Overland to the start

London to Amsterdam by train and ferry

No flights ~a day travelling Bike friendly Trains + ferries

The overnight boat from Harwich is the civilised way into the Netherlands: dinner, a cabin, and breakfast as the Hook comes into view. Ride off the ramp and you are already on the Dutch network, with EuroVelo 12 along the coast and EuroVelo 15 up the Rhine within an hour of the port. No bike bag, no dismantling, no airport.

The chain

  1. 🚆
    London to Harwich by rail or road Greater Anglia from Liverpool Street takes bikes; the boat train runs to the quay itself.
  2. â›´
    Harwich to Hook of Holland by ferry Stena Line · about 7h · bikes roll on
  3. 🚆
    Hook of Holland to Amsterdam by rail
Ferry times here are typical crossings, not a timetable. Trains change with the season and the day of the week. The planner checks both for your dates and warns you when a train wants the bike bagged. Check anything safety critical with the operator before you travel.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax will time every train, check the bike rules on each leg, and build the rest of the tour around it. Free to start. No account needed.

Plan London to Amsterdam live →

Book the legs

TourTrax never sells tickets. Each leg is booked with its operator directly:

Why go overland

Flying with a bike means a box, an oversize fee, and an hour on the airport floor with a multitool. Go this way and the bike stays built. Wheel it onto the ferry, hang it in the bike carriage, ride away at the far end. The travelling stops being the tax on the holiday and becomes the first two days of it.

This page comes from the corridor research that powers the TourTrax planner, written by a Cicerone guidebook author who travels this way. Have a look at the curated routes for where the chain could take you.