Layover in Amsterdam
 

OK, US flight arrives into AMS at noon and connecting flight at 7 pm. Could we go into Amsterdam for a little while? Or no?
And on the return we get into AMS at 9am with flight to US at 3:50 pm. Can we go into Amsterdam then?

THANKS

Conceivably you could. Trains from Schiphol to Amsterdam run every 8 minutes or so and it's about a 15-20 minute trip into Centraal Station, right in the heart of A'dam.
I don't know what the rules are though about clearing immigration if your flight is a connection, but it should be doable.

The Amsterdam lay-by question has been on this forum many times. Do a search for Amsterdam and or Schiphol for plenty of opinions and suggestions. The answer to your question is that you do have time for a trip to A'dam, going and coming.

Thanks! I will do a search.
Another question though.......
Would it be better to just wait till the next day and catch a flight to Florence that gets in at 11:30am or go the same day as we arrive in AMS?
We only have 4 nights total.
Then on the return, better to fly to Amsterdam the day before our flight to US? Or fly out of Florence same day at 6:55am, arrive into AMS at 9am, then flight to US at 3:50 pm.

THANKS!!!!!!!!

Good idea. It could depend on what days of the week you would be in Amsterdam and what you wanted to do there. Other things being equal I guess that I would make the overnight in Amsterdam on my way over there to take a travel break. Do the extra flying on your coming home day so you have more time to recover. With only 4 nights in Europe you will just be getting over jet lag when it's time to go home.

Assume you have purchased these tickets already? Have you gone to Europe before, the jet lag thing, and possible flight delays need to be considered in planning.

7 hours layover in Amsterdam you could get downtown to have lunch or something either end of the trip.

But with only 4 days, depends if you are trying to spend it in Florence mostly or interested in Amsterdam too.

We were supposed to have a 5- or 6-hour layover in AMS in June, but bad weather on the East Coast delayed us for nearly 3 hours. By the time we were done with our luggage and trying to find our lost bags, we barely had time to run for our connecting flight to Pisa.
On the way back we stayed for 2 nights in Amsterdam and we really did enjoy it. The train into town is very easy to figure out. The train we took was a double decker, so not the easiest to deal with when you have luggage. Try to check yours on the next flight or stow it at the airport.
If where you're going is walking distance from Centraal Station, that is best. If you need to take a cab, the cab line is all the way at the other end of the train station. There is some construction going on, which may explain the odd situation.
My suggestion would be to walk straight toward Dam Square. You will come to a pedestrian area with lots of shops and restaurants. That would be a fun way to kill an hour or two, then head back to the airport.
While I loved Amsterdam, I would have a hard time giving up a night in Florence if I only had 4 nights there. If your real goal is to see Florence, then focus on Florence and just consider Amsterdam a bonus. If your flights are on time and you get to see a bit, then that's great. If not, you still got to see fabulous Florence.
On the way home, you may be kinda wiped out from catching that early flight from FLorence, so I probably would just hang at the airport. It has lots of shops and distractions. It also has its own website with maps, etc. -- I don't remember what but it should come up on a google search.

Thanks for all the input. We decided to stay in Amsterdam the first night as we would not get to Florence till 9pm (If our flight is on time) and then probably at least 10 pm to hotel and that is after flying from US. So we will go into Amsterdam (either get a hotel at airport or in town) and catch morning flight that gets into Florence at 11:30am. It is also a national holiday in Italy that day, so not much will be open.
Will have the rest of the day in Florence and Mon and Tues. Then to AMsterdam early (very!) Wed am. Get in at 9am. US flight is at 3:50pm....
Should we be worried about flying from Florence same day as US flight? Or is that ok?
THANKS!!!

You've got 6h50m (in theory) in Schiphol so you have no problem if the first leg is on time. You'll still have time for another zing through Amsterdam, or a quick trip to Haarlem. Amsterdam boarding security can be VERY tight so be back at the airport at the time they advice.

Which holiday in Italy?

The holiday is the "Assumption" and apparently is a national holiday.....

LauraD; don't stay at the airport in Amsterdam. Much nicer to stay in town, it's not far away and on Sunday morning it will be very quiet on the roads if you wanted to take a taxi back to the airport.
By the way, the August 15 holiday is called "Maria Hemelvaart" in Belgium, and is the day that the Virgin Mary went up to heaven. It's also when all mothers are celebrated (at least it is in Belgium; maybe in Italy too?)

Agree with Tulips to stay in town and not at one of the airport hotels. Try the Hotel Ambassade for a true Amsterdam experience. The Cafe Luxembourg at the Spui is close by. It's a great place for lunch, and people and bicycle watching from the glassed in patio.

The Assumption is called <i>Assunzione di M.V.</i> in Italy.

Something is confusing about your posts. If you have only 4 nights total, how could you be arriving on Thursday (requiring you to depart USA on Wednesday) and departing Europe the following Wednesday? That looks like 6 nights to me.

Unless you do not plan to visit Amsterdam at all, you should stay in town! Take a taxi to the airport if you are concerned about timing in the early morning. Have your hotel front desk arrange it. Well worth the money to actually SEE and BE in Amsterdam for your extremely short stay.

p.s. I'm still trying to figure out WHY you are (1) flying to Florence by way of Amsterdam? (2) going to Europe when you only have four days? But that's just my curiosity getting the better of me.

I know it is a little crazy. Here goes. Continental had some fare specials. I wanted to go to Europe and had some time off. My husband did not want to take off a whole week.
So.....we fly out after work on FRI and arrive on Sat. Had booked into London, Paris and Amsterdam. While he was debating the trip, the Paris and London reservations expired. Thus we are flying into Amsterdam.
But....we want to go back to Italy.
So...voila, our crazy trip.
We will get a place in town. And taxi in the am.
MAYBE with our 7 hour layover on the return from Florence we will go back into town....
THANKS!!!

Your trip sounds like a lot of fun. The flight from Florence to Amsterdam isn't all that long -- it's about like flying from Detroit to Boston, for comparison purposes. While some might see a long weekend getaway in Europe like this as a little nuts, I'm a big fan of spicing up life with things like this when you can make a good buy on airfare. Have a great time and max it out. :)

It's a pity you will miss the Canal Festival, August 18 to 22. We
saw a classical concert from our room at the Pulitzer a few years ago, with a symphony orchestra playing on the canal in front of the hotel.
Enjoy your trip, and come back to see Amsterdam properly some other time!

Flyboy,
Thanks for the encouragement. IT is a little nuts, but we think nothing of flying to LA for the weekend and it is a 3 1/2 hour flight from TX and AMS to FLorence is only 2 hours.....
Hope we enjoy it, I know FLorence will be hot. Hoping it cools down a little before we get there.

Tulips,
I know I wish we could stay one more day, but we will return to Amsterdam. It would be incredible to see the symphony on a canal! We might try to sneak back in to Amsterdam for a couple of hours on the return 7 hour layover.....
How early should we get to airport in AMsterdam when we go to Florence and when we come back to US??

For a flight to Florence you should be at Schiphol Airport one hour before scheduled departure time. For a flight to the US: two hours.

Thank you!!!


Laura