1 day in Amsterday

[Murphey]

We plan to spend one night in Amsterdam to break up a long flight. We want this to be as easy as possible. Can we stay at the airport (so not have to schlep luggage a long way) and take public transportation into the city for the evening? Thanks for any advice on this!

[suspaul]

Hi. Take a look @ booking.com and put in Schipol airport hotels if this is where you want to stay, you should have quite a few choices and price ranges. And yes, it's very east to take public transportation from the airport to Centraal Station and return. Enjoy your trip and night in Amsterdam.

[Murphey]

A big Thank You!! Sounds like a DIY day will be easy. I think we'll stay at the Sheraton for convenience sake.....

[Ine]

If you arrive during the day why not stay in a hotel near Centraal Station or cruise terminal?

Much nicer then a stay at the airport.

[Murphey]

We didn't to have to hassle with a taxi and our luggage for just one night. We wouldn't mind taking public transportation to the center of town for the evening. And then in the morning we are can just walk to catch our flight. That was our thinking anyway, whether it is the right approach or not, I do not know! :) We will already be at the airport as we are flying in from BCN where our cruise disembarks.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Murphey

[dogs4fun]

We didn't to have to hassle with a taxi and our luggage for just one night. We wouldn't mind taking public transportation to the center of town for the evening. And then in the morning we are can just walk to catch our flight. That was our thinking anyway, whether it is the right approach or not, I do not know! :) We will already be at the airport as we are flying in from BCN where our cruise disembarks.

 

Just a thought ...

Seems a shame to limit your time in Amsterdam - if you don't have an early morning departure, it would be very easy to do as Ine suggested in the previous post without the inconvenience of schlepping your luggage - leave your luggage at the airport. There are luggage lockers and a baggage depot at Schiphol (I have used both the baggage depot & lockers on a previous trips and both options are very secure). http://www.schiphol.nl/Travellers/AtSchiphol/Luggage/LuggageLockers.htm

 

From Schiphol to Centraal Station takes approximately 13- 18 minutes and is inexpensive. http://www.amsterdam.info/airport/train/

[az4ship]

I stayed at the Sheraton at the airport. It was great and very easy to get into the city. We are breakfast in the airport and not the hotel

[FreestyleNovice]

+1 for dogs4fun advice, was thinking the same thing from the moment I read the first post. :) However I can imagine sleeping at the airport gives you ease of mind, not dealing with the Amsterdam commuters in the morning!

 

The Sheraton is good (but pricey) hotel for the central Schiphol area, the cheaper alternative is the brilliant CitizenM which is under a minute walk from the Sheraton. Less luxury, more like a stateroom cabin but I love their concept. Sheraton can be reached all indoors by going up from the Plaza shopping centre, CitizenM has a covered path from Arrivals (all the four Arrival halls at Schiphol are connected to the central Plaza shopping centre, just walk and exit at the furthest exit at Arrivals 4, easy)

 

Don't go with any of the other Schiphol hotels as they are located at the opposite side of the airport (just a short bus ride from but almost no advantage in a lower price and NOTHING around so save the hassle for your short stay). Any other so called airport hotels are in the nearby small cities around Schiphol with the same disadvantages as above. Both benefit from just business travel and delayed flights in need of lodging.

 

So you AMS plan or staying in the city with just a fresh set of clothes in your carry on (repack at the luggage storage before storing your check in piece) would do the job! Enjoy Amsterdam!

[Iluvcruising2]

I was just in Amsterdam a couple of months back. Interesting place indeed.

 

If you are into art, you could check out the Van Goh museum, but best to buy tickets in advance as the lines can get long.

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I'm not really into flowers, but the flower market was interesting.

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If you like Heineken, they have an entire factory experience which I went for. Not really worth it, unless you are a Heineken fan. I wasn't much of a fan but I decided that since I was in Amsterdam and I had a couple of hours, why not.

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Most interesting - the Red Light District. Tsk tsk. Frankly, it was rather tame.

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[Murphey]

Awesome information everyone! Thanks!

[WatchHill]

Near Central Station, you can board a small canal river boat for an evening canal trip on the waterways. I've done both day and evening - the lights along the bridges add so much to the canal ride.

 

Darcy

[Iluvcruising2]

Near Central Station, you can board a small canal river boat for an evening canal trip on the waterways. I've done both day and evening - the lights along the bridges add so much to the canal ride.

 

Darcy

 

On the canal river boat, I think there are multiple companies operating the ride. I took a canal cruise from a pier which was quite far away from the Central, but near the hotel I was staying at (i.e. near the flower market area). The sun had set but the ride was still interesting. Here is a video of the ride.

 

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[Iluvcruising2]

Looking through my pictures and videos for Amsterdam, I thought one of the most memorable site was Zaanse Schans - http://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/

 

This place was quite unlike any other I have seen. They have tried to preserve Holland from the pre-industrial age. Windmills were very common then. And in this place, there are many working windmills that you can enter. And I entered one, costing 4 Euros. Beware the very steep ladder to climb and down. If you can cope with a ladder, it is very unique experience. Now I can tell people that I have ever been inside a working windmill in Holland, and here is the video to prove it.

 

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There is also this pancake restaurant, to have a pancake or two.

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[2theship]

The Anne Frank House is a wonderful experience. Someone already mentioned the Van Gogh Museum which is spectacular.