There are many ways to get to Amsterdam, you can get to the city by car, bus, train, boat or airplane.
By car
You can reach Amsterdam easily by car. There are 6 highways connected to the Amsterdam beltway A10. If you come from the east or Germany you can take the A1, A2 or A12. From the south or Belgium You can Take the A4, A16-A13-A4 or A27. Traffic congestion on highways is common during peak hours, especially on the beltway A10.
Nearly all parking options require a card (debit and credit) for payment, cash is often not accepted. Most parking machines have an English, French or German language option.
If you don’t feel like driving all the way into the city center it’s also possible to park your car on the outerskirts of the city near a Park & Ride facility. The parking is often free when you travel to the centre with public transport, you just need to scan the ticket at the ticket machine.
By bus
From within The Netherlands there are several companies offering bus services to Amsterdam from a number of cities. For info see the website 9292.nl.
Flixbus operates bus services between Amsterdam and many cities throughout Europe. Most of the buses arrive and depart at either Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station or Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
By train
Amsterdam is well connected to the Dutch railway network and has several international connections to cities in Belgium, France and Germany. National trains services are mainly operated by the NS, and internatonal train services are operated by the NS, Thalys and Eurostar.
A total of eleven train stations are located within city limits of which the Central Station, Sloterdijk and Zuid are the busiest.
By boat
Several companies offer ferry services to Amsterdam from the United Kingdom. P&O Ferries has a overnight sailing from Newcastle to IJmuiden, a town close by to Amsterdam. P&O Ferries and StenaLine both offer services to Rotterdam. Intercity Direct of the NS brings you from Rotterdam Central to Amsterdam Central in about 30 minutes.
The maritime Passenger Terminal Amsterdam is close to the city centre but is only for cruise ships. Close to 180 cruise ships visit Amsterdam each year.
By airplane
Schiphol Amsterdam Airport
One of the busiest airports of Europe, Schiphol Amsterdam, is only 15 km away from the city centre. KLM is the largest carrier operating at Schiphol and offers flights to many major cities around the world. Also many low-cost carriers serve Schiphol, offering service to many cities in Europe.
From the airport there are a couple of ways to get into the city. Underneath the airport there is a train station that offers direct connections to Amsterdam Central and many other destinations. Trains run approximately every 10 minutes between 5:00AM and 1:00AM and hourly during other hours. There are several train stations in Amsterdam and not every train stops at every station.
There’s also a bus connection (#397 or Amsterdam Airport Express) that operates service between the airport and Museumplein, Rijksmuseum, and Leidseplein. It’s only advisable to take the bus if the stops are closer by to your hotel. Otherwise the train is faster and more convenient.
In front of the airport there’s a taxi stand. Taxis in The Netherlands are quite expensive and a taxi ride to the city centre will cost you approximately 40-50 euros. That’s about 10 times as expensive as a train ride to the city centre.
There quite a lot of car rental companies at the airport but it’s not advisable to rent one if you’re only planning to visit Amsterdam. It’s really hard and expensive to find a parking spot in Amsterdam, so public transport is not only cheaper, it’s also faster and easier.