Air Travel

The least expensive flights to the Netherlands originate in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, are priced for round-trip travel, and must usually be purchased in advance online. Airlines generally allow you to change your return date for a fee; most low-fare tickets, however, are nonrefundable.

EasyJet has low fares to Amsterdam from Belfast, Berlin, Edinburgh, Geneva, Glasgow, Liverpool, London (Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted), Manchester, Milan, Nice, Rome, Vienna, and numerous other cities. Transavia flies to Amsterdam, Groningen, and Rotterdam from Barcelona, Nice, and other cities. Ryanair flies to the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven from London (Stansted), and a dozen other cities around Europe.

Consolidators and Low-Cost Airlines

EasyJet. 0900/040-1048 in the Netherlands; www.easyjet.com.

Ryanair. www.ryanair.com.

Transavia. 020/214–6032; www.transavia.com.

Flying time to Amsterdam is 7 hours from New York, 8 hours from Chicago, 10½ hours from Los Angeles, 9 hours from Dallas, 6½ hours from Montreal, 9½ hours from Vancouver, and 20 hours from Sydney.

Always ask your carrier about its check-in policy. Plan to arrive at the airport about two hours before your scheduled departure time—and don't forget your passport. If you are flying within Europe, check with the airline to find out whether food is served on the flight. If you have dietary concerns, request special meals when booking. Low-cost airlines don't provide complimentary in-flight service, but snacks and drinks can be purchased on board. For help picking the most comfortable seats, check out SeatGuru.com, which has information about specific seat configurations for different types of aircraft.

You are not required to reconfirm flights, but you should confirm the departure time if you made your reservation far in advance, as flight schedules are subject to change without notice.

Airline Security Issues

Transportation Security Administration. This agency has answers for almost every question that might come up. www.tsa.gov.

A 2004 European Union (EU) regulation standardized the rights of passengers to compensation in the event of flight cancellations or long delays. The law covers all passengers departing from an airport within the EU, and all passengers traveling into the EU on an EU carrier, unless they received assistance in the country of departure. Full details are available from the airlines, and are posted prominently in all EU airports.

Airports

Located 17 km (11 miles) southeast of Amsterdam, Schiphol (pronounced "shh-kip-hole") is the main passenger airport for Holland. It's ranked among the world's best-connected airports, seeing around 70 million passengers each year. Recently renovated, Schiphol Airport includes several hotels and parking lots, along with luxury and souvenir shops, a meditation center, and even a mini-museum among other amenities, as well as an I amsterdam Visitor Center (daily 7 am–10 pm) located near Arrivals 2.

Rotterdam is the largest of the regional airport options and provides daily service to many European cities. Another regional airport is Eindhoven. An increasing number of international charter flights and some budget carriers choose these airports, due to benefits that include shorter check-in times and ample parking. However, there are no rail links that connect such regional airports with their respective nearby cities, so passengers must resort to taking buses or taxis.

Airport Information

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. 17 km (11 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, North Holland, 1118 AP. 0900/0141; 020/794–0800; www.schiphol.nl.

Eindhoven Airport. 8 km (5 miles) west of Eindhoven, Eindhoven, North Brabant, 5657 EA. 0900/9505; 22/700–0767 ; www.eindhovenairport.nl.

Groningen Eelde Airport. 15 km (9 miles) south of Groningen, 9761 TK. 050/308–0850; www.groningenairport.nl.

Rotterdam The Hague Airport. 17 km (11 miles) northwest of Rotterdam, Rotterdam, South Holland, 3045 AP. 010/446–3444; www.rotterdamthehagueairport.nl.

Ground Transportation

The Dutch rail system, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), operates between the airport and the city 24 hours a day, with service to Amsterdam Centraal Station (usually abbreviated to Amsterdam CS), and to stations in the south of the city. At peak times, there are up to 10 trains every hour to Centraal Station, four later in the evening, and one every hour after 1 am; the trip takes about 15–20 minutes and costs €4.20. Schiphol Station is beneath Schiphol Plaza. From Centraal Station, Tram Nos. 1, 2, and 5 go to Leidseplein and the Museum Quarter. Keep in mind that Schiphol Station is one of Holland's busiest—make sure you catch the shuttle to Amsterdam and not a train heading to The Hague! As always, when arriving at Centraal Station, keep an eye out for pickpockets.

You may wish to hop aboard a tram or bus to get to your hotel, so go to one of the Gemeentevervoerbedrijf (GVB) Amsterdam Municipal Transport booths found in front of the Centraal Station; here you can find directions, fare information, and schedules. Connexxion Schiphol Hotel Shuttle operates a shuttle bus service (6 am–9 pm, every half hour) between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and all of the city's major hotels; the trip takes about a half hour and costs €17 one-way, €27 round-trip.

There is also a taxi stand directly in front of the arrival hall at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Fares are fixed-rate from Schiphol to Amsterdam; depending on the neighborhood, a trip will cost around €40 or more (a service charge is included, but a small additional tip wouldn't be unwelcome). The Schiphol Travel Taxi is a good option for budget travelers: it must be booked at least 24 hours in advance and rides are shared, so the trip will take a bit longer, as the taxi stops to pick up and drop off passengers. Book one via the Schiphol website; a shared taxi ride costs around €23.

Contacts

Connexxion Schiphol Hotel Shuttle. Amsterdam, North Holland. 088/339–4741; www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl.

Schiphol Travel Taxi. 0900/8876; 038/339–4768; schipholtraveltaxi.nl.

Flights

When flying internationally to the Netherlands, you usually choose between a domestic carrier, the national flag carrier of the country, and a foreign carrier from a third country. You may, for example, choose to fly KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to the Netherlands for the basic reason that, as the national flag carrier, it has the greatest number of nonstop flights. Domestic carriers offer connections to smaller destinations. Third-party carriers may have a price advantage.

KLM and its global alliance partner Delta Air Lines—together with their regional partner airlines—fly from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to more than 600 destinations in more than 80 countries. Nearly 100 of those are European destinations, with 3 or 4 daily flights to most airports and up to 17 flights a day to London alone. Delta now handles all reservations and ticket office activities on behalf of KLM in the United States and Canada. KLM's direct flights connect Amsterdam to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, and numerous other cities. Including connections via KLM's hubs, the airline flies to more than 120 destinations in the United States from Amsterdam. In Canada, KLM serves Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. For further information about schedules and fare promotions, go to the KLM website (www.klm.com).

KLM Cityhopper offers flights connecting Amsterdam with the smaller regional airports. Transavia Airlines (www.transavia.com) flies from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to a number of European destinations, and many other carriers link European capitals with Amsterdam. EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) has budget flights to Amsterdam from numerous European destinations; Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) offers a similar service out of Eindhoven Airport. Check online or with your travel agent for details.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. 026/20–0220; 0129/338–2263; 020/474–7747; 09/884–8101; 020/649–9123; 800/618–0104; 866/434–0321; www.klm.com.