Getting to Amsterdam for a holiday break is no problem. Schiphol International airport is used by all airlines notable for cheap flight fliers, and Amsterdam Centraal railway station has links to all major European cities.
Amsterdam flights
Amsterdam flights land at Schiphol Airport including cheap flights by budget airlines. Flying from London takes about 45min. Schiphol airport has a single terminal split into three halls. On the ground floor, the arrival halls open onto the huge Schiphol Plaza shopping centre with cafes, restaurants and a supermarket.
Schiphol Airport to city centre:
Buses are the cheapest, trains the quickest and taxis the most convenient.
Trains: Trains leave every 15min to Amsterdam and take about 20min. Trains run href= hourly through the night, and fares are very reasonable.
Cars: Schiphol is on the A4 (E10) autoroute from Rotterdam and the 30min journey to Amsterdam is well signposted. Airport car parking is good but expensive, with two short stay car parks near Schiphol Plaza. The long stay car park is on the airport access road. A free transfer bus leaves every 10min day and night.
Taxis: Taxis wait outside the Arrivals hall an can be pre-booked on the Schiphol Airport website. Airport shuttle buses also run to the main Amsterdam hotels.
Buses: Service buses pick up in front of Schiphol Plaza, and KLM operates a fairly cheap half hourly shuttle bus to the main Amsterdam hotels.
For flights and info see Visit Amsterdam
Amsterdam by train
A Eurostar high-speed train runs from London to Brussels with high-speed Thalys trains from Brussels to Amsterdam taking about 3hrs. It’s fairly expensive but fast and comfortable, with frequent departures times.
Amsterdam by bus or coach.
Eurolines operate main UK coach services to Amsterdam. International buses arrive at Amstel Station, about 10km south of the city, with a 10min metro hop to Centraal Station.
Amsterdam by ferry
Overnight ferries offer a decent cabin and early morning arrival with deals to Amsterdam from as low as £25.
From London, Stena Lines have four car ferries daily to the Hook of Holland, about 77km from Amsterdam.
Newcastle to Ijmuiden - DFDS has an overnight ferry crossing of 16hrs. Ijmuiden is about 20km from Amsterdam and a coach meets the ferry.
Hull to Zeebrugge - P&O has one ferry crossing daily of 11hrs with rail links to Amsterdam.
Hull to Rotterdam - P&O has one ferry daily of 11hrs with rail and bus connections to Amsterdam.
Rosyth (Scotland) to Zeebrugge - Superfast Ferries has one overnight sailing of 17hrs with rail links to Amsterdam.
Amsterdam by road
The Netherlands has an excellent highway system of fast autoroutes and slower two-lane national highways. The E231 from the south, the E231 from the southeast, the E19 from the southwest, and the E22 connect to Amsterdam's A10 ring road.
Schiphol Airport
Fast trains
Centraal Station
Eurolines bus
Dutch flyer
