Hi,
I have an 8 hour layover in AMS flying from Nice to Manchester. I would like to leave the airport and go into the city for a few hours. I assume my bags will be checked through and I will go through immigration in Manchester? Is there anything else I need to know about immigration/security?
Thanks,
If you’ve booked this on 1 ticket your bags will be checked thru. You however have to go thru both security and passport control when you return to the airport for your flight to the UK.
The UK is outside the Schengen area so you will go thru passport control at Amsterdam in order to leave the Schengen zone.
Depending on what date and time you’re flying, the airport can be really busy and you’ll need to allow 2 to 3 hours to go thru security and passport control. The website of Schiphol Airport indicates per day how busy they expect it to be; https://www.schiphol.nl/en/my-travel-day/today
In addition to dutchtraveler's info, there have been several recent posts about long layovers in Amsterdam, this one has many links to help with logistics including bag storage if you want to store your carry on bag: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/9-hour-layover-in-amsterdam
I'm not sure what the condition of security lines are at Schipol at the moment (I think generally better) but they were a nightmare a couple years back. I did a 3 hour security line once. They've done a lot more hiring of security staff, but I would still be cautious about getting back with plenty of time.
