Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is located less than 10km southwest of the city centre. It’s one of the busiest airports in Europe receiving 48 million passengers each year, but it’s easy to navigate and pleasantly efficient. You’ll find your luggage at one of 15 baggage belts and luggage trolleys are abundant and free. If you’re planning on taking the train to Amsterdam, which is the easiest way to reach the city centre, you might want to buy a ticket at one of the yellow and blue machines next to the conveyor belts while you’re waiting for your suitcase. The machines are fairly self-explanatory and available in English and you can pay for the short journey with a credit or bankcard. Once you clear customs you’ll enter the large arrivals hall, which is essentially part airport, part train station, part shopping centre and part food court. Although located under one roof, the building is divided, nominally at least, into terminals 1 - 4. Just walk straight to the main hall to find most services that you might need including transportation to the city. An official tourist information centre is available in terminal 2 (open 07:00 - 22:00). Luggage storage and lockers are available downstairs between terminals 1 and 2. Lockers cost €6/24hrs and you can pay with a card or with coins. You can also leave your bags at the storage office for the same price, but it’s only open from 06:15 - 22:45. A small bank of lockers is also available on the ground floor between terminals 3 and 4. Banks, currency exchanges and ATMs are plentiful so you won’t have any problems getting money.
Getting to town: If you’d like a taxi, then head to the far right of the arrivals hall after clearing customs and you’ll find a Travel Taxi office where you can order a cab and watch some TV until they call your name. Buses and hotel shuttles are available outside the terminal. Just walk straight through the arrivals hall and you’ll see the stops outside with the names of the city’s biggest hotels that operate their own shuttles. Each chain has its own schedule, which is clearly marked at the stop. You can also take the blue Connexxion Schiphol Hotel (www.connexxion.nl) shuttle that stops at a number of large hotels along a planned route. A very long list of hotels is posted at the stand. A single ticket costs €17 and children 4 - 14 travel for half price. If your hotel isn’t listed it’s possible that it can be arranged. City bus Nr.197 departs regularly for Leidseplein in the centre of Amsterdam as do other buses to a variety of other destinations in Amsterdam.
If you’re like most people you won’t even leave the terminal and you’ll head downstairs to catch a fast train that will take you to Amsterdam Central Station in 15 minutes for only €4. Just walk into the main hall to find a list of train departures. If you haven’t already bought a ticket you can purchase one from one of the many ticket machines with a credit card. Just choose English as your language on the touch-screen then choose the following steps: single, destination A.Centraal, 2nd class, full fare, valid today and the number of tickets. Choose your method of payment, insert your credit card, enter your PIN, confirm the price and then wait for your ticket to be printed. Once you reach the Central Station see ‘Arriving by train.’ You can also buy train tickets at the Train Tickets & Services office but you’ll pay an extra €0.50.