Home / Amsterdam /Airport Schiphol / Sprinter to Amsterdam Centraal vs Intercity to Utrecht Centraal

AMS → Amsterdam · head to head

Sprinter to Amsterdam CentraalorIntercity to Utrecht Centraal?

The short answer

These do not go to the same place, so price is not the comparison. The Sprinter to Amsterdam Centraal reaches Amsterdam Centraal station, at the top of the old center; the Intercity to Utrecht Centraal does not. Runs south-east to Utrecht, skirting Amsterdam at Zuid and Bijlmer ArenA, and never reaches its center.

The Sprinter to Amsterdam Centraal is quicker: 16 min against 32 min. The Intercity to Utrecht Centraal varies between 29 and 33 minutes.

Sprinter to Amsterdam Centraal: 05:39–01:09. Intercity to Utrecht Centraal: 02:03–00:33.

Priced against each other

Whole-party totals · adult fares
What each costs for the whole party, in EUR. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row.
TravelersSprinter to Amsterdam CentraalIntercity to Utrecht CentraalDifference
1€5.50€11.60€6.10
2€11€23.20€12.20
3€16.50€34.80€18.30
4€22€43€21
5€27.50€54.60€27.10
6€33€66.20€33.20
7€38.50€77.80€39.30
8€44€86€42

Side by side

Where each one leaves you
regional · NSSprinter to Amsterdam Centraal
From
Platform 3, directly below Schiphol Plaza; check in at the yellow columns at the top of the escalators
To
Amsterdam Centraal, via Lelylaan and Sloterdijk
Luggage
Space between the seat backs and under the seats; luggage trolleys at the station.
Runs
05:39–01:09
Journey
14–18 min

Do not queue for the machine: a single-use chipcard costs EUR 1.60 more than tapping the bank card in your pocket or buying an e-ticket, for the same EUR 5.50 ride.

Since 1 July 2026 a new anonymous OV-chipkaart cannot be bought; check in with a contactless card or phone, or buy an e-ticket.

Check in AND out. A forgotten check-out is EUR 33.30 on a bank card, a forgotten check-in EUR 20.

Vivid, Paysafe and Revolut digital debit cards are refused at the check-in columns; Maestro, V PAY, Mastercard and Visa work.

Sprinter to Amsterdam Centraal: price for every party size →

See the fare on NS
train · NSIntercity to Utrecht Centraal
From
Platforms 1–2, directly below Schiphol Plaza
To
Utrecht Centraal, via Amsterdam Zuid and Bijlmer ArenA
Luggage
An Intercity, with racks and space by the doors.
Runs
02:03–00:33
Journey
29–33 min

Board an Intercity, not a Sprinter: both are direct, but the Sprinter takes 65 minutes for the same fare.

A single-use chipcard from the machine adds EUR 1.60; tap a bank card or buy an e-ticket instead.

The Off-peak Group Ticket is not valid on weekdays 06:30–09:00 or 16:00–18:30, even for a journey begun before the peak.

Intercity to Utrecht Centraal: price for every party size →

Buy the ticket from NS

This compares two of 10 options. See all of them ranked for your party size →

The other comparisons at Airport Schiphol