antwerp - amsterdam

how would be the best way of travel for 6 adults to go to amsterdam for a day

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It takes about 2 hours by train from Antwerpen-Berchem to Amsterdam-Centraal, with InterCity departures at 31 minutes past each hour (e.g. dep. 08:31 arr. 10:38, dep. 09:31 arr. 11:38) or Thalys, which you would have to reserve (see www.thalys.com) dep. 09:05 arr. 11:06. Towards the end of this year when the high-speed track comes into operation, Thalys should be about twice as fast as IC but at the moment they take the same amount of time. All trains, both THA and IC, are shown in the b-rail timetable on http://www.b-rail.be/int/E/

On Thalys, the normal fully-flexible fare (Librys) is €40.50 each way while Mezzo, if available for your choice of train, is €21.50. So, depending on what is available for your chosen departures, the 2nd class RETURN fare on Thalys can be €43, €62 (if it is possible to combine Librys one way with Mezzo the other) or €81. The number of cheap fares on each train is limited so the further in advance you book (within reason - you may not be able to do so more than 3 months in advance) the better the chance of getting a cheaper fare.

IC on the other hand costs €28.80 each way from Antwerp to Amsterdam, so €57.60 return. This on a weekday, I didn%26#39;t check whether there are weekend reductions as there would be for travel within Belgium, since you didn%26#39;t specify that you would be travelling on a Saturday or Sunday. You can buy IC tickets just before departure, or in advance if you prefer, specifying date of travel. You can also buy them online from Belgian Railways, using the link below the timetable search form on the b-rail site given or directly from:

…bene-system.com/bene/servlet/Controller…

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