Schiphol to Amsterdam Centre: Train, Bus 397 or Taxi

Pick by party size and where you are staying

The right choice depends on two things: how many of you share the cost, and how far your bed is from the stop each option drops you at. Amsterdam Centraal is at the northern edge of the old centre, while bus 397 heads south-west to Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein.

Example costs, using the figures checked on 12 October 2026: one person pays about €5.20 by train or €6.50 by bus, against a typical €35–55 taxi. Four people pay about €20.80 by train or €26 by bus, while one taxi at €35–55 works out at roughly €9–14 each and goes to the door. That gap shrinks further once you count a tram fare or a long walk with suitcases from Centraal.

The NS train to Amsterdam Centraal

Schiphol's train page says the station is directly below the terminal: take the escalator or lift down from Schiphol Plaza. Trains to Amsterdam Centraal always leave from track 3, and they run eight times an hour, calling at Lelylaan and Sloterdijk on the way. NS gives the journey as 17 minutes; Schiphol's page gives 14–17 minutes in one place.

On fares, NS's airport page lists a single ticket between Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal at €5.20, but labels it the full fare for 2025. NS had not updated that figure when checked on 12 October 2026, so treat €5.20 as a guide and read the current price on the ticket machine screen or in the NS journey planner. I amsterdam's guide shows a lower €4.90 without a year; NS, as the operator, is the figure used here. No Intercity Direct supplement is needed between Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal, according to the same NS page.

Bank card or ticket?

You can skip the ticket entirely. Tap a contactless debit card, credit card or phone at the yellow card readers at the top of the escalators and lifts in Schiphol Plaza, then tap the same card at the gates at Amsterdam Centraal. Schiphol's public transport page says no registration, app or Dutch bank account is needed, and that this works on almost all Dutch public transport.

NS's bank card page adds two conditions. Travel with a bank card is always 2nd class with no discount, and the day's journeys are charged in one payment the next day (the reference starts with "NLOV"), so you will not see the fare at the gate. If you prefer a ticket, Schiphol says ticket machines stand near the baggage belts in Arrivals 1, 2 and 3 and at Schiphol Plaza, selling single-journey tickets and 1-, 2- or 3-day passes.

Amsterdam Airport Express: bus 397 and N97

The bus is the better pick when you are staying in the museum quarter. Connexxion's Amsterdam Airport Express page says line 397 runs every 10 minutes from stop B17 (leave Schiphol Plaza and turn right) to Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein without a change. At night the N97 runs once an hour on the same service.

Fares on the operator's page, checked 12 October 2026: single from €6.50 and return from €11.75, both valid on 397 and N97. You can buy them as an e-ticket online, in the Amsterdam Airport Express app, or from the driver, who takes debit or credit cards only and no cash. You can also tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone; Connexxion's OVpay page says checking in with a card is cheaper than a paper ticket from the driver, but it does not publish the per-trip card fare for this line.

Connexxion also mentions a mobile ticket office at Schiphol, but its page gives two different sets of opening days, and I amsterdam lists yet another (daily 9:00–18:00), so do not count on it; buy online or tap in instead.

If you will use trams and buses a lot during your stay, Schiphol notes that the Amsterdam Travel Ticket covers line 397 and N97 from the airport as well as most city transport; see our guide to paying for Amsterdam public transport before buying one.

Taxis from the official rank

Schiphol's taxi page puts the official taxi rank in front of Schiphol Plaza; follow the signs and floor stickers. No booking is needed, every taxi accepts contactless payment, drivers must give a printed receipt and may not refuse a ride. The fare is what the on-board meter shows on arrival. Ignore anyone who approaches you in the terminal offering a ride. Uber and Bolt use a separate signposted App pick-up point.

What a taxi may charge

The Dutch government sets maximum fares for taxis taken from a rank or hailed in the street. The national taxi cost page lists these 2026 maximums (page last modified 1 September 2026):

Companies set their own rates on a rate card in the cab, but these may not exceed the maximums. As a worked example with illustrative inputs, a ride the meter records as 20 km and 25 minutes could legally reach about €80.71 in a car (€4.31 + 20 × €3.17 + 25 × €0.52). I amsterdam gives €35–55 as the typical fare to the centre and says metered fares can reach about €75 depending on distance and time of day. The government's taxi rules page also allows you to skip the meter and agree a fixed price before you set off.

For five to eight people, Schiphol's Schiphol Travel Taxi vans take up to 8 passengers but must be booked in advance; shared rides stop for other passengers and can take longer.

Arriving late at night: when to switch

The train keeps running after the last regular service. NS's night train page says night trains run every night in the Randstad on a line that includes Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal, roughly once an hour until early morning, at the normal daytime fare. NS does not print the times on that page, so check the NS journey planner when you land. NS lists OV-chipkaart, e-tickets and single-use chip cards from NS machines for night trains; its page does not mention bank cards, so have a ticket ready if you want certainty. The N97 bus also runs hourly at night.

The switch point comes when trains drop from eight an hour to about one. From then on:

1. Check the next night train and N97 departure the moment you clear baggage reclaim.
2. If the next one leaves within about 20–30 minutes and you are travelling alone with light bags, take it.
3. If the wait is longer, your hotel is far from Centraal or Museumplein, or there are three or four of you, go to the taxi rank: one metered car is capped by the 2026 maximums above and the cost is shared.

NS also notes that taxis wait overnight at Amsterdam Centraal, which helps if you take the night train and still have a long last leg.

Before you walk out of Arrivals

Decide in the baggage hall: tickets are sold there, the escalators to track 3 and the card readers are inside Schiphol Plaza, and stop B17 and the taxi rank are both just outside. Heading to the museums the next morning? Bus 397 stops at the Rijksmuseum and Museumplein, so you can sort out Rijksmuseum time slots before you fly. If the Anne Frank House is on your list, check when its tickets are released before you land, and budget for the tourist tax charged per night when you compare hotels near Centraal and Museumplein.