Travel

Tips for travelling to Utrecht by train
Many international day and night trains pass directly to Utrecht (or via a short transit in Rotterdam or Amsterdam). To encourage sustainable travel, we have listed direct trains from several countries. This is not an exhaustive list, but it may be useful to find connections that fit your travel plans.

Belgium
There is a fast train Brussels – Antwerp – Rotterdam operated by Thalys. It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes. There is also a regular intercity Brussels – Antwerp – Rotterdam operated by NS and NMBS/SNCB. This train takes about 2 hours but is also cheaper. See https://www.belgiantrain.be/en.

Germany
There are many options from the Ruhr-area and beyond operated by Deutsche Bahn. By day, these include Duisburg – Utrecht, Cologne – Utrecht, Berlin – Utrecht. At night, there is a train Berlin – Amsterdam operated by the European Sleeper. See https://www.bahn.com/en and https://www.europeansleeper.eu/en.

United Kingdom
There is a fast train London St. Pancras – Rotterdam operated by Eurostar. It takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes. See https://www.eurostar.com/be-en.

France
There is a fast train Paris – Rotterdam operated by Thalys. It takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes.  See https://www.thalys.com/nl/en.

Switzerland
There are several options. The long trains Zürich – Basel – Utrecht are operated by SBB. The fast trains Lausanne – Paris and Geneva – Paris are operated by TGV Lyria. Those take about 3 to 4 hours, after which one may continue from Paris. See https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html and https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/.

Austria
There are night trains Vienna – Utrecht and Inssbruck – Utrecht operated by ÖBB. See https://www.nightjet.com/en/#/home.

Czechia
The night train Prague – Amsterdam will be launched in Spring 2023 operated by the European Sleeper. There are also trains from Brno – Vienna operated by RJ and ÖBB, after which one may continue from Vienna. See https://regiojet.com/ and https://www.oebb.at/en/.

Italy
There is a train Milan – Zürich operated by Trenitalia, after which one may continue from Zürich. See https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html.

Netherlands
The train Rotterdam – Utrecht takes only 37 minutes and runs four times per hour. The train Amsterdam – Utrecht takes only 26 minutes and runs five times per hour. See https://www.ns.nl/en.