Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport

A great city deserves a great airport, and Amsterdam is one of the few great cities of the world to actually have one. Schiphol has collected a long list of “best airport” awards over the years. No, it doesn’t really look much different from most other airports, but Schiphol is famous anyway for the fact that everything (usually) works as planned. Who flies into Schiphol? Schiphol is the home base to KLM Airlines so it’s possible to go nearly everywhere from Amsterdam non-stop. Transavia, KLM’s low-cost sister, is based here too, and Delta (which absorbed Northwest Airlines) flies in from a long list of US cities. easyJet, Transavia, and Vueling are among the low-cost carriers that fly directly into Amsterdam, and all that competition helps keep prices reasonable. In 2025 this was the fourth busiest airport in Europe, with 68.8 million passengers, behind London Heathrow, Istanbul, and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Just have a layover at Schiphol? Thousands of passengers every day change planes in Amsterdam and especially those flying on KLM or Delta often have layovers lasting between 3 and 12 hours in the city. The great news is that with as few as 3 hours between flights you can actually get to the city center for a quick look around, and it won't cost you much or be a big hassle. With more time you can actually take a canal cruise, see a museum, or visit one of the city's famous coffeeshops. Check out the Amsterdam Layover Guide for all the details. Other services The airport has loads of shopping in the main halls, including a large grocery store. The food court area has a huge variety and conveniently stays open until midnight. For years the Rijksmuseum ran a small free branch past passport control, but that exhibition has since closed. Getting into town from Schiphol Taxi - Obviously you can hire a taxi from the airport to take you directly to your hotel in the Amsterdam city center. It’s not cheap though, usually €50 to €80 as of 2026, and traffic into the city is often congested. If you’ve brought a ton of luggage or are traveling in a small group this isn’t a terrible option though. Bus - The Connexxion shuttle that used to loop around the big downtown hotels no longer runs. Your road option now is bus 397, the Amsterdam Airport Express, which stops at Museumplein and Leidseplein before ending at Elandsgracht, for €6.50 one-way as of 2026. Again, if you’ve brought too much luggage then this might not be a bad option, but it charges per person, so if you are traveling in a small group a taxi can work out about the same. Train - This is the best option for almost everyone. The train leaves around every 10 minutes from just beneath the airport itself. After you get your luggage just follow the signs for the train (take a couple of right turns and you’ll be there). Tap in at the gates with a contactless bank card, or buy a ticket from the machines, and then take the escalators down to the platforms below. A single second-class ticket to Centraal starts at €5.50 as of 2026, and a single-use ticket from the machine adds a €1.60 surcharge (more on fares here). If you buy a round trip ticket there it’s only good for the same day, so stick with the one-way. This station is on the normal rail lines so these trains are usually going beyond Amsterdam’s Centraal Station. They usually stop between one and three times before arriving at Centraal. Pay attention, follow the crowd and you’ll be fine. For more detailed information, see Getting from Amsterdam airport to downtown.