Request input about Amsterdam layover on July 5, 2023

Will her luggage be checked through, or will she need to pick it up, store it, then check it in the afternoon?

Is it all on the same ticket? If so, it will be checked through and she picks it up at her final destination.

How long to go through customs to exit the airport?

Not long - it's a very quick process at Schiphol.

Assuming on luggage, how far in advance should she arrive back at Schipol? I am guessing roughly 3 hours, but wondering if 2 and a half would be ok.

2 1/2 would probably be okay, but I wouldn't push it past that.

the Anne Frank house tickets go on sale in about 12 hours. Here's what I was thinking for logistics. I welcome a reality check.

The one problem I see is if she doesn't get into the Anne Frank house right away - I remember having to wait for 20 minutes or so past my ticket time, but that was also 5 years ago so things may have gotten better since then.

Thank you. Yes it is one ticket, bought via Expedia.

So the bus/tram/local transport sounds feasible?

Backup: get to the airport via a taxi, though I'm not sure how much time that would actually save.

lands at 7 15 on KLM,

The KLM site shows the NBO-AMS flight arriving at 740AM

How close to the front of a 300+ seat plane will she be?

As she will be entering/leaving the Schengen zone she will have to do the full border-crossing drill both ways.

How well does she sleep on a plane? Departing at midnight and arriving ~8 hrs later does not make for the best sleep situation. But she has youth on her side so may not be that big a problem.

10 AM for the Anne Frank house looks to be a tight fit.

That's a lot of moving around, but if she's a savvy traveler (and used to public transit) it could be doable. Train station is right under the airport, given her options I don't think a pass is best option but others may have different opinions. Is she going to have any kind of carry on bag? Anne Frank house allows very limited sized bags same with Van Gogh museum. She may be wise to use a luggage locker at the airport if so. Since it is mid-week the morning portion of transit could be crowded with commuters, and since it's summer she will probably encounter very busy museums. Personally I'd need more than 1.25 hours at Van Gogh museum (she will be literally running to see it all), so I'd suggest she pick one of the two things and take it easy. She doesn't have enough time for option 3. I suggest City Mapper for help with transit information, it works great.

Schiphol has a handy "how busy is the airport" website that she can check about three weeks ahead to see if she needs to plan more time to get back through security. If she's lucky it won't be horrible like last summer (I personally got lucky but many did not).

Hi, thank you everyone. Yes, the arrival time is indeed 7 40 am. The original time got changed.

Wise advice on the timing. I think either Anne Frank house or Van Gogh, plus some walking around, is going to be more realistic.

Sounds good to plan on a locker for her carry bag, and accordingly to plan on time for that too.

I think it’s great that you want to help your daughter, but have you asked her what she wants to do? The way you’ve written things down, make it seem as if you’re doing all the planning.
Does your daughter really want to spend all her time in Amsterdam indoors inside museums? Also, for many people a visit to the Anne Frank house is an emotional experience. Lack of sleep after a long flight will add to that, plus she will be on her own and won’t have anyone to share her feelings with. Have you/she considered that?
I think a much nicer and more relaxed way to spend her layover is to train to the city, grab some breakfast, take a canal cruise and then just wander thru the UNESCO world heritage Canal Zone. She can pick up some lunch and find a bench along a canal or a nice spot in Vondelpark and have a picnic.

Also you mention a train pass, but the only train she might take is the train from the airport into the city. The numbers 2, 5 etc you mentioned in your first post are trams, not trains.
The easiest for your daughter would probably be to just use her credit or debit card to tap in and out in public transport. Tell her to read this to learn how it works; https://www.ovpay.nl/en

Thanks again everyone. The tickets opened at 1 am, and I got one for my daughter at the time she wanted. We talked through logistics and decided the Anne Frank House is the highest priority, she will not buy tickets for the Van Gogh museum. If she has some extra time, there's plenty to see by walking around.

It is amazing how fast the tickets sell. At 4 minutes after, some slot showed completely sold out. But after I got the ticket, I took another look at the times, and that particular slot had some spaces after all. I am not sure how many tix they sell during the day time slots. I see 90 in the evening slots. So this means within 10 mins of opening, some 90% of the tix for some slots are already booked.

8 hours after opening of sales for July 5, there's nothing before 2 45 pm except for one ticket left for 1 15, and 23 at 1 45.

Hi, I just saw Dutch Traveler's post. Thank you. Yes she does want to see the Anne Frank House. The canal district might be really good afterwards. Also I appreciate the advice on the transportation.