Hello- My family and I are looking at booking a trip to Europe this summer. Part of the trip could possibly include a 10 hour layover in Amsterdam during the day...if we select a certain flight.
Is this enough time to see some of the city center? i.e. Anne Frank House, Canals and whatever else we can fit in?
Thanks,
Yes! Unique, memorable city; easy train access from airport; city is very walkable. Need res for Frank house but that would work fine; and/or could do a 1 hr canal cruise; boats leave every 1/2 hour so, no res needed. Go for it!
Book Anne Frank Haus tickets well in advance. If your flight is kate, of course you might loose your
ability to use those tickets. Canals are everywhere but especially scenic in the Canal Ring area. Once you go through immigration and get into the city, not far, you might have enough time to do a canal boat ride and Anne Frank, but your plane better be on time.
Remember a 10 hour layover is not ten hours. You will need time to return and go through security for the next flight. And, you may have to go through immigration to get out of the airport. Your ten hours could quickly become six or seven hours.
Download Rick Steves app on your phone and take one of his self-guided walks. Stay outdoors so you can see Amsterdam which is a beautiful city.
The Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum is open through June 4; that would definitely be worthwhile, if the dates fit.
Thank you everyone, this is very helpful!
Just a note that if your 10 hour layover is on your way to Europe, you're going to be jet lagged. For me that means moving much slower than normal, and that is something to consider if you want to remember any of your limited visit. If you have kids, that's also something to factor in.
As noted, it's easy to get to city from the airport on the train. Store your carry on items in a locker at the airport and research its location and process ahead of time so you are prepared. Make sure you have your boarding passes for the return flight before you leave the airport. Take the train to central station - you can catch one of several canal cruises right outside the station, but if it's high season you'd want to purchase tickets ahead. Though from personal experience I can tell you the aforementioned jet lag may make it a nap-inducing experience. You'd need to purchase Anne Frank house tickets well ahead of time (search this site for tips on how to do so) and make sure the time slot selected allows for transit time from airport, as well as enough time to go back. It's about a 20 minute walk from the train station, 10 minute by tram if you're feeling up to navigating multiple modes of transportation.
If you do this, keep an eye on the Schiphol website that shows the expected crowd levels at the airport which lets you check a week or so in advance. This will help you know how much time you'll likely need to get out of the airport and also plan how much time to allow to return to the airport and get back through security.
I'll just ask where your final destination is? I'm wondering if your first destination is reachable by train from Amsterdam, then you could overnight in AMS and get the train out the next day to where you want to be.
I'll also add if you weren't aware of it that Schiphol was a complete mess this past summer. Hopefully the staffing issues will have been resolved by next summer so those horrendous waits to get back in to the airport will have disappeared. In normal times your plan would work, this last summer you'd not have wanted the hassle of trying to be re-admitted to the terminal building.
It also looks like you will be flying from the West Coast? With a 9-10 hour flight, you may not be up to doing as much sightseeing as you might think. Depends on how much sleep people get on the flight and if you are new to International travel you'll not know how each person will react to jet lag and travel tiredness. I fly from an end-of-the-line airport to Seattle so always have 5-6 hours of time under my belt by the time I board my big flight. Even though it's only an hour's flight from Spokane to Seattle there's the hour drive to the airport, arriving with your airline's recommended lead time, giving yourself a couple of hours in Seattle to account for any delays, blah blah. Not sure where you are located in CA and if you are within reach of one of the airports with non-stop service to AMS. Just something to keep in mind when you are planning.
