InterCity trains to Amsterdam, Lille, Luxembourg and beyond

You can take your bike on most trains. But conditions vary from one rail company to another:

Thalys

Folding bikes and bikes in a cover measuring a max. of 135 x 85 x 30 cm (both wheels unclipped) can be taken on the train free of charge, provided they are placed in the space reserved for luggage. This space can be found at the end of the carriages.

Due to limited space, bikes which are not folded up or have not had their wheels unclipped are not allowed on board Thalys.

If you are travelling from or to France, all luggage (including bikes) that you place in luggage compartments must carry a label with your name and seat number. Labels are available free of charge at your station of departure.

TGV^® Brussels-France

Folding bikes and bikes in a cover measuring a max. of 120 x 90 cm (front wheel unclipped) can be taken on the train free of charge, provided they are placed in the space reserved for luggage. This space can be found at the end of the carriages.

Due to limited space, bikes which are not folded up or have not had their front wheel unclipped are not allowed on board TGV^®.

All luggage (including bikes) that you place in luggage compartments must carry a label with your name and seat number. Labels are available free of charge at your station of departure.

TGV^® within France

There are several types of TGV® operating in France (TGV Réseau, TGV Duplex, TGV Atlantique, etc.). The option of taking your bike (or not) on board these TGV® trains depends on the trains used on the route concerned.

Eurostar

Folding bikes can be taken free of charge as luggage on Eurostar if they are no more than 85 cm in length when folded. They must be placed in a protective cover covering the bike fully.

Non-folding bikes (or bikes measuring more than 85 cm in length) must be handled by the Eurostar luggage registration service at a cost of €64, available in London, Paris, Lille and Brussels.

Contact the Eurostar luggage registration service

• at Paris Nord: +33 1 55 31 58 33
• at Brussels (Midi/Zuid): +32 2 224 88 62
• at London St Pancras: +44 344 822 5822

ICE

Folding bikes can be taken free of charge as luggage on ICE trains. However, due to limited space, non-folding bikes (even with front wheel unclipped) are not allowed on ICE trains.

To travel with your bike in Germany, take regional or InterCity trains instead, on which bikes are allowed.

Conventional InterCity and regional trains

In order to reserve space on the trains for strictly essential journeys and to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the transport of bicycles will be temporarily not be allowed on NS (Dutch Railways) trains from 12/05/20.

On most InterCity and regional trains, you can take your bike (or tandem) if you purchase a special bike ticket, available at our Contact Centre or at ticket offices of stations with international ticket sales. 

You can even take an adult's tricycle or a bike with a trailer, requiring 2 bike tickets.

As the number of spaces is limited, we recommend you travel at off-peak times. Loading and unloading bikes or tandems are the passenger's responsibility.

* For security reasons, the number of bicycles admitted on IC Netherlands (Brussels-Amsterdam and Brussels-The Hague) is limited to 4.

NS International - Regus Express lounges, situated at Amsterdam Central, Rotterdam Central and Schiphol stations are pleasant relaxing spaces, where you can relax or work whilst waiting for your train. They offer a Wi-Fi connection and meeting rooms.

These lounges can be used by:

• passengers with an international 1^st class ticket to or from the station concerned for the same day;
• members of a lyalty card of any Railteam partner.

Unlike most high-speed trains, InterCity and regional trains in Belgium and the Netherlands do not require a reservation. For these trains, you get an open ticket, valid on board any train on the date shown (at any time of day) and on the route as indicated on your ticket. Great flexibility!

Similarly, on IC and ICE trains run by Deutsche Bahn, seat reservation is optional. Consequently, most tickets for journeys in Germany do not necessarily show the time either. Remember though, that the Supersparpreis, Supersparpreis Europa and Sparpreis Europa economy fares do require you to use the specific train you chose when buying your ticket. In this case, the train number and time of departure are shown on your ticket.

If you're travelling by InterCity train between Belgium and the Netherlands, buy your tickets at least 7 days in advance: the Early Bird fare offers around 40% off for travelling from Monday to Thursday and around 20% off for travelling from Friday to Sunday (depending on the distance). 

If you're travelling between Belgium and Luxembourg, however, it may be cheaper to travel in the weekend: the Weekend fare offers 30% off your return journey from Friday to Sunday. And if you're younger than 26, the Youth fare will offer 30% off for travelling any day of the week.

If you're travelling between Belgium and Northern France with InterCity and TER Hauts-de-France trains, go for a return trip between Friday morning and Sunday evening: with the Weekend fare, you get 40% off. This Weekend fare applies to journeys to and from: Abbeville, Amiens, Annappes, Arras, Ascq, Aulnoye Aymeries, Baisieux, Béthune, Boulogne Ville, Calais Ville, Chantilly Gouvieux, Compiègne, Croix l'Allumette, Croix Wasquehal, Douai, Dunkerque, Etaples Le Touquet, Hellemmes, Le Cateau, Lens, Lezennes, Lille Flandres, Maubeuge, Noyon, Paris Nord (via Maubeuge/Aulnoye), Pont de Bois, Pont Ste Maxence, Roubaix, St Quentin (Aisne), Tourcoing, Valenciennes.

If you're younger than 26, there's a Youth fare for travelling between Belgium and the same destinations in Northern France. This Youth fare offers 30% off and is valid anytime.

For this type of train, there are no restrictions on the various fares. So you don't need to book ahead to get the best prices.

International season tickets are only available on the Brussels-Lille service (rail passes valid on TGV^® Brussels-France, Thalys and Eurostar).

If you take the same journey regularly on a Thalys train, remember that Thalys offers several ThePass options (Premium or Frequent), which means you benefit from cheaper flexible fares. Check the Thalys website for more information about Thalys ThePass. 

And lastly, as part of our national service, there are various types of seasonal tickets that are valid until the border (as well as specific season tickets to the neighbouring cities of Aachen, Maastricht, Roosendaal, Lille, Luxembourg and Maubeuge/Aulnoye). They can be combined with a rail pass from another rail company to continue your journey in one of our neighbouring countries.

More information about NS railcards from the border to your destination in the Netherlands >