KLM and its global alliance partner Northwest—together with their regional partner airlines—fly from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to more than 400 destinations in more than 80 countries worldwide. Nearly 100 of those are European destinations, with 3 to 4 daily flights to most airports and up to 17 flights a day to London alone. Northwest Airlines now handles all reservations and ticket office activities on behalf of KLM in the United States and Canada, with KLM's biggest North American hubs in Detroit and Minneapolis, and Memphis, New York, and Washington among its gateways. KLM's direct flights connect Amsterdam to Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Miami, and numerous others. Including connections via KLM's hubs, the airline flies to more than 100 destinations in the United States from Amsterdam. In Canada, KLM/Northwest serves Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. For more information, contact the airline at one of the reservation numbers below. For further information about schedules and special fare promotions, go to KLM/Northwest's Web site.

Other international carriers include American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways, but none of these carriers makes a transatlantic flight to any of the Netherlands' regional airports. MartinAir Holland, however, along with other charters, does make transatlantic flights from some of the regional terminals. If your carrier offers Rotterdam as a final destination, you fly into Amsterdam, then transfer. KLM Cityhopper and KLM Excel offer a varied schedule of flights connecting Amsterdam with the smaller regional airports, and British Airways provides a number of domestic flights; between them, the whole country is covered. Transavia Airlines flies from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to a number of European destinations, and many other carriers link European capitals with Amsterdam. For instance, Air France offers a direct route between Amsterdam and Paris. Check with your travel agent for details.

Carriers

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (300/303-747 in Australia; 020/474-7747 in the Netherlands; 09/309-1792 in New Zealand; 0870/507-4074 in U.K.). American Airlines (800/433-7300. www.aa.com). British Airways (0870/850-9850 in U.K.; 020/346-9559 in the Netherlands. www.britishairways.com). British Midland (0870/607-0555. www.flybml.com). Continental Airlines (800/231-0856. www.continental.com). Delta Air Lines (800/241-4141. www.delta.com). MartinAir Holland (020/601-1767. www.martinair.com). Transavia Airlines (020/406-0406 in the Netherlands. www.transavia.nl/). United Airlines (800/538-2929. www.united.com). US Airways (800/428-4322. www.usairways.com).

Airports

Located 17 km (11 mi) southeast of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Luchthaven (Airport) Schiphol (17 km (11 mi) southwest of Amsterdam. 0900/0141. www.schiphol.nl, pronounced "Shh-kip-hole") is the main passenger airport for Holland. With the annual number of passengers using Schiphol approaching 40 million, it is ranked among the world's top five best-connected airports. A hotel, a service to aid passengers with disabilities, parking lots, and a main office of the Netherlands tourist board (in Schiphol Plaza and known as "HTi"—Holland Tourist Information) can prove most useful. The comprehensive Schiphol telephone service, charged at EUR 0.10 per minute, provides information about flight arrivals and departures as well as all transport and parking facilities.

Airport Transfers

The Schiphol Rail Link operates between the airport and the city 24 hours a day, with service to Centraal Station—Amsterdam's central railway station—or to stations in the south of the city. From 6:30 AM to 12:30 AM, a train departs from or arrives at Schiphol every 15 minutes; other hours, there is one train every hour. The trip takes about 15 minutes and costs EUR 3.10. Trains leave from the platforms of Schiphol Station, found beneath Schiphol Plaza. They head into the city using one of three routes. The most popular is the NS Schiphollijn, which runs to Centraal Station (with two stops in west Amsterdam). Another route heads to the Amsterdam Zuid/WTC (South/World Trade Center) station in south Amsterdam, and another line heads to the RAI section, near the big convention center. From these south Amsterdam stations, Tram 5 goes to Leidseplein and the Museum Quarter; from RAI, Tram 4 goes to Rembrandtplein. Keep in mind that Schiphol Station is one of Holland's busiest—make sure you catch the shuttle to Amsterdam and not a train heading to The Hague! As always, when arriving at Amsterdam's Centraal Station, keep an eye out for any stray pickpockets. Other than taxis, you may wish to hop aboard a tram or bus to get to your hotel, so go to one of the Gemeentevervoerbedrifj (GVB) Amsterdam Municipal Transport booths found in front of the Centraal Station. Here you can find directions, fare information, and schedules.

KLM Shuttle operates a shuttle bus service between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and 16 of the city's major hotels (among them, the Krasnapolsky and the Toren), along with stops that are convenient to many other hotels in the city. The trip takes about a half hour and costs EUR 11 one-way. Hours for this bus shuttle are 7 AM to 6 PM, every half hour; between 6 PM and 9 PM, departures are every hour.

Finally, there is a taxi stand directly in front of the arrival hall at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. A service charge is included, but small additional tips are not unwelcome. New laws determine that taxi fares are now fixed from Schiphol to Amsterdam; depending on the neighborhood, a trip will cost between EUR 25 and EUR 30. When you're returning home, a ride to Schiphol from Amsterdam center city area, the Centrum, will cost EUR 22. A new service that might be convenient for budget travelers who count every euro is the Schiphol Travel Taxi. The taxi needs to be booked at least 48 hours in advance and rides are shared, so the trip will take a bit longer as the taxi stops to pick up passengers.

Taxis & Shuttles

KLM Shuttle (020/653-4975). Schiphol Rail Link (0900/9292). Schiphol Travel Taxi (0900-8876).

Duty-Free Shopping

Although the European Union eliminated duty-free shopping in airports in the Netherlands and in Europe, Schiphol's tax-free shopping center, See-Buy-Fly, maintains its ability to sell cheaper goods thanks to a subsidy from the airport; you can also make in-flight duty-free purchases.