Looking at rail passes for Netherlands travel? A rail pass is a special ticket which allows unlimited train travel for a certain period in a specific region.
There are a number of different rail passes available for Netherlands travel. These can cover Dutch domestic trains and some are valid for international trains from Amsterdam.
This article highlights the use of Interrail and Eurail passes in the Netherlands as well as some tips for other Holland rail passes.
Interrail Pass
The interrail pass is only available for European citizens and residents including UK and Turkey. You can purchase an Interrail Pass here (Trainline) or at NS International here
The Interrail Global Pass is a rail pass valid for travel in 33 countries around Europe:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
You have the choice of buying 2 types of Interrail Global Passes:
- Continuous Passes of either 15 days, 22 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months giving unlimited travel during the duration of the pass.
- Flexi Passes which offers 4, 5, 7 travel days during a 1 month period or 10 or 15 days within a 2 month period.
Interrail Continuous Pass 1 month – Prices (2026)
| 2nd Class | 1st Class | |
| Adult (28-59) | €696 | €904 |
| Youth (12-27) | €522 | €678 |
| Senior (60+) | €626 | €813 |
A child pass is available for children 4-11 – up to 2 child passes are allowed for free per accompanying adult pass holder. Children 0-3 travel free without a ticket.
The Interrail pass allows free travel on most regional and local trains that do not require reservations.
Note, in the pass holder’s country of residence it is only valid for travel on the first day (outbound journey) and last day (inbound journey).
An Interrail ticket comes in one of 2 formats – a standard paper ticket where you fill out each journey by hand; or a digital mobile pass on a smartphone via the Rail Planner app – this requires an internet connection at least once every 3 days for verification.
Interrail Pass use in the Netherlands
The Interrail pass is valid for all standard NS train services in the Netherlands including Intercity and sprinter trains. It is also valid for travel on other Dutch train providers including Arriva, Blauwnet, Breng, Connexxion (Valleilijn), Keolis and R-net.
Standard Dutch trains have free seating with no supplements to pay.
However, there are a number of train services in the Netherlands where a supplement has to be paid for Interrail ticket holders:
Intercity Direct/Eurocity Direct – A €3.20 supplement is required for domestic travel between Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam.
ICE trains to Germany – You can freely travel on the Amsterdam-Berlin ICE service and the Amsterdam-Frankfurt ICE service without supplement. Seat reservations are recommended and will cost €5.20 (2nd class) or €6.50 (1st class) – this is compulsory in the summer months.
Eurostar (formerly Thalys) – There are compulsory reservation fees for the high-speed Eurostar (formerly Thalys) train that runs Amsterdam-Brussels-Paris. Amsterdam-Brussels costs €22 (Standard) and €27 (Plus), Amsterdam-Paris costs €32 (Standard) and €37 (Plus).
Eurostar – Travel on the Eurostar’s Amsterdam-London service is included with an Interrail pass. There is a compulsory reservation fee of €35 (Standard) or €43 (Plus).
Interrail and Eurail passholders get 30% off the Stena Line ferry between Harwich and Hoek van Holland – both ports are accessible by rail/metro.
NightJet – There are also reservation fees for NightJet trains from Amsterdam to Basel, Zurich and Vienna. These prices are dynamic and depend on demand – seat reservations range from €5-€25, a 6-bed couchette €20-€65, a mini-cabin €30-€95 and a single sleeper €115-€480.
You can make reservations using the Rail Planner app or plan itineraries to avoid seat reservations.
If you want to cross the Dutch border to Belgium or Germany by standard regional trains then see our article International rail borders in the Netherlands
Interrail first class pass holders get access to the NS International lounges at Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal.
Interrail Benelux Pass
Another option is the Benelux Pass for unlimited travel on NMBS/SNCB in Belgium, NS and other Dutch domestic trains plus trains in Luxembourg. The passes are valid 1 month and allow travel for 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 days.
A travel day is the 24 hour period running from 00:00 to 23:59 on the same calendar day.
Prices for adults (aged 28-59) range from €137 (2nd class) or €178 (1st class) for a 3 day pass up to €259 (2nd class) or €336 (1st class) for an 8 day pass.
Obviously you should work out beforehand exactly where you plan to travel and whether normal point-to-point tickets would work out cheaper. Also note, 2nd class rail travel in Luxembourg is free.
You can purchase an Interrail Pass here (Trainline) or buy an InterRail Pass here (NS International)
Eurail Pass
This European rail pass is available for non-European residents and popular with North Americans, Australians and Asians etc.
Like the Interrail pass, the Eurail Global Pass is valid in the following 33 countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
Eurail Global passes come as flexi passes: 4, 5 or 7 travel days within 1 month; 10 or 15 travel days in a 2 month period; or continuous passes of 15 days, 22 days, 1, 2 or 3 months.
Eurail Continuous Pass 1 month – Prices $USD (2026)
| 2nd Class | 1st Class | |
| Adult (28-59) | $828 | $1,076 |
| Youth (12-27) | $621 | $807 |
| Senior (60+) | $745 | $967 |
A child pass is available for children 4-11 – up to 2 child passes are allowed for free per accompanying adult pass holder. Children 0-3 travel free without a ticket.
You can purchase your Eurail Pass here
Eurail also has One Country Passes – the Netherlands comes under “Benelux” which includes Belgium and Luxembourg.
These come as 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 day passes within 1 month and prices range from $163/$212 (3 days) to $308/$400 (8 days) for adults in 2nd/1st class. Purchase the Eurail Benelux Pass here
Similar to the Interrail ticket, supplements are required on premium rail services such as the Eurostar and night-time trains – see above for costs.
Continuous Interrail and Eurail passes are a great way to get a flavour of many European cities. The trick is to compromise between travel and stopping over. Travel during night-time can save on accommodation costs but can be tiring and you won’t see much scenery at night.
Remember that southern countries have relatively cheap rail tickets so to get better value from the pass you should also tackle some of the more expensive rail nations in the north of Europe.
Domestic Rail Passes in the Netherlands
NS Day Travel Card (NS Dagkaart)
This allows 1 day’s unlimited travel on any NS train in the Netherlands. It costs €66.60 (2nd class) or €113.22 (1st class) in 2026. It can be purchased online in advance or added to an OV-chip card.
This ticket is only good value if you really have to do a significant amount of rail travel requiring multiple stops in a single day.
Holland Travel Ticket
This is a 1 day ticket (disposable OV-chip card) which gives unlimited public transport in the Netherlands. It costs €79 for the standard ticket or €54 for the off-peak version (peak hours are 06:30-09:00, Mon-Fri).
Rail Runner
Children 4-11 accompanied by an adult with any NS ticket pay €2.50 for a “Rail Runner” ticket which is valid all day. Children under 4 travel free.
How To Book International Tickets
You can check timetables, prices and make bookings for all international train services including Eurostar, Eurocity Direct, ICE, NightJet at the Trainline site (multi-currencies) or at the NS International site (Euro-payments)
This article was originally published in 2011. Last checked and updated 26 February 2026.
Links on AmsterdamTips.com may pay us an affiliate commission.
