Getting from Haarlam to Schiphol Airport

Take the train. It's cheap and fast.

Flight within Europe or to another continent? Check-in deadlines are earlier for the longer flights.

But trains run plenty early (and frequently), e.g., you could depart Haarlem at 5:44 and arrive to Schiphol at 6:14. There's one connection, usually at Amsterdam Sloterdijk or Leiden station. Rick's guidebook also describes the option of the direct bus #300 which also runs all the time.

Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it.

The bus is easiest: direct and leaving every 10 minutes from the stand in front of the railway station. The train involves a change at Amsterdam Sloterdijk, which has two levels and is somewhat confusing. Check for departure and journey times at 9292.nl/en

Added:
The bus has stopped accepting cash. If you don't have an OV Chipkaart or a credit card, the train might be the better option.

I was going to recommend the bus, but Ton's post just caught my eye. Ton, will a TripKey work? We've already purchased ours.

One other bus question: The bus stops at 2 places in Haarlem, the train station and near the main square. In what order are the stops?

Thank you.

I have no personal experience with TripKey, but I understand it also works for the bus. (It somehow must be linked to the OV Chipkaart.)
The bus starts at the station. Two minutes after departure it has a stop in the centre. (You can check it at 9292.nl with the option »Intermediate stops« or something similar.)

Thanks, Ton.

The 300 bus is a good idea. I haven't used it but I have seen the long red buses circulating frequently. I've never heard of anybody having any sort of a problem with them.

Do note that the central Haarlem stop after the station isn't right in the centre but rather on a main road which circles the old part of the town.

If 'twere I, I would join it at the station where all would be calm instead of trying to use a bus stop.

Thanks, Ton and Nigel. Actually, I'm planning ahead to arriving in Haarlem from the airport. I was just wondering how practical it would be to get off the bus at the other stop, not at the station. Although the walk from the station to the Kerkplein is easy enough.

If it doesn't make too much difference, I'd stay on the bus until the terminus. No confusion about the right stop. No hurrying to get off the bus with an impatient driver. No getting off in the middle of a street. Keep it all as simple as possible.
By the way, did you know that Haarlem gave its name to NYC Harlem? The whole region abounds with place names of Dutch origin, the most unlikely one being Coney Island, which is derived from Konijnen-eiland: Rabbits Island. And if it's not true, it's a nice story.

"the most unlikely one being Coney Island, which is derived from Konijnen-eiland: Rabbit's Island. And if it's not true, it's a nice story."

Ton! That is so interesting! See...even if I don't need to know information about traveling Haarlem to Schiphol I can pick up little trivia nuggets. Thanks!

and see if you can get into the church when there is an organ recital. A most excellent instrument, played by some greats over the years.

and the boy with his finger in the dike is from Haarlem, just down the road.

little trivia nuggets
Trivia? Essential facts on the founding of New York City.

TripKey is fabulous. It essentially is the same card as the OV card (it's actually the flip side of the same plastic card) except that it's hooked to your credit card instead of forcing you to periodically "top it off" and keep a minimum of 20EUR on the card. I just received my itemized usage email from my two-week trip, very handy for entering my business expenses. You get hit for a 3.50EUR fee, but you don't have to hassle with refunding the 20EUR when you are done. Also, once you sign up and get your super secret code, you can re-use that code for your next trip (useful for me, because I will be traveling to AMS for biz at least once a month for the next year.) I can also grab up to 12 cards per code, which works nicely because my wife is joining me on the next trip.

If you don't like attaching your credit card to anything, the OV is the way to go....personal choice. I missed a couple of trains because my co-workers got zapped at the gate at Centraal because their OV balances had dipped below 20EUR.

Jack, thanks for the added information. We've already ordered the TripKey, and I just checked to make sure I still have our super secret code! What sold me was not having to keep a €20 balance, and being able to get more than one card for the same account, with no added expense.

I'm looking forward to being able to hop on trains and buses without worry.

Jane, I do believe that they hit you for the 3.50EUR fee for each card...upon its first use.

Oh, okay. I wasn't sure how that worked. Thanks, Jack.