Does anyone know how long and/or easy it is to take the train into the central part of Amsterdam from the airport?

It's easy and I believe takes 15-20 mins.

Trains run about one every 15 minutes; as Suze says the train takes between 15-20 minutes.

You can buy tickets in the "Schiphol Plaza" area of the airport terminal either from a machine or from an agent at the window. Rail platforms are one level down (by moving walkway).

Go here for further airport-specific information and maps:

www.schiphol.nl

The train from the plane is a snap as the train station is literally a few hundred yards from the Customs exit. but getting on the right train is not always so easy. Trains from Schiphol take two different routes into Amsterdam. You'll probably want to go to Amsterdam CS (Centraal Station) in the heart of town but trains also go to Amsterdam Zuid/WTC station and Amsterdam RAI station, which are in the suburbs. Look for trains marked Amsterdam CS on the overhead board before descending to the train platforms below. The problem is that trains often run late and the board may say Amsterdam CS whilst the next train to come through may be a delayed train going to RAI or elsewhere - but in Holland it's so so easy as most Dutch speak good English - so ask others when boarding. Buy tickets from the ticket windows or, quicker from coin-operated machines that are a bit flummoxing to use at first. Cancel your ticket yourself before boarding by sticking it in the cancelling machines. Otherwise the ride is about 20 minutes. Beware pickpockets in the vicinity of Centraal Station!

I had more trouble getting back to Schipol after spending a day downtown. After riding around on the wrong tram for an hour (trying to get to Central Station) I missed my train, and got on the next train that said "Schipol", (marked on the platform) - only it turned out to be heading straight to the Hague. Luckily, the ticket puncher told me I was on the wrong train! I got off at Leiden, I think, and caught another train. Anyway, I still don't know what happened - I guess it was a delayed train, as someone else said. Really frustrating, though!!

We just returned from Amsterdam last night. We took the train to and from the airport. It was a snap. No issue at all. I will say though that we had issues with the automated ticket machines. They do not take bills - just coins and we did not have enough coins. We tried using our credit card but the machine kept asking us for a "pin" which we don't have on the credit card (by the way, we used that card throughout our stay and never had that problem other than at those machines) so we just went to the ticket window and purchased the tickets that way. But the train to from the airport to Centraal Station is very easy and quick. Susan.

Thanks for your email. Only one guide book I read said mosquitoes in Amsterdam are a problem. Did you find this to be the case? How was your trip?

If that is an indication of your guidebook's accuracy, throw it out - as is similar post most posts seem to agree with my 30 years of staying lengthy periods of time in Amsterdam that no one has ever seen a single mosquito there - a problem with shoddy research.