Transfer from the airport to the center of Amsterdam:
- Recommended transport: the best thing to do is to take the train that brings you directly to the Central Station of Amsterdam (Amsterdam CS). Inside the airport, there's a station situated below the "airport plaza" (it's a sort of covered interior plaza that you will arrive at following the signs for trains that are in the airport). The trains to Amsterdam usually leave from platforms 1 or 2. Once in Amsterdam, walk to the hotel or take the closest tram (2.90€ tram ticket). Taxis are very expensive and in many places they will almost take you further away than the right tram. In the "Hotel" tab we show you number of the tram from the hotel or B&B.
- Frequency: every 15 min from 6:00am to 12:00am and every hour between 1:00am and 6:00am
- Length of journey: 15-20 mins.
- Cost: €4.20 one-way and €8.40 round trip on weekends. Take the second class tickets (there's not much difference between them and first class). The most expensive trains, called Fyra, are slightly faster and cost €4.40 each way. Unless a train is right in the station and the next to leave (and you don't want to wait), it's not worth it.
- Where to buy tickets: at the yellow machines in the entrance hall (there will usually be a line) or in the plaza before going down into the station (recommended). Follow this process:
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Enter the destination code: for the center of the city it's "1000"
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Press the button "2e Klas" (almost no different than first class)
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Choose "Vol Tarief" (complete fee)
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Choose "Alleen Vandaag Geldig" (travel today)
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Choose "Enkele Reis" for one-way. "Retour" would be for same-day round-trip and "Weekendretour" is a round-trip fare but it's only valid if you arrive friday after 7:00pm and leave before Monday at 4:00am.
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Insert the amount of money indicated on the screen. The fee can be paid with money, a debit card, or a Master Card. If the credit card isn't a Master Card, there will be a €1 additional charge.
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Grab the tickets and the change then and catch your train.
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A taxi costs around 50€ and takes around 15-25 minutes.
There is also the Schiphol Hotel Shuttle, which leaves every 10-30min from the A7 bus stop at the Plaza exit. It costs 17€ one-way and 27€ round-trip. It takes about 30 minutes to reach most of the hotels in the city. In the Airport Plaza there's a booth for this company where you can find out which stop is closest to your hotel.
