Ready to enjoy a walking tour through Delft but uncertain how to get there?
Take the train!
There are direct connections from Amsterdam to Delft and also from Rotterdam to Delft.
Dutch trains are safe and comfortable but tourists may struggle a bit to get their ticket and “check in”. Let me clear up those doubts for you!
Planning your trip
You best friend is the official trip planner (In English) from the NS (Dutch Railways) to know departure times, platforms and prices.
You could get the mobile apps for iOS and Android too but that doesn’t offer any major benefits for the occasional traveler.
Here’s some terminology that might be helpful
Intercity versus Stop Train (Sprinter)
Intercity train
An Intercity (yellow + blue) connects the most important train stations while skipping small villages or the secondary train stations some larger cities have.
Most tourist will want to take intercities as they generally aren’t going to small villages.
Note that the Intercity Direct is a special service between Rotterdam and Amsterdam which comes at an additional cost.
Stoptrein A.K.A. Sprinter
The Stop Train “sprints” from station to station and due to the great amount of stops is generally the slower option when comparing to an Intercity
How much does a ticket cost?
Tickets for Sprinters and Intercities come at the same cost.
The price is determined by the length of the trip but here are some examples for common, one-way, 2nd class tickets:
- Amsterdam to Delft: € 15,30.
Duration: 1 hour - Rotterdam to Delft: € 3,90
Duration: 14 minutes - Utrecht to Delft: €14,80
Duration: 1 hour
Must I reserve a seat in the train?
No. Seating is arranged at a first come first serve basis.
You can grab a train at any time of the day and take a seat in areas with blue seats (the majority)
The areas with the red seats are first class and require a more expensive ticket.
How to get a train ticket
Contactless Tickets
By far the easiest way to travel is to simply tap your credit card on the turnstile. No additional actions needed.
If your card is supported then the turnstile will open.
If not then an explanatory message will be shown on the display.
When you arrive at your destination you repeat the process and you will be billed for the distance you traveled.
Supported cards are:
- Any credit card by Mastercard or Visa that support contactless payments;
- Any debit card by Maestro, V PAY, Mastercard or Visa;
If that doesn’t work for you then you should proceed to a ticket vending machine.
Buying a ticket at the ticket vending machine
If you can’t simply tap your credit or debit card then get a paper train ticket from the ticket machines that are found on all train stations.
On every train station you’ll find large yellow machines that support multiple languages.
How to get train tickets at a discount
Check out the options on the official website for multi-day visits or family discounts. Alternatively you can also combine your train ticket with a visit to a venue and get a bulk-discounts through sites like Tiqets.com.
Buying a ticket online
Buy an e-ticket online and save €1,00 per ticket.
Note that there’s a few caveats:
- Most but not all turnstiles come with a visual scanner.
Make sure yours is a visual scanner as seen in the picture below. - If you do not print your ticket, ensure NFC is disabled on your Android Phone or Apple Pay is disabled on your iPhone as the scanner will prioritize the NFC communication over the visual scanner.
If you are too hasty at accepting things on your phone you might end up paying twice.
Turnstiles
Almost all train stations have turnstiles with gates that only open after you scan your ticket so you can’t go wrong.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport does not have those.
Instead you can just get onto the train. Once you go through the turnstile at your destination your ticket will be marked as used.
Amsterdam Central Station ↔ Delft
From Amsterdam Central Station there’s an “Intercity” service straight to Delft.
No need to change trains and the commute takes about 1 hour.
