Faux Carnival

Hello, I'm traveling to Toronto and I have a 6 h. layover in Amsterdam. I don't have a transit visa for Netherlands, so I can't get out of the airport.

Any activity proposals? Is the area I'm stuck in too small? Can I access all parts of the airport? Thanks.

mat_64

You could take an hour for the airport museum. (Holland Boulevard, between pier's E and F.)
You could tray to win some money at Holland Casino. (Also on Holland Boulevard, between pier's E and F.)
Your flight will leave from E or F so those attractions are close by.

Were are you from? Maybe you don't need an transit visa. But 6h are very short to do something outside.

GVA

If you don't mind me asking, where are you connecting to and what is your nationality?

This should help us figure out if you can get out of the airport and see some of the Dutch countryside or Amsterdam more closely.

stuttflyer

Hallo,

This seems to be my situation as well. I have 5 hrs 15 min layover and I can leave the airport. Any suggestions about planespotting in walkable distance from terminal or visiting closeby countryside by public transport?

Mofomat

There is a very good terrace on the roof, accessible landside (just follow the signs in the terminal or ask an airport worker). They even have the registration of the aircraft listed on the screens.

piotrzdebik

You can take a train to city center. it only takes 15 min. Try fries with pindasaus!

Faux Carnival

Thanks for your replies a lot. I'm from Turkey and I'll be flying to Toronto from Istanbul. So, I can't get out of the airport without a transit visa, I guess.

I really don't know anything about the Schiphol Airport. Am I going to wait in a waiting room or something for 6 hours? (That's crazy) Or can I access all parts of the airport?

Thanks for the casino and the museum advices. I'll definitely try them out.

layz

Definitely no issues with being stuck in a waiting room. When you exit the aircraft you'll be straight into the main airside area of the airport (there's no separation between arriving and departing passengers), you have access to everything that is available airside in the non-schengen zone (including the museum, casino, mercure hotel, numerous bars and restaurants, plenty of seating and shops). If you can't enter the Netherlands you can't enter the schengen zone, but there's enough to keep you occupied on the non-schengen zone.

Faux Carnival

Thanks a lot, your post was really helpful. I'll be researching more about the non-schengen zone of the airport. As far as I can tell, Schiphol is a great airport and I'm sure I'll enjoy my wait time.

stuttflyer

Thanks a lot for your replies.. Looks like 5 hours is not a long wait for Schiphol. :-)

zloneill

Stuttflyer, you can definitely get out of the airport and back in five hours.

I'd recommend taking the train to the Amsterdam RAI station (not Centraal), and taking the #4 tram into the center. The train from Schiphol is a lot faster (9 min), and it's just a much nicer, calmer area to arrive, as Centraal is under mega-construction, and the stuff in walking distance from there is all the sleaziness of the red-light district (which has its charms, but I hate to think of anyone coming to A'dam and seeing only that).

The #4 tram runs up to Centraal, so you can get off around the main canals (Prinsengracht stop), which is pretty. Or go up farther, to, say, Spui, and walk north through the red-light district (east of the tram tracks). All the sleaze, but a much nicer approach this way, as you get into it more gradually, and see some great old buildings. At the top of the red light, have a drink at In de Olofspoort, In 't Aepjen, or de Ooievaar, if your timing is right--they're all in a cluster where Warmoesstraat meets Zeedijk, and not sleazy at all. Just old-fashioned Dutch.

johan rebel

I remember seeing a couple of teenage backpackers coming out of the Centraal Station on what must have been their first visit to Amsterdam. The first thing they did was take a picture of the crowd of interesting characters hanging out at the intersection of the Zeedijk and the Warmoesstraat. The response was immediate, and probably not what the backpackers had expected: the suddenly energetic junkies surged forward, yelling abuse and throwing bottles and other trash at the startled backpackers, who beat a hasty retreat.

This was sometime late 70s or early 80s. How things change!

Johan

Gruff

Building on from this, I am travelling to LAX from LCY with a 3 hour layover at Schipol. Unfortuately my good intentions of quitting smoking have failed and Schipol has recently gone smoke free, therefire can I leave airside, go out and have a couple of cigarettes before passing through security again?

YVR Cockroach

Most definitely. Security for your next non-Schengen flight is actually at the gate anyway. There are some immigration booths by/between the E/F piers (same floor as the arrivals/departure level) which you should be able to use to go landside which may be less busy that the main arrivals floor below.

Good time to try to quite smoking by remaining airside though.

KLouis

Are you certain about that? Since when? Flights to the US have an extra security check at the gate, but a general security checkpoint for all flights was still a fact as of a few weeks ago!

I fully agree here!