The Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus is one of the many overnight bus options available throughout Europe.

If you are backpacking Europe on a shoestring budget or just trying to save some time by combining transportation and accommodation, an overnight bus could be a good fit for you.

Need to get Flixbus tickets? Grab them here. 

See also:

• Flixbus Wifi Exceeded: 5 Tips for Outsmarting the Flixbus Wifi Limit
• Is Flixbus Reliable? An Honest Flixbus Review

Benefits of Taking Overnight Buses in Europe

The Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus (and other similar routes) essentially functions as a long haul flight. You go to sleep in one location and wake up in another.

Here are the good parts:

• Saving on accommodation

The best possible reason for wanting to take an overnight Flixbus (or the like) would be to save money by combining your transportation and accommodation for one evening. Depending on your level of accommodation (hostel or Airbnb) and your location in Europe (Northern, Eastern, etc.) this could be anywhere from $20 to over $100 saved.

• No “wasting” daylight

Assuming your time in abroad is limited, it can be frustrating to waste an entire day on a bus or a train waiting to arrive in a new destination when you would rather be out exploring it. When you take an overnight bus in Europe, you can avoid this by zipping between locales when everything cool is closed anyway.

• No trekking to the airport 

Most Flixbus stops are in central locations throughout the city, so you don’t have to worry about the added expense and time of getting all the way out to the airport from the city center. You just show up 15 minutes early, hop on your bus, and then you’re off.

• Inexpensive tickets

Taking an overnight bus in Europe is always cheaper than flying (especially when you add in the expenses of getting out to the airport) and usually cheaper than a train. When I took the Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus, I paid 37 Euro for my approximately 11-hour journey.

See also:

• 5 Questions to Ask when Traveling to Avoid Common Travel Mistakes
• Hate Traveling with Friends? Here’s How to Avoid Fighting on Vacation

Drawbacks of Taking an Overnight Bus in Europe

• Potential for limited sleep

Just like an long haul flight, you might not get too much sleep on an overnight Flixbus — it just depends on how creative (and tired!) you are. The Flixbus seats are comfortable and do recline more than seats on a airplane, so if you can sleep at a 45 degree angle, you’ll be fine.

There is lots of leg of room on a Flixbus, too, so if you need to stretch out your legs to sleep, you will be accommodated. I am 5’6″ (about 1.68 meters) tall and had plenty of space. If you’re taller, just sit on the aisle seat to stretch your legs.

If your bus is empty side, the best spot to sleep is on the second level in the back row, stretched out across all the seats.

• You could sleep through your stop

When I took the Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus, I got on at the first stop and off at the last, but we made many stops in between, like in Hamburg, Germany and Groningen, Netherlands. If you’ve booked to one of these smaller “on the way ” stops, you should set an alarm for about 30 minutes before the arrival time on your ticket. This way, even if the bus is running ahead of schedule, you won’t sleep through your stop.

See also:

• Study Abroad Preparation Checklist: 5 Things to do BEFORE Studying Abroad
• How to Deal with Homesickness while Studying Abroad

My Experience on the Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus

I thought that getting from Berlin to Amsterdam was going to one of the tricker parts of planning my trip in Europe, but it was actually one of the easiest thanks to Flixbus.

I was scheduled to leave from the Berlin Alexanderplatz Flixbus stop, but due to the Berlin Marathon, the bus stop was relocated for the day. The Flixbus team let me know about these changes well in advance and sent me the address of the new stop multiple times, even including the exact coordinates — just in case. It was easy to find and left on time.

My bus was completely full as we left Berlin, but when a quarter of the bus got off in Hamburg, I finally got to spread out and get some sleep. I remember waking up right outside Amsterdam and actually said to the girl next to me, “Wow, that actually wasn’t as bad as I thought.”  The 11 hours flew by!

Need to get Flixbus tickets? Grab them here. 

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I didn’t partner with Flixbus for this review; however, after my journeys finished, I became a Flixbus Affiliate and will receive a small commission from purchases made through my blog.  All opinions, as always, are my own. You can read more in my Privacy Policy.