Schiphol to Amsterdam centre: train, bus 397, taxi

Few airports are as easy to leave as Schiphol. The train station lies directly beneath Schiphol Plaza, the arrivals hall, so you go from baggage claim to the platform in a few minutes. You have three good options: the train to Amsterdam Centraal, bus 397 to the museum quarter, or a taxi. The short answer: take the train – it is the fastest way to the centre and you do not even need a ticket if you have a contactless bank card. If your hotel is near Museumplein, Vondelpark or Leidseplein, the bus is more direct.

Schiphol to Amsterdam centre: the options

Times: train from NS and I amsterdam, taxi as pure driving time to Dam Square based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. At rush hour, plan more for the taxi. Bus 397 (below) has no fixed journey time; it depends on traffic.

The train: the fastest way

According to the Dutch railways NS, eight trains an hour run from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal, via Sloterdijk and Lelylaan, and the journey takes about 17 minutes. The trains usually leave from platform 3, but check the departure boards, because the platform can change.

• Paying by card: you can tap a contactless bank card, credit card or phone at the card readers (check-in poles) before you go down to the platform, and tap again at the gates at Amsterdam Centraal. That replaces the ticket. Every traveller needs their own card.
• Buying a ticket: at the yellow NS ticket machines in Schiphol Plaza, or online beforehand.
• Check in and out: do not forget to tap out at the end – otherwise a higher fare is charged.
• At night: NS also runs night trains between Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal, much less frequently. On some weekends, maintenance work replaces them with buses; check the NS journey planner if you land late.

From Amsterdam Centraal, the old town, the canal ring and Dam Square are within walking distance, and trams and metro lines start in front of the station. Direct trains also run from Schiphol to Leiden, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht – useful if Amsterdam is only one stop of your trip.

Bus 397: for the museum quarter

Bus 397, the "Amsterdam Airport Express", leaves from stop B17 – leave Schiphol Plaza and turn right. It runs through the south of the city to Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein, and ends at the Elandsgracht bus station. According to I amsterdam, it runs every 10 minutes during the day; at night, the N97 night bus runs hourly.

The bus is the better choice if your hotel is near the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Vondelpark or Leidseplein: you get off almost at the door, while from Centraal you would need a tram. The trip takes longer than the train and depends on traffic. Note that the 397 does not go to Centraal; the night bus N97 does.

Taxi and transfer

Taxis wait at the official taxi rank outside Schiphol Plaza; you do not need to book. Ride-hailing apps use their own pick-up point, signposted in the terminal. Without traffic the drive to Dam Square takes a little under half an hour. A pre-booked transfer is useful if you arrive late with children or as a group: a driver waits in arrivals with your name and drives you to your hotel. Airport transfers in Amsterdam^* can be booked with Welcome Pickups. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Hotel in the old town, the canal ring, near Centraal or in the Jordaan: the train to Amsterdam Centraal.
• Hotel near Museumplein, Vondelpark or Leidseplein: bus 397.
• Arriving after midnight: night train or N97, or a taxi.
• Children, lots of luggage, group of four or more: taxi or pre-booked transfer.

Good to know: the I amsterdam City Card does not cover the trip from the airport, so pay for that separately. If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land – a travel eSIM for the Netherlands^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

Trains run from Amsterdam Centraal to Schiphol all day, eight an hour. Plan with the 17 minutes plus a buffer, and allow for the size of the airport – security at Schiphol can take a while at busy times. If your flight leaves in the evening and you have already checked out, you can use luggage storage near Centraal^* (Radical Storage) while you take a last walk along the canals.

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Amsterdam, with plans for one to four days.

Amsterdam trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

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