Look at http://www.seat61.co… for all you need to know. I buy tickets from the rail line itself; often you can get a better price by buying in advance, but its like a deeply discounted airline ticket; expensive or impossible to change. In your case, either http://reiseauskunft… or http://www.ns.nl/en/… should help.

A bus might cost less, but be slower, and it seems harder to find bus tickets on line.

Rail Europe is a travel agency. They sell rail tickets at “global fare” which is about 30% over what you’d pay at the station. The cheapest way to buy tickets is from the individual national rail company websites. Try to buy this ticket from the Netherlands or German websites. http://reiseauskunft… is the German site (also the best place to check train schedules for all of Europe and British isles). The links to all of the national rail company websites are in a sticky at the top of this forum and under “transportation” on the travel tips tab.

If you’re pressed for time, then consider Easyjet too. http://www.skyscanne…