Amsterdam Airport is called Schiphol and it is the main international airport for the whole of the Netherlands. Schiphol Airport is about five and a half miles southwest of Amsterdam in an area called Haarlemmermeer. Officially, and on all the signs, the airport is called Amsterdam Airport Schiphol as opposed to Schiphol Airport or Amsterdam Airport.

GETTING TO AMSTERDAM CENTER BY TRAIN
Travel into the centre of Amsterdam from the airport is very easy as the airport is so close to the city. The Nederlandse Spoorwegen is the national train operator in the Netherlands and it serves the train station which is directly underneath the main passenger terminals. Travelling by train is the swiftest and cheapest method of getting into Amsterdam and other cities within the region such as Utrecht and The Hague.

Apart from serving Amsterdam Centraal, Utrecht and The Hague Centraal, the high speed train also goes to Rotterdam and Eindhoven; and there are high speed links from Schiphol Airport to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris.

The train journey from Schiphol to Centraal Station in Amsterdam is usually 20 minutes.

GETTING TO AMSTERDAM CENTER BY BUS
Bus services to Amsterdam from Schiphol Airport are as good as the trains and in some cases may be much more convenient for your apartment or hotel. Most of the buses provide wheelchair access and offer plenty of room for luggage and other personal items.

The Schiphol Sternef network of buses operates frequently from early until late. The average journey time to Amsterdam by bus from Schiphol Airport is about thirty minutes. When you arrive at Schiphol Airport you will usually find the bus you want waiting in Schiphol Plaza which is right in front of Arrivals and Departures.

The Interliner is an express bus service from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol that goes to Amsterdam Zuid and Amsterdam Centre. The buses are designed for international travellers with low floors for easy boarding and alighting.

It takes about forty-five minutes to get to Amsterdam from Schiphol Airport by bus.

Photo Credit: Chorcel | Since 2006 Holiday Velvet offers holiday apartments in Amsterdam.