Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) to the city
The train reaches Amsterdam Centraal in 14 minutes for about EUR 5.50, and OVpay means you need no card or ticket at all.
- The station is directly under the terminal, one hall down from arrivals - no shuttle, no walk outside.
- Intercity trains reach Amsterdam Centraal in 14 minutes, the Sprinter in 17, for about EUR 5.50.
- Just tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gate. OVpay charges the fare automatically - no OV-chipkaart, no ticket machine, no queue. Tap out at the far end or you are charged the maximum fare.
- There is no Schiphol supplement. The airport is an ordinary station on the national network, and OVpay avoids the surcharge that a disposable chip ticket carries.
- Schiphol is a main-line station, not a branch - trains run direct to Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and beyond, so you often need not go into Amsterdam at all.
The train
Schiphol is the easiest major airport in Europe to leave. The railway station is beneath the terminal, and the platforms are reached from the same hall as arrivals.
- Intercity to Amsterdam Centraal: 14 minutes. Sprinter: 17.
- About EUR 5.50 one way, second class, as an e-ticket without a discount card.
- Trains run through the night, less often but they do run - which removes the late-arrival problem.
Just tap your bank card
- OVpay lets you tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gate and be charged the correct fare. You do not need an OV-chipkaart, a ticket or an app.
- You must tap out at your destination. Failing to check out charges you the maximum fare for the line, and it is the single most common mistake visitors make in the Netherlands.
- An anonymous OV-chipkaart still exists, at EUR 7.50 for the card itself, but for a visitor OVpay has made it unnecessary.
- There is no Schiphol supplement. The airport is priced as an ordinary station on the national network; the only surcharge you may meet is the one on a disposable chip ticket, which OVpay avoids.
Do not assume you want Amsterdam
Schiphol is a full main-line station on the national network.
- Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Leiden and Haarlem all have direct trains.
- If your destination is not Amsterdam itself, going into Centraal and back out again wastes an hour. Check the direct service first.
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