Layover Question
 

I'm looking at several KLM flights between the U.S. and Kenya.

My question is, what are you supposed to do when you have a long layover, like ten to twelve hours? Is there a place to sleep at the airports?

Some places have hotels right in the airports, or dayrooms. If you are flying on KLM through Amsterdam you can get the train from the airport into the city center and explore. Maybe build in a full day stopover to break up the two long flights.

Indeed, but bear in mind that if you exceed 24 hours this will indeed be considered a stopover and you'll be moved up to a farebucket allowing that. Under 24 hours is only considered 'transit' and thus bookable with the cheapest fares around.

Depending on whether you need a visa to enter Schengen, you can visit the city centre or stay at the airport.

The train station is underground below the airport. Trains run every ten minutes and take a quarter to reach Amsterdam Centraal, which is right in the city centre and next to the RLD.

In the airport there are hotel rooms airside. Alternatively you can visit the duty free shops. There is also a small museum.

The OP wasn't looking for information about "some places", s/he was looking for information about AMS...

OK, here we go:

Hotels: There are two hotels inside the terminal, airside (i.e., you can get to them without clearing Dutch Immigration - very useful for people who would otherwise need a visa). There are also three hotels within walking distance of the terminal.

If you don't want to pay for a hotel there is a sleeping area upstairs in the terminal building. No beds/bunks, just reclining chairs - but they are quite comfortable and people seem to sleep in them quite soundly. There is also a public shower in that same area (you need to bring your own towel and soap).

All this is assuming you don't have access to an airline lounge. If you do have access to the KLM lounge there is a separate room there with beds in it - but you won't be able to stay there overnight.

The OP did not ask specifically about Amsterdam. There are a lot of other places that the OP could have a long layover flying to or from Kenya, including many hub cities in the US, or Nairobi. The OP even asked about a place to sleep "at the airports." "Airports" is a plural word, the use of which expressed the OP's interest in the situation at more than one airport.

Besides, the next sentence of my post said "If you are going though Amsterdam," and then gave information on Amsterdam.

If you enjoy correcting people for no reason, you should at least wait for instances where you are right.

I booked my flight today. On my flight to Kenya, I'll have a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam and 9 1/2 hours in Nairobi. On my return flight, I'll have a similar layover in Amsterdam.

With 5 hours in Amsterdam, the safe bet is to stay in the airport. If you are feeling adventurous, you could go through passport control and take the train into the city, but you would probably only have about 1.5-2 hours to walk around the city before heading back. It would a rushed visit to the city for sure and might be too nerve-wracking for an inexperienced traveller to enjoy. Amsterdam has a big airport with shops, restaurants, a casino, etc. and you should probably just stay there.

Nairobi airport is not an exciting place to spend 9.5 hours. Then again, the city of Nairobi has few redeeming qualities and can be unsafe especially at night, so depending on what time you are arriving you might just want to stay at the airport until your domestic flight. I don't know about rooms/hotels near that airport, someone else might have better information.

You could also check out this link:

http://www.sleepinginairports.com/li...i&terminal=NBO

Good luck.

If you're bored airside, go landside and take the train to Haarlem or Amsterdam.
If you're a plane lover you'll certainly love the panorama-terrace. There are ample things to do at AMS, airside and landside.

Going to Haarlem it is even faster to get the bus (300 - Zuidtangent) which runs every 6 mins during the day and will get you to Haarlem within 45 minutes.
If you get out before the last stop ("Verwulft") you will be in the centre of Haarlem.

This is an excellent recommendation. Haarlem is much easier to grasp then Amsterdam when time is short. And it is certainly not a lesser experience (on the contrary imho) ^

I too have a 9 hour layover in AMsterdam and Haarlem sounds like the place to go (have been in the city of Amsterdam many times).

Question - can I pay the bus driver or???

Yes, pay at the busdriver, would be € 4,00 for a single.

Thanks, great stuff!

I love photography - anything good to photograph in Haarlem? I'll be there Wednesday April 13 in the afternoon.

This website should give you some information on Haarlem and what to see.

The Corrie Ten Boom Museum is a really interesting place to visit as it is a similar albeit less touristy version of the Anne Frank Huis in Amsterdam. It is worth the visit if you are interested in that.

If you have any questions you can always PM me.

Gajan

Thank you Gajan for info and links - very much appreciated!!!

I have a 6.5 hour transit at AMS and was wondering if it would be possible to see Anne Frank house if we take cabs both ways and buy tickets online. How long and how much would it cost by taxi?

Layover Question
 

Definitely buy online! You can bypass the (often very long) queue and enter directly via a seperate entry.

9 1/2 hrs in NBO? Where are you going to?

I've only been to Amsterdam once but my recollection was that taking the train from the airport to Amsterdam Central Station was fast and relatively inxpensive -- taking a taxi back took a long time and was very expensive.

With the train, you are at Amsterdam Central Station in 20 minutes for €4 roundtrip, I believe.
But the Anne Frank House is quite a walk from the trainstation, IIRC.

It's an easy 20 minute stroll (see Google directions: here).

You'll probably find you can do it much quicker.

Any idea how fast two US citizens can get through immigration at 8am on a Sat?

I just tried to buy tickets online and there are none available. Do they normally sell out in advance? Or if I make the trip there will I be able to get a ticket?

Anne Frank house?

Sorry, yes.

Yes, only a limited number of advance tickets are sold, and this usually means that, if your intended visit is within the next 4 weeks, all availability is gone.

You don't need to have advance tickets, though. You can line up (there is invariably a queue for walk-up tickets) but bear in mind you could be in line for up to an hour before you get inside.

If you don't fancy waiting, there are lots of other things to do. Just stroll around the city, visit any of the other museums (the Royal Palace on Dam Square is not far from either Amsterdam Centraal, or from the Anne Frank Huis) and would easily take up an hour or so of your time.