Hi guys. I have a day to spend in amsterdam and would like to hear your suggestions on the metro pass and places to see. I arrive in schipol (KLM/ITA airways) on 1st nov at 11 05 am and leave from schipol to paris cdg (KLM) at 13:55pm on 2nd Nov. I will be staying in holiday inn express north riverside (Motorkade 1, 1021 JR Amsterdam, Netherlands). Can you please suggest which 24 hrs pass 911am on 1st Nov to 11am on 2nd Nov) will work out best for me so that I can use it for the airport travel and also explore the city ? I believe one needs to arrive early at schipol due to the ongoing issues at the airport, but passport control is not needed for traveling from schengen to schengen country (i am international traveller with a schengen visa) ?
Posted by
Sweden
6375 posts
Just to clarify things, you are actually planning to fly from Amsterdam to Paris?
If that is the case, cancel the plane ticket and get a train ticket instead.
Posted by
OP
48 posts
Hi. Actually it is a ticket from italy to paris with a one day layover in amsterdam.
Posted by
Sweden
6375 posts
Rebook it is my suggestion, you are wasting a lot of time this way. KLM suggests you arrive at Schiphol three hours before your flight, so you won't have much time to do anything in Amsterdam the second day. The train on the other hand takes you from central Amsterdam to central Paris in 3 hours and 17 minutes.
Posted by
The Netherlands
1304 posts
In your opening post you write you have a day to spend in Amsterdam. I’m very sorry, but you don’t. You have halve a day max in Amsterdam on the day you arrive, that’s it. On top of that, your choice of hotel is very inconvenient, which means you will lose even more time getting to and from your hotel, city and airport.
You can look into the Amsterdam Region Travel Ticket, but its validity is based on calendar days, which means you would need to get a 2-day pass. At €28 pp for a 2-day pass, it’s probably cheaper to buy single point to point tickets.
But most importantly, why the huge detour? Why not just fly straight to Paris from Italy?
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1137 posts
Assuming your plane ticket is already paid for, as long as you carry on your luggage you could always just not get on the flight to Paris and take the train as others have suggested. Yes, you will have to buy a ticket, but they aren't that much money, and you have the option to choose the time and spend more time in Amsterdam.
Posted by
Sweden
6375 posts
But most importantly, why the huge detour? Why not just fly straight
to Paris from Italy?
According to their other posts, the OP is doing a whirlwind trip through Europe with a lot of one and two night stops in several cities.
Posted by
7662 posts
Agree, that the train would be better than the flight, However, since you have already purchased your ticket, dropping the second flight to CDG probably isn't doable.
Your hotel is across the river from the historic part of the city. If you still plan to take you flight CDG, I would recommend you cancel your reservation at this hotel and book either the Hilton or Sheraton that are located right outside the Schipol airport.
You can take the train into the city (a taxi to the city center will run about 50 Euros).
Once you are downtown, there is a trolly you can take, but my wife and I spend a week in Amsterdam in August (staying at a BnB close to city center) and walked everywhere.
Amsterdam is a very charming city, but frankly the downtown area alone is not what I call awesome. The beautiful part of the city is on the canals with the 18th Century canal houses.
The Anne Frank House is worth a visit, but you must make reservations in advance. Booking opens up the first week of the month prior to your booking. The Rijksmusuem and Van Gogh museum are super.