Schiphol Airport Question

The train ride from the central station downtown is less than 20 min. You need to have completed check in 45 min prior to departure. If you are at the airport 75 min prior to departure for a ache hen flight it's enough, the train is practically under the terminal, so at most 10 min walk to the checkin even if walking slow.

This airport reminds me of O'Hare a bit. There can be long treks to your gate. :)

Pam

It would be cheaper and easier (also more pleasant and comfortable) to just take the trains from Amsterdam to Italy. We use a Eurail pass to travel all over Europe and nothing could be more convenient. It is hell having to deal with waiting in lines at airports, security measures, and lots of walking to get where you are supposed to be. With the trains, it is quicker and much more simple. www.eurail.com can sell you a pass that is right for you.

Anne, since the train takes 20 minutes, I'd allow myself 1/2 hour travel, then 1-1/2 hours before flight departure but I'd probably round it up, just to make sure. Depending on where in Italy you want to be, I don't think I'd want to take a 14 hour train ride to Florence or a 15 hour ride to Rome which would also require several train changes. I would not find that relaxing. If I were to take the train though, I would purchase point-to-point tickets since railpasses with their required reservations have rarely been worth it the last several years.

anne,

if you know what gate you will be using, you can look it up on Schiphols web site and go from there.

Also, depending on when you are departing, there can be more people waiting for security.

happy trails.

It would be cheaper and easier (also more pleasant and comfortable) to
just take the trains from Amsterdam to Italy. We use a Eurail pass to
travel all over Europe and nothing could be more convenient.

I'm sorry but I disagree with the above. It is certainly a personal choice, and sometimes I might choose it myself. But it would be for a personal choice, not because it would be more convenient or cheaper. It would certainly be more expensive, and far less convenient.

2 hours before flight to leave Amsterdam Centraal, 90 minutes on the plane, 90 minutes to Termini is 5 hours. And maybe €30 or €40 for the flight.

How does that compare with a minimum of 16 and a half hours leaving Amsterdam Centraal at 7:05, changing trains at Frankfurt Airport, Mannheim, Basel, Bellinzona and Milan, and arriving just before midnight? Then you have to arrange for and pay €10 each for the mandatory reservation from Bellinzona to Milano and again for the train from Milano to Roma. Do you want seat reservations on the three ICE trains between Amsterdam and Basel? You have to pay for them too. And then there's the cost for a day of pass use. How much is that on a Global Pass or 4 country Select Pass? No way that all that is cheaper then the EasyJet? Getting on and off 7 times with luggage easier than rolling it through a couple of airports and into Rome on the Leonardo Express or in a taxi?

Flying Easy Jet from Amsterdam to any point in Italy is cheaper, faster, and simpler than train. The airport train takes 15-20 minutes, but you might allow an hour, in addition to the hour or whatever deadline Easy Jet requires for you to check in.

Thanks everyone. Yes I'm flying Easy Jet Amsterdam to Rome. Best tix prices were for 9:15am departure, so this should work and don't have to wake the kids too early. This is all so exciting. So many of you have been to Europe so often! I appreciate all your expertise. It has truly made the overwhelming aspect of planning this trip, much more enjoyable.