Advice for 20-Hour Amsterdam Layover

20 hours is a long time. i'd probably spring for a budget hotel room in town so you'd have a base and a place to relax.

Don't stay in or near the airport unless your flight times make that the only sensible option. What time do you arrive/leave Amsterdam?

Amsterdam airport is an easy trip to the centre of the city by train. I'd get a hotel somewhere central and then you can at least have a few hours exploring the city, have dinner and checkout a bar or two or whatever takes your fancy.

Even if you only have time to spend a few hours just wandering along the canals then it is time better spent than hanging around near the airport.

Congratulations on that great fare. You'll have a fun interlude in Amsterdam. Take the train direct from the airport to Centraal Station (train station is downstairs from the main terminal and easy to navigate). Find a hotel now. You can take a tram or a taxi from the train station. If you do a search you'll find lots of hotel recommendations. For last minute hotels I've had good luck with www.hotel-booker.com. Have fun!

I am chortling! Yes, we do plan to stay in a hotel. I just found lots of good info on another Fodor's post re: the train from the airport to town and where to eat. So if you were me, what would you do in Amsterdam for a night (my flight arrives around 3:30 p.m. and we depart 11:30 a.m. the next day). And where would you stay?

Oops -- sorry! I was answering the first response when two more came in. Thanks!

And I forgot to mention -- we'll be there the night of March 6.

Hi Abbydog,

Similar situation in July, arrived in Amsterdam in late afternoon, but left earlier in the morning so we did opt for an airport hotel.

We had a great time getting a "taste" of the city. Enjoyed the water taxis as a quick way to get oriented and see the canal architecture.

We enjoyed a terrific dinner at the Restaurant de Luwte'

abbydog, that's a super schedule to enjoy an evening in Amsterdam and I think you picked up a nice bonus with that booking.

Looking at the night of March 6, I see you can get the Sofitel at 67 Niewezijds Voorburgwal for 119 Euros on a pre-paid/no cancel rate or 139 Euros on a rate you can cancel up to one day prior. I highly recommend this property because it is very nice and this is a good rate for that hotel. (Go to www.sofitel.com and you will be ushered into the website to book.) The Sofitel is within walking distance of Centraal Station, Dam Square and the historic heart of the city (including the Red Light District, but don't let that scare you too much.)

(Sorry, hit the wrong button)

Restaurant de Luwte' is just around the corner from the Ann Frank House.

SusanEva

Wow! Great pickings for a layover! Like others have said, you'll have plenty of time to get a feel for Amsterdam. When I was in Amsterdam, I stayed at the Swissotel, which was right on the Damrak, next to the Royal palace. Nice place to be, very quiet (even during the Koninginnedag/Queen's Day celebrations), close to everything.

The Sofitel deal is sweet though...I'd love to see those rates at the places I'll land at!

Schipol's airport site is http://www.schiphol.nl/home/Index.jsp
I'd recommend you get your train tickets before you step out of the "arrivals" area. I remember it was 3 euros inside the airport terminal (you'll see a yellow and blue ticket machine to the left of the escalators before you leave the airport confines). It was 3.40 euros at the ticket machines at the station itself. Not sure if the pricing is still the same, but this was still true as of this past summer.

Once the train arrives, it's a quick 15 min ride into town.

A dinner cruise would kill 2 birds with 1 stone, as you get wonderful views of the city from the canals while you eat (though I wasn't crazy about the food). I wouldn't see it as romantic since there are times when you have to share your table (hardly romantic). I think we got our dinner cruise tickets the same day. Personally, I'd check to see if there was just a night tour and eat dinner separately.

Time to check for my own airtix...wish me luck!

Thank you all so much! This layover was just my husband's whim, but now I'm more excited about one night in Amsterdam than 10 days in Spain (must resume obsessing on that now).

I booked the same itinerary for my parents early this year. [They were also flying KLM to Madrid, but from Houston.]

I used Priceline to get the 5* Sheraton at the airport for them. It's connected to the terminal, so they can easily take their luggage over and no need to haul them to town. Also, they can just sleep in the next morning, have a relax breakfast, then head over to the terminal to fly back.

You will have the late afternoon and whole evening in town. The train (every 10 minutes or so) takes about 20 minutes to Amsterdam Centraal from the airport. It'll be too late to visit any museum, but just walk around town and have dinner. [My parents even saw the Queen of the Netherlands during their few hours in town.]

We stayed in a hotel just off Rembrandt Square. Loved the city but felt uncomfortable walking after dark. Lots of spaced out kids in Amsterdam so be as cautious as you would be in any major city. You will love it!!Get an all day trolley pass and enjoy the wondeful views!

We just stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Amsterdam, an easy walk from the main train station, on our late November/early Dec 05 trip to Europe.

We waited until we got to Amsterdam to book our 3=night stay. We booked at a tourist office right in the train station. It happened to be a busy (and not cheap) time to find a room in Amsterdam, but the location was good. The main shopping streets were just outside the door.

If you feel really ambitious, you could visit the Anne Frank Huis. It's open til 7 pm, then grab a bite to eat nearby. It's a great area. There are some hotels near there too. Have fun!

The Amsterdam "City Center" Crowne Plaza is a very short walk from the Centraal Station and around the corner from the noise of the Damrak; good buffet breakfast too and more than the typical hard rolls and cold cuts. Less than a five minute walk to the station.

As someone said, you can get tickets for the train at either the machines at the head of the escalators in "Schiphol Plaza" leading down to the platforms OR you can also buy them at the ticket windows in the same area.

there are usually four trains each hour to centraal station..as someone said..15-20 minute ride.

DO NOT leave any baggage unattended near the doors of the train as you travel in. Those trains typically make an intermedniate stop at Sloterdijk and that is where, in the past, folks have been known to reach in and grab unattended bags near the doors and make off with them.

Check out the tourist office ("VVV") which is to your immediate left as you exit the main CS doors...they can sell you the strippenkart needed for the trams, tell you about museums, canal boat rides, give you maps and directions, etc.

If necessary you can always store excess luggage at Schiphol itself either in the self-service lockers or the left luggage room adjacent to those lockers.

Enjoy A-Dam.

I have a similar quandry but with much less time. We arrive in Amsterdam at 9 am and leave again for Egypt at 8:45 p.m. I have never been to Amsterdam except to change planes, would it be best to just walk around or could we logically see for instance the Van Gogh museum or Anne Frank's house in that time period? Or are we crazy for even trying to leave the airport?

Hi abbydog, I assume you are in the state of Washington? What a fantastic airfare!!

Just a thought, especially since carryon items are so limited now. I imagine you will each have a checkin suitcase. Personally I would pack one suitcase that had everything you both would need for the overnight in Amsterdam. I would put everything else in the other suitcase. Of course you might need to put some of the "Madrid items" in the "Amsterdam suitcase". Than you could leave the "Madrid suitcase" at the airport and just take the other suitcase into Amerstdam with you. Maybe do the same with your carryons, so you would only have to take one carryon into Amsterdam also. One suitcase and one carryon would simplify things for you (the short train ride), getting to the hotel etc.

Um, Abby's trip was in March.

Oh cripes, LOL. And usually I am so good at looking at the date of the original post

For dinner, you must experience the Indonesian Rijsttafle( rice table), such as Cilubang(www.cilubang.com) in the 9 Streets area. I would return to Amsterdam just to have that meal again.

heymo - It's definitely NOT crazy to go out to town, and yes, you have enough time to visit museums - both if you want to.