Airport-city

vlada, I probably wouldn't leave the airport, as I wouldn't want to take ANY chance that I'd miss the next flight. However, it should be feasible to visit the Van Gogh Museum. First of all, regarding transport. I believe there's a train from the airport to Amsterdam Central. From there, take Tram 2 (towards Nieuw Sloten) or 5 (towards Amstelveen Binnenhof) to the Van Baerlestraat stop. You might want to print out a Map so that you know where to find the Museum from the Tram stop (it's only a few minutes walk). One possible complication is that there could be a huge queue at the Museum, so it could take awhile to even get in the door. It would be a good idea to buy a return ticket from the airport to Amsterdam Central. Not only would it save time, but if you don't have any Euro cash to buy the ticket with, you wouldn't be able to use a credit card as they ONLY accept "Chip & PIN" cards at Amsterdam Central. Good luck and happy travels!

Thank you so mach for all of your suggestions. I was under impression that if I am flying by connecting flight to Eastern Europe from Amsterdam, I will not need to go throw restriction area (vs. my returning flight, where I am flying Amsterdam-NY). How complicated is Amsterdam Airport? I have looked at the map of the city and have located Van Gogh museum-shouldn't be that difficult to get there, providing trams are frequent. My concern is how reliable connection between airport and main train station? Honestly, last thing I want to do is to sit for another 2 h. in the bus after 7.5 hours of flight (please-please, Je, don't take it wrong way!)
I love Van Gogh and it would be a wonderful opportunity to see more of his works, providing I can manage to do so!

If you leave the airport you will need to go back through security when you return. I have flown into Amsterdam, but not out. I don't know how long security could take you there. You think you have almost 5 hours between flights, but not really. Even if you land on time it still takes time to deplane. Then you will have to go through immigration and customs. Then you will need to go down to the train station and buy a ticket, then wait for the next train. I don't remember how long it took for the train to get to the Central Station, but figure at least 20 minutes. Then you have to make your way to the museum. Then back to Central Station for the train ride back to the airport. Back through security and then boarding for your flight is about 30 minutes before takeoff. You say the museum opens at 10:00 a.m. You should be back at the airport more than an hour before your flight (before 11:55) and you need to get back there from the museum. Say that takes 45 minutes from the museum if there is a train leaving at the perfect time for you. That gives you no more than an hour at the museum...in your best case scenario. The train times could be such that you will have to leave Central Station earlier. IMO trying to do this would not be worth the risk of missing your flight.

You've got five hypothetical hours. Call it an hour to clear immigrations and be back in line for security. The train to Centraal takes twenty minute. The tram from out front to the museum takes another twenty. Figure you have another rotten twenty minutes waiting around and buying tickets. That's two hours for transportation. I've never been in the museum, I don't like the guy. My wife does, she's never in there for more than an hour. You've used up four hours. You've got one to spare. The worst case is that you have lines at the museum and you have to turn around and leave empty-handed. The decision time is when you clear immigration.

Je, What makes things work a bit better is to state your case and leave it alone. Others may differ, others may agree. Repeating what you previously stated adds no weight. Refuting facts is fair, but you need to refute somebody else's facts with your own - - or at least use your personal experience to suggest an exception. For example: * you could have stated that it takes thirty minutes to walk the length of Schiphol - - in fact, the furthest gate from the train station is about fifteen hundred feet, the distance a high school marching band covers in five minutes * you could have stated that the airport is non-functional and a congested mess - - in fact, it is one of the best-organized in the world * you could have stated that the train ride into Centraal takes whatever amount of time you figure based on X trips with seventeen derailments - - I was incorrect in stating twenty minutes, I just checked and it's advertised at fifteen * you could have stated that the tram ride from Centraal to the museum takes whatever amount of time you figure based on y trips with fifteen automobile collisions - - I was apparently lucky with my recollection, I just checked and it's scheduled at exactly twenty * you could have stated that the museum contains a thousand works by the artist and you couldn't conceivably walk past all of them in an hour - - as stated, I've never been inside, but the person I trust most in the world has (at lest three times that I know of) - - she just told me that the permanent collection only contains a couple of hundred works - - I've no idea how long a person looks at a single painting

It really, really is more meaningful if you can state the facts based on personal experience (which may be different than anybody else's) and let the OP make a decision to evaluate the risk. On questions like this, it has to be facts. Facts, not opinions. Your repeated harangues are starting to detract from many threads in the forum. How about share your thoughts often, but only once per thread - - unless, of course, you have some new thoughts on the subject

Being able to see the museum in less than an hour is the least of the problems. I love museums, but I find that an hour in any museum at any one time (yes, even the Louvre) is plenty for me. But the real problem is all the steps in between here. I wouldn't even attempt it given the amount of time.