railway. They are full second-class one-way fares for 2026, and NS changes its prices every 1 January. A single-use chip card from a machine costs €1.60 extra.

Pro Tip Pay with a contactless bank card if NS accepts yours, because a single-use chip card from a machine adds €1.60 to your fare.

The chart shows how long each ride takes. The bar for Rotterdam is the direct train, and the fastest option is noted under it.

1. Haarlem: 15 minutes for canals and the Frans Hals Museum

Haarlem is the quickest and cheapest day trip, at 15 minutes by Intercity from Amsterdam Centraal. The Sprinter, the slower local train, takes 18 minutes. Neither needs a change. You pay €5.50 one way, and NS's Railrunner ticket for children aged 0 to 11 is €2.50 on this route. In NS's planner, five trains left within 45 minutes on a weekday morning, so you will not wait long.

Start at the Grote Markt. Visit Haarlem says the Anno Haarlem visitor centre sits in the City Hall on that square. The tourist board also lists the Great or St. Bavo Church and Teylers Museum as sights, and it offers city walks for groups of up to 14 people.

For art, the Frans Hals Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays. Adults pay €18.50, people aged 19 to 24 pay €9.00, and anyone up to 18 enters free. Holders of the Dutch Museum Pass (Museumkaart) also enter free. If you would rather see the old city from the water, a 50-minute Haarlem canal cruise leaves from Spaarne 11A, from €16, with up to 15 people on board.

2. Utrecht: 27 minutes for the Dom Tower and a full day

Utrecht is the best city for a long day out, because a direct Intercity takes about 27 minutes. A one-way ticket costs €10. In NS's morning sample, trains left about every 10 minutes. An ICE, the fast international train, takes 26 minutes but adds €3.20, which makes €13.20. You save one minute for €3.20, so skip it.

The Dom Tower is the city's landmark. The Dom Tower staircase tour costs €13.50 for adults and €8.50 for children aged 4 to 12. You buy tickets in the online shop or at the tourist information centre at Domplein 9, where the tours start. Bags are not allowed inside the tower, but there are free lockers.

Plan an hour on the water as well. An Utrecht city canal cruise runs from €19 and lasts 1 to 1.5 hours, with up to 50 people per boat. The listing shows three meeting points, so check which one your option uses. You go down 21 steps to reach the boat, and the listing says it is not suitable for wheelchair users.

3. The Hague: 49 minutes for the Mauritshuis

The Hague is a direct ride of about 49 minutes on the Intercity to Den Haag Centraal. A one-way ticket costs €15.30. Direct Intercity trains leave about every 30 minutes, and the other options take 53 to 68 minutes with a change.

Most visitors come for art. The Mauritshuis is the museum known for Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. A Mauritshuis entrance ticket costs from €21 and covers the main collection and any temporary exhibitions, for about 1.5 hours. The listing says time slots are set when you book and the ticket is likely to sell out. It is also non-refundable, so book only when your dates are fixed.

A guide and a physical audio guide device are not included, but the museum has a free app with an audio tour. Museums sometimes lend paintings to other museums. Check the Mauritshuis website for loans if one picture is your reason to go.

4. Delft: 60 minutes for the Old Church, the New Church and Delft Blue

Delft takes about 60 minutes on a direct Intercity, and a change option takes 58 minutes. You pay €17.30 one way. Direct trains leave about every 30 minutes in NS's sample, so the direct train is the easy choice.

Visit Delft names the Old Church, the New Church, the Vermeer Centre and Delft Blue pottery among the city's highlights. The Markt is the main square, with restaurants around it. The tourist office is at Houttuinen 6.

Delft costs €2 more than The Hague and takes about 11 minutes longer, so pick it for the old streets, not for speed. The guided tour in the last section includes entry to the Royal Delft Museum if you want Delft Blue without a separate ticket.

5. Rotterdam: 72 minutes for the Markthal, the harbour and modern Dutch buildings

Rotterdam is the longest and priciest day trip, so go only for a full day. A direct Intercity or Sprinter takes about 71 to 75 minutes for €20.20 one way. The fastest option takes about 50 to 52 minutes. You change from a Sprinter to the Intercity direct at Schiphol and pay the €3.20 Intercity direct supplement, which makes €23.40.

Rotterdam Tourist Information lists the Markthal, the Cube Houses, the Erasmus Bridge and the harbour as the main sights. The Markthal is open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 20:00, Friday from 10:00 to 21:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00. It has more than 100 food spots, and each restaurant may keep its own hours.

For the harbour, a 75-minute Rotterdam harbour cruise costs from €18. It boards at Willemsplein 85 and comes with an audio guide in Dutch, English, French and German. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours ahead.

The best day trip is the one where the train ride is shorter than the time you spend in the city.

How to choose between day train trips from Amsterdam

Choose by time first: Haarlem and Utrecht suit a half or full day, and The Hague, Delft and Rotterdam need most of a day. The table puts the five trips side by side.

Key Takeaway Haarlem (€5.50) and Utrecht (€10) together cost less than one Rotterdam single (€20.20).

Gouda is a sixth option if you want a quieter stop. NS shows about 51 to 52 minutes for €15.10 one way. Most journeys change at Utrecht Centraal, though one direct Sprinter ran in NS's sample. This article has no official source for what to see there, so check the planner and a local tourist page before you go.

The Best Travel Destinations' count of GetYourGuide listings for the Amsterdam area in October 2026 found 20 that start in another Dutch city a train ride away: 6 in Rotterdam, 4 in Delft, 3 in The Hague, 3 in Haarlem, 2 in Utrecht and 2 in Leiden. Only one of the 20 is a day trip that leaves from Amsterdam. The rest are cruises, tickets and tours for use once you are there.

Other trips leave from the same station. Zaanse Schans is about 17 to 19 minutes away on the Sprinter, and the train to Giethoorn takes about 1 hour 36 minutes to 1 hour 44 minutes plus a bus.

The train is the wrong choice if you want three cities in one day. This article has no NS times or fares for the hops between The Hague, Delft and Rotterdam, so you would plan those yourself. Day tours out of Amsterdam remove that work.

The Rotterdam, Delft and The Hague guided day tour costs from €60 per person for 9 hours. It has a rating of 4.2 from 2,727 reviews on GetYourGuide, and Tours & Tickets runs it. You get the air-conditioned bus, a guide, a visit to the Markthal, entry to the Royal Delft Museum and a walking tour in The Hague. Lunch and tips are not included.

You meet at the Tours & Tickets shop inside Amsterdam Centraal at De Ruijterkade 34, and you check in at least 30 minutes before departure. A group can reach 80 people. The tour is in English and Spanish, and it has free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. The tour is the better choice for one day and three cities. The train is better if you want to spend all day in one place.