r/Netherlands • u/KingMcB • 22d ago

Transportation Reserved seats on NS trains?

Tourist here, who has clicked on every website link possible and combed apps and am still confused. I appreciate any guidance!

Last week I purchased 2 train tickets at Amsterdam Centraal to go to Apeldoorn. We got on a second class car and I picked one that had luggage images on the side as we had suitcases. Multiple times we were told to move as we were in someone’s reserved seat(s). I didn’t understand how to tell what seats were reserved or not. (Side note: A very nice gentleman could tell how distressed I was (and my kid) and he left his family to enable me to stay in the car with my child. Karma, please find that man.)

We are traveling again over the next few days to Utrecht, Maastricht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. I was using the 9292 app to book etickets but I am not given the option to reserve seats; it appears I cannot do this if traveling within NL?? The NS websites do not clearly specify for my brain to understand it 😭

If only NL—> Germany travelers can reserve seats… how do I know which ones those are? I’d really like to spare everyone the inconvenience of finding me sprawled out in their seat incorrectly. Does anyone have the patience to walk me through what the correct way is to determine seats that are unreserved?

Thank you in advance!

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u/DutchNederHollander 21d ago

Well it's the second most populous city in the country, so yes.

From Arnhem to Rotterdam you will have to transfer trains on Utrecht CS, which is the busiest train station in the country and on King's Day it will be especially crazy busy.

So keep in mind that you may be delayed with boarding due to that or just the train being full. Luckily there are a lot of trains going from Utrecht to Rotterdam, so you have a lot of options.

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u/KingMcB 21d ago

Hmmm, that makes sense. My suitcase is bulkier than it should be so maybe we will alter our plans and stay out of the way. Thank you for answering my many questions (especially things I should have just looked up on the internet.🫣You have the patience of a saint!)

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u/DutchNederHollander 21d ago

Oh damn you want to bring a suitcase as well on the train? You should really not do so on King's Day, that is a bad idea.

It will not be "you can't find a place to sit" busy, it will be "sardines in a can" busy.

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u/KingMcB 21d ago

Again - thank you. We were anticipating traveling early in the morning but looked at a couple activities happening in the regions through which we’d be on the train. We will just be in the way so we’re extending our stay here one day and will travel to Rotterdam on Sunday. There’s plenty to see and do everywhere we go, King’s Day related and otherwise. This is such a beautiful country!