Arriving in Amsterdam by train and plane could hardly be easier. Amsterdam’s international airport is a quick and convenient train ride away from the city’s international train station, which is itself just a ten-minute metro ride from the terminus for long-distance and international buses.
Amsterdam’s international airport, Schiphol (0900/0141 www.schiphol.nl), is located about 15km southwest of the city centre. Trains run from there to Amsterdam Centraal Station every ten minutes during the day, every hour at night (midnight–6am); the journey takes 15–20 minutes and costs €3.80 each. Taxi fares from Schiphol to most parts of the city centre are €40–45. The Connexxion bus service (038/339 4741 www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl) departs from the designated bus stop outside the Arrivals Hall every half an hour (on the half-hour) from 6am to 9pm at a cost of €13.50 one-way, €22 return. The route varies with the needs of the passengers it picks up at the airport, but buses take about thirty minutes to get from the airport to the city centre. Tickets are available from the Connexxion desk in the Arrivals Hall.
Amsterdam’s Centraal Station (CS) has regular connections with key cities in Germany, Belgium and France, as well as all the larger towns and cities of the Netherlands. Amsterdam also has several suburban train stations, but these are principally for commuters. For all rail enquiries contact NS (Netherlands Railways international enquiries 0900/9296 domestic enquiries 0900/9292 www.ns.nl or www.9292ov.nl).
Eurolines (020/560 8788 www.eurolines.nl) long-distance, international buses arrive at Amstel Station, about 3.5km to the southeast of Centraal Station. The metro journey to Centraal Station takes about ten minutes.