To get from Amsterdam airport to the city centre, most travellers take the NS train from the station directly below Schiphol Plaza: trains run eight times an hour to Amsterdam Centraal and take 14 to 17 minutes. The other options are the Amsterdam Airport Express bus 397, the official taxi rank, an app ride from the App pick-up point, a shared Schiphol Travel Taxi van, or a pre-booked chauffeur who meets you inside arrivals.
Which one is best depends less on the airport than on where you are going and what you are carrying. A solo traveller staying near Centraal should take the train. A family of five heading to a canal-house hotel in the Jordaan with six suitcases should not. Elly8.net fixed fares from Schiphol to the canal ring start at US$125 per vehicle; below, every option is ranked fairly, including the ones that cost far less.
How do you get from Amsterdam airport to the city centre?
The quickest and cheapest way for most travellers is the NS train from below Schiphol Plaza: eight trains an hour reach Amsterdam Centraal in 14 to 17 minutes, with e-tickets from €5.50. Bus 397 runs to the city from €6.50. For door-to-door travel, use the official taxi rank, an app ride or a pre-booked car.
The distance by road is about 16 km (10 mi) from Schiphol to the canal ring, roughly 23 minutes on a clear road. The Zuidas business district is closer, about 12 km (7 mi) and 13 minutes by our routed estimate, and Museumplein about 13 km (8 mi) and 17 minutes. The train is fastest to Centraal; a car is fastest to almost everywhere else, as long as the A10 and A4 are moving.
See Amsterdam prices and reserve
The ranking at a glance
| Rank by value | Option | Price | Schiphol to centre | Hassle with luggage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NS train | e-tickets from €5.50 per person | 14 to 17 min to Centraal, then tram or walk | Medium | Solo travellers, light bags, hotels near Centraal |
| 2 | Bus 397 Amsterdam Airport Express | from €6.50 per person online | Direct bus into the city | Medium | Hotels near the bus route |
| 3 | Shared Schiphol Travel Taxi van | Shared cost, stops for others | Longer, with drop-offs on the way | Low to medium | Budget travellers who do not mind detours |
| 4 | App ride (Uber, Bolt) | Shown in the app, varies with demand | Door to door after a walk to the App pick-up point | Medium | Light travellers with data, off-peak |
| 5 | Official taxi | Meter, capped; about €67 at the 2026 maximum for a car on a clear road | Door to door from the Schiphol Plaza stand | Low | Spontaneous trips, no booking |
| 6 | Elly8.net chauffeur | US$125 business sedan to US$325 Sprinter, fixed per vehicle | Door to door, met inside arrivals | Lowest | Families, groups, late arrivals, fixed budgets |
"Rank by value" sorts the options from cheapest per person to most expensive per vehicle. It is not a quality score; for many trips the cheapest option is also the best one. The time column is about the journey into town; add your own last-mile walk or tram for the public options, and a few minutes for the walk to the car or the pickup point for the others.
1. The NS train: fastest to Centraal and the cheapest
Schiphol's own train page explains the basics: the NS station sits directly below the terminal building, reached by escalator or lift from Schiphol Plaza, and a train runs eight times an hour between Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal, taking 14 to 17 minutes. The same line serves Lelylaan and Sloterdijk. NS quotes e-tickets from €5.50, and you can check in and out with a debit card.
Cost: the lowest of any option for one or two people. Time: unbeatable to Centraal at rush hour. Hassle: the train itself is easy; the last mile is the hard part. Amsterdam Centraal is a busy station, and most canal-belt hotels are a tram ride or a walk over cobbles and bridges from the platform. Many canal-house hotels have steep stairs and no lift.
Verdict: the right answer for a solo traveller or a couple with carry-ons, especially if the hotel is near Centraal or on a direct tram line.
2. Bus 397, the Amsterdam Airport Express
Schiphol's bus page describes the Amsterdam Airport Express, bus 397, as a fast, direct bus connection with Amsterdam, replaced at night by the Niteliner N97. Single or return tickets are sold online from €6.50, or you can check in on the bus with a debit card. The Amsterdam Travel Ticket, a multi-day public transport pass, includes unlimited travel on the 397 and N97. Route details and departure times are on the national journey planner 9292.
Cost: low. Time: depends on traffic, as it uses the same roads as a car. Hassle: fine if your hotel is near a stop, less so if you then need a tram as well. Verdict: a good choice if the route suits your hotel,, and with the N97 it is the public option to remember for very late arrivals.
3. The shared Schiphol Travel Taxi
Schiphol offers Travel Taxi vans for groups of up to eight. On the airport's taxi page, it explains that you can save money by sharing the van with other travellers, in which case the van stops on the way to collect and drop off other passengers, which can take longer.
Cost: lower than a private taxi when shared. Time: less predictable because of the other stops. Hassle: low, but the route is not yours. Verdict: sensible for budget travellers with luggage who do not mind a slower, shared ride.
4. App rides
Uber and Bolt both operate at Schiphol from their own stop, the App pick-up point, which you reach by following the signs in the terminal. Prices are agreed in the app before you ride and change with demand, so they can be attractive off-peak and expensive when several transatlantic flights land together or when it rains. In the canal belt, the driver may not be able to stop at your door.
We cover how the apps work, Dutch pricing rules and peak times in detail in Uber in Amsterdam: availability, surge pricing and the pre-booked alternative.
5. The official taxi rank
Official taxis wait at the stand in front of Schiphol Plaza. Schiphol's advice is to follow the signs and floor stickers to the official stand, check that the taxi has a meter, pay the price on the meter, and ignore anyone who offers a taxi without being asked. At busy times a taxi host may assign you a car.
The meter is capped by national maximum tariffs. According to the Rijksoverheid, in 2026 a car for up to four passengers may charge at most €4.31 to start, €3.17 per kilometre and €0.52 per minute, and a van for five to eight passengers at most €8.77, €4.00 and €0.59. Applying those maximums to the 16 km, 23-minute clear-road trip to the canal ring gives about €67 for a car and about €86 for a van. That is a ceiling, not a quote: fares can be lower, and heavy traffic adds minutes.
Verdict: dependable, door to door and easy, but you will not know the exact total until you arrive.
6. A pre-booked Elly8.net chauffeur
The chauffeur tracks your flight, waits at the exit of your arrival hall holding a name board, and walks you to the car, which usually waits in the P1 short-stay garage a few minutes' walk from Schiphol Plaza. Waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary, which covers the passport queue for non-Schengen flights from North America and a slow baggage belt. See airport meet and greet.
| Schiphol to the canal ring | One way | Round trip | Seats and bags (fleet page) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Sedan | US$125 | US$240 | 3 passengers, 2 large bags |
| Business SUV | US$165 | US$315 | 6 passengers, 6 bags |
| First Class SUV | US$200 | US$380 | 6 passengers, 6 bags |
| First Class Sedan | US$220 | US$420 | 3 passengers, 2 large bags |
| Executive Sprinter | US$325 | US$620 | 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Prices are fixed, per vehicle and all-in: the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and the airport meeting. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. The same fares cover central addresses from the Jordaan to the Museum Quarter and the Plantage, and they apply in both directions. Seats and bags are from our fleet page.
Verdict: the most expensive option for one person and the easiest for everyone else. A family of five in one business SUV pays US$165; twelve colleagues in a Sprinter pay US$325, which is about US$27 each as arithmetic for comparison, not a per-person fare.
Which option should you choose?
Solo, carry-on, hotel near Centraal: the train. Nothing else comes close on time or price.
Couple, two large cases, hotel on a canal: the train and a short taxi from Centraal, or the taxi rank direct. A business sedan at US$125 makes sense if you land late, want a guaranteed meeting inside arrivals, or want the price fixed before you fly.
Family with young children: a pre-booked car. Child seats are fitted before pickup on request, and the chauffeur handles the bags at a hotel with no lift. A business SUV takes six passengers and six bags.
Business traveller going to the Zuidas: a car, at about 13 minutes by road on a clear morning, or the train if you travel light and a short connection works for you. For a day of meetings, book a car by the hour from US$90 per hour, 3-hour minimum, or read about corporate car service.
Group of eight to twelve: an Executive Sprinter. One vehicle, one meeting point and one fixed price, rather than a convoy of taxis.
Arriving late at night: the N97 bus for a single traveller on a budget, the taxi rank, or a pre-booked car that is already waiting.
The last kilometre: canal belt access
Whichever car you choose, the slowest part of the trip is the final kilometre inside the canal ring: narrow one-way streets, bridges, trams and a great many bicycles, and stopping allowed only in certain places. Amsterdam also has a low emission zone inside the A10 ring road for diesel cars and taxis. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer; for larger vehicles the desk confirms the closest permitted set-down point when you book, and the chauffeur helps with the bags from there. Give us the exact hotel address and say if you are carrying a lot of luggage.
Going back to Schiphol
The ranking mostly holds in reverse. The train from Amsterdam Centraal is still the quickest way to the airport for a light traveller, and Schiphol says you can walk from the airport station to your airline's check-in desk in less than 10 minutes. Taxis can be hailed or booked, and a booked taxi agrees its price in advance under Dutch rules. A pre-booked Elly8.net car costs the same fixed fare as the arrival, collects you at the nearest legal point to your hotel and drops you at the departures kerb for your hall. For early flights, book the night before at the latest; tell the desk your airline and departure time and it plans the pickup around the traffic on the A10 and A4.
How to book a Schiphol transfer
Rides in Amsterdam are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
- Enter Schiphol with your flight number and your hotel or address.
- Choose the vehicle class.
- Press Reserve now and pay by card in US dollars, or use the web booker for any other address. Confirmation comes by email.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show; refunds go to the original card.
Book a Schiphol airport transfer, compare the general case on chauffeur vs airport shuttle and chauffeur vs taxi, or plan the rest of the stay with our Amsterdam day trips guide. Onward cities include Brussels, Hamburg and Frankfurt. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way from Schiphol to Amsterdam city centre?
The NS train, with e-tickets from €5.50 per person, from the station directly below Schiphol Plaza to Amsterdam Centraal in 14 to 17 minutes. Bus 397, from €6.50 online, is the other low-cost option. For two or more people with heavy luggage, compare the taxi or a fixed-price car.
How much is a taxi from Schiphol to Amsterdam?
Taxis use the meter, capped by national maximum tariffs. In 2026 that is at most €4.31 to start, €3.17 per kilometre and €0.52 per minute for a car, which works out to about €67 to the canal ring on a clear road at the maximum. A fixed Elly8.net business sedan costs US$125.
How do you get into Amsterdam from Schiphol late at night?
The train station is beneath the terminal; check the NS journey planner for late departures. The Niteliner bus N97 replaces bus 397 overnight, and taxis and pre-booked cars run around the clock. If you land very late, a pre-booked car that tracks your flight is the simplest option.
Where does the chauffeur meet you at Schiphol?
At the exit of your arrival hall, holding a name board, once you have cleared passport control and collected your bags. The chauffeur then walks you through Schiphol Plaza to the car, which usually waits in the P1 short-stay garage a few minutes away.
Is the train or a car faster from Schiphol to Amsterdam?
To Amsterdam Centraal, the train is faster: 14 to 17 minutes. To the canal ring, Museumplein or the Zuidas, a car is often quicker door to door on a clear road, about 13 to 23 minutes, though rush hour on the A10 and the canal-belt streets can slow it.
Can a group of 12 travel together from Schiphol?
Yes. An Elly8.net Executive Sprinter seats 12 passengers with 12 bags and costs US$325 per vehicle to the canal ring, met inside arrivals. That is one vehicle and one price instead of several taxis.
