Amsterdam: getting there from Schiphol, seven neighbourhoods, museums with start times and costs in 2026

Amsterdam suits you if you want to explore museums and canals on foot and book tickets with a fixed start time in advance. The 17th-century canal ring has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010. From Schiphol airport the train takes around 17 minutes to the main station.

What is new in 2026 is above all the tax on accommodation: instead of 9%, 21% VAT has applied to it in the Netherlands since 1 January. On top of that, Amsterdam charges, as before, the tourist tax of 12.5% of the net price. On public transport the OV-chipkaart is being abolished; you check in with a bank card, phone or the new OV-pas.

Amsterdam suits you less if you are looking for sun: at Schiphol station at least 1 mm of rain falls on 133 days a year (average 1991 to 2020). And without an online ticket you will not get into the Anne Frank House; nothing is sold at the door (as of September 2026).

Getting there and from the airport into the city

Among foreign destinations from the main German airports, Amsterdam ranked 26th in 2025: 832,274 passengers boarded there with Amsterdam as their final destination. Most departed from Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin-Brandenburg, and the busiest month was April (German Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; airports and month: our own evaluation).

More than half of the passengers on flights to Amsterdam only changed planes there in 2025. At the same airports, 1,831,481 passengers boarded flights to Amsterdam, and almost 55% of them had a destination beyond Amsterdam (our own evaluation of the Destatis statistics).

Schiphol (AMS): tracks directly under the terminal

You do not have to leave the terminal for the train: the tracks are directly below, with escalators and lifts leading down. Ticket machines for train and local transport are already in baggage reclaim (Arrivals 1, 2 and 3) and in Schiphol Plaza (as of May 2026).

Train: around 17 minutes to Amsterdam Centraal

During the day there are eight trains an hour to Amsterdam Centraal, fewer from 21:00 and at night (as of May 2026). The journey takes around 17 minutes, and on the Intercity direct you pay no supplement on this route (as of September 2026). Night trains connect Rotterdam with Utrecht every night, stopping at Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal, among others (as of May 2026).

A 2nd-class single costs €5.50 as an e-ticket at the full fare (as of September 2026). Instead of buying a ticket, you can check in and out without registering, using a contactless debit or credit card or your phone. You then always travel 2nd class without a discount. At Schiphol you check in at the yellow posts at the top of the escalators and lifts of Schiphol Plaza.

Bus 397: to Museumplein without changing

The Amsterdam Airport Express, route 397, runs without changes to Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein. It starts at stop B17, to the right as you leave Schiphol Plaza. During the day a bus comes every 10 minutes, at night the Niteliner N97 once an hour. A single costs from €6.50, a return from €11.75 (as of September 2026). On board you pay the driver by debit or credit card only; if you check in with a bank card or phone, one card per person applies according to I amsterdam (as of July 2025).

Taxi and ride services

Taxis wait at the official taxi rank, Uber, Bolt and similar services at a signposted pick-up point. Drivers who approach you in the airport are not licensed taxi drivers, according to the visitor portal I amsterdam. The journey to the city centre usually costs €35 to €55 according to I amsterdam, up to about €75 depending on route and time (as of July 2025).

Nationwide maximum fares apply in 2026 to taxis from a rank or hailed in the street: for up to four people a €4.31 base fare, €3.17 per kilometre and €0.52 per minute. According to the government's worked example, 7 km in 15 minutes therefore cost at most €34.30.

Where to stay: the neighbourhoods compared

The journey times to the centre are given by I amsterdam (as of September 2026).

A dash means: the sources evaluated name no drawback for the neighbourhood.

Sights: times, prices and rules in 2026

Canal ring: World Heritage since 2010

The 17th-century canal ring inside the Singelgracht has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 2010. The World Heritage property covers 198.2 hectares, the canal ring 14 kilometres of canals and 80 bridges. With the expansion the city was then meant to grow to five times its size, and according to UNESCO no other city of its time was larger or more uniform. A canal cruise is included in the I amsterdam City Card and can be redeemed daily from 10:00 to 18:00 without a time slot (as of September 2026).

Rijksmuseum: €25, start time for everyone

The Rijksmuseum shows more than 8,000 works, including Rembrandt’s Night Watch, Vermeer’s Milkmaid and four paintings by Van Gogh. It opens every day at 09:00 and closes at 17:00, public holidays included. Adults pay €25; admission is free up to and including age 18 and with the City Card (as of September 2026).

Everyone books a start time, even with a Museumkaart, and only a few tickets are available on site. Payment throughout the building is digital only (as of September 2026). Trams 2, 5 and 24 and buses 357 and 397 stop at Museumplein.

Van Gogh Museum: tickets online only

The Van Gogh Museum stands right next to the Rijksmuseum and sells tickets online only, each with a start time; you also reserve free tickets online. Adults pay €25, students €16, and admission is free under age 18 (as of September 2026). Since 1 June 2022 the museum has no longer been part of the I amsterdam City Card. Because of counterfeit tickets it advises buying only via tickets.vangoghmuseum.com or the resellers named by the museum.

Until the end of October it mostly opens from 09:00 to 18:00, from 2 November to 18 December from 09:00 to 17:00. On Fridays it is almost always open until 21:00 (as of September 2026).

Anne Frank House: time slot only

Everyone needs a time slot, children up to age 9 as well. Ages 10 to 17 pay €7.00, children up to age 9 and Museumkaart holders €1.00, and the I amsterdam City Card brings no discount (as of September 2026). Tickets can neither be exchanged nor refunded, and you pay by card only.

It is open daily from 09:00 to 22:00, shorter on individual days such as 1 January (as of September 2026). The entrance is at Westermarkt 20, a 20-minute walk from the main station or by tram 13 or 17 to the Westermarkt stop. In the house there are steep stairs and one high step.

Stedelijk Museum and Royal Palace

The Stedelijk at Museumplein 10 shows modern art and design, daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Adults pay €22.50; admission is free under age 19 and with the City Card (as of September 2026).

In 2026 the Royal Palace on the Dam opens on more than 230 days, in each case from 10:00; the dates are in the calendar on its website and may change. Admission costs €13.50 with an audio tour, and nothing up to age 17 (as of September 2026).

Zaanse Schans: windmill village with free access

The Zaanse Schans is a village with windmills, green wooden houses, craft workshops and museums, and most of the houses are still lived in today. The site goes back to a plan from 1946; from 1961 several buildings were brought here from other locations, some by ship. Bus 800 runs from Amsterdam Centraal every 15 minutes between 09:00 and 17:00 and takes about 24 minutes (as of September 2026). By train you are in Zaandijk-Zaanse Schans in around 17 minutes and then walk 10 to 15 minutes, according to the operator.

Parking costs €15 per visit; on busy spring days and public holidays the car park fills quickly. The toilets cost €1 and take card only (as of September 2026).

Keukenhof: 2027 from 18 March to 9 May

Keukenhof opens in 2027 from 18 March to 9 May. Advance sales begin in mid-October 2026, exclusively on keukenhof.nl; the park warns about fake ticket sites. Around 7 million flower bulbs bloom there in spring. It is less crowded before 10:30, after 16:00 and from Monday to Wednesday (as of September 2026).

Payment is cashless only, and the flower fields around the park are private property that you must not enter. If you travel by bus and train, according to Keukenhof you usually save with a combination ticket: on the day of your visit it counts as admission ticket and travel ticket in one (as of September 2026).

Best time to visit: Amsterdam's climate month by month

The figures come from the Dutch weather service KNMI, Schiphol station (3.3 m below sea level), and are averages for the years 1991 to 2020.

In July and August the average daily maximum is a good 22 °C, and 30 °C is reached on only 1.4 and 1.3 days respectively. August is the wettest month, April the driest. On 21 December it does not get light until around 08:45, and the sun sets around 16:30. According to I amsterdam the tulips bloom from the end of April to early May, and you travel most cheaply from November to March.

Costs

The table gives only prices from operators and authorities, no flight or hotel prices.

Tourist tax and VAT: 12.5% plus 21%

The tourist tax is 12.5% of the accommodation price excluding VAT, in hotels and hostels as well as in B&Bs, apartments, short-term rentals and at campsites. According to the official regulations database, the 2024 ordinance applies unchanged in September 2026 and names no age limit for children.

Since 1 January 2026, 21% VAT has been added to accommodation instead of the previous 9%; for separately offered breakfast the reduced rate of 9% remains (as of September 2026). On a room price of €100 excluding VAT you therefore pay €12.50 tourist tax and €21 VAT, €33.50 in total (our own calculation).

Practical information

Public transport: checking in with a bank card or phone

On public transport you check in and out with a contactless debit or credit card from Maestro, V PAY, Mastercard or Visa, also via Apple Pay or Google Wallet. The system is called OVpay and replaces the OV-chipkaart. Always use the same card to check out, otherwise the fare will not be right (as of September 2026).

If you prefer to buy tickets: one hour with any number of changes costs €3.40 at GVB, but is not valid on the night bus (€5.70 per journey). The 24-hour day ticket costs €10.00 and is also valid on night buses; for 48 and 72 hours you pay €16.00 and €21.50 (2026 fares). The 1.5-hour ticket has no longer existed since 1 January 2026.

The four metro lines have barriers, and trams run everywhere except in Noord. According to I amsterdam, trams and metros no longer run after 00:30, leaving the night buses (as of September 2026). The ferries across the IJ to Noord are free for pedestrians and cyclists and depart from behind the main station; the route to Buiksloterweg takes three minutes and also runs at night. People in Amsterdam own around 850,000 bicycles; as a pedestrian, stay on the pavement, not on cycle paths or tram tracks.

Amsterdam Travel Ticket and I amsterdam City Card

The Amsterdam Travel Ticket costs €20 for one, €27 for two and €34 for three days (GVB fare 2026). It is valid on all GVB transport, on the train between Schiphol and the Amsterdam stations, such as Centraal, Zuid, Sloterdijk and Amstel, and on bus 397 and night bus N97. Calendar days are counted until 04:00 the morning after the last day. Bought separately, a return train journey plus a GVB day ticket cost €21, with a 48-hour ticket €27 and with a 72-hour ticket €32.50 (our own calculation). So the ticket saves only €1 for one day, and for three days it costs €1.50 more.

The I amsterdam City Card Total Experience costs €67 for adults for 24, €94 for 48 and €115 for 72 hours from activation (as of September 2026). It includes GVB public transport, a canal cruise and 24 hours of bike hire, but neither train nor Connexxion buses, so not the way to Schiphol either. Free are, among others, the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk, NEMO, Rembrandt House, A’DAM Lookout and the windmills of the Zaanse Schans, but not the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House. The Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk and a GVB day ticket cost €57.50 separately (our own calculation).

Money, time, emergencies

You pay in euros, and many places take card only, including the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Keukenhof and the driver on bus 397. Tipping is not compulsory; around 5 to 10% of the bill is usual. You can drink tap water everywhere (as of September 2026). The time is the same as in Germany.

The emergency number is 112, and the control centre also speaks English. You reach the police when it is not an emergency, for example after a theft, on 0900-8844, or with a foreign SIM card on +31 343 578 844. According to I amsterdam, pickpockets often work in groups and distract you, for example, by asking the way.

Entry, safety and health: what applies is set out in the travel and safety advice of the German Foreign Office.

Who this is not for

• If you want cheap accommodation: Since 2026, 21% VAT instead of 9% is added to the room price, plus 12.5% tourist tax. The big museums cost €22.50 to €25 admission (as of September 2026).
• If you want to go to a museum spontaneously: The Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum sell online only, and in the Rijksmuseum everyone needs a start time.
• If you are looking for sun: On 133 days a year at least 1 mm of rain falls, and in December the sun shines for only 58 hours.
• If you want to smoke cannabis or drink in the street: Around the red-light district smoking cannabis in the street is banned, and alcohol, according to I amsterdam, in most public places (as of February 2025). The city does not want disruptive tourism; its programme for 2026 is aimed, among other things, at nuisance from stag parties and organised pub crawls.
• If you want to pay in cash only: The Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Keukenhof and the driver of the airport bus take card only.
• If you want to avoid crowds: On busy spring days and public holidays the Zaanse Schans car park fills quickly. Keukenhof is quieter before 10:30, after 16:00 and from Monday to Wednesday.