OUT OF AMSTERDAM

Our travel expert answers your questions

We are a party of four travelling from Amsterdam to Nieuwpoort in Belgium for a barge cruise. What is the easiest way to get there? We don’t want to fly. — Heila Jacobs

The best way to travel between these two centres is by rail. You travel by train from Amsterdam to Ostend (via Antwerp) and then transfer to a suburban tram for the short run to Nieuwpoort. Bookings are heavy for the busy summer-holiday season. In test reservations, the average fare in second class from Amsterdam to Ostend was around R1200 (raileurope.co.za).

From Ostend the best way to get to Nieuwpoort is to use the coastal tram which takes around 35 minutes (delijn.be). A one-way ticket bought in advance can cost you as little as 2 euros (R27).