From the airport to Amsterdam centre

🚆 NS train · Sprinter / Intercity

• 💶 Price: Tickets at a machine come on a single-use chip card with a €1.60 surcharge (NS price list 2026). An e-ticket, or checking in and out with a contactless bank card (OVpay), avoids it. Children aged 4 to 11 can use a Railrunner.
• ⏱️ Time: 17 min
• 🔁 How often: 8 an hour (fewer after 21:00), 1 an hour at night
• 🕔 Last departure: the night train runs every night, about once an hour, at the daytime fare; works sometimes replace it by a bus: check the NS app
• 🛫 Leaves from: Schiphol Airport station, directly below Schiphol Plaza (escalators and lifts from the arrivals hall)
• 📍 Arrives at: Amsterdam Centraal; also Amsterdam Zuid and Sloterdijk
• 🎫 Ticket: NS app or ns.nl e-ticket; check in and out with a contactless bank card or phone (OVpay) at the gates; or the NS machines on Schiphol Plaza.

• Amsterdam Centraal is the stop for the old centre. For the museum area, Amsterdam Zuid or a tram from Centraal can be closer.
• Check in and out with the same card or phone.

Official site ↗

🚌 Amsterdam Airport Express · 397 (day), N97 Niteliner (night)

• 💶 Price: €6.50 · Single e-ticket; a return costs €11.75. Both are valid on the 397 and the N97. You can also pay the driver by card only (no cash) or buy at the ticket office outside Schiphol Plaza. Tickets are not refundable and do not allow changing buses. The Amsterdam Travel Ticket is also valid.
• 🔁 How often: every 10 min by day
• 🕔 Last departure: The night bus N97 follows the same route. First and last departures were not published on the pages we read: check the 9292 or Transdev planner.
• 🛫 Leaves from: Bus stop B17, right outside Schiphol Plaza (turn right when you leave it)
• 📍 Arrives at: Direct to Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein
• 🎫 Ticket: Transdev/Connexxion e-ticket, the driver (card only), the ticket office outside Schiphol Plaza, or contactless OVpay.

• Best for a hotel near Leidseplein, Museumplein or the Rijksmuseum: no change needed.

Official site ↗

🚕 Taxi and ride apps

• 📍 Where: The official taxi stand is in front of Schiphol Plaza: follow the signs and the stickers on the floor. Taxis use the meter and take contactless payment. Use only the rank, not drivers who approach you in the hall.
• 📱 Ride apps: Uber and Bolt use their own app pick-up point, separate from the taxi stand: follow the signs or the airport map. The app shows the price before you order.

• Government maximum rates for street (rank) taxis in 2026, cars for up to 4 people: €4.31 start fare, €3.17 per km and €0.52 per minute; minibuses for 5 to 8 people: €8.77, €4.00 per km and €0.59 per minute. Companies may charge less. Pre-booked taxis are not capped.

Official site ↗

🌙 Landing late at night

After the last regular train, an NS night train runs about every hour through Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal. The night bus N97 follows the route of the 397 to Museumplein and Leidseplein. Taxis also run all night.

🛫 Going back to the airport

Take the train from Amsterdam Centraal (also Zuid or Sloterdijk) to Schiphol Airport. Bus 397 or N97 to the airport leaves from the Leidseplein, Museumplein and Elandsgracht area; a return ticket costs €11.75. Allow extra time when works disrupt the trains.

🚌 Bus 400/401 + NS train

• 💶 Price: €5.15 bus + train fare · The Hermes e-ticket costs €5.15 single and €10.30 return. The train ticket from Eindhoven to Amsterdam is bought separately from NS.
• 🕔 Last departure: Times of the first and last bus were not published on the pages we read: check 9292 or Hermes. The line number is given as 400 or 401 depending on the source.
• 🛫 Leaves from: The bus stop next to the terminal, at car park P1
• 📍 Arrives at: Eindhoven Centraal (20 min), then the train to Amsterdam
• 🎫 Ticket: Hermes e-ticket or a contactless bank card (OVpay) on board; NS tickets for the train.

• The bus takes about 20 minutes to the station; an Intercity then runs to Amsterdam.

Official site ↗

🚕 Taxi and ride apps

• 📍 Where: A taxi to Amsterdam is about 110 km and rarely a sensible choice; the train is far cheaper.

🛫 Going back to the airport

Take the train to Eindhoven Centraal, then bus 400/401 to the airport (about 20 minutes).