Hello all, I plan to travel again to London in the fall (yes, I plan way ahead!) and would like to make a side trip to Amsterdam. Right now, the best option seems to be to go directly to AMS from LHR when I arrive (though the timing is a little tight). Thought I'd stay 2-3 nights in Amster then come back to London for another 4 or 5. Anyone with advice?
Posted by
Minneapolis
1259 posts
Hi Stephen. What do you mean by 'best option'? No need to fly to London to get to Amsterdam. just fly directly into AMs and back from london or vice versa.
Posted by
Kansas
1175 posts
No sense in cutting it close with scheduling. Take 2 nights in London then Eurostar over to Paris and train it to Amsterdam. Check out www.seat61.com for train travel advice. You might think about a couple nights in Paris....
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I agree with Bob. (People who live in Minneapolis think alike!) Buy open jaw (multi-city) tickets and fly home-Amsterdam and London-home. Those tickets often cost about the same as standard roundtrip tickets.
Posted by
OP
Hillsborough, NC, USA
10 posts
Thanks for your thoughts. The reason I'm thinking London as a pass-through city is because AA has a direct Raleigh (RDU) to LHR flight that I've taken before. I thought about the eurostar option, but it takes a lot longer than flying and I'm trying to maximize my time in both cities. You've given me an idea, though, I can fly from here to IAD and then direct to AMS, back to RDU from Heathrow. Hmm! I just love figuring all this out, don't you? Seriously, if I could I'd spend all of my time either traveling or planning travel. Fun!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you decide to fly from LHR to AMS, then booking a one-way ticket on British Airways probably will be your cheapest option. However, you'll need to allow plenty of time to go through immigration/passport control, collect your luggage, check in with BA, and go through security. I would allow at least three hours between your scheduled arrival at LHR and your scheduled departure for AMS. IMO, you'll be better off booking open-jaw tickets so you'll be booked all the way through to AMS. If you miss a connection, the airline will be responsible for getting you on the next available flight.