What to do with six hours in Amsterdam airport?
March 5, 2011 6:26 AM Subscribe
What do to with six hours in Amsterdam?
I have a six hour layover in Amsterdam ~0800-1400 on Sunday. I will have a large carry-on bag so I can't go too far from the airport. Is there anything interesting to do there? I'm open to almost anything that will help me pass the time.
I have a six hour layover in Amsterdam ~0800-1400 on Sunday. I will have a large carry-on bag so I can't go too far from the airport. Is there anything interesting to do there? I'm open to almost anything that will help me pass the time.
The train into the city centre is quite quick. You can wander around town, walk around a few canals. Not sure if you'll have time for the van Gogh museum, but Amsterdam is a nice place just to stroll around.
Schiphol is a pretty good airport, there's a hotel before passport control so you can get a shower and short nap if you're so inclined. They have a rotating art exhibition and a casino if you want to bet on your flight leaving on time.
posted by arcticseal at 6:41 AM on March 5, 2011
Schiphol is a pretty good airport, there's a hotel before passport control so you can get a shower and short nap if you're so inclined. They have a rotating art exhibition and a casino if you want to bet on your flight leaving on time.
posted by arcticseal at 6:41 AM on March 5, 2011
Forgot to add, there are lockers if you want to dump the bag.
posted by arcticseal at 6:41 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by arcticseal at 6:41 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Depending on your body's needs, there's a Yotel you could rent for a few hours. I've never tried it but it's awfully tempting.
Also, given that it's Schiphol and you'll want to be back to the airport 3 hours before your flight, that's not a ton of time, but you could bop in at the Stedelijk Museum.
posted by knile at 6:45 AM on March 5, 2011
Also, given that it's Schiphol and you'll want to be back to the airport 3 hours before your flight, that's not a ton of time, but you could bop in at the Stedelijk Museum.
posted by knile at 6:45 AM on March 5, 2011
you can catch a fast train straight to the heart of amsterdam from the airport, and customs was really fast when i was last there on layover. i had less time than you (maybe 4 1/2 hours) and managed to make it into amsterdam proper and back, no problem. the train will accept your large carry on, so all you have to do is drag it from one of the train stations to anywhere as nearby as you can mange. there'll certainly be a variety of attractions within a quick walk of the main station in central amsterdam.
as to what to do? well, the 3 story erotic art museum within 200m or so of the station isn't as good as the one in berlin, but it contains lots of genuine articles of ancient-to-modern, good quality art-on-specific-theme - i thought it was worth a visit, especially since it's so close to the station
and since i've checked, no one's mentioned the obvious yet, so i'll just get it over with: there's much worse things to do with a 6 hour layover in amsterdam than visiting one of the many fine coffeeshops within strolling distance of the train station and rolling yourself one of those fancy cigarettes they often sell there, if you like that sort of thing.
if nothing else, you might want to try a heineken on tap from one of the nearby bars as well. to my mind they taste much much better in amsterdam than the stuff generally made in not-actually-dutch-breweries around the world under the brand name "heineken"
posted by messiahwannabe at 6:54 AM on March 5, 2011
as to what to do? well, the 3 story erotic art museum within 200m or so of the station isn't as good as the one in berlin, but it contains lots of genuine articles of ancient-to-modern, good quality art-on-specific-theme - i thought it was worth a visit, especially since it's so close to the station
and since i've checked, no one's mentioned the obvious yet, so i'll just get it over with: there's much worse things to do with a 6 hour layover in amsterdam than visiting one of the many fine coffeeshops within strolling distance of the train station and rolling yourself one of those fancy cigarettes they often sell there, if you like that sort of thing.
if nothing else, you might want to try a heineken on tap from one of the nearby bars as well. to my mind they taste much much better in amsterdam than the stuff generally made in not-actually-dutch-breweries around the world under the brand name "heineken"
posted by messiahwannabe at 6:54 AM on March 5, 2011
store bag.
train to central station.
walk into centre and rent a bike.
visit a coffeeshop.
have a glorious bike ride.
posted by nickrussell at 7:12 AM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
train to central station.
walk into centre and rent a bike.
visit a coffeeshop.
have a glorious bike ride.
posted by nickrussell at 7:12 AM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Wow, that was quick. Thanks everybody.
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 7:17 AM on March 5, 2011
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 7:17 AM on March 5, 2011
Yes, there is really no excuse for not smoking a big fatty.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:55 AM on March 5, 2011
posted by Meatbomb at 7:55 AM on March 5, 2011
There are big lockers (at Centraal Station for sure, and I'd wager at Schiphol as well), so you could stuff your bag away. But with a six-hour layover, let's say it's 45 into the city and 45 back, and you want to get back at least two hours before your flight, then you've only got two and a half hours in the city. Time to get some fries and maybe smoke a quick joint at a coffeeshop? Sure. But maybe not worth it
posted by J. Wilson at 8:31 AM on March 5, 2011
posted by J. Wilson at 8:31 AM on March 5, 2011
That's my standard layover, and you can see plenty in town during that time: dump your bag in the Schiphol lockers (€ 6), zip through passport control, get a train ticket (€ 6.50) to Centraal and have a good few hours either wandering, or hopping on trams (1 hour ticket: € 2,60). There's a nice equivalent to the old circle tram if you take the 5 from outside the station to the Concertgebouw and the 24 back.
The bests suggest that you're looking to stay in the airport, though, and the 'Holland Boulevard' area is probably the nicest part for wandering or chilling out. For that length of time, I'd pick out the items I needed, pay the six euro and stash the bag anyway.
posted by holgate at 8:52 AM on March 5, 2011
The bests suggest that you're looking to stay in the airport, though, and the 'Holland Boulevard' area is probably the nicest part for wandering or chilling out. For that length of time, I'd pick out the items I needed, pay the six euro and stash the bag anyway.
posted by holgate at 8:52 AM on March 5, 2011
Fiften-minute train from Schipol to Central Station.
Walk outside, around the body of water and left into The Grasshopper to "stock up".
Back to the trams in front of the station, take one to either the Van Gogh or the Rijksmuseum. Maybe both if you have time.
Note that maps aren't free, are in fact rather expensive at the
VVV information center in the station -- better to come equipped with your own.
posted by Rash at 11:11 AM on March 5, 2011
Walk outside, around the body of water and left into The Grasshopper to "stock up".
Back to the trams in front of the station, take one to either the Van Gogh or the Rijksmuseum. Maybe both if you have time.
Note that maps aren't free, are in fact rather expensive at the
VVV information center in the station -- better to come equipped with your own.
posted by Rash at 11:11 AM on March 5, 2011
I know it's too late, but I'd just like to replace the Grasshopper in the comment above. Instead of turning left, turn right into the side street off Damrak and go into 420cafe, much much nicer and not trying to milk you of all your money like in places like the Grasshopper.
posted by tumples at 6:14 PM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by tumples at 6:14 PM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I stayed at the Yotel. It was great.
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 3:40 PM on March 9, 2011
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 3:40 PM on March 9, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
see
http://www.schiphol.com/Travellers/ShopRelax/AfterPassportControl/Relax.htm
posted by Tandem Affinity at 6:37 AM on March 5, 2011