Welcome to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

This short film provides a good introduction to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), including arrival procedure, transfers, and various amenities.

One of the World’s Best Airports

The consumer-aviation website Skytrax in its World Airport Awards 2017 ranks Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) in 11th place, up 2 spots from the year before.

Considered the most prestigious accolades for the airport industry the ranking is based on votes by customers in the largest, annual global airport customer satisfaction survey.

In other words, the list is based on the opinions of international air travelers like you and I.

That said, the year-over-year increase in the number of passengers at peak times often leads to a very crowded airport — along with long waiting times.

Quick Public Transport Tips

Schiphol is located just outside of Amsterdam’s city limits. The fastest way into the center of town — Amsterdam Central Station — is by taxi or by train:

  • Taxi: Only use taxis at the official taxi rank. Do no take offers from illegal solicitors within the airport or outside of the official taxi ranks (Uber meeting points excluded). A trip to the station costs about €40-45 in a regular taxi; or between €27-36 if you use uberX.
  • Uber: In Amsterdam UberX, UberBlack, and UberVan are available.
  • Snel Een Taxi (Quick A Taxi) – Book a taxi – quick and easy. “With a 9.3 score the highest traveler appreciation of the Netherlands”
  • Train: Easy, Fast, and Inexpensive. Buy your tickets from machines or at the counter in the main hall. Board your train at the station beneath that same hall. Note: you do not need a first-class train ticket. Second-class is good enough.

Combination tickets for train and public transport (bus, tram, metro) within Amsterdam are available. In practice it is cheaper to buy a train ticket into town and then to use day- or multiple day tickets.

Detailed information on public transport between Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam

Airport Code

• IATA: AMS
• ICAO: EHAM

Hotels at or near Schiphol Airport

While most tourists prefer to stay in a hotel in Amsterdam itself, many business travelers opt for accommodation at or near the airport.

Book a hotel at or near Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Includes a list of hotels that provide an airport shuttle service)
View the hotels on a map



Booking.com

Flights

Arriving flights
Departing flights
Transfers

Gateway to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Europe — and the World

Schiphol, as is it known colloquially, is the Netherlands’ main international airport. It is located 20 minutes southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlem.

(Luchthaven Schiphol) is the fifth largest airport in Europe, behind London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt International and Madrid Barajas. But it is the third busiest airport in Europe — and the world’s 14th — in terms of passengers.

Schiphol airport serves 333 direct destinations around the world. In addition, man travelers use the airport as a layover hub on their way to another city.

Founded in 1916, it is one of the oldest airports in the world. Schiphol is home to KLM which, founded in 1919, is the world’s oldest airline still operating under its original name.

Schiphol’s name is derived from a former fortification named Fort Schiphol which was part of the Stelling van Amsterdam defence works, constructed between 1880 and 1920.

Before 1852, the Haarlemmermeer polder in which the airport lies was a large lake, in the shallow waters of which sudden violent storms could claim many ships. This was the main reason for reclaiming it. Schiphol translates to ‘Ship Hole’ in English, a reference to the number of ships lost in the area.1

Incidentally, like much of the western Netherlands the airport is below sea level — 3.4 m (11 ft) at its lowest point.

The people behind this website, the DutchAmsterdam team, are well-traveled and generally enjoy departing from and returning to Schiphol. The airport includes a large shopping center both in the general area and behind passport control.

There are many restaurants and fastfood places. (And yes, we still avoid Starbucks).

There’s even a small annex of the Rijksmuseum, which you can visit free of charge.

But when we visit the airport to pick up friends or family, we usually arrive early enough to spend some time on the rooftop panorama deck observation platform.

Schiphol Statistics

In 2017, Schiphol Airport welcomed a record 68.5 million passengers, an increase of nearly 8 percent over 2016.2

There were 498.000 flight movements, which represents an increase of 4 percent over 2016.

Problem: if the number of takeoffs and landings continues to grow at this rate, Schiphol will pass the maximum number of movements agreed to with the aviation sector, local authorities, and its neighbors: 500.000 takeoffs and landings/year.

That agreement, part of a series of measures to abate noise pollution, is in effect through the end of 2019. It is not at all sure whether the airport will gain more flight slots at that time.

The limitation is also having an affect on the airport’s ability to serve it freight customers. Currently Schiphol is the third largest freight airport in Europe, behind Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Freight flights count toward the total limit of flights.

Contact Information

Postal adress
Luchthaven Schiphol
Postbus 7501
1118 ZG Schiphol
Nederland

Visiting adress
Luchthaven Schiphol
Evert v/d Beekstraat 202
1118 CP Schiphol
Nederland

Telephone
From inside the Netherlands:
0900-0141 (€0,40 p.m.)

From outside the Netherlands:
+31-207940800

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Maps

Schiphol Airport Arrivals map
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol departures map

Lost and Found

Lost and found items may be reported using this online form.

At the airport itself go to the nearest information desk (airport maps)

More About Schiphol

DutchAmsterdam’s articles about Schiphol. Includes news articles.

Here’s what you need to know about Amsterdam’s Public Transport System (+ buy your tickets online)

Notes:

  1. There are other theories as to origin and meaning of the name, but historically this is the one best supported.
  2. In 2016 Schiphol Airport saw a record number of 63.6 million passengers, a 9 percent increase over 2015.