By Plane

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (often known solely as Schiphol) is located 15km southwest of the centre of Amsterdam. It is the third busiest airport in Europe, servicing more than 60 million passengers per year from over 180 destinations.

Get to the city centre by train:

Schiphol Train Station is located directly below the airport and is a short walk from Arrivals. Travellers can reach the platforms by stairs, escalator or lift. Trains depart the Station for Amsterdam Centraal approximately every 10 minutes and the journey takes 14-17 minutes. Tickets can be purchased from the yellow ticket machines for €5.50. Alternatively, you can purchase an Amsterdam Travel Ticket which enables you to use all of the city’s public transport (including buses, trains and trams) for a period of one day (€17), two days (€22.50) or three days (€28).

Get to the city centre by public bus:

The bus terminal is located directly outside the Schiphol Plaza, a short walk from Arrivals. The Amsterdam Airport Express (Bus 397) departs from Platform B9 and will take you from the airport to Museumplein (28 minutes), Rijksmuseum (32 minutes) and Leidseplein (34 minutes). The bus departs every 10 minutes (between 7am and 6pm) and every 15 minutes after 6pm and costs €6.50 (one-way) or €11.25 (return).

Get to your hotel by shuttle bus:

The Schiphol Hotel Shuttle departs from Platform A7 at Schiphol Plaza, a short walk from arrivals. The shuttle departs the airport every 30 minutes between 6:30am and 9pm and can take you to any hotel in Amsterdam. Bookings can be made online prior to arrival or from the service desk at the airport. Rates depend on the distance to your hotel but most city-centre hotels will cost €18.50 (one-way) or €29.50 (return).

The shuttle bus is a cost-effective method for those with heavy luggage or mobility issues.

Get to the city centre by taxi:

The official taxi stand is located at the front of Schiphol Plaza and from there you can catch a metered taxi to your destination. Taxi drivers must accept credit cards, cannot refuse a trip and will issue you with a printed receipt. Taxis will charge a Boarding Rate (€3.19), Mileage Rate (€2.35) and Time Rate (€0.39 per minute). A journey from the airport to the city centre will take approximately 25-45 minutes and will cost approximately €40-50.

By Train

Amsterdam Centraal Station is located in the heart of the city, within easy walking distance of many attractions and hotels. Designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers, who also designed the Rijksmuseum (Dutch National Museum), Amsterdam Centraal is the main entry point for those arriving in Amsterdam by train. From Amsterdam Centraal you can travel by train to many cities and towns in The Netherlands as well as enjoy direct routes to many European cities. Amsterdam Centraal Station is also well connected to the city Metro, Tram, Bus and Ferry network.

Domestic and IC Train tickets can be purchased from the yellow ticket machines found throughout the station. These machines can be accessed in English and accept cash and credit cards. Alternatively, you can purchase tickets from the ticket counter found on the ground floor level. International tickets are best purchased online and in advance to save on booking fees and guarantee a seat (with the additional purchase of a seat reservation).

From the station, travellers can walk into the heart of the city, take a bus, tram or metro train or catch a taxi to wherever they need to go.

Note: To enter and exit the train platform area of Amsterdam Centraal, you will need to scan your ticket at the barriers. This includes Eurail and Interrail tickets.

By Sea

Over 300,000 travellers arrive in Amsterdam by ocean or river cruise ships each year. The Maritime Passenger Terminal Amsterdam is centrally located and makes travel to the centre of the city or to the airport simple.

Walk to Amsterdam Centraal Train Station:

Amsterdam Centraal Station is approximately 10-15 minutes flat walk from the Passenger Terminal.

Get to the Centraal Train Station by tram:

From the Passenger Terminal, walk approximately 3 minutes to Tram stop Muziekgebouw Bimhuis. From here take the number 26 tram (Direction Centraal Station) which will take approximately 3 minutes. Tickets can be purchased on the tram using a credit card or OV-chipkaart (discussed below). The journey will cost €1.06.

Get a taxi from the Passenger Terminal:

From the Passenger Terminal you can catch a metered taxi to your destination. Taxi drivers must accept credit cards, cannot refuse a trip and will issue you with a printed receipt. Taxis will charge a Boarding Rate (€3.19), Mileage Rate (€2.35) and Time Rate (€0.39 per minute).

By Car

If possible, it is best to avoid driving into the centre of Amsterdam due to its narrow streets, heavy traffic and expensive and hard to find parking options.

P+R (Park & Ride):

If you are travelling throughout Europe or The Netherlands with a car, an option is to park at a P+R (Park & Ride) location out of the centre of the city and take public transport into the centre. There are 9 P+R locations located on the outskirts of the city and each has easy public transport options into the centre of Amsterdam. Rates (max parking time up to 96 hours):

Arrive on weekdays before 10:00: €8 for the first 24 hours, then €1 for each additional 24 hour period.

Arrive on weekdays after 10:00: €1 per 24 hour period.

Arrive on the weekend: €1 per 24 hour period.

For the discounted parking rates to apply, you must purchase a P+R GVB (transport) card within one hour of parking, then travel to the city centre by public transport. When leaving, you must return from the city centre zone by public transport, then pay the P+R fee within 1 hour of checking out of public transport. Remember to check in and check out (by holding your card next to the electronic card reader) when you use public transport.

For more information visit the website: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/plan-your-trip/getting-around/parking/park-and-ride

Moving Around the City

Once you have arrived in Amsterdam most of the sights will be an easy and flat walk away, though do be careful of the cobblestone and sometimes uneven streets. The city does however have a useful public transport network (including tram, metro, bus and ferry) to help you get around.

OV-chipkaart

To pay for public transport you will need to purchase an OV-chipkaart, a smart card used for public transport in the Netherlands. As a tourist, you can choose to purchase a Reusable Card or a Disposable Card.

Reusable Card: Will cost €7.50 for the card and then you load credit onto the card to use as you need. Travel costs will typically be cheaper than a Disposable Card.

Disposable Card: Can be used for a single or return journey or an hour or daily pass. The Amsterdam Travel Ticket is a disposable ticket that enables you to use all of the city’s public transport (including buses, trains and trams) for a period of one (€17), two (€22.50) or three days (€28).

Both types of card can be purchased at the airport, stations, newsagents or supermarkets. You can also buy Disposable Cards from the conductor on a tram or bus.

Note: It is important to remember you need to check in at the start and check out at the end of each public transport journey. You do this by holding your card next to the electronic reader.

Tram

The tram network of Amsterdam consists of 14 tram lines and 500 stations covering the Amsterdam city area. Trams are blue and white and you will hear their distinctive bell ringing as they approach. Each tram stop has a map of the network to help you find where to go.

Remember to check in and out using your OV-chipkaart for each journey.

The tram line operates between 6:00am and 12:30am each day and trams will arrive approximately every 5-10 minutes. Outside of these hours, night buses replace trams for these journeys.

Metro

The Amsterdam Metro consists of 5 lines (3 of which originate at Amsterdam Centraal Station) and 39 stations. The Metro is mainly used as a method to reach the outlying suburbs of Amsterdam. Visitors to Amsterdam are encouraged to use the tram or walk.

Ferry

There is a free ferry service from Amsterdam Centraal Station across the river IJ to Amsterdam North.

Bicycle

One of the first things you will notice when arriving in Amsterdam is the sheer number of bicycles. In fact, there are said to be over 880,000 bikes in Amsterdam, more than one for each person living there. The popularity of cycling in Amsterdam has skyrocketed since the 1970s when governments began to plan and install bike lanes throughout the city in order to help protect cyclists from accidents with vehicles. The fact that Amsterdam is almost entirely flat and is quite compact has also contributed to its popularity, with 58% of Amsterdammers over 12 said to cycle daily.

There are over 500km of dedicated cycling paths in Amsterdam, however, visitors should think carefully before hiring a bike as cycling in the city can be a stressful and dangerous experience. Most locals have cycled all their lives and cycle with confidence, at speed, often turning a blind eye to road and traffic rules. It can be an intimidating experience for those not used to cycling and Amsterdammers do not take kindly to tourists cycling slowly, stopping suddenly or riding dangerously.

If you feel confident, there are plenty of bike rental shops found throughout the city where you can rent a bike for an hour (approx. €5), a day (approx. €9) or several days. Remember, despite how the locals might behave, always follow the road rules, be careful when crossing tram tracks (to avoid getting your wheels stuck) and make sure you have at least one lock on your bike!