Schiphol is one of the easiest major airports to leave. The train station sits directly under the terminal, the city is barely 15 minutes away, and you can pay by tapping a card. Still, there are four real options and the right one depends on your luggage, your budget and where exactly you are staying.
Here is each one compared honestly, with 2026 prices.
The 30-second decision table
| Option | Cost (one-way) | Time | Best for | Biggest catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train (NS) | ~€7 | 14-17 min | Almost everyone | Crowded at peak; not all trains go to Centraal |
| 397 Airport Express bus | ~€6.50 | ~30 min | Leidseplein / Museum Quarter stays | Card-only on board; slower than train |
| Official taxi | €40-50 (fixed) | 25-40 min | Heavy bags, group, kids | Stuck in rush-hour traffic; train still beats it |
| Uber / Bolt | €35-55 | 25-40 min | Off-peak door-to-door | Airport surcharge; surge pricing |
| Amsterdam Travel Ticket (1-day) | €18 | n/a | Visitors using lots of city transport | Overkill if you mostly walk |
For 80% of visitors the answer is row one: walk down to the station, tap your contactless card, and you're at Centraal before you've finished your coffee.
The train (the default answer)
For most people, take the train. The station - Schiphol Airport - is directly beneath the airport plaza, a short escalator ride from arrivals.
- Journey time: 14 minutes on the Intercity, 17 on the Sprinter, to Amsterdam Centraal
- Frequency: every few minutes during the day, 24 hours a day (hourly overnight)
- Cost: around €7 for a single second-class ticket to Centraal in 2026
You can simply tap a contactless bank card or phone at the pink-and-blue OVpay gates - tap in at Schiphol, tap out at your destination. No ticket machine needed. If you prefer a paper ticket, buy it from the yellow NS machines or the service desk; there is a small surcharge for the disposable chip card.
One tip: not every Amsterdam visitor wants Centraal. Trains from Schiphol also stop at Amsterdam Zuid, Amsterdam RAI and other stations. If your hotel is in the south or near the Museum Quarter, getting off earlier can save you a tram ride back.
Important OVpay rule: tap in and out with the same card or device. If you tap a physical Visa to enter and Apple Pay (backed by that same card) to exit, the system reads two separate identifiers, leaves one journey open and may charge you a maximum daily fare. See our OV-chipkaart vs OVpay 2026 guide for the full breakdown.
The 397 Airport Express bus
The Connexxion 397 Airport Express runs from outside the terminal to the Museum Quarter and Leidseplein area.
- Journey time: about 30 minutes
- Frequency: every 7-15 minutes, roughly 05:30 to midnight (the N97 night bus covers the gap)
- Cost: about €6.50 single, €11.75 return in 2026
The bus makes sense if you are staying near Leidseplein, Museumplein or the Vondelpark - it can drop you closer than the train plus a tram. The driver sells tickets but takes cards only, no cash. OVpay tap-in/tap-out also works on board. Otherwise the train still wins on speed.
Taxi and rideshare
A taxi or an Uber/Bolt is the door-to-door option, worth it with heavy luggage, a group, or a young family.
- Official taxi: metered, but most offer a set price. Expect roughly €40-50 to the centre; the city caps the fare around €47.
- Uber / Bolt: typically €35-55 depending on demand, plus an airport pick-up surcharge
Use the official taxi rank outside arrivals - ignore anyone approaching you inside the terminal offering a ride; those drivers are routinely unmetered and overcharge. Journey time is 25-40 minutes, but can be much longer in morning or evening rush hour, when the train will simply beat a car into the centre.
The Amsterdam Travel Ticket
If you plan to use city transport heavily, the Amsterdam Travel Ticket bundles the airport transfer (train and bus 397) with unlimited GVB tram, metro and bus travel. It costs roughly €18 for one day, €23.50 for two, €29 for three in 2026. It is convenient, but do the maths - if you mostly walk, paying per journey with a contactless card via OVpay (and its daily fare cap) is often cheaper.
For a side-by-side of every Amsterdam pass option, see our Amsterdam transport pass comparison.
Heading the other way - to Schiphol from the city
Same options in reverse, with a few specific notes:
- Allow extra buffer time at rush hour. The 06:00-09:00 weekday trains south are full; if you're catching an early flight, take the train that arrives 20-25 minutes before the airport's recommended check-in time, not the one that gets you there exactly on time.
- The first NS check-in machines you see in the airport are upstairs in Schiphol Plaza; if you're tight on time and tapped in, you can also use the gates further along.
- For very early flights (before 06:00), the night train from Centraal departs about hourly. Check NS for the exact schedule.
Quick decision guide
- Travelling light, staying central - train, every time
- Staying near Leidseplein or the museums - 397 bus, or train then short tram
- Heavy bags, a group, or late at night with kids - taxi or rideshare
- Planning lots of tram use over several days - consider the Amsterdam Travel Ticket
- Staying near Centraal Station - train, walk to your hotel
A few practical notes
- Follow the "To trains" / "Schiphol Plaza" signs from arrivals; everything is on one level.
- Trains can be busy at peak times - second class is fine, first class rarely worth it for 15 minutes.
- Heading back to catch a flight, allow extra buffer: trains are reliable but rush-hour platforms get full.
- Your OVpay contactless tap works for the train and the GVB transport in the city, but they are billed as separate fares - the airport train is an NS journey, not a GVB one.
- The Schiphol station has direct trains to Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Brussels too, so it doubles as your launchpad for day trips by train.
For nine out of ten visitors, the answer is simply: walk down to the station, tap your card, and you are in the centre before you have finished your coffee.
Once you are in town, our guide to getting around Amsterdam by tram, metro and bus covers the city network in full. If you're sorting out where to base yourself, see where to stay in Amsterdam for a first-time visit. For the bigger pass-vs-pass decision (City Card, Travel Ticket, GVB pass, Holland Pass), the transport pass comparison walks through every option.
