Travelling to Amsterdam
By plane
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is huge - so when leaving Amsterdam, give yourself enough time to get to your plane! A 15-minute train ride will get you from the airport to downtown Amsterdam. Easyjet (http://www.easyet.com) and other low-cost carriers have flights to and from Schiphol, providing a fairly economical way to city-hop to Amsterdam from other spots in Europe. If you decided to bring your bicycle on the plane with you, there is a 15-kilometer bike path that starts at the airport and leads directly to Amsterdam. Turn right as you leave the airport terminal. The path starts at about 200 metres down the road.
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is huge - so when leaving Amsterdam, give yourself enough time to get to your plane! A 15-minute train ride will get you from the airport to downtown Amsterdam. Easyjet (http://www.easyet.com) and other low-cost carriers have flights to and from Schiphol, providing a fairly economical way to city-hop to Amsterdam from other spots in Europe. If you decided to bring your bicycle on the plane with you, there is a 15-kilometer bike path that starts at the airport and leads directly to Amsterdam. Turn right as you leave the airport terminal. The path starts at about 200 metres down the road.
By train
Most trains arrive and depart Amsterdam from Amsterdam Centraal (Amsterdam Central Station) which is located on the IJ at the center of the semicircle of canals which define the main layout of the city. Other train stations are Bijlmer, Amstel, Muiderpoort (all southeast), RAI, Zuid WTC (both south), Lelylaan and Sloterdijk (both west). The nearby airport Schiphol also has a train station. At least seven trains an hour run from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal, with additional ones going to other Amsterdam stations. Tickets can be bought from machines around the station as well as at human operated ticket booths. One-way and round-trip tickets from machines are € 0,50 cheaper than those from ticket booths. All trains in the west of the Netherlands are operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (http://www.ns.nl) (NS, "Dutch Railways"). On the Dutch railways website there are pages in english.
Most trains arrive and depart Amsterdam from Amsterdam Centraal (Amsterdam Central Station) which is located on the IJ at the center of the semicircle of canals which define the main layout of the city. Other train stations are Bijlmer, Amstel, Muiderpoort (all southeast), RAI, Zuid WTC (both south), Lelylaan and Sloterdijk (both west). The nearby airport Schiphol also has a train station. At least seven trains an hour run from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal, with additional ones going to other Amsterdam stations. Tickets can be bought from machines around the station as well as at human operated ticket booths. One-way and round-trip tickets from machines are € 0,50 cheaper than those from ticket booths. All trains in the west of the Netherlands are operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (http://www.ns.nl) (NS, "Dutch Railways"). On the Dutch railways website there are pages in english.
English pages of Dutch Railway
International tickets are available at the travel agency near the westernmost station entrance of Amsterdam Central Station.
International tickets are available at the travel agency near the westernmost station entrance of Amsterdam Central Station.
By bus
There's only one bus service from Schiphol Airport. It's called the "Interliner", and it's the only green bus at the bus station in front of the terminal building. Be sure to ask the driver if he's going to Amsterdam (or look at the sign on the bus), otherwise you'll end up in a small town called Alphen aan den Rijn.
There's only one bus service from Schiphol Airport. It's called the "Interliner", and it's the only green bus at the bus station in front of the terminal building. Be sure to ask the driver if he's going to Amsterdam (or look at the sign on the bus), otherwise you'll end up in a small town called Alphen aan den Rijn.
By car
The western part of the Netherlands has a dense network of highways, of which a number lead to Amsterdam. Coming from the east (Germany), the A1 leads directly to Amsterdam, and the A12 goes to Utrecht, where you can change to the A2. From the south (Belgium), the A2 goes to Amsterdam and the A27 has a connection to the A2. From The Hague, the A4 leads to Amsterdam. The A1, A2, A4 and (from the north) A7/A8 lead to the beltway/ring road around Amsterdam, the A10. From this highway, many main roads lead radially into Amsterdam (the roads S101 through S118). Note that the speed limit on Dutch highways is 120 km/h and on some highways 100 km/u. These limits are strictly enforced and there are many speed cameras.
The western part of the Netherlands has a dense network of highways, of which a number lead to Amsterdam. Coming from the east (Germany), the A1 leads directly to Amsterdam, and the A12 goes to Utrecht, where you can change to the A2. From the south (Belgium), the A2 goes to Amsterdam and the A27 has a connection to the A2. From The Hague, the A4 leads to Amsterdam. The A1, A2, A4 and (from the north) A7/A8 lead to the beltway/ring road around Amsterdam, the A10. From this highway, many main roads lead radially into Amsterdam (the roads S101 through S118). Note that the speed limit on Dutch highways is 120 km/h and on some highways 100 km/u. These limits are strictly enforced and there are many speed cameras.