Amsterdam, Netherlands Hotels and City Guide

Amsterdam Hotels and Amsterdam Guide with Amsterdam maps, top attractions, room reservations and hotel deals at a wide range of the best Amsterdam hotels

Amsterdam - Getting There

Arriving by Air: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)

Amsterdam is served by Schiphol International Airport, located 9km (5.6 miles) outside of Amsterdam.

Getting Into Town
Inexpensive and efficient bus and train services operate between the airport and the downtown area. At quieter times, these journeys can take just 15 minutes but even during busy periods, the trip is unlikely to take longer than half an hour.

Arriving By Rail

Most trains arrive and depart from Amsterdam Centraal Station, located between the old centre and the IJ waterfront. Other train stations are Duivendrecht, Bijlmer-ArenA, Amstel, Muiderpoort (all southeast), RAI, Zuid-WTC (both south), Lelylaan and Sloterdijk (both west). Schiphol airport also has its own train station, which functions as a major hub within the Netherlands. It has at least seven trains an hour to Amsterdam Central, with additional trains going to other Amsterdam stations.

Direct international trains run to Brussels (connecting with Eurostar trains to London St Pancras and Ebbsfleet (Kent) in England), Paris, Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin, Copenhagen, Milan, Vienna, Prague and Moscow.

Arriving By Road

The western part of the Netherlands has a dense (and congested) road network. Coming from the east (Germany), the A1 motorway leads directly to Amsterdam. On the A12 from Arnhem, change at Utrecht to the A2 northbound. From the south (Belgium), the A2 goes directly to Amsterdam: the A16 /A27 from Antwerp via Breda connects to the A2 south of Utrecht. From The Hague, the A4 leads to Amsterdam. All motorways to Amsterdam connect to the ring motorway, the A10. From this motorway, main roads lead radially into Amsterdam (the roads S101 through S118).

In most cases, you should want to avoid going to the city centre by car: traffic is dense and parking spaces are expensive and nearly impossible to find. Instead, when on the A10, follow the signs to one of the P+R-spots (P+R Zeeburg to the east, P+R ArenA and P+R Olympisch Stadion to the south, P+R Sloterdijk to the west). Here, you can park your car, and take public transport to the city centre, for a single fare. There are also a few places a short walk from outer tram stops to park for free.

The speed limit on Dutch motorways is 120 km/h, except where indicated. On the A10 ring motorway around Amsterdam, the maximum speed is 100 km/h, and 80 km/h on the Western section. These limits are strictly enforced and there are many speed cameras.