what is the cheapest way to book a city trip to London?

The cheapest way to book a city trip to London is to reserve a train journey with Eurostar well in advance. The lowest prices often start around €44 for a one-way trip, but only if you are flexible with departure times (early in the morning or during the week). By cleverly combining outbound and return journeys, you can already make a complete city trip to London by train for about €119.

how do you book a cheap train trip for a city trip to Paris?

For a cheap city trip to Paris by train, it is wise to book at least a few months in advance via NS International. The cheapest tickets start around €35 for a one-way trip, especially if you take the first train of the day. Avoid last-minute bookings, as prices can rise to €170 or more.

when are train travels the cheapest for a city trip?

Train travel for a city trip is cheapest when you book early (often 2 to 4 months in advance) and travel outside peak times. Think weekdays or early in the morning. Traveling outside school holidays and public holidays, such as just after Easter or before summer, often results in the lowest prices.

what is the cheapest city trip by train from the Netherlands?

One of the cheapest city trips by train from the Netherlands is Bruges. Train tickets start from €22 for a one-way trip. With a little planning, you can travel back and forth for less than €70. Cities like Paris and London are also relatively cheap if you book in advance.

is a city trip by train cheaper than flying?

Yes, a city trip by train can be cheaper than flying, especially if you book early. While flight tickets often start around €200, you can take the train for as little as €35 to €75 for a one-way trip to cities like Paris or London. Additionally, you save on extra costs such as baggage and transportation to and from the airport.

City Trips

Forget the plane, these are the cheapest train trips for a city trip

By Laudonne Roos | #!31Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200+02:000131#31Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200+02:00-4Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam202631 31pm31pm-31Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200+02:004Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam2026312026Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200274273pmTuesday=9#!31Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam3#03-31-2026#!31Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200+02:000131#/31Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200+02:00-4Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam202631#!31Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:27:01 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam3#

Now that we are almost in April again, something is starting to gnaw at me: traveling. Yes, if there is one thing I look forward to for ages, it is packing a carry-on suitcase, booking a trip, and going to some city in the world. Or Europe, if I look at my own student budget. But anyway. Traveling then. I feel like a city trip and you probably do too. Just forgetting all worries while walking through a new environment. Going to the cutest bakeries, you know, those old-fashioned buildings with facades that are even more beautiful than theaters. That you almost bump your head on a sign that has been hanging there for a hundred years. Yes, that’s where I want to go, but flying? That has been quite expensive lately. With everything going on in the world, those prices are rising too, unfortunately. That’s why you better avoid that plane and go for the train instead. Then you won’t have to deal with ear pain, hoping you don’t crash, and the vacation starts as soon as you look out the window. Oh, and it’s super cheap now. We are always up for some early booking discount. I’m rambling on too long again, so read on quickly: these are the cheapest train journeys as we speak for your city trip.

Okay, I’ll be real with you: it really depends on when you go. In one city, you can be there next weekend for €100 and for the other, you might as well book in May. Pack your bags because we’re going to travel through Europe.

DThese prices are based on NS International prices for adults between 26 and 59 on 31-03-2026

Paris

It almost sounds too good to be true, but you can really go back and forth to the French capital for less than a pair of New Balance shoes. If you book now for August, almost every day costs €35 for a one-way trip. That does mean catching the first train at 06:10, but hey. Refresh yourself in your hotel, take a nap, and you can take on the day again. Then you’ll be in Paris for so little. And let’s be honest: what’s better than walking in the full sun along Le Bon Marché and eating sourdough bread with smoked salmon at Poilâne?One of May’s favorite classics!) to eat? Exactly. Nothing. Have a cocktail on the terrace, get a new wardrobe at Soeur, and head home after a long dinner at 19:55. Your return trip is a bit more expensive, but honestly? For €90, I’m happy to go away for a weekend. And I won’t say no to a direct train from Amsterdam Central.

Do you want to go a bit, eh, earlier than mid-summer? Then you can go back and forth at the end of May for €110. That’s cheaper than if you go now (yes, seriously: if you book now as we speak, it will cost you €170) and you won’t have to deal with that awful heat in the full sun on a terrace where you’ve been waiting for an hour because everyone is taking pictures of their third glass of red wine.

Bruges

Strolling through winding streets and walking over a bridge that has been there since the 8th century? You really don’t have to go to Edinburgh for that. It’s very beautiful, but you can find that in our neighboring country too. Bruges is indeed a real hotspot. Are you just done with everything and want to get away now, but really now? Then Bruges is the place to be for you. Just after Easter? You can easily be there for less than a night out in this Belgian city. Do you know how expensive the cheapest one-way trip is? €22. Yes, you heard it right. Twenty-two euros. However, there is something you have to consider for such a cheap train journey. Your train departs from Amsterdam Central at ten to six. Then you have to transfer at Schiphol to Antwerp Central. Once in Belgium, you transfer again in Ghent and 22 minutes (ha, coincidentally) later you step out in Bruges. How much does this little joke cost you? €40.70 one way and €25 on Sunday, April 19 at 18:06 back.

Isn’t that just the coupon clipping of train journeys? I’ve had groceries that were more expensive than these train tickets. So this is a deal you really shouldn’t miss. Just like that cone and stew at De Vlaamsche Pot. Wow.

Vienna

The largest city in Austria? You want to have seen that at least once. All those grand palaces of those emperors (no, you don’t have to have studied history to enjoy this. Seeing Sissi once is also good) and museums give you the feeling that you’ve stepped back into history. And if you visit a castle, let it be the Hofburg. Here, every staircase, every painting, and every lamp is decorated with the most beautiful materials.

Usually, you go here during Christmas for an ultimate Christmas experience, where you drink a dozen glühwein, but you can come here all year round. You book a seat, sleep a night, and the next morning you arrive in Vienna. Depart at 18:30 from Amsterdam, binge-watch Love Story as much as you can, and pull your blanket over your head to nap. After a night of rest, you wake up on Tuesday at 10 in the morning in Vienna. And that overnight stay? It can be extra luxurious because by traveling at night, you save a lot of money. If you travel back on Wednesday evening, April 15 at 19:36, you only have to pay €34.90. What does that mean, you ask? Well: that you travel back and forth for €69.80. And all you have to do is close your eyes and sleep. I know what’s going on my to-do list.

London

Now I understand that such a nearly 15-hour train journey is not for everyone. 5 hours is much more manageable, right? I thought so, because the next stop is London. Watch the Peaky Blinders-movie and Bridget Jones's Diary to get into the British mood and you’re almost in England, baby. I don’t know about you, but personally, I’m already getting butterflies thinking about walking around there. Walking in Marylebone, shopping for souvenirs in Camden, and doing all those typical touristy things. Yes, sorry, but I really want to go on the London Eye. Maybe you even have time to visit Hampstead? Your trip isn’t complete without seeing those pastel-colored houses. Believe me.

Enough talk about London, Laudonne. You want to know prices. And I get that. Are you a night owl? Then this is your cue to look away. Plan your trip in advance and take the first train in May at 06:40 from Amsterdam Central. Get on the Eurostar, sit for 4 hours and 17 minutes, and you step out at St Pancras. For how much? €75. That’s not the cheapest, but that will come back to you on your return trip. Now you have to be careful which one you take, before you suddenly pay €200 for your return trip. Enjoy three full days in London and then take the train back on Sunday morning at 08:16. This direct Eurostar brings you home before dinner and it only costs you €44. Speaking of insane. Where you would easily spend at least €200 for a plane ticket, it now costs you €119.

So you know: go like those coupon crazies keep an eye on the NS International app. Keep checking and before you know it, you’ll see exactly where you only have to pay €44 instead of €160 for a one-way trip. Because with these prices, flying is really ridiculous.