Amsterdam to Budapest travel is possible by train, plane or coach.
Budapest is the capital of Hungary and is located some 1,160km south-east from Dutch capital Amsterdam.
Amsterdam to Budapest travel overview |
[1] Amsterdam-Budapest by Train
There are no direct rail services between Amsterdam and Budapest. There are numerous options for getting between the 2 cities by train – you can choose to travel on daytime services (with or without an overnight stop) or make use of night sleeper trains.
Options involve travel via Germany and Austria or taking an alternate Eastern route via Berlin.
Amsterdam-Munich-Budapest by daytime trains
Whilst it’s possible to do the entire Amsterdam-Budapest journey by the daytime we would recommend either stopping overnight along the way or taking one of the night train services.
Trying to do the trip in a single day limits your train options and so prices could be higher and availability restricted.
The Amsterdam-Budapest journey can be done during the day with a single change at Munich Hbf station.
Modern ICE trains (ICE3M BR 406 variants) run 1x daily between Amsterdam and Munich. Additionally, Austrian Railways OBB Railjet trains run between Munich and Budapest via Vienna.
Take ICE 225 from Amsterdam Central at 08:30, arriving at Munich Hbf at 15:40. From there take a RailJet train (RJX 261) at 17:29 (direction Budapest) which arrives in Budapest-Keleti at 00:19. Journey time: 15 hours 48 mins.
You can do the reverse Budapest-Amsterdam trip in a single day – however this requires at least 2 changes as the early morning direct Railjet arrives at 14:35 in Munich – after the daily ICE train has left for Amsterdam at 14:20.
One can change in Salzburg to take an earlier ICE to make the connection in Munich.
However, for a more relaxed journey either way using daytime trains we recommend making an overnight stopover in Munich.
There are a large range of hotels around Munich Hbf for your stopover including Aloft Munchen, 25 Hours The Royal Bavarian, Eden Hotel Wolff and the budget THE 4YOU Hostel/Hotel.
- Amsterdam-Munich ICE fares (direct service) start at €69.99 (2nd class) and €89.99 (1st class) – connecting services can be as low as €37.99 (2nd class) and €49.99 (1st class)
- Munich-Budapest Railjet fares start at €39.99 (2nd class) and €69.99 (1st class). There is a premium 1st product from €84.99.
You can book Amsterdam-Budapest, Amsterdam-Munich and Munich-Budapest fares at the Trainline site or at the NS International site
Amsterdam-Budapest using sleeper trains
There are 3 possible sleeper options on this route though these still require connections. They are the Amsterdam-Vienna NightJet, the Berlin-Budapest EuroNight and the Stuttgart-Budapest Euronight. We would probably recommend the first option.
Amsterdam-Vienna NightJet + Vienna-Budapest
Austrian Railways ÖBB operates a NightJet nightly train service both ways between Amsterdam and Vienna.
The Amsterdam-Vienna service features the latest generation of NightJet trains.
The Amsterdam-Vienna service departs nightly from Amsterdam at 18:30 or 18:01 (times can vary during the year) and arrives in Vienna at 09:48 the next morning – giving a journey time of nearly 16 hours.
The train runs via Utrecht, Arnhem, Essen and Dortmund. It continues to Nuremberg where the train splits into a Munich bound section (via Augsburg) and a Vienna-bound section via Linz.
From mid-June to December the train runs Nuremberg-Munich-Salzburg-Linz-Vienna.
From Vienna the NightJet train departs at 20:10. It arrives the following morning at Amsterdam Central at 09:59.
One-way tickets prices for NightJet range as follows: €35-€165 for a 2nd class seat; €50-€230 for a couchette bunk (4-6 people); €100-€1,030 for a sleeper cabin for 1, 2 or 3 people.
The new NightJet trains also feature private mini cabins, a cocoon-like space featuring a 1.89m bed with breakfast included. They are good for solo travellers and are priced from €100.
You can book NightJet tickets at the NS International site or at the Trainline site.
There are Eurocity (Hungarian Rail) and RailJet (ÖBB) trains running regularly throughout the day between Vienna and Budapest with a journey time under 3 hours. Tickets cost from €19.90 (2nd class) and €29.90 (1st class).
There is also Czech low cost operator RegioJet which runs a 4x daily rail service between Vienna and Budapest with prices from €9.
Vienna-Budapest tickets can be booked at the TheTrainline site
Hungarian Railways sleeper trains
MÁV-csoport (Hungarian State Railways) runs a network of sleeper trains which could also be considered as part of travel between Amsterdam and Budapest.
There are 2 services of interest for Amsterdam-Budapest travellers:
- Berlin-Budapest EuroNight service (Metropol)
- Stuttgart-Budapest EuroNight service (Kálmán Imre)
You can travel between Amsterdam and Berlin by ICE in under 6 hours with 6x daily services. Amsterdam-Berlin fares start at €37.90 (2nd class) and €49.90 (1st class).
The Metropol EuroNight sleeper departs Berlin Hbf at 20:11 and arrives at Budapest-Nyugati at 08:29. The train has seats, 6-bed and 4-bed couchettes plus 1-3 bed sleeper cabins. Fares from €47.
The other way it leaves Budapest-Nyugati at 19:30 and arrives at Berlin Hbf at 07:41.
You can travel between Amsterdam and Stuttgart by ICE train – the 1x daily Munich-bound train stops in Stuttgart. Fares start at €37.90 (2nd class) and €49.90 (1st class).
The Kálmán Imre EuroNight sleeper departs Stuttgart Hbf at 20:29 and arrives at Budapest-Keleti at 09:19. The train has seats, 6-bed and 4-bed couchettes plus 1-3 bed sleeper cabins. Fares from €47.
The other way it leaves Budapest-Keleti at 20:40 and arrives at Stuttgart Hbf at 08:38.
[2] Amsterdam-Budapest by Air
Flying is the quickest and most convenient way to travel between the 2 cities. Flights from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) take about 2 hours.
- KLM-Air France (Skyteam) operates up to 5x daily Amsterdam-Budapest flights with KLM Boeing 737/Airbus A321neo aircraft and Air France Hop-branded Embraer 190 aircraft
- One way fares start at €159 (Basic fare, small hand-baggage only) and from €198 (Standard fare, checked bag)
[3] Amsterdam-Budapest by Coach
Amsterdam-Budapest by coach is rather a long-haul with journey times ranging from 22 to 31 hours.
- Flixbus operates connecting Amsterdam-Budapest coach services daily – with changes possible in Germany, Vienna or Prague
- The main coach stop in Amsterdam is at Amsterdam Sloterdijk station
- Flixbus serves Budapest Népliget, Kelenföld or Mexikói út stops
- Fares range from €57 to €120 one-way
- Flixbus allows 1 checked bag which is stowed in the luggage compartment
- It also allows 1 item of small hand baggage
Amsterdam Resources
Looking for a convenient hotel near Amsterdam Central station? Check out the stylish Kimpton-De Witt (IHG) which is a short walk from the station. For those on a budget the Ibis Amsterdam Centre is literally on top of the western edge of the station platforms.
The I Amsterdam City Card (1-5 days) offers free entry and discounts to numerous Amsterdam museums and attractions. It also includes a free public transport pass, a canal cruise and bike rental as well. You can order your I Amsterdam City Card online here
Budapest Resources
In Budapest you can book your hotel with Booking.com here. For a selection of tours and attractions in Budapest book with GetYourGuide here
This article was originally published in 2013. Last checked and updated 10 February 2026.
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