Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (IATA code: AMS), in Dutch Luchthaven Amsterdam-Schiphol is the airport serving the Dutch capital. It is the most important in the Netherlands and the fourth most important in Europe in terms of passenger numbers and cargo traffic.
It is located in Haarlemmermeer, a municipality about 20 km southwest of Amsterdam built on land reclaimed from the sea in the 19th century.
Just below Schiphol Airport is the railway station. Trains to Amsterdam Central Station are available from early in the morning until late at night. Tickets can be purchased directly at the counters in the station or booked directly online.
The train is therefore the best choice to get to the city, but several companies such as Schiphol Sternet, Zuidtangent and Interliner provide buses with fairly frequent runs from early in the morning, guaranteed until late in the evening.
A direct train line connects Schiphol International Airport with Amsterdam Central Station; this is the fastest and most convenient way to reach the city centre.
Trains depart every 10 minutes from tracks 1 and 2 at Schiphol station, operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which is located just below the passenger terminal. The train takes 15 to 20 minutes to Central Station and tickets can be purchased directly at the ticket machines located just before the platforms.
From Schiphol station there are also trains to Amsterdam Sloterdijk, a somewhat more decentralised area that has, however, recently seen the opening of several hotels, and even international trains, including Thalys, ICE international, CityNightLine and Eurostar.
The ticket can also be used on all means of transport in the city such as trams, buses, metros and ferries operated by the Amsterdam transport company GVB for the entire period of validity. It is valid for 1 to 3 days and is therefore a good solution for travelling not only from the airport to the centre, but also around the city.
The Amsterdam bus station is located in front of Schiphol Plaza, opposite the main entrance to the airport.
A bus service directly connecting Amsterdam Airport with the centre is offered by the Amsterdam Airport Express with Bus 397. The bus takes between 30 and 45 minutes to reach the various stops in the city centre. The bus option can be convenient if the place of accommodation is close to one of the stops.
The service is operated by the Connexxion company, and to consult the stops and timetables, visit the official website. Buses leave from Platform B9 in front of Schiphol Plaza every 10 to 15 minutes.
Connexxion also offers a connection to the Sloterdijk railway station; you can take bus 69 in case your hotel is located in this area of Amsterdam. The bus departs from platform B14.
Numerous regular buses run past the main entrance of Schiphol Plaza and take you to various destinations in different parts of Amsterdam. The number of journeys and waiting time are indicated on convenient electronic panels, and tickets can be conveniently purchased from the bus driver; however, remember to have small denomination notes available.
There is a shuttle service from the airport also run by the Connexxion company, which offers a connection service to more than 100 hotels throughout the city.
The shuttles leave every 10 minutes and fares are a little higher than for train and bus tickets; however, it is still an inexpensive option, especially if you buy a single round-trip ticket now.
Tickets can be purchased at the Connexxion Shuttle Desk in arrivals area 4 at Schiphol or at the Information Centre located in arrivals area 2. Hotels that have opted for this transport system are often luxury hotels.
The Taxi Amsterdam Deluxe service takes you from the airport directly to your booked hotel or accommodation. The service does not come cheap, but can easily be booked online and is without a doubt the most convenient option, especially for those travelling with children or several pieces of luggage.
There are also other companies that provide taxi services from the airport to the centre of Amsterdam, whose parking areas are located right in front of Schiphol Plaza. The offer is extensive and reservations are not necessary, so you will certainly not incur any inconvenience or long waits.
The centre of Amsterdam is easily accessible by car from Schiphol Airport thanks to the A4 and A9 motorways. All major car rental agencies in Amsterdam, including Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National Alamo and Sixt, have their offices at Schiphol Plaza.
If you have a boarding pass, you can of course make all kinds of purchases at the duty free shop, but there is much more at Schiphol: inside the departure terminal there is an area called Holland Boulevard where you can admire various works of art, discover literature and try restaurants offering typical Dutch cuisine.
There is no shortage of opportunities for entertainment: from the excitement of the casino thanks to theHolland Casino, to a wellness centre for relaxing, to a library for reading. The presence of free WI-FI internet access in every corner of the airport, separate smoking areas and plenty of shops for every interest make your stay at Schiphol really interesting and not at all boring while waiting for your flight.
Schiphol Airport also has a section of the Rijksmuseum that can be visited free of charge, where you can admire a permanent collection on the Dutch masters of the 17th century, and a theme park for the enjoyment of airport passengers, the first of its kind worldwide, which opened in May 2011.
In the departure area before the security checkpoint, and therefore accessible to all, Amsterdam Airport has a shopping centre, called Schiphol Plaza, open 7 days a week. This shopping area, which also has a number of food outlets, is located on the ground floor and is immediately at the west entrance of the terminal.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is well organised in every respect, including for children, offering two different areas for the entertainment of young passengers waiting for their flight:
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was inaugurated on 16 September 1916 as a military airport, and from there the step to becoming one of Europe’s most important airports was a short one: although destroyed during World War II by a bombing raid, the facility was very quickly rebuilt, and in 1949 the Dutch authorities decided that Schiphol would become the main airport of the Netherlands.
There are six main runways at Amsterdam Airport, all of which are used for scheduled flights. The sixth runway was completed in 2003, at a considerable distance from the rest of the airport, which is why it was nicknamed Polderbaan. To reach it, aircraft have to cross the A5 motorway, a journey that takes up to 20 minutes from the terminal.
The air terminal is equipped with a modern control system that uses biometric technology and facial recognition as well as a new, innovative, fully automated baggage handling process: suitcases are placed in 6 robotically controlled recesses where they are scanned and sent to the baggage handling system.
On the first floor there are several convenient self-service check-in kiosks.
The structure consists of a single large 3-storey terminal, from which branch off the arms where the 165 boarding gates are located.
Schiphol is the main hub for the Dutch national airline KLM, the low-cost carrier Transavia and other Dutch airlines such as Corendon Dutch Airlines and TUI Airlines Netherlands. It is also the hub for Europe for Indian Jet Airways and US Delta Airlines. With almost 60 million passengers carried each year, it is the 14th largest airport in the world.
The major airlines are present at Amsterdam Airport, offering daily flight availability in practically all time slots to meet the various needs of travellers. It is used by more than 100 airlines and operates connections to over 300 destinations worldwide.
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