Officially known as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, this is one of the busiest airports in Europe.

It is located 20 minutes from Amsterdam city centre in Haarlemmermeer municipality, North Holland.

This is an international airport and the most important dutch gateway to the world, base of many international airlines such as KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Transavia, TUI Fly Netherlands, Martinair, and a focus city for Corendon Dutch Airlines, Level, and EasyJet.

Where does the name come from

The name of the flight terminal, Schiphol, was derived from a previous fortification called Ft Schiphol which belonged to the Stelling van Amsterdam defense functions.

Prior to 1852, there was a big lake at the Haarlemmermeer polder where the airport terminal currently lies.

The superficial waters of the lake would typically experience sudden storms which claimed many ships.

Undoubtedly this was the reason that the lake was reclaimed.

Schiphol translates to ‘Ship grave’ in English, referring to the many ships that were lost in the area.

Short history

Amsterdam Flight terminal started operating back in 1916 and it was initially made use of as a regional airbase for the armed force.

The flight terminal only had a couple of barracks as well as a field that used to serve both as the platform and an airplane taking off the path.

The civil airport terminals began making use of the facility in December 1920.

Today the airport has actually been constructed as one large terminal where all its centers are located under one roof.

This terminal has actually been split right into 3 huge separation halls.

There are strategies in place to expand the terminal as well as to construct various other different new terminals between the Zwanenburgbaan as well as Polderbaan runways.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has routinely appeared in Europe’s leading five airports listing in regards to traffic as well as a variety of flights as the airport is transited by 70 million guests each year.

There are several intercontinental airlines that operate from this airport. The airport also ranks as the 6th biggest in regards to international traffic.

Amsterdam Airport terminal has six paths and one is mainly used by general air travel aircraft.

There are strategies in a position to construct a 7th runway.

This airport terminal has made Amsterdam an inexpensive as well as easy location to grab several vacationers as there are roughly 100 airline companies that run from this airport terminal.

Because of extreme traffic combined with high touchdown charges, some of the low-cost service providers decided to relocate their trips to smaller airport terminals.

Nonetheless, there are still lots of affordable service providers running from the airport terminal building.

Airport facilities

At Amsterdam airport passengers can find the following services and facilities:

• Restaurants and cafeterias
• shopping centre: Clothing and souvenir shops
• Duty free with many attractive offers
• Massage services
• Baby care rooms
• Tax refund
• ATMs
• Bank offices and currency exchange
• Lost and found services for your luggage

Accommodation at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

For those of you who have an early morning flight or are just in transit we recommend taking a good night’s sleep and a warm shower at Sheraton Amsterdan Airport Schiphol .

This is conveniently located near the airport and 20 minutes train ride from Amsterdam city centre.

Stay safe while you travel

Getting from Amsterdam airport to city centre

There are buses, trains, taxis, and cars to rent directly from the airport, so getting to the city center has never been easier than it is now.

They are conveniently located close to the Arrival Halls so that you don’t waste time a lot of time in the airport and start your incredible vacation.

Bus Services

There are two buses which connect the airport to the city centre: bus 397 and bus N97.

The only difference between these two buses is that bus 397 goes during day time and bus N97 is during the night.

Both buses are Airport Express buses and get you to:

• Museumplein (27 minutes ride)
• Rijksmuseum ( 33 minutes ride)
• Leidseplein ( 35 minutes ride)
• Busstation Elandsgracht ( 39 minutes ride)

Please remember that none of these two buses go to Amsterdam Centraal station.

The buses from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol usually depart every 7 or 8 minutes and the bus ride lasts for about 30-40 minutes.

The bus station is located in the airport at the arrival terminal on platform B15-19 and the prices are 6 euro for a single trip and 10 euro for a return.

Schiphol Hotel Shuttles

These buses are the most comfortable and easy way to get from the airport directly to your hotel.

This service offers a cheap alternative to taxis and provides door-to-door service.

More than 100 hotels from Amsterdam city and around use this service and some of the hotels offer it complimentary when you pay for your accommodation.

After you book your overnight stay ask the hotel about this service as it is extremely convenient and comfortable after a long flight.

A single journey costs around 15 euro, for an adult and about 7 euro for children and you get the bus from Schiphol Plaza.

Taxi

Taxis are the most expensive way to travel from the airport to your hotel but if you have luggage it is probably the best choice.

The taxi ride time under normal traffic conditions lasts for about 15-20 minutes but the time might significantly increase if there are many traffic jams.

If you plan to take a taxi from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol you should know that there are three types of taxis:

• the regular one
•  a luxury Schiphol Business taxi
•  Schiphol travel taxi minibus

All these taxis operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the taxi parking is conveniently located close to Departure and Arrival halls.

The cost for a ride starts from 40 euro but it varies depending on your destination and traffic conditions.

The taxi station at the airport is located outside the main entrance of arrivals and train station level, right in front of Schiphol Plaza.

Car rental

Renting a car at Amsterdam airport is a really wonderful idea especially if you plan to visit the Netherlands countryside.

Inside the airport, you can find car rental offices from Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, and Sixt, all of them being located on the ground floor of the main terminal.

I don’t advise you to go directly to the rental office for renting your car as you might not be able to find the type of car you want or the price is higher than you expect.

It is always better to plan your trip in advance and book your car in advance to secure the best price and the type of car you want.

Get the best price for your car rental today

Train from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Schiphol train station is a very important hub for the Dutch rail network, being very easy to get from there to almost any location across the country.

The station is located directly below the terminal facilities and you have access there through the lift which goes up one floor.

From Schiphol train station passengers can get to several destinations since there are international trains, night trains, and intercity trains available.

The train which leads you to Amsterdam city center departs every 10 to 15 minutes and the ride lasts for about 20 minutes.

The train ride costs about 6 euro for one-way ticket 2nd class and 9 euro for one-way ticket 1st class.

For children with ages between 4 to 11 years the cost is around 3 euro, while kids below 4 years travel for free.

To purchase the ticket the tourists should go to the ticket desk on the arrivals level or at the yellow machines from Amsterdam airport and you can pay with a card or cash.

Aside from paper tickets, there is also the OV-chip card which is a widely accepted traveling system for train, bus, tram, or metro.

It consists of refundable cards, suitable for those of you who plan to use public transportation more than once.

There are many types of OV-chip cards: Personal, Anonymous, Single-use, and Business.

No matter which type of OV-chip card you choose you have to check in and check out the card when traveling.

The validation of the transportation card is quite simple and all you have to do is to swipe your card at the yellow card readers.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is not just the main dutch gate to the world but it is also an important European hub with more than 100 companies operating on it.

Getting from the Amsterdam Schiphol to the city center and to the other main cities of the Netherlands has never been easier.

Get a car and plan a strip across the country as the Netherlands has many wonderful places to visit, not just the famous windmills and tulip fields from the countryside.