Hi all,
We are scheduled to fly out of Schiphol to San Francisco for a 10am flight in October. Hopefully this craziness will have died down..? Anyhoo, while we'd like to stay in town and walk around, we think we'll be better off in the am if we're right near the airport with hopefully just a shuttle away.
Any recommendations? We were looking at Renaissance Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Hotel at $170/nt.
Thank you!
Citizen M hotel. A short walk from the front entrance under a covered walkway.
https://www.citizenm.com/hotels/europe/amsterdam/amsterdam-schiphol-airport-hotel
Do NOT use the Airport Hilton. They have never seen an extra upcharge that they haven't passed on to the customer. I was going to say that they would nickel and dime you to death, but it is much worse than nickels and dimes.
“ we think we'll be better off in the am if we're right near the airport with hopefully just a shuttle away.”
It’s only a 15 minute train ride from Amsterdam Central train station to Schiphol Airport. So if you’re okay with a shuttle, you might as well stay in Amsterdam close to the railway station. That way you can walk around the city, but still be very close to the airport.
I'd agree with Dutch_traveler that you shouldn't limit yourself to just AMS Airport hotels. There are plenty of other places you can stay, using the inexpensive transport systems in the NL.
For example, later this week were are departing from AMS at 10.15 AM. We are boarding an Intercity train at Den Haag Centraal at 5.33 AM, arriving at AMS Schiphol at 6.03 AM, and walking upstairs just in time to meet the 4-hour minimum entry time frame. From Den Haag, it's a 29-minute ride with only one stop on some routes. From Leiden, it's perhaps a 16-minute ride with NO stops. And there are similar options available from Amsterdam, Haarlem, etc.
The trains drop you under the airport and you simply walk upstairs. Unless we're heading to the States, taking "gifts" and bringing back "supplies" in multiple suitcases, we ALWAYS take the train to Schiphol - as do many folks. I'd rather spend my last night in a town than be stranded at an airport hotel with limited resources (read: food & drink!).
Pretty sure there is a huge airport food hall a 3 minute walk from Citizen M hotel. Hardly “stranded without food or drink”………
We have a one day layover on our way to Africa and have booked the Hilton, a short walk from the airport. Also, there is a Sheraton as well.
I guess I would not be looking forward to ... a huge airport food hall... as my last "Dutch" dining experience. Working as a guide, our perspective when working with clients was... "the minute you check into an airport hotel - be it in Rome, Paris, London, AMS, etc - your vacation is over..." Most airports - including AMS - are located well outside of the city/town centers and when you're there, well,... you're there!
Having biked, trained, bused, and driven all around AMS, I'm fairly familiar with the area around it and the dining options... That said, I'd advise my clients to stay in a nearby town and maximize their experience. For the nervous traveler in these uncertain times, an airport hotel may provide them with a sense of comfort. Whatever works! For AMS, if you can easily and inexpensively get there four hours early - as per the current restrictions - I'd suggest staying elsewhere.
“Pretty sure there is a huge airport food hall a 3 minute walk from Citizen M hotel. Hardly “stranded without food or drink”………”
If Burger King and Starbucks is your idea of food and drink then yes indeed, you can ‘dine’ in the ‘foodhall’ at Schiphol Airport. I’m using the word ‘dine’ very loosely here. Otherwise just stay in the city, have a proper meal and train to Schiphol early in the morning. Another option would be to stay in Leiden. Leiden is a lovely historical city only a 15 minute direct train ride away from Schiphol Airport. The train station of Leiden is really close to the city center and there are several hotels right near the train station. I would always pick Leiden over an airport hotel.
In addition to staying in the city center and taking the train, you can also stay near Sloterdijk station, which right on the way to the airport, and a short ride from the city center. There are several chain hotels and the prices are reasonable, a big discount from either the airport or city center. That way, you can have a nice meal in Amsterdam before heading to the hotel, and probably beat a hotel shuttle to the airport.
I stayed at Citizen M - five minutes walk from Departures. Some decent food options at the hotel but I popped into the Albert Heijne at the airport and bought sushi and other stuff for a hotel room picnic (I had to get up at 4am so didn’t want a heavy meal).
Another vote for the Citizen M Hotel. We had an overnight layover coming home from Africa. We dropped our bags off at the hotel and then headed into Amsterdam for the day. We came back to the hotel later in the evening and then made the short walk to the airport for our flight home the next morning. It worked out perfectly for us. I would not hesitate to do it again.
