The Dutch Railways, (Nederlandse Spoorwegen.) (NS Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Holland))

Member Name: flyingdutchwoman

Product:	NS Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Holland)
Date:	04/07/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: User Friendly, Inexpensive, almost always on time

Disadvantages: watch which part of the train you get in!

Well, what can I say about the Nederlandse Spoorwegen? (NS)
I travel to The Netherlands from the UK fairly often, because I am Dutch, and my family lives there.

I use a wheelchair myself, and I find traveling can be rather difficult, but not on the Dutch Railways.

The Dutch seem to know exactly how to run an efficient railway system, and they are of the attitude that everyone should be able to access it. If you want to travel with luggage, or children then this is no problem.

All of the trains seem to run with clockwork efficiency, and if there are any problems, they will warn you easily, and even give you an alternative route. You can go almost anywhere on the train in Holland; from tiny little villages in Groningen, right to the major cities all over.

The links to and from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport are fantastic, and are not daunting in the slightest.

All of the staff I have met so far speak English, so that is not a problem. (Although, I speak Dutch myself.) They are very helpful, and are willing to alwys do what they can to help.

A couple of things to consider/watch out for however.

If you want to buy your ticket from a manned booth at the station, this will cost 50 cents more per ticket.

Also, you must make sure you get into the right part of the train, on each carriage is the place name of the destination, and you must be in the right carriage, because sometimes they split the train in two, and one half will go in a totally different direction to the other one!

Overall, the railways are an excellent way of getting around the country, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for an affordable way to travel around The Netherlands.

Summary: Wonderful experience, and I recommend to all.